A neighbor called police in Tacoma early Saturday morning after hearing a single gunshot. When authorities arrived, they found the homeowner alive, and the suspect dead of a single gunshot wound.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department is investigating after a homeowner shot and killed a burglar during a break-in early Saturday morning in Tacoma.

According to Detective Ed Troyer, the homeowner heard someone breaking into house around 3:30 a.m. and quickly grabbed a gun. The homeowner then confronted the burglar and the two got into a fight. During the fight the homeowner shot the burglar once, killing him instantly.

A woman and a child were at home at the time of the attack along with the homeowner, and it is very fortunate that the child never woke up during the incident. The singe fatal shot went through the suspect, exited the home, and appears to have hit a vehicle parked at a home across the street.

The homeowner is cooperating with authorities, and it doesn’t appear that charges will be likely in what appears to be a clear case of self-defense.