Atlanta Area Home Invasion, Resident Hospitalized After Shooting, Police Search For Gunmen

Atlanta, United States— Two masked men kicked in the front door of a ranch house in Cobb County just before 10 p.m. Monday, shot a resident during a struggle, and fled on foot into a wooded area behind the subdivision.

Cobb County Police said the home on Oakbrook Lane had three occupants at the time. The intruders demanded cash and valuables. The 38-year-old male resident fought back and was shot once in the abdomen. His wife called 911 from a bathroom while the suspects ransacked a bedroom.

Paramedics found the man conscious and bleeding on the living room floor. He was transported to Kennestone Hospital where surgeons listed him in stable condition by early Tuesday. No other residents were physically injured.

"They came in fast, shouting. We heard a bang. Then they ran out the back," a neighbor who saw two figures jump a fence said. He said the street is usually quiet and many homes have no alarm systems.

Police set up a perimeter and used K-9 units and a drone with thermal imaging to search the woods. The search was called off at 1:30 a.m. after no suspects were found. Evidence technicians recovered a shell casing, a pried door frame, and shoe prints in mud.

"Entry was forced, intent was robbery. The victim resisted. That escalated to gunfire. We believe this was targeted, not random, because the suspects knew the house layout," Lt. Michael Grant of Cobb County Criminal Investigations said.

Detectives are checking whether the home had been cased earlier in the day. A suspicious vehicle, a dark SUV, was reported circling the cul-de-sac at dusk. Doorbell camera footage from three homes has been collected.

Home invasions have ticked up in the county this fall, often linked to social media posts showing cash or valuables. Police urged residents to avoid posting locations and to use exterior lights and locks.

The neighborhood association scheduled a safety meeting Tuesday evening. Officers will increase patrols in the area while forensic results are processed.

Investigators expect to release a suspect description after reviewing video and interviewing the victims again once the injured resident can speak.