Long Beach Man who Shot Intruder Likely to Face Legal Consequences

Long Beach police will likely present the case involving the fatal shooting of a would-be robber to the District Attorney's Office on Friday, Chief Jim McDonnell said today.

Displaying no remorse, 80-year-old homeowner Tom Greer told NBC4 Wednesday night that he shot Andrea Miller twice in the back as she was fleeing with a male accomplice.

"She says, 'Don't shoot me, I'm pregnant -- I'm going to have a baby.' And I shot her anyway," Greer said. "The lady didn't run as fast as the man so I shot her in the back twice, she's dead ... but he got away."

McDonnell, who is also the leading candidate to be elected Los Angeles County sheriff, told reporters at an afternoon news conference there was no immediate confirmation of the pregnancy, but that the coroner's office planned to perform an autopsy on the Long Beach woman today.

Miller's suspected accomplice, Gus Adams, was arrested by detectives on Wednesday and booked on murder and residential robbery charges. He is being held at Los Angeles County Jail in lieu of $1.0255 million bail, authorities said.

Greer told NBC4 he regards what he did as self-defense, even though Miller was running away.

"Basically, you can defend yourself if you're in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death," McDonnell told reporters.

"It's not so much the location specifically. It's are you in fear of your life, wherever you are."

McDonnell said Greer suffered a broken collarbone and cuts and bruises to various parts of his body. The statements he made to NBC4 were also being reviewed as part of the investigation.

According to McDonnell, Greer told investigators he arrived at his home in the 3900 block of Country Club Drive in Bixby Knolls Tuesday night, parked his car, went inside and was immediately assaulted by two suspects, a man and a woman, who were in the process of burglarizing his house.

"When I went in there, they tackled me,' Greer told NBC4. "Both of them jumped up on top of me."

Greer was hit a number of times by the pair and thrown to the floor, McDonnell said. Miller allegedly continued to beat him while Adams, 26, of Long Beach, tried to break into Greer's safe. Miller, 28, of Long Beach, eventually stopped hitting Greer and joined Adams in trying to break into the safe.

Meanwhile, Greer managed to go to another room and retrieve a gun. He returned with the gun and confronted the pair of robbers while they were still inside the home and opened fire  but did not hit anyone.

Miller and Adams then grabbed some items and fled the home, McDonnell said.

Greer, still armed with a handgun, followed the pair outside and fired at them again. Miller was hit by the gunfire, fell in the alley and died there, but Adams managed to escape.

Kevin Franklin, a neighbor of Greer's, told KCAL9 that he "heard some shots and then screaming after the shots."

Greer told detectives that he was the victim of two reported and one unreported prior burglaries to his home where cash and other personal property was taken. Greer also said he believed Miller and Adams were responsible for the earlier robberies and might return in the future.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation was asked to call LBPD Homicide Detectives Mark McGuire and Greg Krabbe at (562) 570-7244.

--City News Service