Elderly Hamilton man shoots robbery suspect

An 88-year-old man had just finished washing his car in the front yard of his Lindenwald residence Tuesday night when a man and a woman cornered him, demanded money and forced him into the house.

But the senior citizen was able to get his hands on a gun in the drawer of a coffee table and shoot the male robber in the leg.

“They hit me on the face and in the chest. I thought they were going to beat my brains out,” the man said.

He said the male robber taunted him: “You don’t have a gun, do you?”

His gun had been stolen about a month ago, but he had purchased a replacement - a .38 special.

While the woman was in the kitchen, the man reached for his gun and shot the man as he stood by the door with his wallet.

“I guess he was counting my money,” he said. “I aimed for his leg and I got him.”

The woman yelled that she was afraid he was going to shoot her too.

“It told her, ‘You get your ass out of here and I won’t shoot you,’ ” the homeowner said.

The suspect took the man’s cell phone, home phone and wallet. He said they unhooked the television, but he got the shot in before they were able to take it.

The cell phone was later found by police several streets away.

On Wednesday, the man sat in his home with this dog. His face was red and swollen, but he is recovering. Blood droplets were visible on his porch.

Hamilton detectives said the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the incident on Pleasant Avenue about 7:30 p.m. is asked to call 513-868-5811 ext. 2002.

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