KENTUCKY -- A 92-year-old farmer and World War II veteran who fatally shot an intruder in his northern Kentucky home says he acted in self-defense and aimed "right for his heart."

Earl Jones says he shot a man who came up the stairs and kicked open the basement door early Monday. The Kentucky Enquirer reports two other men were subsequently charged with burglary and tampering with evidence.

Jones says he heard a sound in his basement around 2 a.m. Monday and grabbed his .22-caliber rifle. He says he sat in a chair with a clear view of the basement door and had no fear.

The Boone County Sheriff's Department says the intruder who was fatally shot was 24-year-old Lloyd "Adam" Maxwell of Richmond.

Thieves have targeted Jones' farm at least three times recently, stealing guns, money, even cattle.

Jones is a 92-year-old Air Force veteran who worked on planes, including the Enola Gay that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. He will not be charged.

(Information from the Associated Press and NBC News was used in this report.)