When Malik Hyatt saw a masked gunman walk back and forth in front of his apartment door, he had two things in mind: keep his sister safe and grab his gun.
Hyatt shot through his door and killed an armed man who was attempting to break into his home just after midnight Monday, according to a police report. But he likely won’t face charges since officials are calling it a “justifiable homicide,” DeKalb County police spokeswoman Shiera Campbell confirmed.
“This is still an ongoing investigation, but it appears as if the suspect was attempting to forcibly gain entry into the residence,” Campbell said. “The victim was defending himself.”
Hyatt and his sister Taffany were inside their home at the KRC Vista Apartments in Decatur when he heard a knock at the door, according to the report.
Police said Malik Hyatt told his sister to go inside a room and he went to grab his shotgun.
“He observed the male subject having his hands near his side pocket and started kicking on the front door,” Officer S. Nguyen wrote in the report.
Police said Hyatt fired two shots to the suspect’s head, killing him.
Police found the suspect, identified by Channel 2 Action News as 22-year-old Eric Ransom, on the ground unresponsive, holding a black pistol with a shirt over his face.
“In home invasions, you never know what the suspect’s motives are,” DeKalb Lt. Lonzy Robertson told Channel 2. “Maybe it's money, maybe the victim had something they wanted.”
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