Man who killed trespasser made ‘panicked’ Triple Zero call

A man who shot a trespasser on his property has been found not guilty of murder, instead pleading guilty to manslaughter.

The court heard Ivan D'Angelo was sleeping in his car shop loft around 2am when a dog bark awoke him.

The 39-year-old looked through a window to see three young men using bolt cutters at a gate.

The experienced shooter took a gun and shot Wade Vandenberg in the forehead.

He then called triple zero.

“I’ve just fired a shot and I know there’s a guy on the ground here at the moment,” he told the operator.

“I fired a shot, I panicked, I didn’t know what to do. Yeah, there’s a guy lying here at the front of the shop.”

D’Angelo also rang his brother, telling him he panicked and asking what to do.

The prosecution claimed he lined up the victim's head and shot with the intent to kill and therefore it was murder.

He'd put two bullets in the gun and was very well-versed in safety procedures.

But a jury this afternoon found him not guilty.

He instead pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter, his defence saying it was an accident.

The 26-year-old victim died instantly and his fellow burglars fled.

The maximum penalty for manslaughter is 20 years’ jail but D'Angelo is likely to be entitled to a significant discount because of his guilty plea.

Vandenberg was breaking into the premises to steal parts for a car.

D’Angelo will make a plea for leniency on October 7.