Woman, 72, wakes to stranger in her home, runs him off with a gun (VIDEO)

When a 72-year-old woman awoke to a strange man inside her home in Putnam, Florida, she wasn’t about to become a victim, so she grabbed her gun.

“I woke up and I saw a yellow shirt on a person,” Shirley Adams told WJAX last week. “I thought it was my niece and I raised up and said what are you doing in here?”

But then Adams realized it wasn’t her niece, but rather a strange man. So Adams quickly grabbed her gun as the man began to run to the back door and out of her home. But Adams, who was now armed with a gun, was right behind him.

“As soon as he hit the steps, I shot at him,” Adams said.

According to a statement from the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, when deputies arrived, Adams told them that she had shot at the man, but did not believe she had hit him.

Authorities attempted to track down the suspect and, with the help of a K-9 unit, were successful for a short time. The K-9 followed the suspect’s scent from the home to an area a few blocks away, where the scent went cold and fresh vehicle tire impressions were found.

Authorities are continuing their search for the suspect, who was only described as tall and slender. Adams said she believes he is a white male, but she never got a good look at his face.

Adams said, “If they come back, I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.”

Adams also added that she will be looking into getting an alarm system installed in the home to better protect herself and her niece.

Investigators believe that the suspect was in the act of committing a burglary when Adams was awakened.