San Leandro police searching for home invasion suspects

SAN LEANDRO, Calif (KGO) -- An elderly San Leandro man is in critical condition after being shot. He was the victim of a home invasion robbery. Police say 69-year-old Robert Lewis was injured, then tried to shoot back, but his shotgun was unloaded.

This happened early Thursday morning on Lakeview Drive. The intruders have not been caught.

Neighbor Steve Gavello said it was chaos with all the police activity, just after midnight after his neighbor was shot during a home invasion robbery.

Police say this was a targeted home, but don't know why. Police now say the owner, Robert Lewis, took out his shotgun pointed it at the men without realizing it was not loaded.

"He did point the gun at the suspect with the intention to protect himself and his wife, but the shotgun was unloaded. We don't think he knew that," San Leandro police Lt. Mike Sobek.

Initially, Lewis told police he had injured one of the intruders.

The 69-year-old resident and his wife were inside the house at the time, so was a relative visiting them. Lewis was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive. This afternoon his wife Gwynn Lewis returned to the home with family members and asked for some privacy, but not before investigators swept through the house taking the shotgun and other evidence.

Sobek said they're investigating if the shotgun was legally registered.

Gavello has lived on the street for more than 40 years and sees crime escalating. He told ABC7 News, "They caught a guy down here the other day, on the next street over, breaking into the houses that was about two-three weeks ago. So it's getting a little touchy up here."

Neighbors were asked to stay away while police conducted their investigation.

Police described the suspects as two men in their early 20s.

Bay City News contributed to this story.