Dec 27, 2014 2 min read

CALIFORNIA – An intruder died after being shot in the chest early Saturday by a California Borough resident in what police are calling a home invasion.

Washington County Coroner Tim Warco said Emanuel Ladson, 37, of Grant Street, Pittsburgh, died at 4:48 a.m. of a gunshot wound to his chest he suffered while running toward an armed California homeowner who found him in the kitchen. A ruling on Ladson’s manner of death was pending an investigation, Warco said.

California police said the homeowner was startled upon hearing noises about 3:30 a.m. in the residence on California Road, prompting the homeowner to investigate the sounds.

The resident then found Ladson in the kitchen, where the resident asked him, “What are you doing here?” police stated in a news release.

Ladson began to run toward the homeowner, at which time the resident fired one round from a handgun, police said.

Ladson made his way through the living room and out the front door before collapsing in the front lawn about 50 feet away from the house. Ladson was placed aboard a helicopter to be flown to a Pittsburgh hospital, but when his condition worsened the helicopter was diverted to Mon Valley Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Evidence at the scene indicated Ladson entered the residence through a small window, near where the homeowners were sleeping, police said. The homeowners were not identified.

The case remained under investigation by California Borough and state police.

Ladson had a criminal history in Philadelphia, where he lived prior to relocating to Pittsburgh. He was serving 5 years of probation for pleading guilty in 2012 to escape and forgery, online court records indicate.

He also received a 5- to 10-year prison sentence in Philadelphia County Court after pleading guilty in 2002 to robbery, burglary and unlawful restraint, the records show.