'It's unconscionable': Orange Co. sheriff concerned after random home invasions kill one man, hospitalize another
Many questions remain after a pair of home invasions in Mebane and Hoke County killed one man and hospitalized another over the weekend.
Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said a man died fighting off his intruders in Mebane on Sunday. One suspect is in custody, but two others are on the run.
“It’s unconscionable to think you cannot sleep in your own home and be protected from outside elements,” he told WRAL News.
One question answered is deputies believe the victim did not know the intruders, which Blackwood says is uncommon.
“When a home invasion occurs, [most] of the time they know each other [or] they have been there before,” Blackwood said. “They know there is something they want, and they have a good idea where it is at.”
The home invasion was one of two between Friday, Mar. 1, and Saturday, Mar. 2. In the second home invasion, a man was hospitalized when four masked men broke into his home in Hoke County and hit him in the back of the head with a gun.
The man's Ring camera recorded the invasion.
Authorities in Hoke County believe the suspects targeted the wrong house.
Sheriff Blackwood said people can take a few steps to decrease the chances of being targeted, including having plenty of lights around the home and adding cameras and a motion alarm to wake them up if someone tries to get into their home.
“If those motion sensors can have an alarm to let you know that my light went off or curse it [because] it’s aggravating, I [would] rather you be awakened by that than someone standing over you.”
Both investigations are ongoing.
