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Around 2 a.m. on Dawson Road in Albany, Georgia, a would-be burglar picked the wrong apartment complex. And very quickly found out why doors, windows, and personal space matter.
According to police, an intruder broke into two neighboring apartments overnight, setting off a chain of events that ended with him being shot multiple times by an armed resident.
The incident unfolded at an apartment complex on the 1500 block of Dawson Road, where residents were jolted awake by the unmistakable sound of glass shattering and doors being kicked in.
In one apartment, a tenant said he woke up to someone smashing through his window. He grabbed a firearm and encountered the suspect crawling across his floor. The tenant held the intruder at gunpoint while trying to call police, but told officers the suspect attempted to grab the gun. That’s when the resident fired multiple shots.
When officers arrived, things got even more interesting.
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A neighbor came forward and told police his apartment had also been targeted. He said he heard his bathroom window shatter, followed by someone running around the fence line and then kicking in his door. That resident grabbed a baseball bat and confronted the intruder, who then fled. Only to end up inside the neighboring apartment where the shooting occurred.
Police identified the suspect as Tommy Poole, who was shot during the encounter and transported to the hospital. Officers said Poole will face charges once released. One resident told reporters he was thankful the armed neighbor acted when he did, saying the situation was unlike anything he’d ever experienced in what he described as a normally quiet area.
Police reports also note that when officers made contact with Poole, he was unable to stand or show his hands due to his injuries. Officers rendered aid, including applying a tourniquet, after securing the scene.
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No residents were physically injured, but multiple tenants said the incident left them shaken and feeling unsafe in their own homes.
This wasn’t a case of someone “looking for trouble.” It was residents reacting in real time to forced entry, broken windows, and an intruder moving through their living spaces at 2 a.m. It’s the kind of scenario people talk about abstractly, until it happens three feet away in the dark.
Police continue to investigate the case. Details were reported by WALB News 10.
At the end of the day, this story is a blunt reminder: when criminals ignore doors and laws, the people on the inside are left to make split-second decisions. And sometimes those decisions decide who goes home alive.
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is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
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