Elderly Homeowner Shoots Alleged Burglar

Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction.

Police in Gastonia, North Carolina, say a man was shot last week while allegedly trying to kick his way into a disabled 75-year-old homeowner’s house. Instead of admitting what happened, investigators say he and his girlfriend drove to a nearby gas station and claimed he’d been wounded in a random drive-by shooting.

According to reports from WCNC and WBTV, that story unraveled quickly.

The homeowner, Donald Bolynn, told reporters he’d already been targeted once before. So when he heard someone trying to force their way into his Ware Avenue home again, he wasn’t taking any chances.

Surveillance video reportedly shows 57-year-old Cedric Ford repeatedly pounding on the front door before trying to pry open a window and shove in a window air-conditioning unit to gain entry. Bolynn said he saw Ford outside the window and fired a single shot through the glass.

“It looked like he was trying to come in, so I shot,” Bolynn told reporters.

The bullet struck Ford in the chest.

Instead of sticking around, police say Ford jumped back into a waiting vehicle driven by his girlfriend, Sanja Stallings. The pair headed to a nearby QuikTrip and called 911, claiming Ford had been hit during a drive-by shooting.

Investigators weren’t buying it.

Gastonia police say the supposed drive-by didn’t match the evidence. Using the city’s Real Time Crime Center, Flock license plate cameras, surveillance footage and one of the city’s 158 Flock gunshot detection sensors, detectives traced the gunfire back to Bolynn’s home. The technology reportedly narrowed the location of the gunshot to within about 100 feet of where the homeowner fired.

Once detectives pieced everything together, the alleged cover story collapsed.

Ford was treated for his gunshot wound and, after being released from the hospital, was arrested. He’s now charged with attempted first-degree burglary and felony obstruction of justice for allegedly making up the drive-by story. Prosecutors are also reviewing whether additional charges may be appropriate.

Bolynn’s circumstances make the case even more remarkable.

The homeowner told reporters he lives alone and has dealt with multiple health problems, including recovering from a stroke. Despite those challenges, he said he keeps a firearm for protection.

“I’ve had my firearm for over a year,” Bolynn said. “I live by myself.”

At 75 years old, police say he successfully stopped an alleged burglary before the suspect ever made it inside.

The case is still under review by the Gaston County District Attorney’s Office, but it’s already shaping up as one of the more unusual defensive gun use stories of the year. Police say what began as an attempted burglary quickly turned into a fabricated drive-by shooting investigation. One that ultimately unraveled thanks to surveillance footage, gunshot detection technology, and old-fashioned detective work.

Self-defense doesn’t end when the threat goes down. That’s when the real battle begins. Lawyers. Prosecutors. Headlines. USCCA Members never fight that battle alone. Find out how.

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