Lake Mary homeowner, 72, fires 2 shots at burglars, police say

Burglars on the loose after being shot at mid-act

LAKE MARY, Fla. – A 72-year-old Lake Mary homeowner fired shots at burglars who were attempting to break into his home while he was sleeping, according to police.

The incident occurred  Wednesday morning at a home on Webster Street, just west of US 17-92.

Lake Mary police say the man heard his alarm go off when the burglars smashed the sliding glass door while he was watching TV in his bedroom. The man grabbed his gun and ran to the door, firing two shots at the burglars, police say.

"I fired what's called a double tap/ boom boom/ one straight at the perpetrator and as they started to move, run, they moved to the left, I shot to the left," said homeowner John Davies. "I presume I missed them, but they just kept running."

The burglars ran out and have not yet been found. Lake Mary police said they have found a person of interest in the home invasion at a Brevard County hospital with a gunshot wound in his lower torso.

The person of interest said he was shot while walking down the street in Daytona Beach. The hospital called Brevard authorities, as standard procedure when a shooting victim is treated, and BCSO contacted the Lake Mary police after hearing of the home invasion.

The 20-year-old person of interest from Sanford has not been identified or charged yet.

Lake Mary police say this is a growing problem throughout county as burglaries are up in county.

Police also said this isn't the first time the residence was burglarized.

"I had a semi-automatic with about twenty shells in it, I only fired two," Davies said. " I would have let all twenty of them go if they tried to come through that door."

Watch Local 6 for more on this story.