At four o'clock on Monday morning, three masked teens are reported to have landed on a property in Conyers, Georgia. According to the local sheriff, they were thought to break in.
Unexplained reasons, it should have come to a gunfight in which the three teenagers were killed. The Rockdale County police believe one of the young people pulled a gun and shot at the owner. The latter then fired gunfire and killed the 15, 16 and 16-year-old adolescents.
"The victims of the attempted robbery are all uninjured," it said in a statement by the sheriff's office. One of the alleged burglars succumbed to his serious injuries on the spot, the other two died in the hospital.
A neighbor heard cries for help at the time of the crime, CNN reported. Someone called "Help me, I'm dying," said a man named Brian Jenkins.
The homeowner is described as a "nice, caring guy": "If they had knocked on the door and asked him for anything, he would have given it to them," the broadcaster KSLA quoted a neighbor.
The killed teenagers are said to have come from the area, two of them were apparently brothers. Two weapons were found on the property, Sheriff Eric Levett said.
So far, there have been no arrests. The police are investigating if there is a case of self-defense. In Georgia and many other US states, the so-called stand-your-ground laws apply. They allow a citizen to forcefully resist a potentially life-threatening attack. Critics complain that these laws encourage self-justice and firearms use, leading to more killings.
