[ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 9/6/02 ]
Home-invasion turns deadly for bandit
By BILL MONTGOMERY
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer
An attempted home-invasion robbery of a young Clayton County couple Thursday night proved fatal for the would-be bandit when his victim fired first.
A 24-year-old man armed with a pistol forced his way into the couple's home on Mt. Zion Road near Stockbridge and ordered the couple to "give it up!" said Clayton County police Lt. J.E. Turner.
"The couple had answered a knock on the door, and the suspect forced them back into the living room. The husband was able to grab his own handgun from a table, and got off two rounds, hitting the assailant in the lower torso," Turner said.
The incident occurred shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday. Names of the suspect and his intended victims were not immediately available.
Turner said detectives believe the married couple, who are in their early 20s, had recently moved into the Waterford Apartments at 3196 Mt. Zion Rd. and were random "targets of opportunity."
"The couple did not know the suspect, and we think he was waiting in the area for a possible victim to come home and watched them go into the apartment," Turner said. "The couple thought the assailant was demanding money," he added.
"While we haven't had a problem with this particular apartment complex, in some parts of the county we have had a problem with random pedestrian robberies as people arrived home," Turner added.
"We don't know why the assailant wanted to get into the apartment, but he did and it turned out bad for him," he said.
The incident is being investigated, but it is unlikely any charges will be filed, Turner said.
Darwinism in action.