Homeowner opens fire on home invaders; 1 dead, 3 wounded. Homeowner reportedly won't be charged — but murder rap expected for surviving suspects.



An Atlanta homeowner opened fire at a group of home invaders on Thanksgiving afternoon, police told WXIA-TV, adding that one of the suspects is dead, and three were wounded.

The station said the homeowner won't be charged in the shooting — which police said "appears justified" — but the surviving suspects are expected to be charged for murder in connection with the death of their alleged accomplice.

What are the details?

DeKalb County Police told WXIA that officers responded around 5 p.m. Thursday to the 2700 block of Gresham Road after getting reports of a person shot.

Image source: WAGA-TV video screenshot

When officers arrived at the scene they found three people — ages 23, 18, and 15 — with apparent gunshot wounds, the station said. The three males were taken to area hospitals in serious to critical condition, WAGA-TV added.

The 18-year-old male died, WXIA reported.

A fourth individual — a 30-year-old man — later showed up at a hospital with a gunshot wound, WXIA said, adding that police said he also was linked to the incident.

"Several other parties" also allegedly involved were detained at the scene with the help of SWAT officers already in the area, WXIA reported.

Image source: WAGA-TV video screenshot

Following questioning by detectives, it was revealed that the four shot males were attempting to break into a home, WXIA said, adding that the group got into a shootout with someone living inside the home.

Police told WXIA the shooting "appears justified," and no charges are expected to be filed against the party who shot the suspects.

However, the three surviving suspects are expected to be charged with felony murder in connection with the death of their alleged accomplice, WXIA reported. The two surviving adult males also will be charged with home invasion, WXIA added.

'All I know is they got shot'

Donna Grier told WAGA she's the aunt of two of the males who were shot and added that she couldn't believe it when her daughter called her about what happened.

"I'm not doing well at all, at all," Grier noted to the station. "All I know is they got shot."

Courtney Cheeks told WAGA she's renting a home near the scene of the shooting and that she didn't know it was gunfire she was hearing.

"I didn't event think they were gunshots," Cheeks recalled to the station. "I thought they were fireworks because there were so many. It's very disturbing to see that."

The following news report aired early in the investigation:

3 armed suspects break into Texas home, but only 1 escapes alive after 17-year-old with shotgun thwarts home invasion



Three armed men attempted a home invasion of a residence in Texas. However, two of the home invaders never made it off the property because a 17-year-old blasted the alleged burglars with a shotgun.

Three armed men wearing masks broke into a home in east Harris County around 10:40 p.m. on Friday, police said. Inside the home were an adult female, a 12-year-old boy, and two 17-year-old males. One of the 17-year-old reacted to the break-in by grabbing a shotgun.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the 17-year-old fired several times and struck two of the suspects who allegedly broke into the home in Channelview – a suburb east of Houston.

Police found the two men unresponsive and suffering from gunshot wounds at the home. The two suspects were pronounced dead at the crime scene by emergency management personnel, the Harris County Sheriff's Office said.

The third suspect fled the home and drove away in a dark-colored four-door sedan.

None of the people already in the home were harmed.

The identities of the shooter, the deceased suspects, or the man who got away have yet to be revealed by authorities.

The case was presented to the Harris County district attorney's office, which recommended the case be presented to a Harris County Grand Jury, the Harris County Sheriff's Office stated.

There is still an ongoing investigation into the shooting and a search for the third suspect that fled. Law enforcement is asking anyone with relevant information about the case to contact the homicide unit of the Harris County Sheriff's Office at (713) 274-9100.

17-year-old armed with shotgun kills 2 suspects during attempted home invasion in east Harris Co... www.youtube.com

Florida sheriff says homeowners are 'more than welcome to shoot at' crooks who break into their homes: 'We prefer that you do, actually'



A Florida sheriff said in no uncertain terms that homeowners in his county are "more than welcome to shoot at" all those who break into their houses.

"We prefer that you do, actually," Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson said at a Thursday press conference.

What are the details?

Johnson had been briefing the media on the arrest Wednesday of Brandon J. Harris — a "frequent flyer" crook with long rap sheet. Johnson said his outfit's first "interaction" with him took place when Harris was just 13 years old.

Image source: Facebook video screenshot via Santa Rose County Sheriff's Office FL

Johnson said authorities got multiple calls after 4:30 p.m. about a suspicious person in a Pace neighborhood, and the sheriff said Harris broke into several residences.

About 40 minutes later, Johnson said Harris broke into a home — but the homeowner fired a gun at Harris multiple times without hitting him, and Harris remained on the loose.

Johnson said Harris broke into yet another home, and authorities captured him when Harris jumped through a window's glass after he was cornered in a bedroom.

At the time of his arrest, Harris was wanted on two felony warrants and one misdemeanor warrant, the sheriff said. For this latest run-in with the law, Harris was charged with felony attempted burglary with assault, two counts of felony burglary to an occupied dwelling, felony burglary to an unoccupied dwelling, resisting arrest without violence, criminal mischief, and attempted larceny. His bond was set at $157, 500.

Open season declared

"We don't know which homeowner shot at [Harris]. I guess they think that they did something wrong, which they did not,” Johnson said. “If somebody is breaking into your house, you’re more than welcome to shoot at them in Santa Rosa County. We prefer that you do, actually.”

Johnson added, "Whoever that was, you're not in trouble. Come see us. We have a gun safety class we put on every other Saturday, and if you take that, you’ll shoot a lot better and hopefully save the taxpayers money.”

He also noted that "if somebody's breaking into your house, you've got all the right in the world to defend yourself. Of course [Harris] didn't get hit, and now we've gotta pay for him."

Anything else?

Johnson said Harris chased a woman into her house during Wednesday's incident, but fortunately the woman — who had kids inside the home — locked the door just before Harris got to it and began pulling on it.

Johnson said Harris has been arrested 17 times, the Miami Herald reported.

Pace is in Florida's panhandle about 15 miles north of Pensacola, the paper added.