'I just shot him out of the house:' Harnett woman scares off would-be burglar

Tarika McAllister woke up to her dog barking and a loud bang coming from the back of her house.

She saw a man, later identified as Malihk Giles, taking some of her things and trying to steal her dog.

She hollered at Giles to leave, and when he did not, she shot him.

McAllister said she had never used the gun she stores, but luckily it was in her reach.

“All I did was turn around and grab the gun," McAllister said. "I was fumbling with it. It’s my first time using it.”

She gathered herself enough to take the safety off and get in control of the situation.

"I just lifted it up, and I started shooting at him, wherever he was moving to, I just shot him out of the house,” she said.

Giles was taken into custody and charged with first-degree burglary and possession of stolen property.

Giles and McAllister did not know each other.

Authorities said Giles had a gunshot wound to the right lower leg and a superficial gunshot wound to his right side. He was treated at the Central Harnett Hospital in Lillington and released hours later.

Giles was being held under a $75,000 secured bond at the Harnett County Detention Center in Lillington.

McAllister hopes other women can learn from her experience and establish a plan to protect themselves.

“I know a lot of women are scared of guns," McAllister said. "I feel those are the best protectors for us because we can’t fight a man. We can’t fight an intruder off.”

McAllister said three weeks ago she experienced a similar incident in the same house. In that instance, a man also tried to steal from her, but she was able to scare him away.

After Tuesday, she's grateful for her handling of the situation. Although she said it's hard to be by herself right now, McAllister feels better prepared if another invasion occurs.

“It’s making me stronger," she said. "I’m just still shook up. I did what I had to do, and I’m glad I did what I did.”