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CRIME

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Pasadena police give Horn case to DA

12:46 AM CST on Tuesday, December 18, 2007

KHOU.com staff report

The Pasadena Police Department on Monday presented to the district attorney its findings in the case of a homeowner who shot and killed a pair of burglars..

Pasadena police confirmed to 11 News Monday night that the report to the DA lacks results of clothing analysis and firearms testing, but those items will be included as soon as they become available.

The DA will review the report to determine if it will be presented to a grand jury.

On Nov. 14, Joe Horn shot Diego Ortiz, 30, and Hernando Torres, 38, as they exited a house carrying a sack of cash and jewelry taken from a neighbor’s home. Despite warnings from a Pasadena 911 dispatcher to remain in his home, Horn confronted the pair with his shotgun.

He shot both men and killed them. An initial autopsy report from the Harris County medical examiner indicates the two men were shot in the back.

Horn, 61, has maintained he shot the men in self-defense.

Both of the dead men were illegal immigrants from Columbia. Torres had been deported once before after serving a prison term for distributing cocaine.

Police suspect the two men were part of an organized home burglary ring.

The shooting prompted a national debate about the use of deadly force in protecting property. Many of Horn’s neighbors support his actions, while some community activists have condemned him as a gun-toting vigilante.

 

 

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