BLUE MOUND — Police say a homeowner in this north Tarrant County community was defending his family when he shot and killed an intruder with his own weapon early Wednesday.

According to investigators, Dakota Benoit, 21, and John Pierson, 25, first broke into the garage of a house in the 2600 block of Calico Rock Drive in Fort Worth, taking some police radio gear used by a neighborhood CrimeWatch patrol officer.

They stole a car and drove it to the Blue Mound residence about two miles away in the 600 block of Globe Avenue.

This time, the intruders were met with resistance as they broke into the home of Keith and Kellie Hoehn shortly after midnight.

"I grabbed the gun and I pulled it away from him so there was no way he could shoot my husband," said Kellie Hoehn.

"It escalates. We go outside. I'm figuring out how to work the gun. And finally I just shoot at him. He comes back at me again, so I had to shoot him again," said her husband.

"I shot his buddy. He was sitting in the car."

Mike Zukerman / WFAA-TV

Medics attend to the wounded suspect.

Dakota Benoit died but John Pierson who was picked up after fleeing the scene is in hospital.

Investigators said Hoehn is unlikely to be charged because it appears he shot the men out of concern for his sleeping children.

"They did what they had to do to protect their family," said Fort Worth police Lt. Joseph Sparrow. "They are to be commended for that."

Lt. Sparrow added, however, that police do not recommend attempting to struggle with armed criminals.

WFAA-TV's Cynthia Vega and Darla Miles and the Associated Press contributed to this report.