Posted on 07/15/2012 6:06:04 AM PDT by marktwain
Tacoma resident shot a man who attempted to break into his home early Saturday morning, KIRO 7 Eyewitness News partner The Tacoma News Tribune reported.
The incident happened at a home in the 600 block of North Pine Street when a couple inside the home was awakened at about 2:10 a.m. by the sound of someone entering through their front door.
According to police, the husband shouted at the intruder that he was at the wrong house.
Police said the husband got his handgun as the intruder kept trying to break the door knob. The husband warned the intruder again, but the intruder did not heed warnings that the homeowner was carrying a gun, police said. The man fired a shot through the door which wounded the suspect.
The intruder suffered a non-lethal wound and was taken to a hospital to be treated.
Detectives will continue to investigate the incident.
Why do those people (burglars/nutcases) always insist on coming thru the front door, with all that noise and breakage? Wouldn’t it make less noise to try a back window with a glass cutter/suction cup or somewhere less obvious? Just asking...
You watch too much TV/movies. Have you ever tried cutting glass that is not fully supported on a work table, that is in a window frame, with a glass cutter? I haven’t either, but based on my experience with doing on a work table, I wouldn’t recommend it.
You mean that stuff on TV isn’t real?
</grin>
In this case, it might have been a drunk at the wrong house.
Robbers that come through the front door will usually come 2 or 3 at a time, are well armed and know ahead of time that there is something valuable in the house. They will be inside your house before you have time to react most of the time.
Usually because they are drunk or drugged out of their mind. Sometimes, especially in domestic cases, it is adrenaline/testosterone fueled rage.
One of those things they teach in culinary school. ;)
/johnny
Shooting through the door is illegal in California and will get you convicted.
The magic words in Calfornia are “I was in fear for my life”.
You can be in fear for life with some nutjob pounding violently on the door. I’ve been there myself and I can tell you I was plenty fearful because the next step seemed imminent.
The bottom line is, it would be hard to convince a California jury that a person on the other side of a locked door is a threat. How can you be 100% sure it isn’t a kid being stupid or a mentally deficient individual.
Bad as it is, you really are stuck having to wait until the criminal successfully breaches your door before you shoot. In my own home, my best strategy would be to retreat into the hall at the ready. Frankly, as long as that door holds, I don’t have to deal with what is behind it, and I like it that way. I don’t want to go to court and don’t want a shooting on my conscience. Not even a good shoot in self defense.
If I can make it to the end of my life without drawing blood from anyone, I’ll be a happy camper.
Glass cutter? Suction cup?
Criminals don’t have that kind of intelligence.
Most criminals are just selfish punks with low empathy. They are opportunists. They see an opportunity for gain at low risk, and they just take what they want.
They aren’t even good at crime.
The average person from Free Republic would be vastly more successful at perpetrating crimes without capture, than your garden variety idiot bozo criminal. Seriously. People here are capable of planning ahead, researching, assessing risk, and executing on a plan.
I mean, if I murdered someone, I wouldn’t dump him in the local empty lot. I would put him in the trunk and drive all night, half way across the nation if need be, and bury him on some empty rural land that isn’t likely to be visited by people for years. I mean, you can drive 500 feet off the road in places in Nevada, New Mexico or Utah where nobody ever stops unless they break down and there is nothing in either direction for 20 miles, and just bury him 100 feet off the road.
If I were a burglar, I would stay at a hotel and then rob subdivisions far from my home.
Criminals rob people in their neighborhood and their daily walk. Criminals are generally lazy. Planning and executing an intelligent crime is too much work for them and gives them a headache.
Your average criminal is just a punk who sees an opportunity for gain without getting caught, and takes it.
Now add drug use into the mix, and you’ve got someone barely capable of thought.
Glass cutter? Suction cup?
Criminals don’t have that kind of intelligence.
Most criminals are just selfish punks with low empathy. They are opportunists. They see an opportunity for gain at low risk, and they just take what they want.
They aren’t even good at crime.
The average person from Free Republic would be vastly more successful at perpetrating crimes without capture, than your garden variety idiot bozo criminal. Seriously. People here are capable of planning ahead, researching, assessing risk, and executing on a plan.
I mean, if I murdered someone, I wouldn’t dump him in the local empty lot. I would put him in the trunk and drive all night, half way across the nation if need be, and bury him on some empty rural land that isn’t likely to be visited by people for years. I mean, you can drive 500 feet off the road in places in Nevada, New Mexico or Utah where nobody ever stops unless they break down and there is nothing in either direction for 20 miles, and just bury him 100 feet off the road.
If I were a burglar, I would stay at a hotel and then rob subdivisions far from my home.
Criminals rob people in their neighborhood and their daily walk. Criminals are generally lazy. Planning and executing an intelligent crime is too much work for them and gives them a headache.
Your average criminal is just a punk who sees an opportunity for gain without getting caught, and takes it.
Now add drug use into the mix, and you’ve got someone barely capable of thought.
Excellent point.
I’m wondering if the ‘Castle Doctrine/Stand Your Ground’ covers shooting thru a door at an assumed threat? 2-3 coming thru at a time presents a lot of ‘centermass’, doesn’t it? LOL.
All the more reason they present a clear life threat, and to shoot them, IMO.
I would be worried about multiple rounds traveling beyond your residence and perhaps striking a neighbor's home across from yours. A better defense would be to see your target and shoot accordingly. Not a good idea to shoot through the door, especially multiple times.
Might be an idea to keep a pressurized party air horn (of the variety used at sporting events), and blast it near the door or out an open window. That might be enough to frighten off the perp, and also alert neighbors to take a peek. (I keep an air horn handy just in case.)
That’s a darned good idea. I have one, but need some cans of compressed air, which I’ll pick-up today. I still like to hear Mr Kimber and Mr Remy ***bark***, though... but prudence is wise. Thanks for the tip.
Air horns are good non-lethal tools to have around.
Damn, I thought I had a lot of stuff attached to my Mossberg 590! The key ring on your pic doesn’t look too stealthy.
I picked-up 5 refill cans of comp air at a local Ace Hardware today, since they were on sale from $24.90ea to 5 for $50.00!
http://safetycentral.com/airhoemalstr.html
Stored in a cool, dry basement with my SHTF supplies, the 4 extras will keep for many years, sealed.
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