A neighborhood in Interlachen, Florida, is safer after a 67-year-old woman opened fire on an alleged armed intruder at about 3 a.m. Wednesday morning.

That’s the word from Putnam County Sheriff H.D. “Gator” DeLoach after the woman shot and killed the suspect.

Police report the woman was awakened by the sound of a door handle in her home shaking. Her first thought was that it was her husband coming home from work because he works late and odd hours, but that changed when she went to open the door for him.

Instead of her husband, authorities say she found 64-year-old Reginald Best allegedly “forcing his way in with a gun.” The homeowner immediately told Best to leave, but he refused, telling her repeatedly that “they’re after me.”

Local media reported that the alleged intruder then raised his gun at the woman, and she responded by shooting him. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. 

According to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, this was not their first interaction with Best that evening.

Before the fatal shooting, deputies said they received several disturbing calls from Best and a female at a nearby residence. Best reportedly told them during one of the calls that he was hiding from his neighbors. He also allegedly said that there were people in orange clothing outside of his home.

Police responded to the calls on multiple occasions and secured the scene but could not locate Best. Officials also report not finding anything in the area out of the ordinary.

The female who was with him at the time told police in another call that Best armed himself and jumped out of a window. He then ran down the street. She also related that she believed Best could have “been on something” because she did not see or hear anything strange.

Sheriff DeLoach did not hesitate to praise the woman who defended herself from the alleged armed intruder. “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.”

The woman was home with her 90-year-old mother at the time, and her mother suffers from Alzheimer’s. DeLoach added that “had she not had the firearm, we might be investigating a double homicide.”

The sheriff told reporters that the woman who defended her home will not face charges. Toxicology results are expected to reveal if Best was under the influence and that contributed to his highly erratic behavior.

In the early morning hours of Wednesday, an elderly woman faced an armed man who allegedly forced his way into her residence. Reasonably believing her life and that of her medically incapacitated mother were in danger, she used a firearm to defend her home.

Even though neighbors report the suspect’s behavior was out of character, that does not excuse his alleged actions. Breaking into an occupied residence is unquestionably an act of violence, and a forceful response is nearly always justified.

It may be weeks before the exact cause of the suspect’s behavior is known for certain. However, this night may have had a far more tragic ending were it not for the presence of a firearm and a person with the courage to defend both herself and her mother.

The homeowner is deserving of the gratitude of both the sheriff and her neighbors for facing the threatening situation head-on. There is no way to know how many other frightening confrontations would have followed, or even how many other lives may have been saved.