Home Invasion Victim "Blessed" To Be Alive

Friday night was a busy night for Chattanooga Police, and all in the same neighborhood.  Between 9pm and 11pm, they responded to two separate shootings along portions of Glass Street.  The second shooting that night was a home invasion turned shooting happened at the intersection of Campbell and Glass Streets.

Police say the man who lives there was walking into his front door when three black men rushed in behind him.  He tried to close them out, but police say the men forced their way in and chased him through the house with shotguns.

Officers tell us when the homeowner announced he too was armed, one of the men shot him.   Crews rushed him to Erlanger with injuries to his hand, abdomen and groin.

We caught up with the homeowner, Leon Holmes as he was coming home from the hospital, where he told us, "I'm a blessed man to be alive, me and my wife both."

We learned from officers just how lucky Holmes was.  Chattanooga Police Department spokesperson Rebecca Royval says the gun used to shoot Holmes wasn't filled with real bullets, but bird shot.  She says had there been regular bullets inside, his injuries would have been much worse. 

Police are still looking for suspects.