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Woman kills would-be attacker in self-defense at Dale City home

A woman walking out of her Dale City home pulled out a gun and shot and killed an armed attacker.

It’s the second case in less than a month of an armed resident in Prince William County defending their Dale City home.

Police were called at 12:25 a.m. to a home in the 4100 block of Hoffman Drive in Dale City to investigate a shooting.

The victim, identified as a 44-year-old woman, told police that she walked out of her home when she saw an unknown, masked man armed with a handgun approached. The victim, who was also armed, shot the man as he approached her home.

Officers found the man near the doorway suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers also found a loaded handgun on the man, said Prince William police spokesman 1st Sgt. Jonathan Perok. Officers performed CPR on the man until rescue crews arrived.

The man was taken to an area hospital where he later died. The victim was not injured.

Detectives are investigating the incident to determine why the man was at home. They want to speak to anyone who may have been present around the time of the incident.

After consultation with the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, the shooting was ruled to be justified based on self-defense, and therefore no charges will be placed against the victim, said Perok. At this time, this incident does not appear to be random.

The deceased was identified as Azhar Laurent SMART, 20, of Triangle.

On July 7, a man who lives on Glendale Road in Dale City, about three miles from today’s shooting, heard a commotion outside his window. He grabbed a gun and shot a would-be intruder.

The shooting victim suffered injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening.

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