Stubob
07-07-2007, 10:09 AM
HICKORY, N.C. - When an unexpected knock rattled the front door, 79-year-old
Dwight Cook left his perch in front of the television to investigate. But no
one was there.
Minutes later, he heard the sliding glass doors break, and Cook sent his
wife to the neighbors' house and grabbed his gun. The would-be robber who
entered Cook's home late Tuesday night wasn't expecting to run into anyone -
let alone a former Army sharpshooter.
Cook used his .22-caliber weapon to fire a warning shot into the ceiling,
but the bullet ricocheted and part of it hit the intruder in the forehead,
said Lt. Hank Guess with the Hickory Police Department.
"I wasn't aiming for him. I've handled guns since I was 12," Cook said. "If
I wanted to hit him, I would have. If he'd moved, the next shot would have
stopped him."
Cook held the man at gunpoint until police arrived after he dialed 911.
The intruder, 23-year-old Derek Scott Frenceschini of Hickory, was arrested.
He was hospitalized for the bullet fragment in his skull and a fractured
hand he injured during the break-in, officials said. :P
Dwight Cook left his perch in front of the television to investigate. But no
one was there.
Minutes later, he heard the sliding glass doors break, and Cook sent his
wife to the neighbors' house and grabbed his gun. The would-be robber who
entered Cook's home late Tuesday night wasn't expecting to run into anyone -
let alone a former Army sharpshooter.
Cook used his .22-caliber weapon to fire a warning shot into the ceiling,
but the bullet ricocheted and part of it hit the intruder in the forehead,
said Lt. Hank Guess with the Hickory Police Department.
"I wasn't aiming for him. I've handled guns since I was 12," Cook said. "If
I wanted to hit him, I would have. If he'd moved, the next shot would have
stopped him."
Cook held the man at gunpoint until police arrived after he dialed 911.
The intruder, 23-year-old Derek Scott Frenceschini of Hickory, was arrested.
He was hospitalized for the bullet fragment in his skull and a fractured
hand he injured during the break-in, officials said. :P