An 85-year-old Riverton man says he shot an alleged home intruder during a tense confrontation late Friday night in Riverton, Wyoming, Cowboy State Daily reported.

The purported encounter began around 11 p.m, when Wayne Williams said he heard loud banging on his door. Armed with a .380-caliber pistol, Williams confronted the alleged intruder, who was allegedly claiming ownership of Williams’ home and appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the elderly man told Cowboy State Daily.

“The guy was obviously irrational,” Williams told the outlet. “He was saying ‘they’ sent him to my house; ‘they’ said he owns my house, and I don’t – crazy, crazy stuff.”

The alleged intruder, whom Williams described as a tall and slim man in his mid-20s, allegedly forced his way into the house, leading to a physical altercation. Williams said he attempted to fire his pistol, but the gun initially failed to discharge because he had forgotten to chamber a round. (RELATED: Ex-Con Who Kicked In Elderly Man’s Door Shouldn’t Have Done That)

The US actually had about 14,700 homicides *completed with a gun* in 2023: https://t.co/eZ6WIsd01d.

LOW BALL estimates show *at least* 160,000 save their lives with a gun each year (and that’s playing it extremely conservatively). This is CDC & The National Academies’ Institute… https://t.co/RRz59oGXfL

— Hannah Cox (@HannahDCox) August 13, 2024

Despite the malfunction, Williams told Cowboy State Daily he managed to wrestle the intruder back onto the porch, where they both tumbled down the stairs. In the ensuing struggle, Williams said he fired a single shot, which he believes struck the alleged intruder in the leg. The alleged intruder then exclaimed, “I’ve been hit,” before Williams retreated inside and called 911, the Cowboy State Daily reported.

Riverton Police arrived shortly after, and paramedics took the alleged intruder in stable condition to a hospital, according to a statement issued by the department Saturday. The police, citing an ongoing investigation, declined to comment further.

Williams told the outlet he agreed to accompany one of the officers to the department to give his statement after police assured they weren’t arresting him.

“I’m still concerned. I don’t know if I’ll ever see that guy again,” Williams told Cowboy State Daily. “I don’t know if he’ll come back.”