A teen fatally shot a masked intruder who broke into his home only to later discover the victim was his father, officials said.
Malachi Heisler spotted someone pointing a weapon at his mother when he opened his bedroom door early Tuesday morning, according to Florida's Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. The 18-year-old opened fire after the man turned the weapon toward him, police said.
“It was a standoff between me and him," Heisler told NBC affiliate WFLA. "He had his pistol and I had my rifle. A bullet is a bullet, one shot, you’re dead."
Police spokeswoman Cecilia Barreda confirmed to NBC News that the assailant was found with two BB guns.
The man died on the scene and was later identified as 46-year-old John Heisler, the sheriff’s office said in a statement. Authorities say John Heisler had tried to break into the St. Petersburg home his son shared with his sister, mother, and the mother's boyfriend just about midnight.
'He wasn't a good dad'
After hearing a loud crash, Malachi Heisler's mother Jolene Andrews, 37, who is also the suspect’s ex-girlfriend, went outside to investigate with her current boyfriend, Alton Pyles. They found the suspect wearing a ski mask with black tactical gear and retreated back into the house when he pulled out the weapon.
Authorities say John Heisler followed the couple into the house, grabbed Andrews and forced her to the ground. Pyles, 47, called out to her son for help.
“I woke up to my name being called," Malachi Heisler told WFLA. "I heard the words 'Malachi' and 'help,' that’s all I heard when I woke up."
Fearing for his life the teen ended up shooting his father in the upper body, officials said. Malachi Heisler’s 13-year-old sister was also in the home during the incident.
Earlier this year, the children’s mother took out a restraining order against John Heisler after he was arrested in April and charged as a felon in possession of firearms, Malachi Heisler told WFLA.
“He wasn’t a good dad, no (expletive) father of the year awards,” he added.
Police spokeswoman Barreda said that the incident was still under investigation but that no arrests were made and that "justifiable homicide" was being considered.
