In article , Alistair Gunn
writes
Maybe he should've taken the advice of a (IIRC) New Zealand Chief
Constable who said if you had to shoot someone who broke into your house
the very next thing you should do was fire a shot into the ceiling/floor
so you can claim you fired a warning shot ...

Of course, in certain US states I believe you don't want to fire a warning
shot as legally that is taken to show that you where not out of options
short of lethal force.

And in many US states they advise that should you shoot a burglar make
sure his body is found *inside* rather than outside the house.
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