Homeowner says he killed intruder with suspect’s own gun in Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS (WXIN) — A man is dead following an attempted home invasion in Indianapolis.

Just before 7 p.m. Tuesday, police were called to a neighborhood on the city’s east side after a homeowner reported a masked man forced his way into the home during an attempted robbery.

That homeowner, Brent Smith, spoke with Nexstar’s WXIN shortly after being released from custody without charges.

“He smacked me in the head with a gun and told me I knew what it was and then I yelled out he’s trying to rob me,” Smith explained, recounting the incident.

Smith claims he then quickly began to fight with the would-be thief and the pair crashed through a glass table inside his home.

“It was like a movie, me and him wrestling over the gun,” said Smith.

During that struggle, Smith admits he shot the intruder with the suspect’s own gun.

Damon Swanigan, Jr., 22, died on the front step of the home, which was then hit by a barrage of bullets from outside. That gunfire, believed to have come from an unknown number of suspects outside the home, damaged the siding and the front door, as well as shattering the windows of a car parked in the street.

“When the gun went off I heard thousands of gunshots,” said Smith. “It was a lot of gunfire man, a lot of gunfire.”

Smith said during that shootout, he grabbed his own gun and returned fire before the suspects in the street drove away, leaving behind a pile of broken car glass.

“I didn’t even think, ‘them or me.’ I was just basically trying to survive myself, man,” said Smith.

Police questioned Smith overnight, but because Indiana law allows people to defend themselves and their home with deadly force, he was released pending further investigation.

Smith remains emotional thinking about the life he had taken.

“That doesn’t make no sense, man. I didn’t want to do that,” said Smith. “I don’t know his intention, but I didn’t want to be shot. That’s just all there is to it.”

Police did not have any information on the suspect or suspects who may have fled the scene.