A Georgia man that suffered from Alzheimer’s was fatally shot this week around one in the morning, when he left his home and got confused wandering the streets. Ronald Westbrook left his home, where his wife and two dogs lived with him, and walked around for three hours. The 72 year old knocked on someone’s door in the middle of the night and the homeowner, fearing an invasion or something similar, shot the man. The shooter was 34 year old Joe Hendrix. He used a .40 caliber pistol, shooting the Alzheimer’s patient fatally. Although this was clearly an accident, it is still a huge tragedy to have had happen.
The investigation is being conducted right now, with the District Attorney in the area unclear as to whether or not the office will be pressing charges against Hendrix. Hendrix did not comment because of this investigation. The incident happened on November 27th. “He is not a gun-toting rights activist who’s saying, ‘Keep off my property,'” Hendrix’ attorney said. “He’s a man who thought he had to take action because of what he believed to be a real and imminent threat.”