79-Year-Old Florida Woman Shoots at Burglar

Welaka, FL – A burglar learned the dangers of his chosen trade when he was fired upon by a 79-year-old resident.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office posted a statement to their Facebook page saying that an unidentified individual unlawfully entered a home and surprised the elderly owner, who then armed herself with a handgun and chased him away.

In an interview, the homeowner Shirley Adams said, “I woke up and I saw a yellow shirt on a person, and I thought it was my niece, and I raised up and I said, ‘What are you doing in here?'”

When she realized it was an unwelcome intruder, she quickly ran him off:

That’s what I did, I got my gun and I chased him through the house… he went out the back door and as he jumped the steps, I shot at him.

Police say Adams told them she didn’t aim her firearm, but rather “fired in the general direction of the fleeing individual” and “did not believe the subject had been struck.”

The bad guy made tracks and got out of there in a hurry. Responding police used K9 units to track him, but the trail only led them to a fresh set of tire tracks a few blocks away.

Adams said she’s planning to install an alarm system to help prevent a recurrence of the crime, but isn’t planning to get rid of her gun, saying, “…if they come back, I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.”

Police ask that anyone with information related to this incident call Northeast Crime Stoppers at (888) 277-TIPS (8477).

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.