At about 2pm Wednesday, Joe Horn called 911 from inside his Pasadena home. He says he saw two men break into his neighbor's house. Horn tells police that he is armed with a shotgun.
"Hurry up, man. Catch these guys, will ya? I ain't gonna let them go, I'm gonna be honest with ya," said Horn on the 911 call. "I'm not gonna let them go. I'm not gonna let them get away with this (expletive)."
Horn and the dispatcher spent more than seven minutes on the phone, much of that with the dispatcher trying to convince Horn not to go outside.
"I'm gonna shoot, I'm gonna shoot," said Horn.
"Stay inside the house and don't go out there, OK?" responded the dispatcher. "It's not worth shooting someone over this."
"I don't want to, but if I go out there to see what the hell is going on, what choice do I have?" said Horn.
"I don't want you to go out there. I asked if you could see anything out there," said the dispatcher.
Horn tells the dispatcher that he understands his rights and even makes reference to the September 1 expansion that gives homeowners greater protection from prosecution should they choose to confront someone breaking into their home.
Before he can be convinced otherwise, Horn tells police he sees the burglars coming out of his house.
"He's coming out of the window right now," said Horn to the 911 dispatcher. "I gotta go, buddy. I'm sorry, but he's coming out the window."
"Don't, don't , don't go out the door. Mr. Horn? Mr. Horn?" said the dispatcher.
"(Expletive), they just stole something," said Horn to the dispatcher. "I'm sorry. I ain't gonna let them get away with this. They got a bag of something. I'm doing it."
The dispatcher can't stop Horn, who takes the phone with him as he goes outside.
"Move, you're dead," Horn, who took the phone outside with him, could be heard saying to the suspects.
Then three gunshots could be heard.
Horn admits later on the 911 call that he did, in fact, fire those shots. The names of the two men shot have not yet been released pending identification and notification of their next of kin. Horn has not been arrested or charged with any crime. A police investigation is still underway. This case likely will end up in the hands of a Harris County grand jury.
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)
