Woman Shoots, Kills Intruder at Ladera Heights Residence

Tables were turned on an alleged robber reaching for his pistol when a Ladera Heights woman shot and killed the man with her handgun, sheriff’s investigators said Saturday.

The suspect, who was not immediately identified, died at the scene--the woman’s home on Shenandoah Avenue--after being shot in the head, chest and shoulder by the 53-year-old woman, Deputy Bill Linnemeyer said.

After questioning the woman, deputies determined the shooting was justified, he said. The suspect’s gun was loaded with one round in its chamber.

A witness saw another man flee the area on foot. A short time later, deputies arrested Bobbie Louis Barnett, 23, of Los Angeles, at a bus stop on Slauson Avenue, about three blocks from the residence, Linnemeyer said.

Barnett was being held without bail for a parole violation. An investigation to determine his role, if any, in the attempted robbery was continuing, deputies said.

The incident occurred at 4:30 p.m. Friday when a man knocked at the door of the woman’s home.

“The suspect demanded money from the woman, stepped inside the doorway and began reaching for a 9-millimeter pistol tucked in his waistband,” Linnemeyer said.

The woman ran to a nearby hall closet, grabbed a revolver and fired several shots, all of which struck the intruder, the deputy said.

The woman’s husband and three children, ages 14, 11 and 8, were at home but unaware of the holdup until they heard the gunshots, Linnemeyer said.

Authorities retrieved a car the robber allegedly drove to the residence, a 1990 Ford Taurus reported stolen Friday afternoon in Torrance, the deputy said.