Police Release Identity of Intruder Shot by Homeowner
William Blair, 33, Remains in the Hospital
The man who tried to break into a West Pedregosa Street home during an unhinged rampage Wednesday morning has been identified as 33-year-old William Blair. According to Santa Barbara police, he has had multiple contacts with officers since 2010 and is currently on unsupervised probation. He has no relationship to the man whose house he tried to enter.
Blair remains in Cottage Hospital and is being treated for the gunshot wound to his right leg. The homeowner shot him with his M-1 carbine rifle after Blair, despite pointed warnings to leave, tried to break down the house’s back doors with his hands and feet and a lantern he picked up from the porch. When the homeowner yelled at Blair to stop before firing a warning shot into the ground, Blair reportedly responded with a statement indicating he was suicidal. The homeowner requested his name not be released. Members of his family were inside the house when the incident took place.
The case has been forwarded to the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office, said police, who requested the following criminal charges be filed against Blair: burglary, vandalism, prowling, and assault with a deadly weapon, the latter for swinging the lantern at the homeowner.
