LYNCHBURG, VIRGINA – Officers from the Lynchburg Police Department were dispatched to a reported burglary in progress in the 100 block of Wooldridge Circle just before 1:45 a.m. on Wednesday.
According to LPD, two men knocked on the door of a residence. When the occupant answered the door, he was assaulted by the men as they attempted to enter the home. They were prevented from doing so when they were both shot by the resident.
Police have charged the pair, identified as James Franklin, 27, of Roanoke and Alan Douglas Mould, 26, of Lynchburg, with breaking and entering as well as assault and battery. Although both suffered gunshot wounds, neither received any life-threatening injuries in the incident.
Answering the door late at night or in the early hours of the morning is often nothing more than an invitation for disaster. Lucky for him, the resident was not only armed, but was also able to use his firearm to defend himself and his property.
One of the most common tactics of criminals is to knock on the door or ring the doorbell to see if the dwelling is occupied or not. If it is, they will often move on to look for an easier target (a dwelling believed to be unoccupied) rather than risk a confrontation with an occupant.
In this case, however, it appears that they didn’t care if the dwelling was occupied or not and they were intent on entering despite being confronted by the resident. It proved to be a bad decision on their part.
