Posted on Sun, Jun. 10, 2012

A suburban West Palm Beach man fatally shot a burglar early this morning as he returned home from an evening out, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office reported.

The couple, whose identity has not been released, were walking to their apartment in the 5100 block of Palm Hill Drive at 2:12 a.m. when a man armed with a handgun ordered them inside their home, according to the news release.

He began going through their things, and the two men got into a fight.

As the men struggled, the victim got his hands on the gun and shot his assailant, according to the sheriff’s office.

Though the suspect fled, he collapsed on a nearby walkway. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue pronounced him dead at the scene.

The victim had minor injuries and was treated at a local hospital, sheriff’s spokeswoman Teri Barbera said.