An 84-year-old Pennsylvania man fatally shot a home intruder and successfully fought off another early Friday, police said.
Don Lutz was jolted awake around 1:15am by the sound of people coming into his Ellwood City home.
He emerged from his bedroom armed with a handgun that he said he keeps under his pillow.
One of the intruders grabbed Lutz, police said, so he fired a shot from point blank range into the man’s chest then started to tussle with both men on the floor of his kitchen.
Don Lutz, 84, fatally shot a home intruder and successfully fought off another early Friday
‘I just fired one. It was in the dark. He attacked me and he was up close and I shot him,’ Lutz told WPXI . ‘They jumped me and we both went on the floor.’
As the man Lutz shot rolled off him and died, the other ran out the front door.
‘The other one, maybe the bullet hit him, too. I don’t know. I hope so,’ Lutz told WPXI.
Lutz, served in the military during the Korean War for 16 months on the front line, didn’t suffer any injuries
One of the intruders grabbed Lutz, police said, so he fired a shot from point blank range into the man’s chest then started to tussle with both men on the floor of his kitchen
An Ellwood City police lieutenant said the department hasn’t yet identified either suspect.
Lutz, served in the military during the Korean War for 16 months on the front line, didn’t suffer any injuries. He owns several weapons and sleeps with a loaded pistol.
“What’s the point of having a gun if it’s not loaded?” he said to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
‘At this time, it appears to be justified. We will take the evidence and go review it with the District Attorney’s Office and determine, let him make the final determination,’ said Ellwood City Police Lt. David Kingston to CBS Pittsburgh.
Lutz said the dead intruder appeared to be 35 to 45 years old, was white, and weighed close to 300 pounds.
Ellwood City is about 40 miles northwest of Pittsburgh.