Long Beach burglary suspect was not pregnant, coroner says
A burglary suspect who police say was shot dead while attempting to flee a Long Beach home this week was not pregnant, coroner’s officials said Friday.
The home’s owner, who identified himself as Tom Greer in an interview with KNBC-TV Channel 4, said he shot Andrea Miller, 28, even after she begged him not to open fire, claiming she was pregnant. She was shot twice in the back. Her suspected accomplice, 26-year-old Gus Adams, got away but was later arrested.
Greer, who claims the couple attacked him in his home, has said he acted in self-defense, although Long Beach police have said they are still investigating the circumstances of the shooting.
In his taped interview with KNBC-TV, Greer said the woman shouted, “Don’t shoot me! I’m pregnant — I’m going to have a baby.”
An official cause of death has not been released, and Long Beach police said at a news conference Thursday that they will present their report on the incident to the district attorney’s office, which will decide if the shooting was within the law.
Adams on Friday was charged with five felony counts including murder, first-degree residential robbery, first-degree residential burglary, grand theft firearm and possession of a firearm by a felon. His arraignment was postponed.
In California, a person can be charged with an accomplice’s death if it occurs during the commission of a crime. Adams is being held on more than $1-million bail.
Police say Adams and Miller attacked the owner of the home after he walked in on them burglarizing his home in the 3900 block of Country Club Drive in the upscale Bixby Knolls neighborhood.
But when Greer produced a .22-caliber handgun, they fled, Greer told KNBC, adding that he chased the pair and shot Miller twice in the back in an alley, and then pulled her body back onto his lot.
Police confirmed that the intruders beat the homeowner with their fists, body slammed him to the ground and tried to break into his safe.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
