Woman exiting home after midnight sees masked man with gun approaching her. But she has a gun, too — and shoots masked man dead.

A 44-year-old woman in Woodbridge, Virginia — about 23 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. — was leaving her home in the 4100 block of Hoffman Drive just after midnight Thursday when she saw a masked individual armed with a handgun approaching her, Prince William County police reported.

What happened next?

Police said the masked individual was coming toward her from the side of her home, and the Washington Post said the person was a "stranger" to the woman.

However, she also had taken steps to protect herself by exercising her Second Amendment rights and also was armed. And the homeowner didn't hesitate to use her gun, either. Police said she shot the individual who was heading toward her.

When police arrived at the woman's home, they said they found a man near the front door suffering from gunshot wounds — and a loaded handgun in his possession.

Police said they performed CPR on the man until rescue personnel arrived. The man was taken to a hospital where he later died as a result of his injuries, police said. He was later identified as 20-year-old Azhar Laurent Smart of Triangle, which is about 12 miles southwest of Woodbridge.

The woman was not injured, police noted.

Now what?

After consultation with the Commonwealth Attorney's Office, the shooting was ruled justified based on self-defense, police said, adding that in light of the ruling no charges will be placed against the woman.

Police said homicide detectives are actively investigating the incident to determine why the man was at the residence and looking to speak to anyone who may have been present around the time of the incident.

Police added that the incident does not appear to be random. They added that more information will be released when it's available.