News

18-Year-Old Shoots Intruder Who Ends Up Being His Estranged Father

by Sean Levinson

A home invader was reportedly shot dead by a Florida teenager who turned out to be his own son.

According to Huffington Post, a man wearing a ski mask and tactical gear tried to break into the St. Petersburg home of Malachi Heisler, 18, late Monday night/early Tuesday.

Around midnight, Malachi's mother, Jolene Andrews, went outside with her boyfriend, Alton Pyles, to determine the cause of a loud crash they heard, NBC News reports.

They found the intruder, who produced a pistol and followed them back inside.

Pyles, 47, screamed for Malachi after the intruder grabbed Andrews and pushed her onto the floor.

Malachi told WFLA,

I woke up to my name being called, OK. I heard the words 'Malachi' and 'help.'

The teen grabbed his rifle and came out of his room, where he says the intruder was holding a gun to his mother's head. Malachi fired immediately after the intruder redirected the gun toward him.

He soon discovered the victim of the fatal shot was his estranged father, 46-year-old John Heisler.

Andrews took out a restraining order against Heisler in April after he tried to break into her home, according to the New York Daily News.

Talking about his father, Malachi said,

I had a feeling that something like this would happen, but I didn't know when... He wasn't a good dad. No [expletive] father of the year awards.

Heisler had previously been arrested for unlawful possession of firearms and reportedly struggled with alcohol, leading investigators to believe he was drunk during this week's invasion.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said Malachi will not be charged for killing Heisler, who was armed with just two BB guns. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri told WPTV, given the situation, the teen "did the right thing."

Malachi's 13-year-old sister was also reportedly home during the invasion, but it appears she did not leave her bedroom.

Citations: Florida Teen Kills Estranged Father In Home Invasion (Huffington Post), Malachi Heisler Fatally Shoots Dad During Florida Home Invasion (NBC News), Fla teen kills masked intruder holding gun to mom's head discovers its his estranged dad (New York Daily News)