SOUTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A woman shot an intruder when he tried to force his way into her apartment early Thursday morning.
Police say at least three people approached the victim's door at the Laurel Ridge apartment complex around midnight.
According to the police report, the renter responded to a knock at the door and the suspects told her they were with the East Point Police Department.
She cracked the door to take a look outside and that's when police say the three tried to push their way inside.
The resident, however, was ready with a handgun.
She spoke with briefly with Channel 2's Carl Willis, telling him she's still shaken up and didn't want to be identified.
"It could be retaliation," she explained.
Police say one of the suspects raised a handgun, but the woman fired first.
"I heard three gunshots," said neighbor Ramona Ferrell. "I knew it was gunshots. It was very close."
A juvenile suspect was grazed on the head and the backside. He ran but police caught up to him quickly.
"I just hope the boy is OK," said the resident.
The two other suspects got away.
Neighbors say there has been a rash of break-ins recently. They said days earlier someone tried to break into an apartment in the same building where the shooting happened.
"I think it's ridiculous," said Ferrell. Something should be done. There's a lot going on in this apartment complex."
Neighbors say they are glad that the victim didn't back down and wasn't hurt, but they say the crime has to stop.
"I'm glad she did have something," said Ferrell. "It's sad that you have to walk around as a female with a gun to protect yourself."
WSBTV
