Hard lesson.

In early May, after multiple attempted burglaries of his mobile home in Cross, South Carolina, Jerron Richburg was understandably concerned for the safety of his wife, their child and himself. On May 2, for instance, someone sought to gain entry to the residence, leaving pry marks on the deadbolted front and back doors.

Since the culprit(s) seemed to strike only when the family cars were gone, Richburg decided to set a trap. On the morning of May 12, he left for work as usual, but had his wife take him back home, after which his wife and child left the area. With no vehicles in the yard, it appeared that nobody was home.

At around noon, Richburg heard a noise. A 16-year-old youth had used a file and a screwdriver to pry open a door and enter the residence. Armed with a shotgun, Richburg went to investigate.

When Richburg saw the intruder coming toward him in a hallway, he fired a blast that struck the youth in the left leg. After calling 911 to report the incident and request emergency assistance for the injured teen, Richburg waited in the front yard for the ambulance to arrive while a neighbor, a law enforcement officer, went inside and applied pressure to the youth's wound to reduce the bleeding.

The teen, whose name was not released by authorities due to his age, underwent surgery later in the day. His leg had to be amputated. In early August, he was indicted on a charge of second-degree burglary, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Investigators suspected that he was also responsible for the earlier break-in attempts at the Richburg home.

On August 21, Berkeley County Deputy Solicitor Blair Jennings announced that Richburg would not face any charges in the incident, since he had acted in self-defense.