Update: Blind Man's Bullet Stops Intruder

Update Aug. 25, 4:10 p.m.: The Tampa Police Department has released more information on the shooting. Police say Melchisedec Williams was awakened by the crash of a bedroom window, heard stomping and got his gun. He called out, asking if the person was his nephew, but received no response.

“Even though he is legally blind, the homeowner could make out a shadowy figure and see a flashlight moving in his direction,” spokeswoman Laura McElroy wrote in an email to media. “He (Williams) feared for his life and fired. After the shooting, the intruder spoke and he recognized the voice as his nephew.”

McElroy said Williams then called 911. The teen had been living with Williams, but took off a week ago. Williams had not heard from him until he broke into the home, the email indicated.

Earlier: A Tampa teen who cut the power to his uncle’s home and broke in through a window armed with a knife got more than he bargained for Sunday night.

The Tampa Police Department says the uncle, Melchisedec Williams, 50, who is legally blind, heard a crash from the room around 10:30 p.m., followed by stomping. Williams got his gun and then heard the intruder’s voice, which belonged to his 15-year-old nephew.

“The victim believed that the suspect was there to harm him due to a prior dispute,” wrote police spokeswoman Laura McElroy in an email to media. “The victim shot the suspect to protect himself from impending harm.”

The nephew was taken from his uncle’s Chipco Street home to Tampa General Hospital. Although he is in serious condition, McElroy said he is expected to survive. Patch is not releasing the teen’s identity.

The investigation is ongoing and charges are pending.

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