Police investigate self-defense claim by St. Paul man who reported he fatally shot intruder

Authorities on Monday identified a man who was shot to death last week in St. Paul after he allegedly broke into a home late at night.

Kaleef L. Barnes, 33, of St. Paul, was shot Friday morning in the 1200 block of Hewitt Avenue, according to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office.

Police said Barnes was shot while breaking into the home in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood about 1:40 a.m.

After the shooting, the resident was waiting for officers outside and told them the man kicked in the front door, entered the home and threatened the resident's daughter, who had had a relationship with the intruder, read a police statement.

Barnes had been shot several times while inside the residence, where paramedics declared him dead, said police spokesman Steve Linders.

Linders said the resident, a 56-year-old man, was taken to police headquarters, questioned and released.

The Ramsey County Attorney's Office said that police have yet to forward the case for assessing whether charges against the man are warranted.

"It's an ongoing investigation," said a police spokeswoman, Sgt. Natalie Davis. "When the investigation is complete, it will be presented to the [County Attorney's Office] for charging consideration."

Police have not said whether Barnes carried a weapon.

This is the second instance in the Twin Cities in about six weeks in which a resident has fatally shot a suspected intruder.

On Feb. 22 in south Minneapolis, Martin L. Johnson, 30, was shot after he broke into a family's detached garage, then approached the house in the 3300 block of S. 25th Avenue while allegedly reaching into his waistband. Police determined that Johnson was unarmed.

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office decided not to charge the two residents there — a woman and her adult son — because both had "valid self-defense claims," the office said in a statement.

Police and the medical examiner said they could not determine which of the guns used during the incident fired the fatal shot. The woman told police she shot Johnson.