A homeowner in Collinsville, Illinois, is lucky to be alive after having to use his firearm to stop a home intruder.
The incident occurred during an evening last month when 31-year-old Jonathan Gagen attempted to break into the armed citizen’s home.
The homeowner told Gagen not to try to enter his residence, threatening to shoot him if he made the attempt.
According to the sheriff’s office:
The homeowner told Gagen not to enter the home, and when he opened the storm door, he said the homeowner fired one shot, which struck Gagen in the chest.
Another resident at the home called 911 and requested police assistance immediately afterward.
According to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office:
[A]ll residents at the home were cooperating with the investigation.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office took over the investigation because a family member of the homeowner is a part-time Collinsville police employee.
5 On Your Side obtained information from the Madison County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office:
[T]here are two cases in Madison County involving Gagen with aggravated battery charges.
One charge accuses Gagen of grabbing a Granite City Police Officer’s face and scratching his eyeball in 2020. Another charge said Gagen was fighting with a private security officer at Oliver C. Anderson Hospital, causing the officer to fall and break his leg and ankle in June 2023.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Department issued a statement explaining that the homeowner and Gagen did not know each other.
As reported:
The resident told the subject to leave, but he continued to refuse. As the subject became angry, the resident feared for his own safety and the safety of his family. The resident retreated into his home and retrieved his firearm while making numerous requests for the subject to leave.
Gagen allegedly opened the storm door in an attempt to enter the house, at which point the homeowner told Gagen that if he continued, he’d be shot.
In an attempt to protect his family, the resident fired one shot, which struck the subject in the chest.
As was later revealed:
[T]he assailant had a troubled history with mental illness. As a bond condition in 2023, Gagen was ordered to complete a screening for mental health court.
In 2024, his case was closed because he was ‘found to be beyond the scope of the program.’
Other reports suggest that Gagen had been diagnosed with autism among other issues.
According to one report:
A man with the same name, date of birth, and hometown as Gagen’s had been reported missing in a March 16 Facebook post by the Belleville Police Department.
The department asked for the public’s help in locating the man, described as ‘diagnosed with autism and mental health issues.’
He was found Monday, March 18 in Wentzville, MO and was promptly taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation.
The Belleville News Democrat is attempting to determine whether the man reported missing is the same person who was shot Tuesday night in Collinsville.
