67-year-old Florida woman kills armed intruder who barged into her home in middle of night: Deputies

PUTNAM COUNTY - A 67-year-old Putnam County woman killed an intruder when he refused to leave her house after he barged in early Wednesday morning.

The woman told deputies she heard the front door handle shaking at about 3 a.m. and went to investigate. She told deputies she thought it might be her husband returning from work, so she opened the door and 64-year-old Reginald Best forced his way into her home. 

The woman was armed with a firearm and told Best to leave her home multiple times. She said Best raised up both arms, and she saw he had a gun in his hand. She said she shot him because she feared for her life. 

Before the shooting, deputies said they received several "erratic calls" from Best and another woman at 172 Silver Lake Drive. He told deputies he was "hiding from his neighbors." 

The woman who was with Best said he jumped out of the window with a gun and ran down the street. 

In a statement Putnam County Sheriff H.D. DeLoach said: 

"This call for service is a perfect example of why I continue to support and fight daily for the rights of law abiding residents to own firearms. All firearm owners have a responsibility not only to themselves but also to their families to maintain proficiency with a gun, as our victim here today clearly has. If it were not for her foresight to arm herself, the outcome could have been much graver. It’s unfortunate that Best was struggling with some apparently profound issues and posed a deadly threat to the victim and her family. She absolutely had the right to defend herself, and I’m grateful that her decisive action stopped the threat, and eliminated the risk of further loss of life, making her entire neighborhood safer."