HARTFORD, Conn. -- A homeowner fought back overnight against two burglary suspects, stabbing one to death.

Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Hena Daniels reported two people entered a house in the 100 block of Park Terrace near Pope Park at about 1:30 a.m.

Hartford police said two men entered the three-family home under renovation, which has been burglarized in the past.

Investigators said the homeowner retrieved a knife from a bedroom and tried to escape.

"The homeowner interrupted a burglary with two suspects. A struggle ensued, one of the suspects was stabbed and the other is at large," Hartford police Lt. Patrick Jobes said.

Police said the burglar who was stabbed in the chest tried to run but fell a few feet from the house, leaving a trail of blood. Daniels reported emergency medical crews could barely find a pulse. The man later died at Hartford Hospital

Police said they do not believe the homeowner and the burglars knew each other. Hartford Police Chief Daryl Roberts said the homeowner has been honest and has cooperated fully.

"We don't believe that there was any malice on his part," Roberts said. "He was trying to actually get away... he saw the guys in the house, fled to the bedroom, and thought, 'I need to get out of house,' and then one of the burgulars actually came after him."

Police have not yet released the identity of the man who died. Police have called the death a "justifiable homicide."

Police said they believe the only thing taken from the house was a Samurai sword.

The homeowner said that he has been burglarized several times recently. Residents of the neighborhood told Eyewitness News that burglaries have become common in the area.

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