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A man was fatally shot this week after what police suspect was a burglary attempt.
Police are reporting that the call came in at around 1 in the morning. The original 911 call indicated an attempted burglary, but when they arrived it had escalated to “shots fired.”
Intruder Fatally Shot
They arrived on the scene to find a young man in his mid-20s, Elijah Mathis, shot. After being rushed to a nearby hospital, Mathis was pronounced dead from several gunshot wounds.
According to Fox5 News, the police said that earlier that night they were “called to the same apartment and encountered the man.” According to reports, he already lived in the Atlanta complex and was described as being “belligerent.”
Atlanta News First reported on the incident after the officials had left, saying that there had been several police vehicles at the scene.
SEE MORE: Philly Woman Decides Not To Be A Victim, Shoots To Defend Herself From Burglars
A neighbor, Shawnda Minor, was woken by the shots. She said, “In America, you do have to kind of protect yourself.” But wondered at the nature of the break-in.
Currently, investigators are classifying the shots as an act of self-defense. The homeowner who fired the shots at Mathis apparently did so believing that his home was being broken into.
Wrong Door Or Something More?
Police are speculating that Mathis had a much simpler motive than burglary. It is possible that he was at the wrong door, and thought he was entering his own home.
Police now have homicide detectives on the case attempting to determine the truth. We are told that neither of the men knew each other.
As of right now though, many details have been kept on the down-low. The homeowner’s name is being kept private, as well as any statements from him.
Better Safe Than Sorry
It is still unclear whether the homeowner will be charged for the shooting. While his actions had unfortunate results, we must remember that he didn’t know what he was facing. If it had been someone dangerous, he would have been glad to be prepared.
One statistic from The Department of Justice tells us that 7% of home burglaries result in a resident experiencing “violent victimization.” Here’s how the numbers break down:
| Burglary Statistics (2003-2007 Average) | Number/Percentage |
|---|---|
| Total burglaries per year | 3.7 million |
| Burglaries with household member present | 1 million |
| Burglaries with household member present and violence occurred | 266,560 |
| Burglaries where resident knew offender | 65% |
| Burglaries where resident didn’t know offender | 28% |
| Burglaries where offender was unarmed | 61% |
| Households facing an offender armed with a firearm | 12% |
| Single-family units or high-density structures burglarized while resident present | 8 per 1,000 households |
| Type of Violence (During Burglaries with Resident Present) | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Simple assault | 15% |
| Robbery | 7% |
| Rape | 3% |
| Injury Statistics (During Completed Burglaries with Resident Present) | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Serious injuries | 9% |
| Minor injuries | 36% |
With that in mind, let us all take action to be prepared like this homeowner was. Not every encounter will end in a shooting, but better safe than sorry.
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Georgia is a Castle Doctrine state even in Communist-controlled Atlanta.
“Wrong Door Or Attempted Burglary?” Both
“Burglary gone horribly wrong”? No, I’d say it went completely right!
should have arrested him the first time