Suspected Prowler Is Shot to Death : Slaying Shakes an Already Tense Anaheim Neighborhood

An Anaheim man shot and killed a suspected prowler outside his house early Saturday after the prowler had walked on his roof and later tried to open the front door, the man’s wife said.

Anaheim police said Larry Sampson, 38, was questioned about the shooting, which occurred at 1:12 a.m. outside his home in the 3600 block of Marian Way. He was released pending further investigation.

The victim, whose name has not been released, apparently was unarmed, police said.

Police, who had received reports of a prowler, had been searching Sampson’s neighborhood with a helicopter and dogs for at least an hour when officers heard the shots.

They found the victim lying near a fire hydrant on the edge of Sampson’s lawn. Officers and paramedics tried to revive him, but he died at the scene, police said.

Although Sampson would not discuss the shooting, his wife, who would not give her first name, said they had heard someone on the roof and then heard someone jimmying the knob on the front door.

The shooting “wasn’t intentional,” she said. Her husband “wanted to miss. We didn’t know if he had a weapon.”

Bill Denton, who lives across the street, said he saw Sampson warn the prowler before firing.

“He held the gun in the air and said, ‘Hold it right there,’ ” Denton said. “I saw the flash of the gun and hit the floor.

“I didn’t realize he shot a man,” said Denton, whose view was partially blocked by a service truck parked outside Sampson’s house.

When Denton looked up again, he said, and “I thought he held his gun to the guy until police arrived.”

Another neighbor, Helen Shemel, said she heard what she thought were firecrackers. Later, she said, she saw a body draped in a yellow tarp on the sidewalk two doors down from her duplex.

The victim was dressed in black without shoes, Sampson’s wife said. His socks were found on the roof, she said.

Prowlers have become all too common on their quiet cul-de-sac, some Marian Way residents said Saturday.

“I’m hitting the want ads tomorrow,” Denton said. “Last night was the topper. It used to be a nice, quiet neighborhood.”

Residents on the block of mostly duplexes said railroad tracks behind their back yards attract transients who often prowl through their property. They also said gang activity in the area has worried them.

“It makes you a little leery,” said Mike Orr, a four-and-a-half-year resident who lives three doors from Sampson’s house. “The area tends to attract an unfortunate element.”

The Sampsons experienced an attempted break-in earlier this year, she said.

“This railroad track has been nothing but trouble,” she said, standing in front of her screen door ripped during the earlier incident.

The trouble has prompted neighbors to step up a Neighborhood Watch program, especially since gang graffiti have become a fixture.

“There are too many morons in this neighborhood, too many gangs,” said Kevin Gulla, who lives near the Sampsons. But if a prowler confronts his wife, Gulla said, “I know she’ll pull the trigger.”

Residents also complained that apartments under construction nearby attract vagrants. Several homes with stables were knocked down to make room for new development, they said, taking away a slice of country living.

Said Denton: “I’m going back to the beach.”