One injured in home invasion

LIMA - A man was hit in the head with a gun during a home invasion early Wednesday in Lima.

In the latest round of violence, a man forced his way into the home at 951 Rice Ave. shortly before 4 a.m. Wednesday, said Lt. Jim Baker, of the Lima Police Department. Once inside the person demanded money, threatened the resident with a gun and struck him at least once in the head with the gun.

"No, he didn't recognize him at all," Baker said. "Detectives are actually checking there in the neighborhood to see if people saw anything at all."

The victim, Joseph Allen, 24, was taken to St. Rita's Medical Center, where he was listed in fair condition Wednesday, a nursing supervisor said.

The home invasion was not believed to be related to a series of thefts Tuesday evening where a person grabbed a small amount of money from businesses, including Dairy Market, McDonald's and Family Dollar,

"We're 99 percent sure they are unrelated," Baker said.

Detectives were also relatively confident Wednesday morning's robbery was unrelated to other recent acts of violence in the city.

There were no other reports early Wednesday of other home invasions, Baker said.

"It appears that particular residence was targeted for some reason," Baker said. "At this point there's nothing that ties it to any other incident. But, obviously, it's early in the investigation."