Police are investigating after a group of suspects attempted to break into a Barrie home, firing a shot through the door of the residence where a young family was sleeping at the time.
Speaking to CTV News Barrie earlier this week, Aevic Geris said she and her husband, along with their three young children, were sleeping in their basement apartment on Rosedale Place at around 2:30 a.m. when she awoke to a loud bang.
When they realized a group of suspects were attempting to break into their home through the back door, she said they began to yell at them, urging them to leave.
Video surveillance footage from inside and outside the residence showed four masked suspects armed with a shotgun and a handgun attempting to gain entry to the home.
At one point, one suspect can be seen reaching through a broken window in the door, trying to unlock it from the inside. The suspect was unsuccessful as there were two deadbolts that prevented the door from opening.
A gunshot that was fired through the door became lodged in the drywall inside the residence, Geris told CTV. She added that she has no idea why someone would want to break into their home.
Barrie Police Sgt. Peter Leon said investigators are trying to “get to the bottom” of the attempted break in.
"We’re dealing with an incident where there was significant fire power brought to this residence for whatever reason,” Leon told CTV News Barrie.
Police noted that there was a separate incident that took place in the upstairs unit in November, but could not confirm if the two incidents are connected. The upstairs unit is believed to be vacant.
Barrie police are urging residents in the area to check any video surveillance footage they have for suspicious persons or activity.
Police said they believe the suspects arrived to the scene in a mid-sized SUV that may have been dark grey or silver in colour.
With files from CTV News Barrie’s Kim Phillips
