Intruder Shot during Home Invasion in Troup County

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) – Your home is your safe place, but it also can be targeted by criminals. Now, a Troup County man is in a Columbus hospital tonight recovering from a gunshot wound.

According to the Troup County Sheriff’s Office, a man broke into a home and soon found out, the hard way, that he picked the wrong house.

“The homeowner confronted him. She had a handgun and she fired one round striking him in the lower abdomen,” says Sgt. Stewart Smith, Troup County Sheriff’s Office.

According to Sgt. Smith, 36-year-old Chadwick Lyons forced his way into a home on Ginger Circle in the Young Acres subdivision around 2 A.M. Wednesday.

Sgt. Smith says the Homeowner, a woman, in the home With two children, heard a voice in the hallway and Smith says she had every right to protect her family.

Rachael Kramer lives nearby, she says she would have done the same thing.

“It’s just me and Charlie, so if I her another voice in my home, I’m going to do the same thing. Shoot first and ask questions later,” says Kramer.

“You certainly have the right to have a gun in your home, the right to have gun on your person, the right to have gun in your car. It’s certainly your right to defend yourself in a situation like this,” says Smith.

Smith says after Lyons got shot he ran over to the neighbor’s house for help.

“Troup County 911 received a call from a resident that a man had come to their home had been shot,“ says Smith, “He was seeking assistance, they didn’t know at the time what had occurred.”

Troup County Sheriff’s Office says before the home invasion, Lyons broke into at least 4 cars in the neighborhood.

“I’m making sure my doors are locked, my screen doors are locked. You’re going to have to make a lot of noise to get in my house, you’re going to at least wake me up,” says Kramer.