William Mark Williams (Charlotte County Jail).
A Florida homeowner started shooting at two salesmen because they dared to knock on his door in an attempt to sell solar panels, cops say.
It happened around 5 p.m. Monday at a home in the 13000 block of Boabadilla Lane in Port Charlotte. According to a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, deputies from the Charlotte County responded to a report of a shooting. The caller said two frantic men came knocking on her door saying her neighbor had shot at them.
She directed them to her backyard and they hid behind her shed as she called 911. The woman later told deputies she heard six to eight shots followed by four or five more. A few seconds later the men, who appeared to be in “great fear” started pounding on her door asking for help.
Detectives interviewed the men ages 20 and 25 who told them they were selling solar panels in the neighborhood. They knocked on one door and an older woman answered and “did not appear to be happy and told them to leave,” the affidavit said. The men walked away and were some 50 to 100 feet from the home when they heard around five or six shots, detectives wrote. They saw a man yelling and pointing a gun in their direction, per cops. No one was struck by the gunfire.
Cops went to the home in question where they arrested 72-year-old William Mark Williams. He stands accused of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and discharging a firearm in public. Both victims identified Williams as the suspect. Cops took him to the Charlotte County Jail where he has since bonded out. He has a court date scheduled for June 30. The court appointed him an attorney because he was labeled indigent, per records.
A picture of Williams’ home on Google Maps taken May 2024 shows a yard sign reading “F— Joe Biden” and an upside down American flag — which has become known as a symbol of right-wing protest — posted near the entry.
“Once again we are called out to a neighborhood in which a firearm was discharged recklessly,” Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell said in a statement. “Thankfully, nobody was hurt by this individual’s actions, though I am sure the victims will not forget the fear they felt any time soon. This man’s response to solicitors was absolutely uncalled for and could have been deadly. I pray that people can learn to regulate their emotions instead of jumping to violence so quickly.”
