Grays Hill man said he defended himself with a hatchet during a home invasion

A Grays Hill man armed with a hatchet charged at a pair of strangers who kicked in his front door Tuesday night, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office report.

The resident said the two men knocked on the back door of his Bruce K. Smalls Drive home and asked for cigarettes around 11:30 p.m., according to the report. Without opening the door, the resident said he didn’t have any to give them, so they asked for food instead. After he said no a second time, he dialed 911.

The men allegedly made their way around to the front door and kicked it in, according to the report. One of the suspects allegedly was armed with a semi-automatic pistol. The resident charged at the pair of men with his hatchet, and they ran from the home toward Bruce K. Smalls Drive. Later he told deputies he thought they ran toward the Grays Hill Community Center.

The suspect who kicked in the door is described in the report as a light-skinned African-American male wearing a white T-shirt. The other suspect is described in the report as a darker skinned African-American male with a flat-top hair style and a green shirt; he had what appeared to be a navy blue item of clothing covering his face during part of the ordeal.

A navy blue pair of gym shorts was found outside the home, and deputies found the door had been forced open from the outside, according to the report.

This story was originally published August 30, 2017 at 6:16 PM with the headline "Grays Hill man said he defended himself with a hatchet during a home invasion."