Firearms are the great equalizer. They put a diminutive woman or elderly man on equal footing against a younger, stronger, attacker. This was exactly the case for homeowner George L. Finch. Finch is 75 and suffers from Parkinson's disease. Had he been unarmed, he would have been at the mercy of Kevin L. Richardson, a homeless man who apparently broke into his house this weekend around 3 AM. But Finch retrieved his pistol (no mention of make or caliber) before going to investigate. When Richardson failed to leave as ordered, Finch got off a single shot, striking him in the leg.

Richardson ran out the same window [he came in] and fled a short way, collapsing on the sidewalk in the same block, according to the homicide report.

When police arrived, he was bleeding heavily. Medics transported Richardson to Wishard Memorial Hospital where he later died.

Sgt. Russell Burns said no charges will be filed in the case, which he described as a home invasion. Investigators concluded the shooting was justified, he said.

I'm not doctor, but it sounds like Finch might have hit the femoral artery. Scratch that. He probably wouldn't have made it through the window, much less all the way to the hospital. Either way, running on the wound probably only hastened Richardson's demise.

Not bad shooting for an ailing 75 year old.