A 78-year-old man shot through his own door, striking one of three people who attempted to break into his home on Chicago's Northwest Side Monday night, according to police.
Authorities said the incident took place around 9 p.m. in the 2600 block of North Merrimac Avenue in the city's Belmont Central neighborhood.
The homeowner said three men claiming to be concrete repairmen came knocking at his door earlier that evening, but he told them he wasn't interested. The men left and returned three hours later attempting to break in.
The men tried to get into the home by using a crowbar to break in the front door, according to police. Upon hearing a noise, the homeowner opened the door and saw the suspects in front of him attempting to break the screen door, officials said.
“He was ready to hit me right through the window with a big crowbar that he was trying to pry the door open with and with that I shot him" the homeowner, who wished to remain anonymous for safety concerns, told NBC 5.
The man fired through the screen door, hitting one of the suspects, according to police, who said the man who was shot limped away while the other two got into a red Dodge Caravan and fled the scene.
“This is terrible," the homeowner said. "I hate to think of any human that has to do this to any human. I wouldn’t do this to an animal… and this guy just wouldn’t leave – wouldn’t give up.”
Local
No one is in custody in connection with the home invasion, authorities said, as detectives continue to investigate.
The homeowner was uninjured in the incident, according to police, who said he had a valid FOID card and there were no charges against him as of Tuesday afternoon.
"Police said, 'You had no other choice,'" the homeowner said. "I wish I didn’t have to do it."
