Police in Jacksonville, Florida, said they responded to a home around 12:41 p.m. Tuesday after a report that a person was shot, First Coast News said.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said a man believed to be in his 70s living in the home on Arlex Drive, off Merrill Road, reportedly told police that a male armed with a gun broke through a window in the back of the home, the outlet reported.
‘Just glad to have another one, another one of these guys off the streets.’
The victim said he was ordered into a back bedroom and forced to hand over his car keys and other valuables, the outlet added, citing the sheriff’s office.
But the elderly victim fought back.
The sheriff’s office said the homeowner was able to grab a gun and managed to shoot the suspect once in the shoulder, the outlet reported.
The wounded suspect reportedly fled the home and drove off in the victim’s car, First Coast News said.
However, the sheriff’s office said police found the suspect inside the vehicle about 30 minutes later and took him into custody on Fort Caroline Road, near Jacksonville University — just a few miles from the scene of the home invasion, the outlet noted.
Brandon Meredith, who was driving along University Boulevard, told First Coast News he witnessed the suspect’s capture.
“Everyone had their tasers drawn,” Meredith told the outlet. “They’re moving up in a special kind of formation on the back of the car, heard a pop, they grabbed him and pulled him out, put him on the ground, and EMS was tending to him, and they had the intersection shut down for about two hours while this whole thing unfolded.”
The suspect, who has not yet been publicly identified, was taken to a hospital for the gunshot wound, the sheriff’s office told First Coast News, and was in police custody.
Meredith added to the outlet that he’s happy with the way things ended up: “Just glad to have another one, another one of these guys off the streets.”
First Coast News said those with information about the incident that could help in the investigation can contact the sheriff’s office at 904-630-0500. The outlet added that anonymous tips are also welcome through Crime Stoppers.
Commenters on WJAX’s Facebook post about the incident expressed a variety of opinions about the outcome. The following are but a few of them:
“‘In custody’ means the homeowner needs some range time,” one commenter asserted.”Dang, people still dare to break in other houses in open carry state,” another user opined.”He’s a hero,” another commenter declared.”The only problem I see is the homeowner needs some shooting lessons,” another user wrote, adding “shoot for center mass, and this potentially eliminates the issue.””In blue states and cities, this poor homeowner would have to face trial and have his life financially ruined (at best), or spend the rest of his life in prison,” another commenter observed.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Crime thwarted, Florida, Jacksonville sheriff’s office, 2nd amend., Home invasion, Armed intruder, Robbery, Gun rights, Shooting, Jacksonville, Car theft, Guns, Self-defense, Crime
