Grateful to friend with a gun " 'cause my kids were in the house"

(Columbia, South Carolina) August 16, 2006 - A break-in at a Richland County home ended with one of the suspected robbers being shot to death.

The homeowner says a friend came through to help stop the crime, suffering a bullet wound. The homeowner tells WIS, "I'm sorry he had to get shot in the process but I'm really grateful 'cause my kids were in the house and everything."

The man, who we'll call "Mark" showed us where he says two armed robbers hid, waiting for him to come home. Mark says the crooks snuck in through the fence and broke into his Richland County home after his two friends dropped him off.

Mark says they demanded money. He gave them what he had but they wanted more, "After they snatched chain off my neck, they took my car keys. They told me to call the two guys that just left to come back and they were going to rob them also."

"When he called me back and I just told him hurry up and come back over here. He said he kind of detected something. He kind of knew something was wrong."

Within minutes Mark's friends arrived, armed and ready, "When I opened up the back door I saw the gun in his hand so I told him they had guns in the house and I ran out of the house and that's when the shooting started."

A bullet pierced the back door and one hit a car window, leaving glass on the ground. And then one shot struck Mark's friend, but he managed to fire back, killing one of the robbery suspects, 29-year-old Jevis Rogers, a Columbia man who's been in prison many times for several crimes including burglary. Mark's friend won't be charged in Rogers' death. . . .

As he's learned from an experience, that could've been worse if it weren't for the help of a friend. "He means the world to me. I'd do anything for him." . . . .