Police have charged a 25-year-old man in a July home invasion in which he was shot by the homeowner.
Police said Benjamin Prue was naked when he broke into the home at 66 Point Lookout on July 21. Prue allegedly charged the homeowner and bit him in the arm.
Police said the resident, Gerald Mirto, 67, shot Prue in the chest after a struggle.
"He noticed one of the screens to an open window at the rear of the home was pushed in, and the suspect, who wasn't wearing any clothes at the time, was attempting to enter the home," Milford Police Chief Keith Mello said.
Police said Prue charged Mirto, bit the 67-year-old in the arm and hit him in the head. Mirto tried to fire a shot in the air to scare Prue off, but the gun jammed, police said.
Mirto broke free from Prue and ran upstairs to call 911 and get another gun.
When he came back downstairs, Prue was trying to steal television set, police said.
Mirto pleaded with Prue to leave, but there was another struggle and Mirto shot Prue in the chest, according to authorities.
Prue fled the house after being shot.
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"Our officers arrived on scene and did a search of the area.
About 25 yards away, they located Prue in knee-deep water in Long Island Sound," Mello said.
Prue was transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital for treatment of a single gunshot wound. He was listed in critical condition shortly after the shooting.
He recovered from his injuries enough to be formally arrested August 15.
Police said they found Prue’s 2000 gray Volvo, with CT registration 409 YDD parked a short distance away from the victim’s home with the trunk lid opened. Inside, they found crack cocaine and paraphernalia used to ingest it.
Both of Mirto's guns are registered, police said.
Prue is being held on $300,000 bond.
