A 17-year-old youth was fatally shot during an apparent burglary of a Houston Valley Road mobile home shortly before 11 p.m. Thursday.

Sheriff Steve Burns identified the youth as Michael E.A. Banner, 17, of Wykle Road.

Greene County sheriff's deputies were notified of the incident at 10:55 p.m. and subsequently were told by Alan Burch, 53, who resides in a mobile home at 2235 Houston Valley Road, that he had been awakened by the sound of someone kicking open the door of his residence, Sheriff Burns said.

Burch told officers that he fired shots toward the entrance to the mobile home and subsequently found that at least one of the shots had struck a youth later identified as Banner.

Sheriff Burns said three other suspects were believed to have fled the shooting scene and were still being sought this morning.

"We believe we know their identities, and it's just a matter of time before we find them," Burns said.

A report filed by Deputy Sheriff Kevin Guinn said he responded to a report that person had been shot at 2235 Houston Valley Road and found a youth (later identified as Banner) lying on the porch suffering from a gunshot wound.

The report said the resident of the mobile home told deputies that three people had broken into his home and that he had fired "three to four" shots after being placed in fear of his life.

The report also estimated cost of repairing damage to the mobile home's door at about $75.

Asked about a motive for the apparent attempted burglary, Sheriff Burns said he didn't want to speculate.

Although the sheriff declined to suggest any motive for the Houston Valley incident on Thursday night, he noted that "most of all the burglaries we have today are drug-related."

Burns said he believes most burglaries that are being committed today are being carried out by individuals who are addicted to prescription pain-killing medications.

The burglars, he said, are either seeking prescription medications or items that can be sold or traded for prescription pain-killing medications.

The sheriff said he has recently spoken to state Rep. David Hawk, R-5th, of Greeneville, about the possibility of introducing legislation that would further restrict access to addictive prescription pain-killing drugs.

"Everybody in Greene County can't have a back problem," the sheriff said.

He noted that the prescription pain-killing drugs abuse problem here is being made worse by the ease with which local residents can obtain prescriptions for the addictive drugs at "pain clinics" in Florida where laws concerning such medication are weaker.

Burns said some local residents travel to Florida, obtain prescriptions for pain-killing drugs, then return to Greene County to sell the drugs on the street.