Shontel Lee Early, 30, and Wesley Oran Fenstermacher, 29, were shot and killed by a 23-year-old UA student early this morning in an attempted home invasion near the intersection of North Tyndall Avenue and East Adams Street.

“”At about 12:38 this morning (the student) told the 911 dispatcher that two unknown men broke into his home and that he shot both of them,”” said Sgt. Fabian Pacheco, public information officer for the Tucson Police Department.

According to Pacheco, the victim was at home and heard a knock at the door. The victim, who is a gun owner, retrieved a weapon and proceeded to open the door.

An unknown man asked the victim if another individual was home. The victim said no such person lived at the address. Directly behind the first man was a second man. This person was wearing a bandana that covered his face and was armed with a handgun. At this point the victim attempted to close the door and retreat into the house. The two suspects forced their way into his residence, and the victim shot and killed them both.

The victim has been released and has not been charged with anything as of press time.

“”He is not a suspect … He cooperated with the investigation and didn’t appear to do anything wrong. He was in his home, and he protected himself. Probably, had he not done what he did, he probably would have been dead right now,”” Pacheco said.

Due to the ongoing investigation, no information could be disclosed as to whether the victim had any formal weapons training, although Pacheco added, “”Obviously he did have some experience and training in the use of handguns.””

Pacheco said students should take a serious look to make sure they follow simple safety guidelines, such as checking to see if the deadbolts on their doors are functional or buying locks for sliding glass doors. However, Pacheco said that once individuals force their way into a person’s home, all bets are off.

“”You have to protect yourself. I can’t tell you really what to do in every given situation; each individual has to make a choice depending on how comfortable you are … with a handgun … But you still have to be reasonable in the level and amount of deadly force you use … It was a very violent encounter, and he reacted the best way he could,”” Pacheco said.

Early and Fenstermacher had extensive criminal records, starting in 1997, court records show. Early had been cited in 15 instances, mostly traffic violations. Fenstermacher had been cited for eight instances, and was arrested and served jail time for a criminal trespassing violation in 2004.