CHICAGO, IL — A late-night encounter inside a South Deering home ended with a 62-year-old man shot dead after he entered the residence and charged at the homeowner, Chicago police said.

As reported by CBS News, officers responded to a call of a person shot near 103rd and Luella around 1:30 a.m. Monday. They found a man suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said a 33-year-old man inside the home told officers the other man entered the residence and charged toward him. The homeowner then fired a single shot, striking him in the chest.

Detectives told family members the homeowner had a valid permit for the firearm, and a police scanner broadcast from the morning of the shooting indicated he held a valid FOID card. It remains unclear how the man gained entry to the home.

Relatives of the deceased said he suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and had gone missing earlier that morning from his residence in Harvey. They believe he walked a long distance, became disoriented, and entered a random home. Family members said he had wandered before, but they had always been able to locate him.

The family is now seeking answers and raising funds for funeral expenses. They have expressed grief and frustration, saying they want justice for their loved one.

This case highlights one of the most difficult realities armed citizens can face. A homeowner awakened in the middle of the night by an unknown person charging at him inside his own home has only seconds to react. In that moment, there is no way to know the intruder’s identity, condition, or intent.

Illinois law protects lawful gun owners who use a firearm to defend themselves from a perceived threat inside their home. Based on the facts reported, the homeowner appears to have acted within his legal right to self-defense when confronted by someone charging at him inside his residence.

The Second Amendment exists precisely for situations like this one. The right of a law-abiding citizen to defend himself and his household from an unknown threat is a fundamental civil right, and it does not require the defender to first determine whether the person charging at him is dangerous by intent or by circumstance.

The tragedy here is real on both sides. A family lost a loved one who may not have been acting with criminal intent. A homeowner made a split-second decision he will likely carry for the rest of his life. Alzheimer’s and other cognitive conditions can cause a person to believe they are in their own home, and in some cases to act as though they are confronting an intruder themselves. That possibility cannot change the calculus for a homeowner who has no way of knowing what is happening in the moment.

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The investigation remains ongoing. No charges have been announced against the homeowner.