A man fatally shot after he allegedly vandalized vehicles and banged on windows to get into homes in Pleasant Hill on Tuesday evening has been identified by the Contra Costa County coroner’s office as 46-year-old John Kruetz.
Officers found Kruetz, a Pleasant Hill resident, in the living room of a home suffering from gunshot wounds after several people had called police around 5:45 p.m. about someone behaving erratically along Shadow Mountain Court near Camelback Road.
The officers heard gunshots when they arrived and then found Kruetz, who was taken to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek where he succumbed to his injuries, police said.
The involved parties and witnesses stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators, according to police.
34 comments
Sounds as if he may have let himself into the wrong house.
This is a deterrent for people just breaking into other people’s homes.
My only worry is that the district attorney will charge the homeowner with murder now. That’s the kind of upside down state we live in. The criminals don’t get charged but the innocent do. And lo, if the intruder was a minority, a race/ hate crime will be charged too. Let’s watch this one!
The shooter is a hero.
@Silva… Don’t you have relatable story along these lines?
Of course we have only this 4 paragraph summation to go on but…this is what happens, or should happen, to a dangerous lunatic. Until or unless the story takes a 180, sympathy only for the parties forced to defend themselves.
If someone breaks into your home, or attempted to assault you, I think you have the right to use a firearm if you have one. There is so much crime now. People are robbing the elderly, knocking them down, beating them. Your home is not safe, cars are being stolen or damaged everyday.
Besides just being in your home, I believe a serious threat to your well being has to be present. Ask a lawyer.
@ Doh – the presumption of serious threat is automatic when someone not a family member breaks into your home.
California Penal Code §198.5
“Any person using force intended or likely to cause death or great bodily injury within his or her residence SHALL BE PRESUMED to have held a reasonable fear of imminent peril of death or great bodily injury to self, family, or a member of the household when that force is used against another person, not a member of the family or household, who unlawfully and forcibly enters or has unlawfully and forcibly entered the residence and the person using the force knew or had reason to believe that an unlawful and forcible entry occurred.”
@janus
I hope that still applies. Things have changed since the demoRats went woke. The only thing that matters to the demoRats are the criminals and the illegals.
Darwin
§198.5 PC is still the law of the land. Absent something we are not privy to this appears to fall under §197(2) PC Justifiable Homicide.
On the face of things, any DA, no matter what their political persuasion, would have a large hurdle to overcome for prosecution.
The law is crystal clear on presumption of reasonable fear for the shooter. Even excluding statement(s), I would think the physical evidence alone (multiple calls of vandalizing parked vehicles, banging on the home windows, trying to gain entry to homes in the area, the location of the body, and the 9-1-1 recording) would make the proving criminal malice insurmountable for the DA but YMMV.
@janus
Have you ever heard of Marc and Janet McClosky????
Apparently it’s no longer the law of the land.
The McCloskys were pardoned. Their prosecution was part of an effort to convince people that they don’t have a right to defend themselves. Don’t believe it.
@yoyohop
If that’s true, it’s great news.
Darwin
Why yes I have. That happened in St Louis, Missouri.
Whereas there actually is a Pleasant Hill, Missouri, this shooting happened in Pleasant Hill, California where the California Penal Code IS the law of the land.
@janus
You don’t think what happened to the McCloskys could not happen in WOKE California??? Have you done research on the Contra Costa County DA Becton??? Hmmmm?
Let’s see how this plays out. At the very least the family will sue the victim. After all this is demoRat California where criminals and illegals come first.
Law of the land hahahahaah!
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Kudos to the resident who shot and killed the intruder invading his/her home.
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#2A
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Self defense and the “Castle Doctrine” prevails.
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I totally agree!
Kudos? That’s a bit casual for someone who just had to take someone’s life. Kudos??
@Mike
The thief made their decision and took their chance trying to steal from others nothing casual about it death happens every day every second every minute every hour but you want to stick up for criminals?
Well….. although I applaud the resident being willing & able to defend his home and family, killing someone is hardly something to celebrate.
Glad the defense prevailed against the aggressor.
Hope there are no emotional problems for the family and property value does not suffer (some folks won’t buy a house where someone died violently).
I agree with you on all points, Dr. Jelly. I will add my hope that the victim is not persecuted for protecting their home and family. Although California is a Castle Doctrine State, your District Attorney seems to have no respect for the law.
CA real estate law requires disclosure of a death in the home if it occurred within the past 36 months. The intruder died at the hospital so none would be required.
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Not sure about rental units (apartments).
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Cowellian
The DA for CCC’s first concern is the color of people’s skin.
She believes that white people forced their supremacy on black people to keep them inferior.
With a master’s in theology, one would believe she would be a little less judgemental.
As a DA one would hope she would be more color blind.
But in both cases, she is not.
@ Cellophane
👍🏼
I bought a house where someone was murdered a few years before I bought it. I didn’t find out about it until a year later. Happened right where I lay my head down every night. Doesn’t bother me a bit. I think it was done by the mass killer guy from Sacramento that they tried a bit ago. He did attack a couple of woman not far from my house and the timing was right. However it remains unsolved.
@ Dr. Jellyfinger
People would not be applauding people doing the police’s job for them if our DA would just allow the police to do their job. Criminals make their choices in life and when you live by robbing beating & terrorizing others it absolutely is something to celebrate when a waste of skin is no longer allowed to steal air from others that do not commit crimes or terrorize the law abiding citizens…
If you look at where this is it’s Camelback mostly college students. I would hope one of my neighbors would step up and do the same for me. Thanks good citizen.
Sadly, they wouldnt – those college kids would probably be the ones breaking in. Camelback is full of criminals and Pleasant Hill PD unfortunately is useless.
Did Kruetz stop taking prescription medication or did he ingest an illegal drug? No sane person would do this.
I totally agree with this statement:
The DA for CCC’s first concern is the color of people’s skin.
I no longer check causcian as my skin color is olive thus I check other.
Tired of being lumped together as a person of privilege as I am not. I am legally blind, disabled and still work, pay my taxes and believe in law enforcement 100%.
If someone attempts to hurt me, my family or my home or vehicle you all best watch out. I am tired of being pushed to my limits by the entitlement crowd who consistently suck off the system and expect others to pay their way legal or illegal, when they can work just as I do. Many in large part do not want to work because they are given a free ride. Many of us are to proud to take advantage of benefits that were initally set up to really help those in need.
Voters are paying attention so just do not think our silence is because we are brain washed by the leftist media.
I side with the homeownder as they had every right to protect themselves. Becton wake the heck up..
Excellent comments!
I too will now anyone down threatening or even looking threatening to me or my family in our home property or vehicles. You tread on me you’re rights are gone..
This is why every homeowner or renter should own a gun, carry mace and a sonic whistle. Who knows what could have happened if the homeowner was not prepared to protect himself or herself. We no longer live in a civil society.
While killing someone is a last resort, I have to admit if someone broke into my home and they didn’t get eaten by my dogs, I would not hesitate to use deadly force. I am so tired of living in fear in Concord. I cannot leave my sliding glass door open anymore out of fear some lunatic is going to hop our fence and get inside our home. The homeless and mentally ill are rampant and nothing is being done to help them. And let’s not even start on the filth around our once beautiful city. It is disgusting.
A lot of shooters in Pleasant Hill
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