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Miss Muffett Lane homeowner points shotgun at suspected burglar, fires

A Jacksonville homeowner turned the tables on an armed intruder and shot the suspect in the leg, according to police.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said the victim got home from work around 4 p.m. Tuesday and found the suspect, 25-year-old Brandon Nicholas, inside.

Alisa Stuart told Action News Jax that her husband came home to find the intruder, who happened to be an acquittance, inside.

Police said Nicholas pointed the victim's own shotgun at him and said "Don't move!"

According to the report, Nicholas pulled the trigger twice, but the weapon didn't fire so he put the gun down.

That's when the homeowner grabbed the shotgun and demanded his stuff back, the report said.

The victim shot Nicholas when he began reaching into a bag, according to the report.

The victim told police he repeatedly told him “don’t do it” before firing the weapon.

"He said, 'He broke in through the window. He ransacked the house. He stole our cash and I shot him in the knee,'" Stuart said her husband told her.

Despite a shotgun wound to the leg, Nicholas made it from the home on Miss Muffett Lane North to Esther Street, where he was apprehended by police.

Nicholas is charged with burglary and committing an act that could cause death.

Neighbors say crime is rapidly growing worse in the area.

"Everybody on the street is armed and ready to fire," Stuart said.