An elderly Smithfield couple were the victims of an armed home invasion. Authorities think the suspect may have gone to their home a day earlier and asked to use their telephone.
Around 11:10pm Friday, the 84 year-old victim said she heard the doorbell ring at her home on Galilee Road off Highway 210. Before she could answer the door, the suspect had kicked in the front door. The elderly woman retrieved a gun. About that time she was confronted by the suspect, a black male wearing a mask, who pointed a gun at the victim and began yelling at her.
Detective Lt. D.N. Pate said the elderly woman attempted unsuccessfully to fire her gun. The intruder then fled on foot. Pate said a man with a similar description had gone to the victim’s home on Thursday asking to use the telephone. The man left without any incident that day but the victim said she was uneasy about the individual.
EMS crews responded to the scene to evaluate the victim after she began to experience chest pains while sheriff’s deputies were at the scene. She was not transported to the hospital. Her 88 year-old husband who was also at home was not harmed.
