Retiree shoots dead pregnant intruder begging for life

An elderly retiree in California says he has no regrets about shooting dead a pregnant intruder despite her plea for mercy after she was sprung.

Police are yet to decide whether they will charge 80-year-old Tom Greer who says he has no remorse for firing two shots into the woman who begged for her life to save her unborn child on Tuesday night.

"She says 'Don't shoot me, I'm pregnant. I'm going to have a baby'. And I shot her anyway," Mr Greer told KNBC-TV.

He said when he busted a man and woman ransacking his home, the pair tackled him and wrestled him to the ground.

The unarmed duo continued to rummage through a safe before they noticed the .22-calibre Smith and Wesson revolver Mr Greer had been hiding in his pocket.

"I come back and they see me with a gun, and they run," Mr Greer said.

The man escaped but Mr Greer shot the woman, despite her plea for him not to kill her.

"She was dead. I shot her twice, she best be dead," Mr Greer said.

Police say they are yet to identify the woman or decide if they will charge Mr Greer.

Source: KNBC-TV.