65-year-old opens fire on intruders in his home

A North Spokane homeowner opened fire on two burglars armed with a baseball bat Monday morning.

Bob Boisjolie, 65, said he’s sleeping with a .44-caliber pistol under his pillow from now on. He was in bed Monday morning when he heard someone knocking down his door about 5 a.m. The Boisjolies live in the 1400 block of West York Avenue.

“When I heard that, I got up and grabbed my gun,” Boisjolie said. “By that time, they were already in the house.” The gun Boisjolie grabbed wasn’t his .44-caliber, but rather a 9 mm. When he made it to the front of the house, he said, one of the men spotted him and ordered the other to get Boisjolie. The homeowner fired one shot at the burglar toting the bat and Boisjolie is pretty sure he hit him. Police found blood splattered on Boisjolie’s back screen door.

“I have no doubt in my mind that if I hadn’t had a gun, I and my wife would have been badly hurt or worse,” Boisjolie said.

The intruders remained at large late Monday.