This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A Kearns man was shot while fighting a burglar in his own home Thursday.
Chad R. Morley, 27, returned home to the 6000 South block of 6070 West in unincorporated Kearns about 9:15 a.m. after meeting his father for morning coffee.
Piled near his front door was a "bunch of high-dollar merchandise," such as his laptop computer and other electronics, Morley said.
"I could sense someone was in there, hear a pant of breath," he said.
Morley went to get his gun, which was hidden in the living room, and, as he turned, saw the burglar hiding behind his door.
The two men fought. When Morley looked around to avoid a table, the burglar hit him over the head with something.
Hand slippery with blood, Morley couldn't stop the robber from shooting him in the upper arm with his own gun. The bullet tore through muscle and cracked the bone.
After the shot, the robber ran away, and Morley called for police from a neighbor's house.
Lt. Paul Jaroscak of the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office said "pry marks" were found around the back door, that explain how the burglar forced his way inside.
Morley was treated at Intermountain Medical Center.
Deputies are looking for the robber, described as a Latino male wearing a dark baseball cap, a blue bandana and dark clothing.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office at 801-743-7000.