Officers fatally shoot armed juvenile who broke into Lancaster city residence

• By Olivia M. Miller/LNP | LancasterOnline

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Lancaster city police fatally shot a young male early Sunday morning during a home break-in after police say he pointed a weapon at responders.

A 36-year-old woman who lives on the first block of West New Street reported to police shortly after midnight her security cameras showed someone entering her back door. When police arrived minutes later, the woman told police the person was still inside the house.

The person exited and confronted officers in the backyard, pointing a firearm at them, police said. Officers shot the person, who died later at Lancaster General Hospital.

The coroner’s office said the intruder was a juvenile male but isn’t releasing his name yet.

The woman who lives in the residence with her three kids said she and her family didn’t know the male. She was granted anonymity for this story because of concerns for the safety of her and her family.

The resident said she received a phone notification from her home security cameras showing someone entering her back door. Her 14-year-old son was home at the time.

“I saw them come in, I called my son immediately, I said ‘Hey, who are you trying to sneak into the house?’ He said, ‘No one. No one’s here. What are you talking about?’ He was confused,” the resident said. She said she immediately called the police, who arrived within minutes.

“Law enforcement, they showed up diligently,” the woman said. “They handled the situation to the best way I could ask anyone to handle the situation.”

The resident said her back door is damaged from him breaking a window to get in. The intruder didn’t appear to be trying to take anything.

“When we say that it takes a village, that is the truth,” she said. “The community has to have an eye open and really look out for each other.”

The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office is investigating. Efforts to reach Sean McBryan, spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office, were unsuccessful.

The last time a Lancaster city police officer was involved in a fatal shooting was in September 2020, when an officer fatally shot a man after receiving a domestic disturbance call.