A Louisville father shot to Internet fame this week, thanks to a recent heroic deed and his candid commentary on the incident.
Ali Bracey jumped into action Sunday morning when a next-door neighbor broke into his girlfriend’s home and started undressing in her 12-year-old daughter’s bedroom, local station WDRB reported. After startling the young girl, suspect Donald Oliver, 38, scurried to the kitchen wearing nothing but his underwear.
Ali Bracey’s quick thinking saved his girlfriend’s 12-year-old daughter from an intruder who broke into their home on Sunday. (WDRB / video screenshot)
Bracey said he shouted at Oliver to leave, but he refused.
“I told him to get out, and he didn’t want to move,” he recalled. “And he growled at me.”
That’s when Bracey and his girlfriend, Tina Burton, began beating the intruder with a broom and anything else they could find. Burton then handed her boyfriend a gun, which he used to fire several shots at Oliver, sending the scantily-clad man fleeing.
“He ended up getting six shots,” Bracey told the station. “Period.” It’s unclear how many shots hit the intruder.
Social media users applauded Bracey for his quick thinking during the scary situation. However, some critics also took issue with how WDRB reporter Sterling Riggs portrayed the incident, describing Bracey as the “shooter” rather than a hero.
“Terrible way to describe him, you should be a shame,” BSO’s Robert Littal tweeted. “[He] should be called a hero, protector of family or how about using his name so we can all praise him. No way this happens if roles were reverse. So better Mr. Riggs.”
Several others agreed.
“This is a disgraceful Tweet,” wrote another. “How do you identify this man as “the shooter”? He didn’t walk into a school or movie theater. He was protecting his family in his own home.”
One critic opined: “He was protecting his daughter and gave the guy warning. How is he ‘the shooter’ and not ‘the hero?'”
Oliver, 38, appeared in court Monday where a judge set his bond at $50,000, WDRB reported. He’s now charged with assault, burglary and possession of a controlled substance.
According to police, investigators found a small bag of heroin they believe Oliver dropped inside the home when he was disrobing. He fled the scene after Bracey fired the six shots, but police apprehended him a short time later.
“Everyone has actually commended me on what I did,” Bracey told the station. “There hasn’t been any real backlash other than the family (Oliver’s family). But everyone in the neighborhood has commended me on what I did.”
Burton’s daughters were unharmed in the incident.
Watch more in the video below.
