Man Fatally Shoots Masked Intruder Who Turns Out to Be His Dad

[sarisataka]

Source: Yahoo News

An 18-year-old St. Petersburg, Florida man woke up to someone calling his name for help, grabbed his rifle, and came out of his bedroom to find a masked man in full tactical gear and a mask pointing a handgun at his mother.

Without hesitating, Malachi Heilser shot and killed that man, who moments earlier had smashed a window from outside the home Heisler lives in with his mother, teen sister and his mother's boyfriend, according to The Tampa Tribune.

The man Heisler killed – although he said he didn't know it when he shot – was his own father, John Heisler.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/man-fatally-shoots-masked-intruder-230708823.html

[Demeter]

1. IMHO, he did the family a favor

Sane people don't confront their exes with masks and guns in the presence of their children after breaking and entering.

[OldRedneck]

2. Hmmmm.

Is this the definition of a "dysfunctional family?"

[jamzrockz]

3. Something is wrong here

I can tell my father's voice in my sleep and this author wants me to believe that somehow he didn't know he was killing his dad because of what he was wearing.

[LiberalElite]

4. From my reading of that clip - the voice was not his father's -

I assume it was his mother's because dad was pointing a gun at her.

[Demobrat]

5. I strongly suspect that your father was

around a lot. This guy maybe not.

[silverweb]

7. Read it again.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]The young man "woke up to someone calling his name for help." That wouldn't have been the intruder, but the mother or one of the kids.

[gvstn]

10. He woke up to his mom screaming for Help.

Grabs his gun and goes down to her bedroom to find the intruder with a gun to his mom's head. The intruder swings around and points the gun at him and he fires about the same time he realizes it's his dad but he has already begun to fire.

Not to be cold but no loss from what I can tell. I hope he isn't traumatized.

[sarisataka]

15. It was the mother callng

not his dad.

[PersonNumber503602]

18. As others have said, it was his mother yelling for help.

Even if it was his father's voice he heard, I don't think it's fair to say he should have recognized it while sleeping and while in another room. I'm not sure I would be able to do that.

[LisaL]

20. First of all, why would his father scream for help?

Sounds like father broke into the house. And furthermore, this seems justified even if he knew the man who broke in was his father (and he says he didn't know).

[UpInArms]

6. mmmm

[mackerel]

8. Apparently the biological Father was not dearly loved:

"I had a feeling that something like this would happen but I didn’t know when,” he told News Channel 8. "“He wasn’t a good dad, no (expletive) father of the year awards."

[Turbineguy]

9. Another

day in Florida.

[alcibiades_mystery]

11. An East Gunistan Special

[hedda_foil]

12. more...

Malachi, who hid his face with a bandanna as he spoke to reporters, said father was arrested earlier in the year for being a felon in possession of a firearm, and Malachi said his mom had a restraining order against him.

John Heisler was reportedly wearing all-black fatigues, a ski mask and thigh holsters when he forced his way into the home.

"I had a feeling that something like this would happen but I didn’t know when,” he told News Channel 8. "“He wasn’t a good dad, no (expletive) father of the year awards."

[trillion]

13. What a family

I thought the story was going to be like the guy in my area who thought he heard a racoon in his garage in the night so shot at it and killed his wife - who was making the noise. That one had faux regret.

[ShrimpPoboy]

16. I thought the same thing

But as you say this is is not someone just shooting at noises in the dark.

I'm wondering if the dad knew there were guns in the house. If so, this is not much different from suicide by cop.

[oberliner]

14. To be fair, it sounds like his dad was looking to hurt and/or kill his mother

And possibly his sister as well.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

19. It could have been a complete family murder/suicide that was stopped in its tracks.

[csziggy]

17. More complete information from a better source than Yahoo

Pinellas deputies: Son shot father to death after confrontation at Lealman home
Zachary T. Sampson, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 8, 2015 9:25am

<SNIP>

According to Pinellas County sheriff's reports, 46-year-old John Heisler crept into the yard at 5001 43rd Ave. N around midnight and smashed a window on the small gray house.

The sound drew his ex-girlfriend, Jolene Andrews, 37, and her boyfriend, Alton Pyles, 47, outside. They retreated when they saw a man clad in full tactical gear with a ski mask covering his face. They tried to shut the door, but he burst in, deputies said, grabbing Andrews and trying to force her to the ground with what looked like a gun.

<SNIP>

At first, John Heisler had his weapon pointed at Andrews. He then trained it on Malachi, who had retrieved a rifle.

Malachi fired once, hitting his father in the upper body, investigators said.

More, including a past domestic disturbance call: http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/authorities-investigate-domestic-homicide-in-unincorporated-st-petersburg/2244606