Police called the 2017 shooting self-defense, while an early account that four suspects participated was never publicly confirmed by investigators.
BRENTWOOD, CA — A homeowner fatally shot two men during an armed home-invasion robbery at his Brentwood residence in June 2017, a confrontation police later determined was an act of self-defense.
Officers responded at about 11:14 p.m. June 21 to the 200 block of Birch Street after reports of gunfire. They found two men suffering from gunshot wounds. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. The resident was unharmed and cooperated with investigators as police worked to determine what had led to the shooting.
Brentwood police later said the two men had entered the property as part of an armed home-invasion robbery. At least one of them had a firearm, according to investigators. Police said the resident retrieved his own gun after being confronted and fired at the suspects in self-defense. Authorities said he would not be arrested or formally charged based on the evidence available at the time.
The Contra Costa County coroner’s office later identified the two men who died as Ellis Williams III, 38, and Joseph Brooks, 32. Both were residents of Antioch. Police described them as suspects in the attempted home invasion and said one was believed to have been armed.
Early reports created uncertainty about how many people may have been involved. Neighbor Reggie Nichols told KTVU that the homeowner told him four people had tried to break into the residence and steal a safe. Police reports reviewed afterward publicly confirmed two suspects who entered the property but did not establish that four people participated in the robbery.
Another report indicated neighbors believed someone may have been waiting in a getaway vehicle. Police said at the time that the investigation remained active. The available reports did not establish the identity of any additional person or confirm the four-person account, making it inappropriate to present that number as a settled police finding.
Surveillance video from a nearby residence captured part of the encounter. According to KTVU, the footage showed suspects entering the garage before flashes from gunfire became visible. Investigators said the homeowner was not injured. Police did not publicly identify him in the reports reviewed.
Neighbors described hearing a series of shots late that night. Nichols told ABC7 that he heard about 10 shots, including an initial pair followed by several more in rapid succession. He later found one of the wounded men in the street and contacted authorities. Police found the other man at the residence.
Brentwood police initially treated the deaths as a double-homicide investigation while detectives established what had happened. As investigators gathered evidence, officials said the preliminary information showed the resident had been targeted in a home-invasion robbery and had fired after being confronted by armed suspects.
The case illustrates why the widely circulated claim that four men came to rob the homeowner requires qualification. A neighbor attributed that account to the homeowner, but the public police findings cited in contemporaneous reports established two armed home-invasion suspects who were fatally shot. No reliable source reviewed for this report established a final police finding that four robbers entered the home.
Author note: Last updated October 23, 2026.