81-year-old Detroit man shoots at intruder, scares him off

Detroit man says he fired 3 shots at intruder without saying anything; man stumbled out of house

DETROIT – An 81-year-old Detroit homeowner was upstairs when a brick shattered his sliding glass door.

"I heard a loud 'pow' sound," said Dave, who did not want his full name used in this story.

The sound jolted Dave from his sleep at 7 a.m. He could see from his bedroom that the door had been broken. He reached for his .22-caliber handgun.

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"I have had this (gun) since 1955 and never been fired. Never been fired," Dave said.

He stood about 8 feet from his bedroom door, ready with the gun in case the intruder tried to come through.

"I waited a minute, or more ... door opened and there was the intruder," he said. "I didn't say anything to him and I discharged the weapon."

Dave says the man had a shocked look on his face but said nothing. He stumbled down the stairs as Dave fired another shot. Then he pulled the trigger a third time.

"I could see him through the sunroom doors," Dave said.

The man ran out of the house. He left no blood trail. However, with only one bullet mark visible in the house, Dave thinks he hit him.

He says homeowners need to be prepared.

"The question is, what do you do if this happens? Make sure you're not harmed," he said.


Dave holds his .22-caliber handgun