Dad wakes up to sound of glass breaking in young son’s bedroom. So dad grabs gun, finds intruder in hallway, and opens fire.

A man told police he shot an intruder who broke into his Nashville apartment Tuesday morning, after which the intruder was taken to a hospital in critical condition, WTVF-TV reported.

What are the details?

Police said the man woke up to the sound of glass breaking in his young son’s bedroom and near the front door of their apartment, the station reported, after which the father got his gun and opened his bedroom door.

Image source: WTVF-TV video screenshot

The dad saw an unknown man standing in the hallway of the apartment, WTVF said, adding that he shot at the man nine times, hitting him once in the jaw and neck area and possibly three times in the chest. Several bullets that missed traveled into the apartment across the hallway, the station added.

Officers responded to the call about the incident in the 3000 block of Andrew Jackson Way around 7:50 a.m., WTVF said.

What happened to the break-in suspect?

The still-unidentified break-in suspect was taken to Vanderbilt Hospital in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, the station said, adding that he was unconscious, intubated, and in surgery. Police told WTVF it could take weeks for him to wake up, assuming he survives.

Act of self-defense

The father told police he has no connection to the suspect and fired at him in fear and self-defense, the station said, adding that investigators concur that the shooting was an act of self-defense. If that conclusion stands, the suspect would face burglary charges, WTVF added.

‘I would’ve done the same thing for my family’

Peter Olson lives in the building adjacent to where the break-in and shooting took place, the station said. While he’s worried about his children’s safety and said bullets could have entered his apartment in a similar scenario, WTVF said, Olson defended the dad for protecting his son and himself.

Peter OlsonImage source: WTVF-TV video screenshot

“I hope that he does not do an hour of jail time because he was defending his house,” Olson told the station in an on-camera interview. “Once someone breaks into your house, you have all means to defend your family. I would’ve done the same thing for my family.”