East Pittsburgh Homeowner Fires Gun At Home Invasion Suspect
EAST PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – An East Pittsburgh man said he would do it all over again to protect himself and his home.
Charles Smith said he had no regrets after he opened fire on a man he believed was trying to break into his home around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Smith said he was woken up by the sound of broken glass. When he went to investigate, he saw a figure on his porch with what appeared to be an AK-47 assault-style rifle.
Smith yelled to the individual to ask what he was doing and who he was. The assailant said, "My name is Juan and I'm sorry I broke your glass."
At that time, Smith went to his bedroom, loaded a shotgun and came back downstairs to see if the man on the porch was still there.
Smith saw the man still standing there when he returned. Fearing he would get shot, he fired the gun in the direction of the assailant.
At that point, the would-be burglar took off.
Smith said he's not sure if he hit the assailant, but there was blood on his porch.
Police tracked the blood to the George Westinghouse Bridge, where they think the individual may have ditched the weapon over the side.
Police and local firefighters spent hours searching for the weapon. Traffic was restricted until about 5 a.m., when the search ended unsuccessfully.
There is no word on any arrests at this time.
Smith said he works hard for what he has and that nobody has the right to come into his house and take it or threaten his life.
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