Police in Foster City believe that a 24-year-old man who was shot as a suspected intruder early on Sunday morning was simply looking for his friends at the wrong address, a spokesman said Monday.

Officers responded to a report of a break-in at a home in the 600 block of Crane Avenue just before 4:30 a.m., Foster City police Capt. John Froomin said.

As officers arrived on scene, they heard gunshots, police said.

The suspect, a resident of San Mateo, had been walking around the house trying to open doors when he was shot by a guest staying at the residence, police said.

The victim was seriously injured and taken to hospital, Froomin said.

Police did not release details about the man's condition, but said detectives had not been able to interview him as of Monday afternoon.

Interviews with the victim's friends revealed that he had been out drinking with a group earlier on the night of the shooting, and that he might have inadvertently been trying to get into the home on Crane Avenue thinking it belonged to one of his companions, Froomin said.

So far the case has not been submitted to the prosecutors for review, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.

The shooting was still under investigation Monday.