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Self-Defense Shooting Raises Concerns From Suspects' Family And Friends

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Family and friends of two teenage boys shot and killed inside a home they had broken into are speaking out.

"They didn't deserve to get killed," said the sister of 14-year-old Michael Sambrano.

He and his 16-year-old best friend were shot and killed on Sunday morning by someone inside a home the teens were breaking into. Police won't say whether it was the elderly homeowner or her brother who shot and killed the teens who had just broken into their home.

"They were on their way out the door, and I just think it was wrong that they were shot," said Christina Sambrano.

But many who live on Arcade Boulevard say the neighbor did the right thing.

"Justice was served," said Robert Robinson.

Burglars hit his home twice before. The area is no stranger to crime that mostly consists of car and home break-ins.

The woman who lived at the home where the teens were shot asked her brother to stay with her after thieves targeted her home twice before, including one of the teen suspects shot dead in her home on Sunday.

"He was not an innocent bystander," said neighbor David Keck. "I'm sorry the little boys or teenagers were killed, but if it's my family, my family comes first."

While family and friends admit the teens committed a crime, they wonder if dying for their mistake was the only answer.

"I just don't understand why they were shot multiple times and killed," said Lisa Sambrano.

Police are saying the homeowner and brother did it in self-defense. We're told she's a widow who was afraid of living in the area, and had even tried to sell her home.

Many states have what is called a castle doctrine, which allows some measure of self-defense.

California law says a person can use deadly force on someone who unlawfully and forcibly enters their home if they have a reasonable fear of "imminent peril of death, or great bodily injury."

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