Police in Rockdale County, Georgia are still trying to determine why a woman was targeted by a pair of home invaders on Tuesday night, but what they do know is that she was able to defend herself from the men, though she was wounded in the process. From the Rockdale Citizen:

Sheriff Eric Levett was at the scene on Tuesday night on Lost Valley Drive in Conyers. He said deputies received a call sometime after 6 p.m. about a person shot. When they arrived they found the injured woman.

“She indicated that two black males entered her residence by way of kicking in her front door,” Levett said. “She somehow made it to her bedroom to take cover and locked herself inside the bedroom.”

However, the suspects ran up the stairs and kicked in that door as well.

“Shots were fired,” Levett said. “We don’t know if she shot first or if the suspect or suspects shot first.”

The woman was shot twice, the sheriff said. They believe she struck one of the men. Authorities said the suspects left the scene after the exchange of gunfire.

The woman’s injuries were severe enough that she was airlifted to a local hospital. Authorities say about 90 minutes after the home invasion was reported, authorities in DeKalb County found a man with gunshot wounds lying on a street. Police aren’t yet sure if he has any connection to the home invasion in Rockdale, but they’re continuing to investigate.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution spoke with one of the woman’s neighbors, who says the area has seen several high-profile crimes in recent months.

Sean Carpenter, who lives in the neighborhood, said the woman’s home is one of the most visible on the street.

He rattled off a spate of recent high-profile shootings. In September, three masked teenage boys were killed by a homeowner during an attempted robbery on White Oak Court, according to authorities. Last week, a shooting at the Dart Container facility in Conyers killed one employee and landed another behind bars.

“I want to see effort,” he told the news station. “I haven’t seen a patrol car in this neighborhood in months.”

Police say increased patrols are likely to take place, but law enforcement can’t protect individual citizens from every crime that occurs. That’s one reason why we have the right to protect ourselves, after all. It’s my fervent hope that this woman recovers from her injuries and police are able to quickly arrest those responsible.