A man who confronted suspects allegedly trying to break into his family's car was shot after chasing them down a back alley in Riverview.
One of the pellets from the blast hit his chest but he was not seriously harmed in the incident.
"I'm kind of ticked off. No one's ever shot at me before," says John, who only wanted his first name used.
His wife came home Monday and noticed three young people who allegedly smashed a window in their Nissan and were trying to steal the vehicle from a back lane off Oakwood Avenue.
She began to scold them and one of the suspects sat down to listen, says John. Then, one of them told her he had a shotgun, says John.
John's wife ran inside the home and told him what was going on outside.
He came out and began chasing the suspects down the back lane when one of the suspects fired a shot at him, says John.
"This loud firecracker noise went off. I got a little mark. One of the pellets hit me here," says John, pointing at his chest.
Even after being shot, John says he kept running after them, but the three suspects, who appeared about 15 to 17-years-old, disappeared after a few blocks.
The K-9 unit was able to locate a shotgun and shells a few streets over but officers have not yet made any arrests in the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators at 986-6219, or Crime Stoppers at 786-TIPS.
John says he might have done things differently, given how dangerous the situation turned out to be.
"It was just an instinctual thing. I mean someone's holding a gun against my wife's face," says John.
Police advise the public to call officers immediately and avoid confronting suspects seen damaging or stealing property.
In a separate incident, police were called about reports of shots fired at a residence on McKenzie Street around 2 a.m. Tuesday. A family was inside the building at the time of the shooting, but no one was injured, say police.
- with a report from CTV's Stacey Ashley
