Posted on 01/06/2012 2:52:56 AM PST by LibWhacker
GREENBRAE (CBS 5) – It turns out it took more than firepower for a 90-year-old Greenbrae resident to free himself after a burglar kicked in the door of his home around 11 a.m. Wednesday.
In an exclusive interview at his bedside at Marin General Hospital, 90-year-old Jay Leone told CBS 5 he had to outwit the burglar who held him captive at gunpoint.
After the gunman, identified as 30-year-old Novato resident Joseph Cutrufelli, allegedly kicked in the door, Leone said he was ordered not to move as the house was scoured for valuables. But after awhile, Leone insisted that he had to use the bathroom, and convinced his captor to let him go.
It was all a ruse. Leone had a .357 revolver stashed in the bathroom of the home on the 300 block of Via La Cumbre. He grabbed it and ran back and pointed it at the burglar.
The burglar fired once, hitting Leone in the cheek.
“He opened up on me,” said Leone. “He got me on the first shot.” Greenbrae 90 Year Old Recounts Home Invasion Gun Battle From Hospital
But Leone, a former Marin County Sheriff’s deputy, paused before returning fire. The gunman begged for his life, but Leone emptied his weapon anyway.
“After he shot me, I looked him straight in the eye,” said Leone. “He says, ‘Don’t kill me. Don’t kill me… I’ve got a daughter!’ I said, ‘f- you … pow, pow, pow, pow!’”
The ordeal wasn’t over. Three of those shots hit their mark, still the gunman rushed Leone and tried to shoot the 90-year-old with his own weapon.
“Sure enough, he wrestled me to the floor, put the gun to my head, pulled the trigger, and it went, ‘click,’” Leone said. “And then he got all panicky. He ran out the door.”
Leone was in good spirits and was grateful for all the well-wishes from people all over the country who have heard his story.
Although he was shot in the face, the bullet appears to have skirted around the side of his head.
“It went through here and out the back of my neck and didn’t hit any vital organs,” Leone said, pointing to his left cheek.
The doctors are calling me a ‘miracle man,’ Leone said with a smile.
Shortly after the incident, Cutrufelli called San Rafael police saying that he had shot himself, and was in the area of Tiburon Boulevard and Altena Street in San Rafael, about a mile from where the shooting occurred. He was also taken to Marin General Hospital for treatment.
Cutrufelli was arrested on suspicion of burglary and attempted murder.
According to the Marin Independent Journal, Cutrufelli had a prior criminal record, including a 2001 attempted murder charge after stabbing a Novato pedestrian who complained about nearly being hit in a crosswalk.
He pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon and received a six-year prison sentence.
I would think being shot with a 357 would kind of take the fight out of you.Oh well
Tells you all you need to know about bullet placement being king. The wild stories about a .44/.45 knocking a man down if hit in the hand are just that, wild stories.
You must severly damage the nervous system or cause catestrophic damage to the circulatory system to stop an animal instantly (human or otherwise).
“After he shot me, I looked him straight in the eye,” said Leone. “He says, ‘Don’t kill me. Don’t kill me… I’ve got a daughter!’ I said, ‘f- you … pow, pow, pow, pow!’”
Great story!
I would think being shot with a 357 would kind of take the fight out of you.
There's always adrenaline and possibly drugs not to mention shot placement.
The guy is 90 years old I am sure that reflects in his shooting, but 4 shots from a 357 should do the job.
Double ought would have been a better round selection...
Possibly had .38’s loaded in it for a 90 year old to shoot it well.
.357 Magnum stopping power is spotty even with full-house loads. Ballistics experts like to argue why this should be. The old-timers swore by the .357 Keith bullet, and they may have had a point. The Keith is blunt and doesn't rely on expansion for frontal area.
Then again, IMHO a shotgun is always the better choice for home defence. When I'm old and feeble I'll have a 20-guage ready by the door. Until then a 12-guage will suffice.
In some states the statement that the BG quit the fight and begged would get you put in prison as when this happens you are going to be tried for murder or attempted murder if you shoot.
An ex deputy should know not to talk too much.
Sounds just like my father. RIP, Dad. You're very much missed.
Yeah, I use those for target practice, because it’s cheaper, but it’s 357 magnum when it goes in the night stand, that is before I lost it in the boating accident.
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