Holly Hill cops: Homeowner grazed with pellet after pushing away sawed-off shotgun pointed at him in robbery attempt

HOLLY HILL -- David Sullivan was looking down the barrel of a sawed-off shotgun after two men ran up to his Magnolia Avenue home on Monday demanding cash. But the 45-year-old homeowner grabbed the gun and pointed it up in the air during which a shot was fired, a pellet grazing his forehead.

Sullivan got a trip to the ER at Halifax Health Medical Center and the the woulds-be robbers ran off like cowards.

Here is a synopsis of what happened in the 11:50 p.m. incident as reported by Holly Hill Police Chief Mark Barker: Two unidentified black male subjects approached the residence at 705 Magnolia Avenue in Holly Hill, Florida. One of these individuals was armed with a 12-gauge “sawed-off” shotgun. The homeowner was working inside the garage area of his home when he observed the men coming towards him from the north side of the house.

Barker continued: While pointing the shotgun at Sullivan, one of the suspects demanded, “Give me all you money.”

The victim then grabbed the shotgun and pushed it upward, at which point the armed suspect discharged the firearm. One shotgun pellet struck Sullivan in the forehead and lacerated his scalp, which required a trip to the emergency room.

After struggling over the firearm with Sullivan, the two men ran from the scene to a waiting light-colored sedan possibly bearing a California license plate and sped off. They were wearing dark clothing with blue bandanas covering their faces.

Barker said his investigators have recovered "items of physical evidence from the crime scene, which they believe will assist in identifying these suspects."

Anyone having information regarding this crime is asked please call the Holly Hill Police Department at 386-248-9475 or Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida at 888-277-TIPS.