One burglar dead, one in custody after standoff and fire at Collingdale home, authorities say
The home was vacant when two men broke in and barricaded themselves inside when police arrived, law enforcement sources said.
Prosecutors in Delaware County are investigating a break-in at a home in Collingdale that left one burglar dead and another in custody, officials said Thursday.
Police were called to a home on Rhodes Avenue in the Delaware County borough about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday to respond to a report of a burglary in progress, according to court filings.
Barry Roberts, 44, has been charged with burglary, conspiracy, trespassing, and related crimes in connection with the burglary, during which authorities say he and his coconspirator, Davon Terry, attempted to steal sneakers.
Roberts, of West Philadelphia, remained in custody Thursday in lieu of $30,000 bail. There was no indication he had hired an attorney.
Terry, 35, died during the protracted standoff with police that followed, officials said. The Delaware County District Attorney’s Office is investigating Terry’s death, as well as the police response to the burglary call.
The office declined to comment, citing the active investigation.
The girlfriend of the man who lived at the home said she saw on a Ring doorbell camera that two masked men were forcing their way inside, according to the affidavit of probable cause for Roberts’ arrest. During the break-in, the document said, they passed a black handgun back and forth to each other.
The woman, who was not at the home as the burglary took place, called 911, the affidavit said.
When police arrived, the burglars barricaded themselves in the home, investigators said, prompting a response from SWAT team members and other local agencies.
During the hours-long standoff, the officers threw a tear-gas canister into the home, and a small fire broke out, the affidavit said. No shots were fired during the incident.
Roberts eventually crawled through a basement window in the home and surrendered, according to the affidavit. Inside the home, investigators found a black handgun that matched the weapon both men were seen holding in the Ring camera footage, the document said.
Afterward, as the house was being cleared, officers discovered that Terry had died. His cause of death remained under investigation Thursday.