An armed intruder in Florida has died after breaking into a home this week and being shot by an elderly woman who was also armed.
In a Facebook post, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said Reginald Best, 64, of Interlachen, Florida, was killed after breaking into the home of a 67-year-old woman at gunpoint Wednesday morning. tomorrow.
The woman said she heard the door handle at her house shake around 3 a.m. and thought it was her husband coming home from work, so she got up and opened the door. At that point, authorities say Best barged in with a gun drawn.
“The female who was armed with a firearm told Best to leave the residence multiple times,” police said.
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Silver Lake Drive in Interlachen, Florida (Google Earth)
“The woman told officers that Best raised both arms and saw that he had a firearm in his hand. Fearing for his life, he shot Best once. After the shooting, he called 911.”
Police found Best on the floor bleeding from a single gunshot wound and took him to hospital, where he later died.
Police say they had received “several erratic calls” from Best and another woman at a nearby residence on Silver Lake Drive before the shooting.
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Putnam County Sheriff’s Cruise (Putnam County Sheriff’s Office website)
“During one of the calls, Best had told dispatchers that he was hiding from his neighbors and that there were people in orange standing outside his residence,” the publication said. “On the other woman’s call, she told dispatchers that Best had jumped out of a window at 172 Silver Lake Drive with a firearm and ran down the street.”
The publication added that officers were on their way to respond to those calls when the shooting occurred.
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“This call for service is a perfect example of why I continue to support and fight every day for the rights of law-abiding residents to own firearms,” Putnam County Sheriff HD ‘Gator’ DeLoach said in a statement. , adding that all firearms owners “have a responsibility not only to themselves, but also to their families to maintain proficiency with a gun, as our victim here today has clearly done.”
“Had it not been for his foresight to arm himself, the outcome could have been much more serious. It is unfortunate that Best was struggling with some seemingly deep issues and posed a deadly threat to the victim and his family.”
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Putnam County Sheriff’s Office Entrance (Google Earth)
DeLoach said the woman was not alone in the residence, which was also inhabited by her 90-year-old mother, who has Alzheimer’s.
DeLoach said the woman had “absolutely” the “right to defend herself” and that her “decisive action stopped the threat” and made the neighborhood safer by eliminating the risk of further loss of life.
