TCSO.JPG

An alleged intruder is in critical condition at DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa after a 36-year-old man shot him in the stomach. The shooter told investigators the man he shot forced his way into a home on 48th Street East Monday night and the shooting was a case of self-defense. (Stephen Dethrage | al.com)

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- In the middle of the most serious tornado warning issued in the Tuscaloosa area Monday night, investigators with the county's Metro Homicide Unit were called to the site of a shooting in the southern part of the city.



Sgt. Dale Phillips, the unit's commander, said the investigators found a 24-year-old man seriously injured by a gunshot wound to his stomach at a residence in the 2200 block of 48th Street East. The man was rushed to the emergency room at DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, and the homicide unit stayed behind to question the 36-year-old man who shot him.



Phillips said the shooter told investigators that the younger man had forced his way into the residence and shooting him was an act of self-defense. Phillips said at this time, that narrative appears to be true and the 36-year-old man was not charged for the shooting.



A grand jury in Tuscaloosa will examine the case more fully and ultimately decide whether or not the shooting merits any kind of criminal charges.



Phillips said in a media release early Tuesday morning that the alleged intruder was in critical condition at the hospital.



Phillips said the homicide unit was called to the scene at approximately 10:30 p.m., when radar indicated one of the most serious tornadoes the state saw Monday was moving through the southern parts of Tuscaloosa County.



UPDATE: Sgt. Phillips has confirmed that the alleged invader died at DCH Regional Medical Center sometime Tuesday morning.