Woman, 89, grabs handgun and fires at intruder

[April 21, 2010]  DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- An elderly Des Moines woman used a handgun to ward off a man who bashed in the front door of her home.

Beatrice Turner said the man pounded on her door early Tuesday. Despite being told he had the wrong house, the man used his fists to break through the wood door.

The 89-year-old Turner said she grabbed a handgun and told the man she would shoot if he came inside. When the man entered, she fired a single shot.

A neighbor called police, who found 37-year old Nelson McAlpine standing on Turner's front lawn. The uninjured McAlpine was arrested on a charge of second-degree burglary.

McAlpine is being held in the Polk County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bond. It wasn't immediately determined if he has a lawyer.

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Information from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com/

[Associated Press]

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