Niceville man apparently shoots would-be robber
NICEVILLE — Not long after Harold Crown fired a handgun at three would-be burglars, a teenager turned up at Twin Cities Hospital with a bullet wound to his torso.
Coincidence?
The Okaloosa County Sheriff ’s Office thinks not.
Crown told lawmen that someone knocked on his door at about 10 p.m. Tuesday. When he opened it, two men wearing hooded sweatshirts and ski masks “rushed in and knocked him down,” according to a Sheriff’s Office news release.
Crown, 64, of 23rd Street in Niceville, said a third man followed the first two into the house and began beating and kicking him.
“Crown grabbed a .45 caliber handgun from a bookcase shelf and a struggle ensued over the gun,” the news release stated.
He told deputies he fired once and didn’t hit anything. He fired a second time, “but wasn’t sure if anyone was struck,” according to the release.
Crown’s assailants fled after the second shot was fired. He went to a neighbor’s house and called 911, the release stated.
A short time later, a 19-year-old man arrived at Niceville’s Twin Cities Hospital with a gunshot to the torso, the release stated. He was treated and transferred to West Florida Hospital in Pensacola.
The Sheriff ’s Office is investigating the robbery attempt, the release stated. Spokeswoman Michele Nicholson said charges could be filed against the unidentified teen when he is released from the hospital.