A violent home invasion in the quiet Freeport community ended with an armed intruder dead at the hands of a serving prison officer Thursday evening, leaving local law enforcement searching for three fleeing accomplices as of Friday. The targeted family, which has nine members living in a two-apartment home on McLeod Trace, escaped the brazen attack without any injuries, an outcome the household’s elderly matriarch attributes to divine protection.
Details of the attack paint a terrifying sequence of events that unfolded just before 7 p.m. A 71-year-old family member, who requested anonymity to protect her household, told reporters she was relaxing in the front apartment watching television when she first heard loud banging on the front door. Believing the noise was her daughter’s husband returning from his regular jog and joking around, she got up to investigate — only for the intruders to force their way inside before she could reach the entryway.
One of the four masked attackers immediately drew a firearm, ordered the grandmother to lie on the floor, and stood guard over her while the other three spread through the home to search the residential property. When the 71-year-old woman’s 16-year-old granddaughter walked in from washing dishes at the back of the house, one of the intruders grabbed her by her jersey, pressed a gun to her head, and forced her to comply with their demands. The gun-wielding suspect then moved deeper into the property toward the back apartment, where the prison officer, a member of the homeowner’s family, was resting in his bedroom.
Alerted to the break-in by noise from the commotion, the prison officer quickly armed himself with his issued service weapon, a black Smith & Wesson M&P chambered in 9mm. When he stepped out of his bedroom to assess the threat, he encountered the intruder pointing a firearm directly at him. Acting in self-defense, the officer fired three rounds at the suspect, striking him and causing him to fall to the ground immediately.
Upon hearing the gunshots, the three remaining accomplices fled the property on foot, and had not been apprehended by law enforcement as of Friday evening. The downed intruder was pronounced dead at the scene by responding emergency personnel, and had not been publicly identified as of Friday night.
When local media outlet the Express visited the Freeport home Friday, family members shared new details that have deepened questions about the motive for the attack. The grandmother told reporters that while the intruder who guarded her demanded her cell phone, the group never demanded cash or other valuables, and fled the scene without stealing any property from the home. She added that investigating officers later told her the weapon the dead intruder carried appeared to be fake. The grandmother also noted that this was the first time the family had been targeted by criminals, and expressed confidence the attack would not be repeated, given the intruders’ failed attempt.
Local law enforcement has not yet released updated information on the manhunt for the three remaining suspects, or any new details on a possible motive for the invasion. Investigators have asked anyone with information about the incident or the identity of the dead suspect to contact local police authorities to aid in the ongoing investigation. Despite the traumatic experience, the family said they are grateful no one in the household was hurt, and the 71-year-old grandmother emphasized she continues to feel protected amid the aftermath of the attack.