Man Walking His Dog Fatally Shoots Teen Trying To Rob Him In DeKalb

LITHONIA, GA -- Police in DeKalb County are investigating after a man walking his dog around his Lithonia neighborhood fatally shot a teenager who tried to rob him, according to news reports. The man, who is not being identified, was walking in the 5800 block of Cedar Croft Lane on Wednesday night when the incident happened.

The man told police that an SUV approached him and two men hopped out, local media reported. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

The 44-year-old man said that one of the assailants had a gun -- but so did he.

“The suspects attempted to rob the victim with a handgun,” DeKalb police spokeswoman Shiera Campbell said Thursday. “The victim pulled his handgun and shot one of the suspects.”

Like us on Facebook

The man called 911 and officers arrived around 10:30 p.m. to find the wounded teen lying in the street. He was taken to Grady Hospital, where he died, police said. The other teen fled.

As DeKalb reels from the effects of Hurricane Irma, many teens have been out of school this week and residents are milling about assessing the damage. Power is being restored in much of the area.

Hurricane Irma: Nearly 1,300 Still Without Electricity in DeKalb: Georgia Power

Image via Shutterstock