Athens man shoots, injures intruder in attempted burglary
An Athens man was shot early Monday after Athens-Clarke police said he burglarized a home and encountered a resident armed with a gun.
The shooting occurred at about 5:50 a.m. on the 1000 block of Tallassee Road in north Athens.
The suspect, James E. Hill, 41, of Broad Street, was treated for an arm wound, then booked into the Athens-Clarke County Jail, where he remained Tuesday without bond.
“I’m glad he’s alive and I didn’t have to be the one to take his life,” the 32-year-old resident said Tuesday when contacted.
The victim said the episode began when his girlfriend’s 16-year-old son went into the living room and saw a stranger sitting in the living room watching TV.
“He alerted us and she let me know somebody was in there. I grabbed my firearm and ran to the door,” he recalled.
The resident said he confronted the intruder, whom he had never seen before.
“He tried to reason with us, saying someone let him in and there were cops outside looking for him, but I knew no one let him in,” the man said.
The resident reported to police that the intruder had something in his hand and he was unsure at the time what it was. The suspect began running and the resident said he started shooting.
“I just wanted to scare him, but I ended up hitting him,” the resident said.
The man’s girlfriend called 911 and when police arrived, they located Hill across the street and took him into custody. Hill was carrying a Roku remote, according to the report.
Police officer Adam Sartain searched the area and collected seven 9mm shell casings. He also collected the resident’s Glock 45 9mm pistol.
Hill was subsequently charged with burglary and he provided a detective with a statement, although what Hill told the officer was not disclosed.
The resident said the intruder entered his house through a door.
“My dad had left for work and left the door unlocked,” he said.
“I never thought this would happen to me,” the resident said about using his gun. “I wanted to protect my family and my home.”