Home invasion shooting story

[willtel]

This happened not far from my neighborhood a few days ago and I thought it was interesting. We have had a rash of door-kicking burglaries in our area over the past year and citizens are fed up. I don't think I agree with her combat tactics but at least she got a few shots off.

Originally Posted by Gunslinger

Update of the incident Monday afternoon (June 15) on Howell Mill Road. This report is from the resident whose home was broken into.

I am the neighbor on Howell Mill who’s house was broken into while I was home. Below is the list of events as they occurred. Thought this may be of interest to you all. I would like to extend my appreciation to all the officers that have been working hard since to ensure Wildwood remains safe.

Monday June 15 at Noon.

1. I am sitting in my home office which looks out onto the street and the end of my driveway

a. A yellow Chrysler Town and Country Minivan pulls into my driveway and drives to the back, turns around and pulls back up to the front of the house.
i. I saw the van pull in but did not recognize it

ii. The van went to the back to see if there were any cars in the driveway which there were not since I park in the garage but also to be facing the street which I later realize was for a quick getaway.

b. An African American woman rings my door bell but I do not answer because I do not recognize her and figured if she had a package or something to drop off she would and leave.

c. Woman rings my bell a second time

2. I get up from my office to the room in between my office and the front door and look through my blinds to ensure I do not recognize this lady. Fortunately, my blinds were closed enough; yet open enough for me to see them but them to not notice me.

a. Lady rings bell a third time. At this point I am thinking she could possibly be checking to see if anyone was home in order to rob the house, but it is just a thought.

b. Lady then rings bell in succession maybe 7 times or so.

3. I then move to a small 5 foot long hallway in between the front door and the living room I was just in. I can see through the reflection of a framed picture through the dining room doors that there is now an African American man standing at the front door as well.

4. I try to stay flush against the wall in order to avoid them looking in and seeing me in the reflection as well.

a. I go to kneel next to the front door and can hear them speaking in a hostile manner. Not a tone a salesman or delivery man/woman would have.
i. They then start knocking while I am right next to the door.

5. At this point I am thinking there is a good chance they may rob the place so I begin checking the reflection in the dining room for the moment they wouldn’t see me. The stairs are in front of the front door and there is a window above the front door so I needed to make sure they couldn’t see me through that as well. I knew you needed to be at least 15 feet back to see that so I kept checking in the reflection for when their heads were turned and standing close to the door. I have hardwood floors so I took my shoes off, waited for the right moment and then ran as quickly and quietly as I could upstairs.

6. I grab my gun and stand at the top of the staircase which I feel is the best position in the house since you are looking down onto the front door. I am still not positive at this point that they were going to break into my house and I figured if they did it would surely take some time to get through a solid three inch thick wooden door. Therefore, although my gun was loaded, it did not have a bullet in the chamber. In my head I thought I would have time from the moment I knew for sure they were going to break in till the moment they actually broke in.

7. I stand at the top of the stairs waiting in silence for less than a minute when all of a sudden BAMM!! The door flies open in one second!

a. A man flies through the door and towards the dining room

1. Because my gun isn’t ready, I quickly step to my right out of site, cock my gun, come back and fire a shot in the dining room just to scare him. He then dives back out the front door while I am firing another shot and then he continues to run to the car. I then fire another shot through the wall next to the front door knowing his direction to the car and thinking maybe it would go through the wall.

a. I assume the car drives off and there is silence

2. I want to chase after, but I cannot afford to give up my position at the top of the stairs. I also do not know if he is maybe lying outside the door or if there are others still in the house since I had to step to the side quickly as they entered in order to avoid any fire from them. If they knew where the shots were coming from they would not have gone out the front door.

3. I keep my position at the top of the stairs and call 911. I keep the call short but tell them to get over here and give them the description of the car.

4. I then call my father and gave him a quick 5 second synopsis of the situation and told him I am calling so someone can be on the phone while I go downstairs to check if the house is clear and no one is lying outside.

5. I go downstairs and everything is clear. A minute or two later the first officer arrives.

6. Each officer individually walked in one at a time, looked at the bullet holes in the house and said, “too bad you missed”. HA! If there had been a bullet in the chamber, I wouldn’t have had to step to the side so they would have all likely been killed. I had hollow points in my gun and I could have just knocked them off as soon as the door opened. I am glad this wasn’t the case and am happy the event occurred as it did. I do not think these people will ever come back, and everyone lived. I did not want that on my conscience. Although, later that night I thought about how these people will likely do this again to someone else.

[m21sniper]

Keep a round chambered at all times Pelicans.

[TerryH]

How about shouting, "I am armed and the police are on their way!" before the door gets broken down and having to spray bullets all over the place? I know the cowboy mentality here won't agree, but that's what I hope my wife would do before having to kill someone. By remaining silent, this woman helped escalate this incident to deadly levels.

[vash]

i agree, i would have had the gun (fully chambered) and yelled (peacefully) "can i help you?" on the 3rd or 4th ring. i would have noted the license plates and everything.

almost the exact thing happened to my mom. she said the guy was knocking and trying the doorknob. she was locked, loaded and my dad's extra service revolver, (pathetic by today's standard- .38 special snubby) trained at the door. she said, the guy yelled, "open the door lady!" and she replied, "open it yourself, so i can shoot you". she had a thick, very thick chinese accent back then...the guy left. this was in the 1960's.

[m21sniper]

So now it's the innocent victim's fault that scumbags broke into her house?

Are you guys retarded?

How about the possibility that hearing a lone, scared female voice would just encourage the would-be rapists?

[willtel]

Originally Posted by TerryH

How about shouting, "I am armed and the police are on their way!"

Because in Atlanta the criminals know that the second part of that statement is BS, you can call them all you want but they will show up when they are good and ready.

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by willtel

Because in Atlanta the criminals know that the second part of that statement is BS, you can call them all you want but they will show up when they are good and ready.

Sounds like Philly.

[vash]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

So now it's the innocent victim's fault that scumbags broke into her house?

Are you guys retarded?

How about the possibility that hearing a lone, scared female voice would just encourage the would-be rapists?

what? where did we say it was the victim's fault? i am sure deep, deep down in my soul, i wouldnt mind killing some fool coming into my home. but even in that darkest place, i know damn well it better be the last resort. i aim a firearm at someone, it better be for real. no movie BS. any sane normal person, should disarm the situation first. letting the idiot burglars think the home was unoccupied...for what? a shoot opportunity? that lady now needs to hire a carpenter to fix her door, and patch her bullet holes, the burglars will probably never get caught because she gather ZERO intel. **** hits the fan, i promise my brain will get smarter..not more retarded .

my brother killed a man, he changed. i can tell. i dont know what clicked, but the man is different.

[TerryH]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

So now it's the innocent victim's fault that scumbags broke into her house?

Are you guys retarded?

How about the possibility that hearing a lone, scared female voice would just encourage the would-be rapists?

These so-called rapists just rang the bell at least 10 times as written. Obviously, even a retard like me can see they were seeking an empty home and thought they'd found one. Who were they going to rape, the cat? If there would have a hint of noise in this house they likely would have moved on.

I don't want anyone in my family, especially my wife alone at home, to make contact with criminals and killing a criminal is making contact.

[vash]

cat rapist? sickos! shoot them all.

[widebody911]

I'm calling shenanigans. This story has a bit of a "Dear Soldier of Fortune" flavor to it.

[Gogar]

home-invasion robbers

who kick your door down

And run into your house to take all your stuff

Don't deserve a "courtesy yell", sorry.

[TerryH]

Originally Posted by Gogar

home-invasion robbers

who kick your door down

And run into your house to take all your stuff

Don't deserve a "courtesy yell", sorry.

Like I said, the mentality here is shoot to kill at every chance regardless of risk involved. Even if it means my wife and children die, at least we didn't give them that courtesy yell that would have got them to leave in the first place.

[cashflyer]

Yelling let's them invade somewhere else.
Killing puts a stop to it and potentially protects somebody less fortunate down the road.

They have these things in America called 'jobs'.
They allow people to 'earn' the things they want or need.

The only thing a home invader has earned is a bullet in the skull.


just my opinion, tho

[ramonesfreak]

same crap happens in my neighborhood. they ring the door about 10 or 20 times while i look out the peep hole. on about the 20th ring, i open door with bowie knife in my hand and scream F*k YOU and slam door shut. Occasionally when people are not home in this neighborhood, their homes are robbed. its only a matter of time before its me.

funny thing is, i supposedly live in one of the nicest neighborhoods around here. the guy i bought my house from is a cop. he told me if i plan to live here without a loaded gun in my pocket at all times that im an idiot. how nice - he told me that after closing

[vash]

Originally Posted by srandallf

funny thing is, i supposedly live in one of the nicest neighborhoods around here. the guy

better to rob a nice house.. they tend to have better stuff.

great story BTW.

[911pcars]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

So now it's the innocent victim's fault that scumbags broke into her house?

Are you guys retarded?

How about the possibility that hearing a lone, scared female voice would just encourage the would-be rapists?

Hmm. Acknowledging the probability of raping something in an empty house, how about the probability of one of those hollow points continuing slightly past/through the front door opening/wall (excellent) and into some innocent bystander outside (highly possible), in the house across the street (highly possible) or in a passing car? (highly possible)

This guy/woman acted as if he was just waiting for an excuse rather than "cornered" or trying to deter the situation. Perhaps a case of watching too many Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie movies.

My vote: Not a wrong move, but as previously suggested, there were much better choices under the circumstances, even under the duress of the moment (more like minutes it seems).

Looking at this pragmatically (why not?), if the perps acknowledged the house is owner occupied, armed and thus thwarted, the avoidable scenario saves:

Cost of broken/damaged 3x6-8" oiled mahogany door, door jam and polished brass hinges
Wall repair (bullet hole(s) and repaint
Blood from dead or wounded perp ruining the 1/4 sawn hardwood plank floors, plush 100% wool carpet or unsealed imported Italian granite tile
Damage to said flooring from the weight of the aforementioned door and the Baldwin oil-rubbed brass Canterbury knob set falling onto it.
Attorney fees to defend against a wrongful death lawsuit
Lost tee time due to attendance at legal proceedings

Now that would get me upset. What some folks go through for a little handgun practice.

Sherwood

[Gogar]

Originally Posted by TerryH

Like I said, the mentality here is shoot to kill at every chance regardless of risk involved. Even if it means my wife and children die, at least we didn't give them that courtesy yell that would have got them to leave in the first place.

I understand, Terry, but in your scenario, a home still gets burglarized, just not yours. You yell, they leave, and go down the road to the next house where there's a 14-year old girl home alone or something. But at least it's not you.

IMO, lots of petty crime like burglaries, robberies, muggings, etc occur because the perpetrators are aware of the (relative) lack of consequence. they know that 8 out of 10 times if there's any resistance at all, they can dominate that scrawny white guy who just peed himself in his golf shorts and get away with it.

If, (like in olden times, let's say), they knew that instead, 8 times out or 10 they'd face some serious hurt, or get a load of buckshot to the a$$, they'd think twice before committing a crime, like this home invasion robbery story.

I don't know if I explained myself too well, but the "take care of yourself" kind of thing IS one of the things I can agree with some of the "gun nut" guys about.

Originally Posted by TerryH

How about shouting, "I am armed and I'll call the police when I get around to it."

Yeah! There you go!

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by TerryH

These so-called rapists just rang the bell at least 10 times as written. Obviously, even a retard like me can see they were seeking an empty home and thought they'd found one. Who were they going to rape, the cat? If there would have a hint of noise in this house they likely would have moved on.

I don't want anyone in my family, especially my wife alone at home, to make contact with criminals and killing a criminal is making contact.

If you are highly confident they're going to break in, giving them a 'shout-out' only compromises your location and denies you the element of surprise.

This woman is untrained, and was alone, i have exactly zero problem with how she handled it except that she should definitely keep a round chambered at all times.

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by 911pcars

Hmm. Acknowledging the probability of raping something in an empty house, how about the probability of one of those hollow points continuing slightly past/through the front door opening/wall (excellent) and into some innocent bystander outside (highly possible), in the house across the street (highly possible) or in a passing car? (highly possible)

Actually highly unlikely with a hollowpoint, but not her fault regardless.

Anyone hit with a stray bullet would be the responsibility of the 'burglars' in any case.

Originally Posted by Gogar

home-invasion robbers

who kick your door down

And run into your house to take all your stuff

Don't deserve a "courtesy yell", sorry.

Agreed.

If it was happening to my woman, i'd want her to take up a strong tactical position, keep quiet, fire when the door comes down, and keep firing until nothing is left moving or she's out of bullets.

If she calls out, and sounds 'hot', or 'scared', it's liable to just motivate the burglar/rapist/home invader even more.