Attempted Burglar Shot By Armed Resident — “I Just Wanted To Scare Him, But I Ended Up Hitting Him”

ATHENS, GEORGIA — An Athens man was shot and injured early Monday after allegedly breaking into a home and being confronted by an armed resident.

The incident took place around 5:50 a.m. on Tallassee Road in north Athens, according to the Athens Banner-Herald.

The suspect, 41-year-old James E. Hill, sustained an arm injury and was later arrested, held without bond at the Athens-Clarke County Jail.

The resident, a 32-year-old man, stated that he was glad he didn’t have to take Hill’s life.

The confrontation began when the resident’s girlfriend’s teenage son noticed a stranger watching TV in their living room. Upon being alerted, the resident grabbed his firearm and confronted Hill.

Hill attempted to explain his presence, but the resident didn’t believe him.

After noticing Hill holding an object, the resident fired his weapon, intending to scare him but accidentally hitting him. Hill was later found to be carrying a Roku remote.

Upon arriving at the scene, officers collected seven 9mm shell casings and the resident’s 9mm pistol.

Hill was charged with burglary, and while he provided a statement to detectives, its contents were not disclosed. The resident revealed that Hill entered through an unlocked door left open by his father.

Some things to remember from this story:

• Firing your gun as a warning is idiotic and not what it’s for. The odds of you having a perfect understanding of the environment around you in a situation around you are slim, at best. You’re very possibly endangering innocent lives.
• “I didn’t mean to hit him” is not exactly what this resident said, but it’s very close. That is a very, very dumb thing to say publicly.

Obviously, it more than makes sense to be armed in a scary situation like this. We have to be more responsible than this.