ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) -- After thinking his home was being robbed, a Rochester man fired a gun at the potential intruder. As it turns out, he was firing at his own teenage granddaughter.
A normal night for one Rochester family turned into disaster.
On the 2400 block of East River Road Northeast, a 61-year-old homeowner thought his home was being robbed.
"The homeowner armed himself with a handgun, asked his wife to call police and went to investigate the noise," explains Captain Brian Winters with the Rochester Police Department.
He fired two shots in the dark. One shot missed, but one hit someone. The homeowner turned on the lights to find that someone was his 16-year-old teenage granddaughter.
"They had spoken to her earlier in the evening," says Captain Winters, "so she had been in the residence when they went to bed, to their knowledge she was in the residence."
Upon arrival, the grandfather made it clear that he was only trying to protect his home.
"He had recalled that there was a burglary half a mile to a mile away in the last previous days," Captain Winters explains, "so that was on his mind evidently."
Neighbors in the area are worried about what this means for safety in their neighborhood, but most are not concerned.
Most neighbors say that they have many lights and security systems in case of an intruder, but no weapons. They also say that people that live in the homes be vocal to prevent a similar situation from happening to them.
