By Tien-Shun Lee
A retired air marshal and owner of a chain of music stores shot and killed one of two burglars outside his Briarwood home on Monday morning after the intruder allegedly pointed a gun at him, police said.
Amalio Santos, 47, was not charged after shooting Carlos Ugalde, 27, in the face with a licensed, semiautomatic 9mm handgun, said police. The second intruder fled in a tan Acura. Police were still trying to track him down late Tuesday.
According to authorities, the drama began around 9:50 a.m. when the two intruders rang the front door bell at Santos' two-story brick home at 138-11 Coolidge Ave.
Santos' wife, Marilyn, heard the bell and woke Santos up after she saw the two men head toward the side of the house, where the door to the basement is located.
Santos told police that when he went down to his basement, he encountered the two men, who had pried open the basement door with a crowbar, said authorities. Holding his handgun, he chased the men out of the house.
Outside on the front lawn, one of the men turned around and allegedly pointed a gun at Santos, said police. Santos fired a shot, killing the man, who left a bloody stain on the snow next to Santos' front porch, according to police.
No weapons were recovered at the scene, said police. It was not known where Ugalde lived.
Neighbors said Santos, who owns Rincon Musical, a chain of about half a dozen wholesale and retail Latin music stores, is a friendly person whose kids have a lot of friends.
“He's a businessman making music,” said Manu Shah, 59, a gas station owner who lives two houses away from Santos. “He's an excellent person – very busy. He's not home most of the time.”
While some neighborhood residents said the area was generally safe and quiet, a few recalled hearing about a girl being killed in her apartment about a year ago, two blocks away from Santos' home.
Santos' next door neighbor, Lindy Zilkha, 48, said she had been burglarized about three years ago by robbers who ambushed her when she entered her home.
“It has been quiet, but all of a sudden it's started up again,” she said.
Muhammad Ghanchi, 40, another next door neighbor who moved into his house less than a year ago, said the bloody incident made him worry.
“I was very, very happy when I moved here. This neighborhood is very quiet,” he said. “I'm wondering how this could happen. I don't like hurting anybody.”
Reach reporter Tien-Shun Lee by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com, or call 1-718-229-0300, ext. 155.
