A 42-year-old man from Surrey, B.C., who was fatally shot during a home invasion last weekend held off an intruder until the rest of his family could find a place to hide, according to an emotional Facebook post from his wife.
In the message written early Tuesday morning, Becky Zhou said that her husband Colin Hill attempted to bar the gun-toting intruder from coming through the door of their home shortly before midnight on Sunday.
As he struggled to keep the man outside the family's home on 64th Avenue near 166th Street, Hill, a father of two, yelled to his family to find a safe place to hide.
But eventually, Hill lost the battle for door and was forced to give up ground. So he screamed to his family that the robber was armed and tried to get him back outdoors, Zhou wrote.
Hill was fatally shot and died at the scene.
Police have released few details of the home invasion, but Zhou said in the Facebook post that her family is safe thanks to the heroic actions of her husband, who is a well-known local realtor.
"Colin is the best real estate agent, (a) very protective father (and) the very best husband a person could ever ask for," Zhou wrote.
Later on Tuesday, police charged 22-year-old Khouri Lamar Green with second-degree murder.
Green, a Surrey resident with an extensive criminal record, was arrested by the RCMP a short time after the shooting, while police were responding to a report of an armed man trying to breaking into an apartment in Burnaby, B.C.
Police allege that Green was also in possession of a stolen vehicle, which was used to flee the scene of Hill's slaying.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said the break-in at Hill and Zhou's home was random.
Green appeared in court Tuesday morning and is scheduled to make a second appearance on Sept. 14.
Zhou thanked friends and family for their support after her husband's tragic death, and asked for privacy.
Surrey RCMP Chief Supt. Bill Fordy said at a press conference on Monday that despite the force's quick response, he was still devastated by Hill's slaying.
"There is no question these are the most painful moments a family can endure. For police, they’re also the hardest," said Fordy.
"While we're confident we've quickly taken the person responsible for this senseless crime into custody, I’m still angry at this pointless loss of life."
With files from The Canadian Press and CTV Vancouver
