JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two armed men wearing ski masks took off last week after breaking into a Westside home and then threatening an 81-year-old veteran and his 29-year-old roommate, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
An incident report shows police responded just after 2:30 a.m. Thursday to the home invasion. The 81-year-old man and 29-year-old Sean Tomlinson, who were both at the home at the time, told News4Jax Monday they were still shaken up.
According to the incident report, the two men wearing ski masks broke in through the front, ransacked the home and demanded money and drugs. The report shows the 81-year-old was in the living room when the two men broke in. Tomlinson said that when he walked in, one of the men hit him in the head with a handgun and held him at gunpoint, threatening him. The report shows Tomlinson told police he could hear the other man threatening the veteran.
“(The men said), ‘Where’s the money? Where’s the dope? If you yell, you’re dying tonight. If you’re lying about anything, you’re dying tonight.' Scared the bejesus out of me," Tomlinson said. "I just told them that it was the wrong house and they must have had the wrong house. I don’t know why they picked ours, but they had the wrong house, obviously.”
Tomlinson said the men took off with the veteran’s medication. The incident report shows a $20 bill was also stolen.
“I hope they catch these guys so it doesn’t happen to anybody else. That was horrible. I can’t imagine what would happen if they accidentally shot me," Tomlinson said.
According to the incident report, a witness who knows the veteran was in the area and saw the two men outside his home. The witness told police the men asked him if we wanted to buy drugs before they took off.
Anyone with information about the home invasion is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 904-630-0500.