MCSO: Litchfield Park woman shoots intruder through front door

LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz. (KSAZ) - Authorities say a woman shot a man who was trying to break into her home through the front door on Thursday night.

According to Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, a woman called 911 just before 11 p.m. saying there was a suspicious vehicle in the driveway of her home near 127th Avenue and Camelback Road.

The woman told the 911 operator she didn't know the man who was inside the car and the man walked up to her front door and tried to enter her home.

After warning the man that she was armed, MCSO says the woman shot him through the front door after he kept trying to enter the home.

When deputies arrived at the home, they found the man on the door step suffering from a gunshot wound.

The man was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries where he remains in critical condition.

MCSO says the woman lives alone and no one else was inside the home during the shooting. Meanwhile, neighbors are talking about the incident.

Sandy Combs, who lives in the neighborhood, came home at around 11:30 p.m. and saw first responders fill the street.

"It was horrid because I'm very close with these people, the next door neighbors, and I thought something had happened to them, and my daughter was here by herself and I was like, 'oh no'," said Combs.

Holly Forsman's granddaughter heard the shows.

"Said she heard some argument, some hollering going back and forth, and then she heard some gunshots," said Forsman. "She thought the gunshots were just some fireworks going off. She didn't realize what was taking place."

Neighbors are still shocked by what has happened.

"It's very scary, because this is a very calm neighborhood, across from the park," said Combs. "Kids playing everywhere. It just really makes you wonder what really went on."

On Friday, Criminal Defense Attorney Russ Richelsoph talked about the state's "stand your ground" law.

"In the state of Arizona, the law is that if a person is trying to unlawfully enter your home, and you use deadly physical force, it's presumed reasonable," said Richelsoph.

But what about shooting through a door, such as this particular incident?

"There's a danger when you shoot through a door, and you can't make a visual identification of the person on the other side of the door," said Richelsoph. "It's dangerous. It's a risky thing to do because you don't know who's on the other side of the door, and you could be making a mistake."

One, however, can still be on the right side of the law if there was reasonable fear.

"A prosecutor would have to prove beyond a reasonble doubt that you didn't act reasonably,"