INTERLACHEN, Fla. – An armed man was killed Wednesday morning in Interlachen after Putnam County investigators said he forced his way into the home of a woman who shot him.
The man who was shot and killed has been identified as Reginald Best, 64.
According to the incident report, early Wednesday morning, deputies were called to Best’s home on Silver Lake Drive to investigate a disturbance. While en route to the home, a woman, who was identified as a witness, told 911 dispatch that Best had jumped through a window of his home and ran down the street while holding a handgun.
According to the witness, Best believed he heard or saw unknown people in the woods or in his vehicle near his home. She told dispatchers that she believed Best may have “been on something” because she did not see or hear anyone else.
Right before arriving at Best’s home, investigators said, deputies got a call about a person who was shot at a home not far from Best’s home.
When deputies responded to that home address, which was redacted from the report, they found Best on the floor in the kitchen area with a gunshot wound in his back. They also saw a silver revolver handgun just feet away from him.
Best was taken to Putnam County Medical Center, where investigators said he later died from his injuries.
The homeowner who shot him, identified as a 67-year-old, told investigators that around 3:30 a.m. she heard the front door handle shaking, so she walked over to the door while holding her 9mm handgun. She said she thought it was her husband due to him working odd hours. She opened the door and said she saw an unknown man armed with a silver revolver.
According to the report, she told the man multiple times to leave, but said he kept stating, “they are after me.” The woman told deputies Best raised up both arms and that she saw he had a firearm in his hand. Fearing for her life, investigators said, she shot Best. After the shooting, she called 911.
“She wasn’t alone in the residence,” explained Putnam County Sheriff Gator DeLoach. “She also had her 90-year-old mother, who is also an Alzheimer’s patient, in the home with her, so had she not had the foresight to arm herself, there’s a high probability we may be investigating a double homicide right now where Best would have been the suspect.”
Neighbors who knew Best said they were shocked to learn what happened.
“Just the best neighbor,” said resident Mickey Crawford. “Totally out of character for him.”
“He’s the best person I’ve ever known,” said Thomas McCombs, a friend of Best. “That’s why I got his dog. I’m taking her home with me. He was like a brother.”
No charges will be filed against the woman, investigators said.
“This call for service is a perfect example of why I continue to support and fight daily for the rights of law-abiding residents to own firearms,” DeLoach said in a prepared statement. “All firearm owners have a responsibility not only to themselves, but also to their families to maintain proficiency with a gun, as our victim here today clearly has. If it were not for her foresight to arm herself, the outcome could have been much graver. It’s unfortunate that Best was struggling with some apparently profound issues and posed a deadly threat to the victim and her family. She absolutely had the right to defend herself.”