Neighbors of an 88-year-old Centerville woman said she told them she heard footsteps in her home early Saturday morning, and grabbed her gun when she heard the steps coming toward her bed.

A quiet Centerville neighborhood just south of Highway 7 was anything but quiet, early Saturday morning.

"The gunshots, I didn't know what was going on, I thought someone was outside playing," said Marsha Johnson, a Centerville resident.

Leon County Sheriff's Deputies said the shots were rounds fired by an 88-year-old woman who managed to get past her attacker and make it outside before firing into the air and screaming for help.

"She went into defensive mode, survival mode immediately and that's what these elderly people need to be able to do," said Sheriff Jerry Wakefield.

Wakefield's office is investigating how seven other similar attacks across four counties, are related. Investigators said in all the incidents, the suspect attacked elderly women who lived alone, during the early morning hours. None of the victims have been able to provide authorities with a description of the suspect.

Although the known victims are older than Johnson, who is a neighbor of the latest victim, that fact hasn't kept her from worrying. Johnson's husband works overnight.

"I can't really sleep at night, because I'm scared somebody's gonna come in on us," said Johnson.

Johnson said she got a gun this weekend to protect herself, but hopes it's something she won't need to use.

"They need to catch the guy, quick," said Johnson.

In every attack, the suspect disabled phone lines a month before he attacked, as well as the night of the attack.

Leon County investigators are asking anyone who may have had a home phone line tampered with or cut anytime in the past year, to call them.

Along with the four sheriffs' offices, the Texas Rangers and FBI are also working to catch the rapist.