Wednesday, August 27, 2014

FL:Legaly Blind, Homeowner Shoots Intruder who Cut Power



Melchisedec Williams is 50 years old and legally blind.  He has no sight in his right eye, and only minor vision in his left, because of Glaucoma.  He took in his 15 year old nephew to try to help straighten the boy out after he got into trouble at his mother's house.   The nephew disappeared a week ago.  He was arrested last Sunday on a separate charge, the family reportsFrom theglobaldispatch.com:
Melchisedec Williams was woken up on Sunday night when he heard a crash and stomping. The 50-year-old man grabbed his gun, Tampa police said. The intruder, armed with only a knife, had cut the power to the man’s house and broken in through a bedroom window, police added..
After the lights went out and he heard the window crash, Melchisedec accessed his .38 revolver.  He tried to determine if the intruder was his nephew, but could only see a shadowy figure with a flashlight approaching him.   When he did not receive a response, he fired, hitting the intruder in the leg.   The intruder then responded, and the homeowner stopped shooting.  The intruder was his nephew, who, though hospitalized in critical condition, has survived.

People who have limited vision often compensate with more acute senses such as hearing.   They should not be denied second amendment rights because of their disability. 

Williams knows that he did what he had to do.
 “I have no remorse for what I did,” he said. “It’s sad what happened, but I’m glad it happened. That way it took him off the streets and people can sleep calmer at night.”
No charges have been filed against anyone in the case thus far.

  ©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch

3 comments:

Wireless.Phil said...

Something is missing here.
How does one cut power to a home with only a knife?
Unscrew the steel band around the meter, then pull the meter out? I don't think a 15 year old would be that smart.
He certainly didn't cut the 220 volt AC line at the highest point before it entered the house.

So how did the kid cut the power before entering the house?

Dean Weingarten said...

There are many ways it could be done. For example, the house appears to be older. Many older homes have a fuse box mounted on the outside with a simple switch that cuts power to the house.

We also do not know what tools he left outside the house.

As is common, the story lacks many details.

bobw20003 said...

To answer the question about the power. It may have been a misstatement saying "cut" off, implying something was physically cut. In Florida it's not uncommon to have the main breaker for the home next to the power meter in it's own enclosure, or for the entire panel to be on the the same outside wall with the meter. It is easy for anyone under that circumstance to easily open the front cover of the breaker panel and simply turn the main breaker off.