Mobile homeowner shoots burglar, police say

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - A man shot a burglar who was taking items from his house and detached garage on North Ann Street, police said Wednesday.

The incident occurred in the 100 block at about 6:40 p.m. on Tuesday. According to police, the property owner pulled up to his house and saw a man coming out. He then tried to hold the burglar, but the thief got aggressive and charged the man, police said.

Police said the homeowner will not be charged at this time. People have a right under state law to defense themselves.

After getting treatment for a gunshot wound, police arrested Johnny Bullard Jr., 42, and took him to Mobile County Metro Jail. He is charged with third-degree burglary.

Dina Zirlott, who lives on the street, told FOX10 News that she was helping her kids study at the time of the incident.

“And we were going over the regions of Alabama when we heard like a loud pop. And we all kind of hunched down at the table,” she said. “And it sounded like it was coming from, like toward the intersection of North Ann and Spring Hill area, but we weren’t sure what it was.”

A manager at a nearby restaurant told FOX10 News that a worker saw a man lying in the parking lot of a hardware store next store.

Zirlott and other residents told FOX10 News that the sound of gunfire is frequent.

“You do hear some gunfire around this area, and usually, it comes from behind us,” she said. “But every once in a while, you’ll hear it coming from around the street. And just a few weeks ago, my husband woke us up in the middle of the night because we had a huge police presence on our road.”

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