High school star athlete, 16, fatally shot after 'mistakenly entering similar house two doors down from his own new home'
- Caleb Gordley, a junior at Park View High in Sterling, Virginia was a popular student and star athlete
- Friends say he was drinking at a party and may have mistaken his neighbour's almost identical home for his own
- Long-time resident and neighbour, Donald Wilder, shot and killed Gordley after calling 911 to report an intruder
- Details remain murky as police continue to investigate
By Victoria Wellman
A sixteen-year-old high school star athlete was shot and killed on the weekend when he entered a house just two doors down from his own home in the middle of the night and was taken for an intruder.
Details remain murky as to what Caleb Gordley was doing in the neighbour's house so late on Saturday night, and police have not yet released an official statement.
Friends of the teen's are calling the fatal shooting a terrible accident and saying that after a night of drinking, he must have mistaken the house for his own seeing as they are almost identical from behind and he had only lived in the area for a year.
Fallen: Caleb Gordley, 16, was shot and killed at around 2.30am on Sunday morning when he entered his neighbour's home two doors down from his own, seemingly by mistake, after a night of drinking with friends
Close: Because of the proximity of the houses and the fact that they appear similar at night time, investigators think he may have accidentally gone into the wrong home at the time he was shot
Lookalikes: The star athlete lived in this Sterling, Virginia cul-de sac in the house on the right and may have thought his neighbour's home was his own according to friends
Those who know Donald West Wilder II, the homeowner of the property where the incident took place, meanwhile spoke highly of the community-minded firefighter, adding further mystery to the alleged mix-up.
Tragic error? Donald West Wilder II, the owner of the house just two doors down (left) shot the teen thinking he was an intruder after calling 911 but details are still murky as police continue to investigate
According to sources at Park View High School where Gordley was a student, the victim had been out drinking with friends until late on Saturday night and had been dropped off at the quiet Sterling, Virginia cul-de-sac where he lived, at around 2.30am.
Some reports suggest that he may have entered through a back window and set off a security alarm.
Though the Loudon County Sheriff's office continues to investigate before confirming details, one law enforcement official told the Washington Post that Gordley had attempted to walk upstairs where the family were sleeping before he was shot.
Hearing an intruder, Mr Wilder called 911 to report the break-in but by the time authorities reached the property, a large mansion-style two-storey home on the 45900 block of Pullman Court, Gordely was already dead.
Mystery visit: An unidentified man tried to talk to someone at the house where the incident took place but after gesticulating wildly was shut out
Escape: After fleeing in his car, he backed up the street in reverse and ran into the house where Gordley lived with his family
Virginia law permits homeowners to use deadly force if they feel threatened inside their own homes.
