76-year-old man finds wife battling attacker and he starts shooting, Florida cops say

A burglary suspect was sent running for his life when a 76-year-old Florida homeowner heard his wife’s screams and began shooting, according to investigators.

The intruder was wounded but survived to be arrested in the street by deputies, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office reported in a news release.

The homeowner was not hurt, but his wife suffered non-life threatening injuries in the attack, officials said.

It happened around 3 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 27, in North Redington Beach, a coastal community just west of St. Petersburg, the sheriff’s office says.

Deputies were summoned to the residential neighborhood by reports of a man standing in the road and “yelling.”

“While deputies were responding to the initial call, a second 911 call was received at 3:23 a.m. at 208 Bath Club Boulevard North, reporting a residential burglary,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Upon arrival, deputies located (a man) in the roadway on Bath Club Boulevard with a single gunshot wound.”

The wounded 51-year-old man also proved to be their burglary suspect, officials said.

He is accused of gaining entry in a home by smashing out a front window with a rock, detectives say.

“Once inside the residence, (he) encountered (a 74-year-old woman) and began to struggle with her physically,” the sheriff’s office said.

“(Her husband) heard her scream his name in distress and saw her struggling with (a man). Fearing for his and his wife’s safety, (he) retrieved his firearm and shot (the man) once in the right shoulder.”

The suspect fled the home, then tried to break into another residence on the street, officials said.

“After the failed second burglary attempt, (he) fled down the street, where he was stopped by responding deputies,” officials said.

The suspect was taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

He is charged with burglary with battery and attempted residential burglary, the sheriff’s office said.

This story was originally published December 28, 2023 at 6:11 AM with the headline "76-year-old man finds wife battling attacker and he starts shooting, Florida cops say."