Child with gun shoots home invader

The gun ban lobby is fond of exploiting statistics about (26 year-old) "children" using guns (in gang-banger shootouts), but we're guessing they won't have much to say about the Ashtabula teen who used a gun to stop a home invasion.

From NewsNet5 (WEWS, Cleveland's ABC affiliate):

A break-in at an Ashtabula home forced a teen to open fire, and a man accused of breaking in is recovering after being shot.

The suspect was shot by a teen who was home alone with his brother and police said the young man did the right thing.

The incident happened at a home on West 43rd Street.

Linda Hanna's 15-year-old nephew shot one of three men in the leg when they broke into his home during an apparent robbery attempt.

"At that point the three individuals fled the scene and the juveniles did do the right thing and called 911," said Sgt. Joe Cellitti, of the Ashtabula Police Department.

Police said one of the suspects ended up at Ashtabula Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the leg, saying he had accidentally shot himself.

But after interviewing the suspect at the hospital, an investigation by police said they determined he was one of the intruders involved in the home invasions.

Cellitti said the teens did the right thing to fend off the suspects.

"In this situation the two juveniles were confronted by an individual with a firearm, they do have the right to protect themselves," he said.

Hanna said one of the suspects lived on the same street, and said that’s what makes the crime against her nephews even more disturbing.

"When people start robbing people and you live on the same street and these young boys and my nephew can identify you, that's kind of bad," she said.

The news report says the two teens were not injured during the break-in.

A 21-year-old suspect is being held on aggravated burglary and attempted felonious assault charges, and warrants have been issued for the arrests of two other suspects.