SANDY SPRINGS, GA. – A home invasion in Sandy Springs culminated in the intruder being shot and killed by the homeowner. The intruder made threats to the homeowner after being advised to vacate the premises, resulting in the homeowner shooting in self-defense.
Homeowner Shoots Intruder After Being Threatened
Authorities in Sandy Springs, Ga., a large suburb of Atlanta, responded to a 9-1-1 call around 2:20 am on Dec. 3, according to Atlanta NBC affiliate 11Alive, to reports of a home invasion and shots fired.
A man broke into a home and was confronted by the homeowner with his family. During the confrontation, the intruder made threats to the homeowner and the confrontation turned violent. The homeowner fired, fatally wounding the man who broke in.
News reports are that the homeowner confronted the intruder whilst someone else called police. News5 Atlanta reports it was another resident of the home, whereas a reprint of WSBTV news report on Yahoo reports it was a neighbor.
In either event, someone else called police, who arrived and found the intruder dead at the scene.
Authorities have been quoted as saying the incident was clearly an instance of self-defense and lawful exercise of the Second Amendment.
Having A Home Defense Plan
As far as home defense incidents go, this one is essentially textbook. Somebody forcibly entered the home in the wee small hours – obviously not a social call – and the lawful resident responded peaceably at first, but only fired once it was clear there was a threat to themselves and the other people there.
One good takeaway is that it helps to have a plan in the case of emergencies. In the case of, say, a married couple (or long-term relationship/partner; some people cohabitate for life without the state getting involved) it could be that one person bunkers down with the kids and calls the authorities while the other engages in overwatch or confronts the bump in the night, whatever the case may be.
That may have been what happened here; one person went armed to confront the intruder whilst the other called police.
Whatever the details of the encounter were, the outcome was appropriate from multiple perspectives. The innocent family is safe, the armed citizen is not being charged for defending himself and his family, and a dangerous criminal has been removed from society and the gene pool. Killing another human being is never a thing to be taken lightly, and I don’t. But it is the case far too often that the criminals in these stories are repeat offenders who should have never been on the street after their first violent offense.