Boys Home Alone; Shot Halts Intruder

The four brothers were home alone when a man burst in. The boys scattered. The eldest--just 13--went for his stepfather’s .357 Magnum and fired through the bedroom door, striking the man in the chest.

The intruder stumbled into the front yard and collapsed dead.

“We taught him where to aim at the door if the door rattled,” said the boy’s stepfather, Gary Miner. “He did exactly as he was instructed.”

Dist. Atty. David Moss ruled it a “pretty clear-cut” justifiable shooting. He also ruled out charges against the parents for allowing Jarrod Barnes and his brothers access to the gun.

The break-in occurred in the middle of the day Wednesday, in a quiet, middle-class neighborhood.

Miner said the boys were coping fine so far. He said he was the one who was shaken.

“I just can’t describe it. You feel violated,” he said. “We didn’t know if the man would have considered hurting them.”

Miner, who works out of the family’s three-bedroom brick home, said he was running a business errand when the break-in occurred. His wife was at her office, and the boys were home from school for the summer.

When the man burst in through the front door, the 7- and 9-year-olds bolted into the bathroom, while Jarrod and his 12-year-old brother ran to a bedroom.

As Jarrod reached for his father’s weapon, his brother dialed 911. But the stranger kept coming, the boys told police.

Detectives found a 15-inch screwdriver and a pocket knife on the body.

Police Friday identified the intruder as Samuel Lee Britt Jr., 41, and said he had had contact with police previously. No other information on Britt was immediately available. Police had said earlier that there didn’t appear to be a connection between the family and the intruder.

Police searched for a woman seen driving from the home; she may have been the getaway driver.

Miner said his two oldest sons attended gun safety classes sponsored by the state Wildlife Conservation Department. And all his boys enjoy fishing and hunting.

“I consider the older boys to be experts with firearms,” Miner said.