Hazel Green, AL (WAFF) -
A Madison County volunteer firefighter used a gun to protect his property from would-be thieves in Hazel Green early Thursday morning.
Bobby Chittam said two men tried to break into his truck at his home on Allred Road near Joe Quick Road, sometime before 2 a.m.
That's when Chittam, who suffers from kidney stones, stepped outside for some fresh air.
"I was hurting and I came out on the front porch and it was real quiet in this neighborhood at night but all you could hear are dogs barking," he said.
He then noticed two men who appeared to be breaking into his truck. Chittam said he grabbed a strobe light, hit one of the men with it, and told them not to move.
"The first thing I know, I took a blow real hard to the top of this hand. We don't know if was a steel bar, a club, a shotgun; we don't know what it was," he said.
Chittam, who was also at one time a police officer in Ardmore, said he was not afraid to use his gun to protect his property.
After another blow to his left eye, Chittam tumbled to the ground and fired a round at his attackers.
He said the men ran away and then jumped into a vehicle.
He called 911 and said deputies arrived within two minutes.
Chittam was taken to the hospital to treat his injuries. It's unclear whether the attackers were injured.
Madison County Sheriff's department is investigating.
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