Homeowner shoots and kills intruder in Oakton; neighbors react

OAKTON, Va. - Police in Fairfax County are still investigating the fatal shooting that took place at a home in a quiet Oakton neighborhood on Wednesday night.

The homicide unit was at the scene of the shooting in the 11400 block of Waples Mill Road for most of Thursday and the crime scene tape surrounding the home came down around 4 p.m. 

Neighbors in the area told FOX 5 that what happened is a rare occurrence. 

Chip Muyers said that the community "tends to be very calm and quiet." 

"The excitement last night was something a little different," he said. "We’ve lived here since 2005. This was only six houses and a cul-de-sac for a while – they built some more, but just very neighborly, very friendly people know each other. You go for walks with your dogs up and down the street so last night was pretty surprising."

Fairfax County Police tweeted around 6:50 p.m. Wednesday that officers were on the scene of that shooting in the 11400 block of Waples Mill Road.

Responding officers found Eduardo Santos, 24, of Herndon, inside the home suffering from gunshot wounds to the upper body. 

Life-saving measures were attempted, police said, but Santos was pronounced dead by fire and rescue personnel at the scene.

During a press conference, police revealed that the incident started with some sort of interaction between the homeowner and Santos. 

Detectives determined the homeowner saw Santos on his property, and told him to leave. Santos then assaulted the homeowner with a stick and when the homeowner attempted to retreat inside the home, he was tackled by Santos and injured in the fall. 

The homeowner was able to make it into his home and he retrieved a firearm. Santos entered the home with what police called a  "large landscaping rock."

Police said the homeowner shot and killed the intruder before calling 911. 

As of now, investigators told FOX 5 there's nothing indicating that the two men knew each other. They aren't sure what prompted the altercation. 

During the incident, Curry said the homeowner, his wife and two children, plus an additional adult were inside the residence. No one was reported injured.  

Detectives determined Santos was in the area Wednesday afternoon for several hours. 

Officers said they received two calls for service involving Santos acting suspicious. On one occasion, officers found him, but no crime was established. Santos refused to speak to police, and he walked away from the area. During the second incident, Santos was not found.

This is a developing story. Stay with FOX 5 for updates.