05:13 PM PDT on Saturday, July 1, 2006

By KRISTINA BRENNEMAN, kgw.com Staff

ALBANY, Ore. -- A 16-year-old man was shot dead Saturday by an Albany homeowner who believed the teen was breaking into her home, police said.

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The victim was later identified as Jeremiah D. O’Sullivan of Albany, said Capt. Eric Carter, a spokesman for Albany Police.

Police said around 2:30 a.m. a homeowner at 2726 S.E. 27th Avenue reported that someone had entered her home, took her purse, car keys and then stole her Buick car. A half hour later, an Albany police officer spotted the stolen car parked near 2496 S.E. 22nd Avenue with a man standing next to it, he said.

The man ran towards the backyard at 2496 S.E. 22nd Avenue and minutes later the officer heard a gunshot. Police officers found O’Sullivan in an adjacent yard with a gunshot wound to his chest, Carter said.

He was transported to Albany General Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Investigators believe O’Sullivan was not acting alone in this incident, Carter said. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the Albany Police Department at (541) 917-7680.