Dangerous Doorstep Standoff: Illinois Homeowner Forced to Shoot Intruder

In the small town of Collinsville, Illinois, just 20 minutes northeast of St. Louis, a confrontation unfolded on a quiet evening last week. A man with a history of aggravated battery charges, who had been repeatedly asked to leave a home’s entranceway, challenged the homeowner with an ultimatum that he would have to shoot. The homeowner, fearing for his safety, obliged.

The man, later identified as 31-year-old Jonathan J. Gagen, was found fatally shot on the porch of the house located on the 500 block of St. Louis Road, KDSK-TV reported following the Collinsville police’s recounting of the events.

“Police responded to the 500 block of St. Louis Road just after 6 p.m. last Tuesday,” the station reported.

Upon their arrival, officers discovered a male lying wounded on the porch. Despite the efforts of the local EMS, who provided aid after officers, Gagen was pronounced dead at the scene.

The investigation was handed over to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office due to a family connection between the homeowner and a part-time employee of the Collinsville police department. The sheriff’s office determined that Gagen had been asked multiple times to leave the homeowner’s porch, but he had refused each request.

“The homeowner feared for his safety and got a gun from inside the home while making ‘numerous’ requests for Gagen to leave,” KDSK reported.

The homeowner had explicitly warned Gagen against entering the house.

Chillingly, “Gagen opened the storm door and said the homeowner would have to shoot him,” according to the sheriff’s office, reported by the station.

In response to this threat, the homeowner fired a single shot, striking Gagen in the chest. Another resident of the house immediately called 911 to request police assistance.

All the residents were cooperative with the investigation, the station noted.

The Madison County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has highlighted two county cases involving Gagen with aggravated battery charges.

In one case from 2020, Gagen was accused of violently grabbing a Granite City police officer’s face and scratching his eyeball. He was also accused of engaging in a physical altercation with a private security officer at a hospital, causing the officer to fall and subsequently break his leg and ankle in June 2023. Both cases were still pending as of last Wednesday.

As part of a bond condition, Gagen had been required to complete a mental health court screening in September 2023. There have been several pleadings and orders in both cases, KDSK reported, underlining Gagen’s troubled past.

This shocking incident underscores the seriousness of the potential dangers homeowners can face, even on their own property. It also serves as a stark reminder of the grim outcomes that can result from a refusal to respect boundaries and the law.

Watch a local news report about the incident below:

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