Columbia man scares off home intruder with gun

Columbia police are looking for a man after a home invasion early Monday morning.

It happened in the 1400 block of West Worley just before 1:00 a.m.

A man was sleeping in the home when his dogs started barking and woke him up, according to Latisha Stroer with the Columbia Police Department.

The man found the front door of his home open and went back to his room to get his gun, Stroer said.

ABC 17 News talked to the homeowner Monday who did not want to be identified, but said that is when he saw a man standing near his front door.

“I grabbed my pistol and I came to the front door, and he was still standing near my front door,” he said. “At that time I put one round into the ground.”

The homeowner said the man quickly ran away and he called 911. But he does not know how the intruder opened the door.

“The door was locked,” he said. “I don’t know how he got in. He never made it into the actual house. The dog stopped him.”

Across the street, a woman told ABC 17 News she was staying with her cousin Thursday night, when someone knocked on the door at 3:00 a.m. But the person went away when they threatened to call police.

“You know around the holiday times a lot more crime and stuff is going on,” Darylicia Wilkerson said. “I’m terrified for her because like I said she’s mentally challenged, she lives by herself.”

In the last year, Columbia police have been called to the 1400 and 1500 blocks of West Worley more than 50 times. But none of those calls were for burglaries.

As for the homeowner, he said his family will not be leaving West Worley any time soon.

“We’ve been here three, three and a half years and never had any issues,” he said. “I mean we’re not gonna move because of this.”

Police describe the suspect as a black man, 6’0” tall and 150-200 pounds. He was last seen wearing a dark colored hoodie.

No arrests have been made at this time.