A teenager was shot Thursday night after apparently breaking into a house and being confronted by the homeowner.

The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office responded around 8 p.m. to a report of a burglary in progress on Go Cart Road. When deputies arrived, they saw a 13-year-old boy with a gunshot wound.

The shooting occurred in an abandoned home, according to the ECSO. The homeowner lives across the street and had been alerted by a neighbor that someone was breaking into the residence.

The property owner, a 73-year-old man, armed himself with a shotgun and "went to check out who was inside," said ECSO spokesman Detective David Ehsanipoor. "During some type of confrontation, a shot was fired and the 13-year-old was struck."

The teenager was hit with birdshot on his face, arms and hands, Ehsanipoor said. He was taken to Memorial Health University Medical Center, where he was treated and released.

The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the case.

Investigators have not ruled the possibility that either the man or the teen could be criminally charged.
Georgia law allows homeowners to defend themselves and use force against intruders. The law has stipulations, such as how threatening the intruder is and whether he is inside or outside the residence.

The homeowner and the teenager have given investigators conflicting reports of what happened, Ehsanipoor said.

"We’re trying to determine where the teenager was when the shot was fired and what the intentions were," Ehsanipoor said. "We are interviewing the parties involved, and then we will determine whether charges will be filed against either party."