The Hartford Courant, Hartford, CT, 5/23/02

When three masked men broke into 77-year-old Edward Gustavson's home to rob him early one morning, they probably thought the elderly man would be easy pickings. They tied Gustavsons hands and took him to the basement, then threw a sheet over their captive while they tried to open his safe. Gustavson took the opportunity to work his hands free and ran up the stairs, the bungling burglars on his heels. When he reached his .38-cal. snub-nose revolver, he turned and shot one of the intruders. "The first [shot] hit him, and we struggled I fired once again, and then the other guy from down in the cellar came from behind me and punched me. I fell to the floor, and then they picked up that table and threw it on top of me," Gustavson said. As the robbers fled the house, one of them grabbed the homeowner's gun and threw it in the back yard. Once he was sure they were gone, Gustavson ran next door to call police, as the thieves had disabled his phone line and alarm system. When asked why he resisted, he replied, I just did it, that's all. Sergeant J. Paul Vance, a state police spokesman, said of Gustavson, He is very fortunate. He's got a lot of guts, as far as Im concerned.