Category: Home invasion
‘I didn’t have any hesitation’: Gun-toting homeowner says he spotted intruder in his house and ‘just let it fire’
A gun-toting North Carolina homeowner said he “didn’t have any hesitation” after spotting an intruder in his Charlotte residence last week and “just let it fire,” WSOC-TV reported.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police told the station the scene unfolded along Glen Brook Road off West Sugar Creek Road early Wednesday morning.
‘He saved my life, saved my dog’s life.’
A man and woman who didn’t want to be identified told WSOC they woke up to loud banging.
“You don’t know what their intentions are; you don’t know anything,” the man recounted to the station. “All you can do at that moment is protect yourself.”
The man added to WSOC the intruder was in the home for about 10 seconds — and he soon saw the intruder in the hallway and immediately began shooting.
“I didn’t have any hesitation,” the man added to the station. “As soon as I knew someone was coming in, I just let it fire, let it go.”
The homeowner also told WSOC he’s not sure if he hit the suspect, who ran away. Afterward, the couple hid in the bathroom until police arrived, the station said.
“He saved my life, saved my dog’s life,” the woman told WSOC. “I mean, I couldn’t ask for a better significant other in this situation.”
The station said the victims are now wondering what may happen next.
“Now it’s just a matter of, ‘Will they come back, what will happen?'” the woman noted to WSOC.
The station said it reached out to police to inquire if they have any leads on the intruder.
Under North Carolina’s Castle Doctrine, homeowners are allowed to use deadly force against intruders, WSOC said, adding that there is no duty to retreat, and the law protects residents from legal liability.
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Dad springs into action after crook breaks into his home in middle of night — then heads to where his kids sleep
“Heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs,” Kevin Root recalled to KDVR-TV about a heart-stopping 3:30 a.m. encounter at his family’s Denver home last month. “As a parent, you know your kids’ footsteps, and this was not any of our kids.”
The unsettling noises woke up Kevin and his wife, Sarah, the station said — and Kevin got up to find out where the sounds were coming from.
‘It feels unsettling that something so invasive and violating is permitted to happen and the person is back on the street.’
“We had our door slightly cracked, and I saw the shadow go by, and that just is a sinking feeling,” Sarah added to KDVR.
Turns out an intruder had broken the lock on the Roots’ front door — and now he was on the staircase, the station said.
“As I heard him coming up, I said, ‘Who is this?’ I just yelled, thinking, ‘Let me just let him know, like, we know you’re here. We’re awake,’” Kevin recalled to KDVR.
The Roots told the station the intruder kept silent and was heading to where their children were sleeping.
“As a mom, it’s just your worst nightmare,” Sarah shared with KDVR. “It’s terrifying.”
Neither parent had any idea if the intruder was armed, either, the station said — but Kevin knew there was only one thing to do.
“There comes a moment where you’re like, ‘This is me. I’m a husband and a father; it’s on me to do something,'” he told KDVR.
The station noted that while Sarah called 911 from their bedroom, Kevin got physical: “It was just one of those, like, ‘This is my moment.’ So I jumped out of the bedroom, and I pushed him down the stairs.”
More from KDVR:
He says the man fell all the way to the bottom, knocking some pictures off the wall and leaving a dent in the molding. He took a video as police arrived minutes later while the man laid on the floor.
The man eventually went peacefully into custody; all he took from the home was a fall decoration from the porch.
“We’re just thankful that everyone is OK,” Sarah added to the station.
Charley Cooley, 36, faced a felony second-degree robbery charge, KDVR reported, adding that his record shows he already had been arrested in September for another felony robbery charge in connection with an incident earlier in 2025.
Fox News reported that after his September arrest, Cooley was released just days later.
“We found out later about his criminal background, and that stirred up a whole new layer of emotion,” Sarah added to the cable network. “It feels unsettling that something so invasive and violating is permitted to happen and the person is back on the street.”
But it gets even worse.
The Denver District Attorney’s Office told Fox News that a judge set Cooley’s bond at $5,000 property/surety or $500 cash following the break-in at the Roots’ home.
Sure enough, Cooley posted $500 cash, the cable network said, citing KDVR.
“Multiple offenses, and he’s been released both times,” Kevin shared with Fox News. “The reality is he’s back out and has a history of doing this.”
Sarah added to the cable network that “we hope there’s justice and that he’s placed somewhere that prevents him from hurting anyone else.”
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