Tulsa homeowner shot by burglary suspects

A man who interrupted a burglary at his Tulsa home is recovering from a gunshot wound. The man surprised the thieves who tried to pistol whip him and then fired a shot. It happened Wednesday night in

Thursday, January 19th 2006, 6:02 am

By: News On 6

A man who interrupted a burglary at his Tulsa home is recovering from a gunshot wound. The man surprised the thieves who tried to pistol whip him and then fired a shot. It happened Wednesday night in a neighborhood near 81st and Sheridan.

News on 6 anchor Craig Day talks with people living nearby who can't believe what happened.

Crescent Court is typically a quiet neighborhood. One where residents don't worry about crime. That wasn't the case Wednesday evening. Phillip Ly interrupted a burglary at his home. Two men in hooded sweatshirts pistol whipped Ly. As he ran away, Ly was shot one time in the back side.

Neighbors can't believe what happened. Neighbor Marilynn Allen: "It's like no way, you know, not here. You see this on TV, but you never expect it to be in your neighborhood. So close to home." Neighbor Cheryl Walker: "I've never seen anything out of the ordinary. This is just unbelievable."

Tulsa Police don't have a good description of the burglars, but an older model Gold Toyota Camry was seen in the neighborhood. Ly is expected to be OK. I talked with Phillip Ly's fiancÃ©e. She didn't want to do an on camera interview, but she told me she's frightened by what happened. And in the six years, they've lived in this home, nothing like this has happened before.

Many neighbors hope it never happens again. Cheryl Walker: "We have an alarm system and I haven't had to feel like I've needed to have it on early, just when we go to bed or when we're gone, but that's going to change.â€

They say they'll be more aware, will keep an eye out for their neighbors, and an eye-on anyone out of the ordinary. The neighbors we talked to say some residents pay for security to routinely check on their homes. They also hope to bring up the possibility of a neighborhood watch program at their next homeowners association meeting.

If you have any information about this burglary that can help Tulsa Police, call Crimestoppers at 596-COPS. You can remain anonymous.