SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::
The Spalding County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an incident reported as a residential burglary during which the alleged suspect was shot.
According to Sheriff Darrell Dix, homeowners were inside their residence when a man attempted to make entry.
“There was a burglary call up on Willow Street. The homeowner and his wife – an older couple – heard somebody trying to get in the front window of their house,” Dix said.
The couple reported they attempted to stop the man, but he was undeterred by their efforts.
“The guy (the suspect) tried to throw a log through the window – a piece of firewood through the window to break it out. They (the homeowners) confronted the guy while he was outside the house and told him to get away. He continued to try to get in,” Dix said. “The female went to the front door. She yelled at the guy that she had called 911, and the guy started trying to get in through the storm door where she was standing. The husband shot the guy in the shoulder.”
The couple said at that time, the man stopped trying to enter their home.
“The guy fled the scene a couple of blocks fell down where he was found. He’s alive and he does appear to have life-threatening injuries. He’s been transferred to Atlanta Medical for treatment,” Dix said.
At the time of this report, SCSO investigators remained on the scene.
“Investigators are fixing to wrap up there,” Dix said. “It is still really early in the investigation, but it does appear to be self defense. Preliminarily, it looks like the shooting was absolutely self defense – completely justified.”
