A woman was startled out of her sleep early Thursday morning when she heard what sounded like someone breaking into her home. It turned out to be a robbery suspect who police believe was breaking into neighborhood homes in West Columbus, Ohio.

The woman grabbed her firearm and confront the intruder, eventually firing what would be a fatal shot. The suspect was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital hours later.

The homeowner’s son told WSYX-TV that he had given the gun to his mom, a widow, last week because he was worried about her safety.

West Columbus Police Sgt. Dave Sicilian confirmed to the news station that the “homeowner was awakened and defended herself.”

However, he also reportedly added, “We need to determine if she needed to defend herself and if she took the proper action."

--