Officials: Man Killed in Home Invasion Was Suspect in Arson Case
Posted/updated on: February 20, 2015 at 11:14 am
CANTON — A man who was fatally shot by a woman believed to be defending her home was also the suspect in a recent arson case, officials said Wednesday afternoon. According to KETK, the Van Zandt County Fire Marshal says Christopher Ray Foster, 37, of Edgewood, was the suspect in a Monday night structure fire on State Highway 19 and County Road 1106. The county fire marshal, along with deputies and a justice of the peace, were able to link Foster to the fire by physical evidence found on him at the time of his death.
On Tuesday, dispatchers received a 911 call from a homeowner on Highway 19 saying she had just shot a man who was trying break into her house, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Responding deputies found Foster dead at the scene. He had a lengthy criminal history and had recently been released from the Van Zandt County Jail for failure to register as a sex offender. Investigators say they determined Foster was forcing his way through a side door when the homeowner fatally shot him. The Texas Rangers are investigating the shooting, and the case has been turned over to the Van Zandt County District Attorney’s Office.
