A father home with his two children wrestled with a masked intruder, grabbed a gun and shot him to death early Thursday, DeKalb County police said.
About 12:20 a.m., three people broke into the man’s Covington Glen apartment in the 1700 block of Thicket Way and fought with him.
“They had handguns,” Lt. Rod Bryant said. “They started shooting at him.”
The man retrieved his own gun and fired back at the intruders, according to police.
“They continued to exchange rounds,” and the shootout spilled outside, Bryant said.
The masked intruder was found dead in the parking lot. He had on a pair of gloves, Bryant said.
The other two intruders got away.
One of them is believed to be about 5-foot-11 and in his mid-20s. He was wearing a dark hoodie at the time of the incident, police said.
No description was given for the other intruder who got away.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
“It’s unknown if anybody else was hit,” Bryant said. “We don’t have any evidence of that yet, but you never know.”
Two other adults and the man’s son and daughter, ages 8 and 9, were in their rooms during shootout.
At one point, one of them looked outside the room, saw the intruders fighting with the man and tried to call 911.
“I don’t think it was a random incident,” Bryant said.
Officials have not specified why they believe that is the case. The father was interviewed at police headquarters and will not face charges.
“This is an ongoing investigation,” Lt. Lonzy Robertson said. “For now, the shooting appears to be justified.”
The names of the resident and the intruder have not been released.
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