Two masked men forced their way into a Goldsboro, North Carolina, apartment, allegedly demanding money and shooting a 73-year-old woman, prompting the woman’s 12-year-old grandson to defend her by shooting at the intruders before they fled. One of the alleged intruders, suspected of being the shooter, was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The boy, who has not been named, shot Khalil Herring, 19, on February 13 after Herring and another masked suspect entered 73-year-old Linda Ellis’ home in Goldsboro. The men intruded around 12:30 a.m., and the station continued and demanded money.
Police said Herring shot Ellis in the leg, prompting the 12-year-old boy to open fire on the suspect, according to The New York Post.
“A 12-year-old juvenile occupant of the residence shot at the suspects with a firearm in self-defense, causing them to flee the area,” police officials stated, adding, “Preliminary evidence suggest Khalil Herring was one of the two masked intruders and was shot during the robbery.”
“They came in the house, I open the door, I open it, and they came in there… One guy had a gun. They just put me down on the ground. … The [73-year-old woman] was in the kitchen, I don’t know why they shot her,” said Randolph Bunn, Linda Ellis’ son, the great-uncle of the 12-year-old, ABC 11 reported. “[The intruder] just shot his grandma… He would have shot him too; he would’ve shot me too; he would’ve killed us all.”
Chiquita Coley Ellis, Ellis’ great niece, was shocked at the incident, telling WRAL:
“My phone was constantly ringing, and ringing and ringing. I just couldn’t believe she been shot because she’s a good person.” She added, “Why would somebody come into her house and do this? It’s got to stop. I don’t know what they’re thinking around here in Goldsboro, but it’s got to stop.”
Police found Ellis with a gunshot wound in her apartment, reports said. The 73-year-old was taken to Wayne UNC Health Care to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries, the station added.
Sources: OpposingViews, ABC 11, The New York Post, WRAL
