A 12-year-old boy is being credited with saving his grandmother from two home invaders early Saturday, after he shot at them with a gun and fatally injured one.
The incident happened around 1 a.m. Saturday at a ground-floor apartment in Goldsboro, N.C., according to local police. Two masked intruders broke into the apartment and demanded that Linda Ellis, 73, turn over all her cash.
Police say the men threatened Ellis during the home invasion and ultimately shot her in the leg.
However, Ellis’ grandson was also at the apartment, and he somehow got hold of a gun and fired at both suspects, according to police.
Authorities say the boy shot at the suspects in “self-defence,” causing them to flee.
Police showed up a short time later to find Ellis with non-life-threatening injuries.
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They later found a 19-year-old man lying in the street with a gunshot wound nearby. Police say the man, Khalil Herring, appeared to be one of the two masked intruders who was shot.
Ellis and Herring were taken to hospital after the incident.
Herring died later that day.
Ellis’ great-niece, Chiquita Coley, says the family is still reeling from the incident.
“She’s been here for so many years. Who would come here and do that?” Coley told local station WRAL. “She’s a good person.”
Ellis’ son, Randolph Bunn, told ABC 11 that he was also in the house at the time of the home invasion.
“One guy had a gun,” he told the station. Bunn added that the suspects pinned him down and took Ellis in the kitchen to demand money.
“I don’t know why they shot her,” he said. He added that he didn’t blame the boy at all for opening fire.
“The (intruder) just shot his grandma,” Bull said. He added that the suspect “would’ve killed us all” if the boy hadn’t taken action.
The boy is not expected to face charges, the Goldsboro Police Department said. They did not say where he got the gun used in the encounter.
The second suspect has not yet been identified and the investigation is ongoing.
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