Self Defense in Arkansas

An elderly man, beaten unconscious by an assailant wielding a soda can, awoke and shot his attacker during a home invasion and attempted robbery in El Dorado Arkansas. Willie Lee Hill, 93, told police he saw the home invader while in his bedroom the night of July 25, 2007. Mr. Hill confronted the man and was struck at least 50 times. He was knocked unconscious during the assault.

Covered in blood, Mr. Hill regained consciousness a short time later and pulled a .38-caliber handgun on his attacker. The scumbag criminal, Douglas B. Williams Jr., saw the gun and charged the elderly man. Mr. Hill fired once and struck Williams in the throat. "I can't feel my legs and I got what I deserved," Williams, 24, told police when they arrived after the attack.

Paramedics took Hill and Williams to the Medical Center of South Arkansas for treatment. Doctors sent Williams to the Louisiana State University Medical Center at Shreveport, where he was listed in critical condition two days later.

Mr. Hill, recovering at an El Dorado hospital, said he would stay there through at least the early part of this week. After that, he will spend some time in a nursing home to recuperate. Bruises cover his body, and four large gashes cross his head. "You can't imagine what an experience it is with somebody on top of you trying to kill you," he stated. "I never had that happen to me."

Mr. Hill said he keeps his handgun "always loaded" near his bed. He carried the weapon outside to his porch as he waited for police to arrive, unsure if his attacker would remain down. Williams' first punch "hit me with all his might in the left side of my face," Mr. Hill said. "My teeth don't fit right now."

Officers reported finding a set of keys, two hearing aids, a CD player, an MP3 player, a Craftsman drill bit set and three pocket knives inside Williams' pockets. Police plan to charge him with residential burglary, second-degree battery, theft of property and theft by receiving. Charges of attempted murder have not been filed.