A Massachusetts man was able to wrestle a gun from one home invader and shoot another with it on Monday.
Nicholas Hoard, 24, opened the door to his apartment at 8:30 p.m. when he heard a knock at his door. Two masked men then rushed into his home in a robbery attempt. While one robber held Hoard at gunpoint another ransacked the apartment looking for valuables.
While the second robber was in another room, Hoard was able to wrestle the firearm from his captor. The second gunman then ran into the room, pointing his own gun at Hoard, and Hoard shot him once, killing him. The second gunman ran off and has yet to be apprehended by police.
"According to the preliminary investigation, the suspect rummaging through the apartment came back into the main area of the apartment due to the commotion of fighting and drew his firearm upon Mr. Hoard," the Bristol DA's office told MassLive. "Mr. Hoard shot the suspect, later identified as Mr. Scott, one time. The second, unidentified suspect, then fled the apartment on foot while Mr. Hoard called 911."
Neighbors were shaken up by the incident but supported Hoard's actions. "It’s scary, because I live here," neighbor Vanessa DeSilva told WBZ-TV. "I want my environment to be safe."
"I'm a nervous wreck," another resident told NBC 10. "I have three locks on my door. I'm going put up a fourth."
"I feel like I would have done the same thing," Jennifer Caradonna, whose boyfriend lives in the apartment building, told the NBC affiliate. "It's self-defense. (You've) got to put yourself before anyone."