Police: Resident Shoots Armed Suspect in Burglary

A Dale City resident shot an armed intruder who had fired his weapon during a burglary early Sunday morning, Prince William County Police said. 

James Darnell Latimer, 29, of Francis West Lane in Woodbridge, is charged with burglary, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, attempted malicious wounding and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. 

Police said that a 24-year-old Woodbridge man was inside his home on the 14200 block of Princedale Drive when three masked men forced their way inside the home around 3:08 a.m. They went up the stairs to the victim's bedroom and a confrontation broke out. 

"One of the men was armed with a shotgun which he fired towards the victim," police spokesman Officer Jonathan Perok said in a press release. "The victim returned fire with his own handgun and stuck the suspect before the men fled the home."

The victim was not injured, and nothing was stolen, Perok said. Detectives from the Violent Crimes Bureau identified Latimer as a suspect after he went to a hospital in Washington, D.C. to obtain treatment for a gunshot injury to his forearm. 

Police have obtained warrants for Latimer's arrest, and he is still in D.C. pending extradition to Virginia. His court date is set for Aug. 26. Perok said the incident was not random and police are working to identify the other two suspects. 

The first suspect is described as a black male, 20-30 years old, 6 feet tall, 180 pounds, with a medium build and brown eyes.

The second suspect is described as a white male, 20-30 years old, 5'9", 170 pounds, with a medium build.