72-Year-Old Man Kills Intruder

A 72-year-old Lakeland Village, ambulance Calif., man shot and killed an intruder, 51-year-old William Ragsdell, climbing through a window into his residence on October 5.

The homeowner, identified as Jerry Duncan, told a reporter during a phone interview, “He had a flashlight and I told him to get out.” When Ragsdell didn’t leave, Duncan fired his pistol once.

“I tried to scare him more than shoot him,” said Duncan. “He hollered. I thought he ran off. He was just gone out of the window. He made it about 15 feet. The police found him.”

Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies responded to Duncan’s residence in response to a 911 call at about 5 a.m. The call indicated that the resident shot someone breaking into his home. Deputies found Ragsdell with a single gunshot wound; he was declared dead at 6:15 a.m. at Inland Valley Regional Medical Center in Wildomar, Calif.

Duncan was interviewed at the police station, then released following the incident. Duncan said he was awakened by a loud noise and realized the power to his residence was out; it was later determined that the electrical lines had been cut by Ragsdell.-[source]