DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A Lithonia woman has filed a complaint with DeKalb County police after she says they never responded to a home invasion while her son was home alone.
It happened as DeKalb County police were dealing with a shooting that hurt two officers on Friday.
Two gunmen at a DeKalb County apartment complex opened fire at two police officers and both suspects were shot.
Then there was a massive manhunt
Just 13 miles away, Yuri Smith, 15, was dealing with his own emergency.
His mother, Marcia Smith, told Channel 2's Diana Davis that Yuri was home alone sick when he heard noises downstairs.
Smith said someone that he doesn't know kicked in the back door of the home and was somewhere in the house.
"I was afraid they were still in the house. They could have been armed or not armed, I did not know," Yuri told Davis.
He said he called his mother first, then 911.
Yuri said the dispatcher told him an officer was on the way. No one showed. Yuri said he called again.
"They told me they were busy doing another incident," Yuri said.
By the time his mother arrived from her job in downtown Atlanta, 30 minutes away, still no police, Yuri said.
"Full blown panic. I was just shaking and nervous because, like I said, I didn't know if they had a gun," Marcia said.
Still not knowing if bad guys were in the house, Marcia checked her downstairs bedroom.
"(I was) scared to death because they could have been in my closet, in the bathroom, hidden in the tub or the closet," Marcia told Davis.
The door frame was smashed and a footprint was left where it was kicked in.
Smith has filed a complaint with DeKalb County Police Internal Affairs for the failure to respond.
"Someone's life was in danger, and DeKalb County law enforcement, they failed big time," Smith said.
Late Tuesday, DeKalb County police Chief Jim Conroy told Davis he agrees.
"I've ordered an internal investigation from the time this call was received to find out exactly where the breakdown occurred, so we can ensure it does not occur again," Conroy said.