A daytime burglary attempt Tuesday came too close for a DeKalb County man’s comfort, as one of the would-be bandits got within reach of his wife before police came.
That burglary suspect eventually was shot by an officer he startled while trying to flee the scene, police said.
James Norwood told Channel 2 Action News that he got a frantic phone call from his wife, Prince Norwood, around 10:30 a.m.
“She said, ‘Someone is breaking into the house, and I’m hiding in the closet,’” James Norwood said. “My first thought was to call 9-1-1.”
Next, he embarked upon a hurried 30-minute drive from his job in Covington to his southeast DeKalb County home.
“I couldn’t get in touch with her anymore,” he said.
DeKalb County police spokeswoman Mekka Parish said three men had forced their way into the home on Streamside Court.
“She barricaded herself inside her room,” Parish said of Prince Norwood.
Officers responding with police dogs got to Prince Norwood and got her safely out of the house, finding two of the would-be bandits hiding in the attic, police said.
But not before Prince Norwood had a close encounter with the third intruder, her husband said.
“He was in the closet with her when the police arrived,” James Norwood said. “He didn’t see her … she was hiding behind the door.”
The third man fled to a home on Leisure Wood Lane, more than a mile away, and hid there in a shed in the rear of that home, Parish said.
Police dogs were able to track the suspect to the yard.
“The subject very, very quickly jumped out in front of him and the officer fired a shot hitting him in left torso and arm, inflicting a non-life-threatening wound,” DeKalb Police Chief Cedric Alexander said.
The shooting remains under investigation, police said, and the officer is being placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Police said charges are pending against the three suspects, who have yet to be identified.
The suspect who was shot is being treated at a hospital under police watch, authorities said.
At the end of the ordeal, James Norwood said he felt some animosity toward the attempted burglars, but was more relieved that his wife was safe.
“The anger came later,” he said. “Anything else can be replaced. But that’s my wife.”
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