Elderly Wyoming Homeowner Shoots Irrational Intruder

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

An elderly homeowner shot an “irrational” intruder last week in Wyoming when the suspect forced entry into the home and began a fight. 

The homeowner, 85-year-old Wayne Williams, heard someone at his front door late Friday night. Williams told Cowboy State Daily the stranger was pounding and yelling. 

Williams armed himself with his .380 defense pistol. He now regrets opening the door. 

Irrational Intruder

“The guy was obviously irrational,” Williams said. The irrational intruder began to rant about people who had sent him there and told him this was this house, “Crazy, crazy stuff.”

The stranger forced entry into the home and attacked the homeowner. The intruder, who was about six inches taller than his victim, knocked Williams to the floor. 

Williams attempted to fire his handgun at the intruder. It clicked. Williams said afterward he had forgotten to chamber a round.

Irrational Intruder Has A Death Wish

According to Williams, the irrational intruder reacted strangely. He told Williams, “Go ahead and shoot me.”

“I don’t know if he was trying to commit suicide at my hand or what he was doing,” Williams said.

Williams apparently did not let his age stop him and pushed the irrational intruder outside. 

The irrational intruder grabbed the homeowner and pulled him down. They fell down the porch stairs.

The two wrestled until Williams could get his pistol ready. He fired once and heard, “I’ve been hit.”

Investigation

In a post on Facebook, the local police reported arriving at the home to find a 20-year-old male with one gunshot wound. He was near the home he had tried to break into.

A witness confirmed seeing the suspect attempt the break-in.

An ambulance arrived a few minutes later and transported the irrational intruder to a hospital. They reported him in stable condition.

Police brought Williams in for questioning. While he was there, Williams claimed the investigators had searched his home. They have not responded to this claim. 

The police are treating the case as an attempted break-in that led to a shooting. The homeowner is not facing charges for shooting the intruder.

The Need For Preparation

Williams was understandably shaken up after the ordeal. He told his interviewer at Cowboy State Daily that he still felt nervous. 

“I’m still concerned. I don’t know if I’ll ever see that guy again,” Williams said. “I don’t know if he’ll come back.”

READ MORE: Suspect Breaks Into Two Homes, Shot By Homeowner

When you open your front door, you don’t expect to face a situation where you might have to defend yourself. However, being armed and prepared, especially at night, is always a wise decision.

Williams armed himself after hearing the loud noises made by the suspect. But not every threat comes with a warning. It’s crucial to be prepared and not be caught off guard by an intruder without a way to defend yourself.

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  • Pop LeCorque August 21, 2024, 12:44 pm

    Lots of truth, lots of emotion, and lots of conjecture in these comments. God bless our law enforcement and let’s pray if we ever need one we get a good one because there are all kinds.

  • Beobear August 19, 2024, 12:41 pm

    Another example of how not keeping a round in the chamber can get you killed. This man is lucky to come out of this alive. I suspect he’ll keep one chambered from now on.

    Not having one in the chamber was his first mistake and opening the door was his second mistake. A crazy person outside your home is the responsibility of the police while you’re safely in your home.

  • Jom August 19, 2024, 10:45 am

    The police will use any reason to search your home and rifle through your stuff. Sure, it was a crime scene, but I bet they checked everywhere for anything.

    • Beobear August 19, 2024, 12:49 pm

      Not true, there are very strict rules as to what can be searched, when and why. While there are police who don’t care about your constitutional rights, they are a minority among the vast majority who do their job correctly. Unfortunately, in this world of social media, it’s only the bad cops who get highlighted on platforms like YooToob making it seem like those idiots are common, they aren’t.

      • Jom August 19, 2024, 6:56 pm

        No, I KNOW many will put their noses everywhere. Since it is a scene of a crime, they don’t need a warrant with specific things listed.
        They will take full advantage of the situation. Maybe not all, but also not just a few. These are the cops who want to search your entire car for a possible window tint violation.
        A guy got shot on the front porch? Better check the upstairs medicine cabinet. Better check the basement. Better take all the guns that are in the locked gun safe.
        It is amazing the number of liberties that are taken in the name of “officer safety”. Thank goodness we still have the Bill of Rights protecting us somewhat.

        • Beobear August 20, 2024, 10:41 am

          I see, you KNOW that you are right because of all the time you spent as a police officer? No, you just ASSUME that you’re right because you think you’re right not because you “know”. I AM a former police officer so I actually KNOW you’re wrong. There’s a big difference between “knowing” and “assuming”. Bad cops exist just like bad lawyers, bad doctors and bad airline pilots but they are always the exception and not the rule. You can assume all you want but it doesn’t make you right.

          • Jom August 20, 2024, 7:56 pm

            So you could very well be biased.
            Cops lie, they cover up.
            There is a reason auditors have so many stories to tell.

          • Jom August 20, 2024, 7:58 pm

            So you are biased.
            Cops why, they cover up for each other. There is a reason so many auditors have so many good stories to tell.

    • krinkov545 August 19, 2024, 3:10 pm

      Welcome to Delaware potato klown world.

  • HKGuitar August 19, 2024, 5:26 am

    While I prefer semi-auto pistols, its really hard to beat the simplicity of a .357 Snub-nose revolver, just saying.

  • LJ August 16, 2024, 1:50 pm

    Rule #1 – never open your door for ANY reason. Call the police. Rule #2 – always keep you self defense gun loaded and ready. Under duress you may not remember to rack a round into the chamber.

  • Wade August 16, 2024, 11:29 am

    And that’s why you keep one in the pipe. Both men were lucky. Perp for home owner not being ready, home owner with the outcome.

  • paul I'll call you what I want/1st Amendment August 16, 2024, 3:09 am

    don’t phuck with old people!!! I’ll bet it’s the worse sound in the world when the gun goes click.

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