6 days ago
Elderly man goes ballistic during feud over ex-wife's estate: 'You got to die first'
An elderly man brandished a revolver and started firing during a family feud that nearly turned 'catastrophic.'
John Webb, 81, was taken into custody on charges of attempted murder and aggravated assault after cops say he opened fire on his ex-wife's heirs who were trying to sell her Micanopy, Florida home.
The heirs - who Law & Crime identifies as Webb's ex-wife's daughters and son-in-law - arrived at the home to prepare it for sale at around 1pm on Thursday.
As soon as they pulled up, deputies said they noticed Webb's car outside - and they began to record video on their cellphones.
The family then went inside the home, where they allegedly found Webb in the living room.
At that point deputies say, the family told Webb - who had divorced their mother in 1998 - he 'was not supposed to be there,' the Miami Herald reports.
The comment apparently sent Webb on a rampage, pulling out a revolver and firing into the ceiling.
As the victims then scrambled to leave, Webb allegedly told them: 'No, don't move. You got to die first.'
But the heirs were able to get safely back into their vehicle and reverse down the driveway, when Webb exited the home and allegedly fired multiple shots at the car.
One bullet struck the engine, which caused the vehicle to break down on a nearby road, but none of the victims were injured.
In the aftermath, Webb drove away - but deputies were able to conduct a traffic stop and take him into custody without incident, they said.
When police later questioned him about the incident, Webb reportedly claimed that his ex-wife's family 'harassed him,' according to an affidavit obtained by Law & Crime.
'They come in threatening me and I fired a shot in the air, then fired some into the radiator of their car, period,' he allegedly admitted.
But cops wrote that his actions were 'imminently dangerous' to the victims and 'demonstrated a depraved mind without regard to human life.'
'Had those rounds impacted maybe just a couple more inches up, unfortunately, you probably would've had a catastrophic incident where multiple victims would have been harmed,' Alachua County Sheriff's Office Capt. Chris Sims, a public information officer, told WCJB.
'I think it's important to remember that there are no age restrictions on people who make poor decisions or try to harm someone,' he added.
