An elderly woman in Arkansas shot an attempted burglar dead over the weekend after he refused to leave her home, cops said.
The homeowner, who is in her late 80s, reportedly told the 19-year-old intruder to get out of her house several times, to no avail.
Her alarm system had signaled his presence and alerted police in Marion, where she lives, but the young man was already dead when they arrived, according to WREG.
The woman told officers that the intruder made a threatening move toward her and she shot him in self-defense.
“Of course it makes you be a little more concerned about your neighborhood if you have people that are breaking into homes,” explained local resident John Rimmer.
The would-be burglar was identified as Cody Smith, also of Marion. Neighbors reportedly spotted him going into the woman’s home and said he appeared to be either drinking or doing drugs.
“We heard he was under the influence of something and wrecked his car,” Rimmer said. “At first it was told that he thought he was walking to his house. I didn’t know where his house is, in this neighborhood, I assume.”
According to WREG, Smith lives close to the home he broke into.
“It’s still sad that a man that age, a young man just starting his life for whatever reason is taking those kinds of steps and ends up losing his life for it,” Rimmer said.
Authorities were still investigating the incident Tuesday.