Police said a 10-year-old boy stopped his mother’s attacker by shooting the man in the face with a BB gun at a home in Bellingham.

 Police said officers were called to a home in the Roosevelt neighborhood shortly after 7 a.m. Tuesday where the victim, a 46-year-old woman, said she was attacked by a man who rents a room from her.

The woman said the man, identified as 45-year-old Paul Newman, came home drunk and became angry because his room was messed up.  Newman kicked in the victim’s door and began choking her, police said.

According to Bellingham police, the commotion woke the woman’s 10-year-old son, who entered the room to see Newman attacking his mother. When Newman ignored the boy’s cries to stop hurting his mother, the boy struck Newman with a board, the victim told police.

Police said that after being hit by the board, Newman ran after the victim’s son, who Newman thought left the house. Once Newman was outside, the victim locked the door.

Police said Newman tried to get back into the home through an unlocked window, and as the victim tried to shut the window, Newman grabbed her arm. 

When the woman couldn’t break Newman’s grip, her son came into the room with a pump-action BB rifle, police said. 

Police said once Newman saw the rifle, he made threats to kill both the victim and her son.

 Upon hearing the threats, the boy shot Newman in the face as many as four times, investigators said. Newman stopped the attack, and the victim and her son ran to a neighbor’s home to call 911.

Police and medics arrived, and Newman was transported to Peach Health St. Joseph Hospital.

The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Newman was arrested for investigation of second-degree assault and two counts of harassment.