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A man suffered a fatal heart attack after reportedly confronting thieves who 'open fired' at him.
Javon Brown, from the King's Forest neighborhood in Atlanta, had woken up as usual for work at 4:30am on Friday (January 17) when he and his wife, Tasha, heard 'noises' and 'scraping' coming from outside as well as an alarm blaring from their pickup truck, reports Fox 5 Atalanta.
Tasha said she could see from her window that it appeared two young people were on their driveway on King George Lane and were 'breaking into his truck' in an apparent attempt to steal it.
The father-of-three then sprung into action, grabbing his gun to try and scare them off.
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His widow recounted how the 48-year-old stood 'yelling down the driveway' at the trespassers to leave his property and his truck.
Then, she claimed she heard gunshots as the suspects started firing shots.
"I have three small children at home," Tasha continued. "So I was trying to hustle them to safety."
While taking cover, she said the whole time she was worried if Javon had been hit by a bullet.
Neighbors corroborate the story, telling Fox 5 that they woke to a thundering of bullets in the early hours.
A neighbor said: "I was asleep, probably around 4:30 or so, and I heard gunshots - maybe eight or nine. It was coming from two different directions.
"I just thought it was too close and laid back down."
While police said Javon didn't suffer any gunshot wounds, he tragically died after the altercation as his wife helplessly tried to save his life.
Tasha said the alleged burglars ran away but as Javon came back into their home, he only managed to say a few words before he collapsed to the ground.
She said: "He was able to speak. He was not hit. But then he went into cardiac arrest over the shock.
"He dropped down. I did CPR. I called 911 until I couldn't feel my arms and hands, but it wasn't enough."
By the time medics and police arrived at the scene, Javon was found deceased inside the doorway of his home, authorities said.
The Atlanta Police Department say officers are collaborating with the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office to investigate further.
And while the suspects remain at large, Tasha is left to pick up the pieces from the sudden tragedy.
"You work so hard. You do the right thing," the heartbroken widow said to reporters.
"You take care of your home and take care of your family and someone feels entitled to come and try to take it from you."
UNILAD has contacted the Atlanta Police Department for further comment.