Suspected arsonist, intruder shot by Menifee neighbor

By Doug Spoon, Editor

An armed man threatening to harm himself and who allegedly set a Menifee house on fire was shot and killed after breaking into a neighbor’s home, police said.

The incident began at 3:31 p.m. Saturday when police received a call regarding a man with a gun in the 27000 block of Early Dawn Road, according to a Menifee Police Department news release. The caller reported that her son, identified as 40-year-old Robert Strauss, was armed with a handgun and threatening to ham himself. It was also reported that Strauss was possibly under the influence of an unknown substance.

All of the family members left the residence and officers responded to the scene. They remained outside and attempted to contact the suspect via loudspeaker. At approximately 5:05 p.m., officers reported seeing smoke coming from the garage. The home soon became engulfed in flames.

A second reporting party from a neighboring home called at 5:11 p.m., stating he shot a male subject who broke into his home. Officers found Strauss inside, suffering from gunshot wounds. He later succumbed to his injuries. The second reporting party surrendered himself to police and was cooperating with the investigation.

The fire was contained to the primary residence and was extinguished by Cal Fire. No other structures were damaged. Arson investigators are investigating the cause of the fire.

The investigation is ongoing. If you have any information about this investigation, please contact Detective Vince Alcala at Valcala@menifeepolice.org