A Turlock man who broke into a home in a rural, unincorporated area of Modesto was killed in a gunfight with the homeowner, the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department reported.

The deceased was identified as Rodney Lee Martin, 41, of Turlock.

The shooting happened shortly before 12:30 p.m. Friday at a home on W. Service Road near Jennings Road.

The homeowner was notified by an alarm company monitoring the property that there was a possible break-in. 

The homeowner went to the property to check and shortly after entering the residence spotted the intruder.

Martin fired several shots at the homeowner, who was able to return gunfire, said sheriff’s department spokesman Sgt. Luke Schwartz.

Both parties continued to fire at one another until the “homeowner was able to disarm the male intruder,” Schwartz said.

The homeowner immediately reported the incident by calling 911 as he exited the property.

Deputies arrived at the property and found Martin dead inside the home from a fatal gunshot wound.

The gun used by Martin had been reported stolen, according to the sheriff’s department.

The homeowner is fully cooperating with the investigation and no arrests have been made at this time.

Stanislaus County Superior Court records show Martin had two prior convictions. One was for theft in 1999 and the other for grand theft in 2000.

This was the second intruder shot by a homeowner in Stanislaus County in the last week. On June 29, Pearl Fierro, 32, of Modesto was fatally shot by a homeowner after breaking into a home in the 3900 block of Blue Gum Avenue in Modesto.

Anyone with information about the Service Road incident is encouraged to contact Detective Gonzalez at 209-595-8686.