The elderly couple were suddenly awakened at around 3 a.m. by the sound of breaking glass as the suspect, identified as 51-year-old Robert Jackson, allegedly used a large rock to shatter a window in their home.
Police believe he then entered through the broken pane.
Once he gained entry, Jackson allegedly attacked Treadwell’s obviously stunned wife and, according to deputies, “began to struggle with her physically.” That was when her hero husband heard her screams and sprang into action.
He retrieved a firearm and in the confusion and chaos managed to shoot Jackson in the shoulder. Incredibly, investigators believe the suspect fled and then attempted to enter another home through yet another window.
There, however, he was stymied by hurricane-proof glass.
A neighbor, John Paul McCarthy, told reporters that he heard “screaming and yelling, and then I heard the gunshot. I couldn’t distinguish the glass breaking and all that, it was just commotion.”
McCarthy said Jackson “tried to get in there, broke their window and was bleeding all over everything.”
Neighbors heard the suspect “screaming and yelling in the street.” The witness added, “We’ve lived on this street since 1969, and this is a first for commotion on the street.”
The local sheriff’s office confirmed that Jackson is currently hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. He will be booked on charges of burglary with battery and attempted residential burglary when he is released.
While there clearly were mental health issues in play, that in no way lessened the threat to the elderly couple. Thankfully they were unharmed, and that is due to being prepared and exercising their precious Second Amendment rights.
