By Shavonne Walker

shavonne.walker@salisburypost.com

Kenneth Neely believes he was a target of a Wednesday morning home invasion at his Lincolnton Road apartment because of the perception that he has money.

Neely, 50, was shot in the stomach after he tried to fight back against one of the intruders.

Neely was in his bedroom in the 400 block of Lincolnton Road around 1:30 a.m., when three men with their faces covered kicked in the door.

Neely, who was treated and released at Novant Health Rowan Medical Center, said one of the intruders pointed a gun in his face and asked where Neely’s money was located. He told the man where to get the money, and the gunman told another masked man to watch Neely.

The gunman said he was going to shoot Neely after they got what they came for, Neely told a Post reporter.

Neely said he thought to himself that, if he were going to be shot after he told them where to get his wallet, he wasn’t going to give up without a fight. He struggled with one of the masked men, and one of the other men shot him.

All three men left after Neely was shot, taking his cell phone with them. Neely managed to call 911 on his house phone and waited for help. He said nothing else was taken, including a television that sat in his living room.

Neely said because he drives a Cadillac, the belief is that he has money. He said what he drives and wears has no bearing on his financial status.

“I’m struggling like everybody else,” Neely said.

“People do what they have to survive. I was a victim of their survival,” he said.

Police investigators looked through the home and found a shell casing in the bedroom, along with a hole in the wall they said appeared to be left by the bullet. Neely had little description of the men, who he said were black and had their faces covered.

He said one of them had a shirt tied around his face, one had a hooded sweatshirt on and the other had a handkerchief tied around his face.

Neely, an Army veteran, said it makes him angry to know his home was invaded, but he refuses to be a victim again.

He moved into the apartment three months ago and said he has no plans to leave.

His mother, Margaret Spotwood, who dropped by Wednesday evening along with other friends and family, said she’s thankful to God for sparing her son’s life.

An ambulance took Neely to the hospital, where doctors told him the bullet did not hit any vital organs. He was able to return home.

Investigators ask anyone with information about this incident to contact Salisbury Police at 704-638-5333 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-639-5245.