Cops: Homeowner Shot, Killed 3 Masked Teens

A man who killed three teenagers outside his suburban Atlanta home early Monday has not been charged, police say. Deputy Lee Thomas at the Rockdale County Sheriff's Office says investigators have determined that the teens—two 16-year-old boys and a 15-year-old boy—were fatally shot during an exchange of fire with the homeowner around 4am, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Thomas says the teens arrived with their faces covered and allegedly tried to rob people who were in the front yard of the Conyers home. "They did discover masks on the young men," Sheriff Eric Levett told reporters Monday. "That rose our suspicions." He said one teen was found dead in the driveway, and another "was a little bit down the street, where it appears he was running."

One teen died at the scene and the other two died in the hospital, authorities say. Two of the teens were reportedly brothers. One of the teens had a gun and fired at people outside the home, police say. "It was five shots and then it sounded like a handgun," neighbor Carlos Watson tells WSB-TV. "Then I heard somebody have an assault rifle. And it was a slew of shots that came out." Levett said the homeowner, who called 911 after the shooting, was taken to the police station for questioning but no charges have been filed, ABC reports. The sheriff said that based on the information they have, it could be a "stand your ground type case." Neighbors say the homeowner, a truck driver, is extremely protective of his mother. (Police said this shooting in Florida last year was a "classic stand your ground case.")