Franklinton, Ohio

From the Columbus Dispatch of March 4, 2007

Franklinton man, 79, kills intruder, police say

A 79-year-old Franklinton man struggled with and fatally shot an armed intruder at his home last night, police say.

"The intruder kicked in the back door and struck the homeowner, knocking him down," said Columbus Police homicide detective William B. Rotthoff. "They wrestled. The homeowner grabbed the intruder’s gun, pulled out his own pistol and shot him in the chest."

The intruder, whose name was not immediately released, ran from 962 Sullivant Ave. and turned north up the alley next to the house.

A neighbor called police after hearing a gunshot at 8:44 p.m. A patrol officer arrived, finding the intruder lying in the alley. The assailant was taken to Mount Carmel West hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:21 p.m.

The two-story, wood-frame home between Avondale and Hawkes avenues belongs to Virgil R. Lovejoy Jr., a resident there since 1972.

Lovejoy’s daughter, whose name wasn’t available, said that her father had been robbed at least three times before. The family had tried to convince him to move, but he refused to leave.