[tpv]

Well, I got a call from my wife one about 9:30 this morning.
She was about to get in the shower when the door bell rang. The guy rang it again, then jiggled the handle. Then he goes to the back door and looks inside the house. This gave my wife time to pick up the loaded 357 and pull the hammer back. Since its hard to see inside our house from outside, he looks inside but doesn't see her and tries to jimmy the lock then tries to kick the door down. With my wife five ft away inside and the pistol pointed at his chest, she says," You come in this house and I will blow your XXX head off".
The guy ran away and the police are all over the neighborhood now looking around. She was shaken but I know she would have done it. I'm proud of her.
We moved out to a country area to get away from that kind of thing in the city and here it happens again. What if she was in the shower, or what if we weren't home?
As it is, I just need to fix the rear door but it could have been a lot worse.
The police said she would have been well within her rights to fire. She could have shot when he kicked at the door as she was in fear of her life. Prison is too good for people like these.

I think I'll take her to dinner tonight!

 

[Helix]

Been in that exact stuation myself. In my case I didn't have to tell the guy I would shoot as my flashlight with gun backup sent him running off but you never know how you will react in that situation until you are standing there with the gun in your hand. My wife and I moved out to the country for the same reasons. What we found is that these days there are criminals in the country too it just takes the cops longer to get there when you need help. We have a saying, when seconds count the police are only minutes away. I carry all the time even while at home and keep a piece stashed in several safe places around the house for the wife. The bathroom might need accessorizing with a 40 SW. Thank God for safety.

It's not just the two legged predators to watch out for in the country as I had an encounter with a cougar on my street and a free roaming wolf hybrid. Neither required shots fired but it was nice to know I had the option if these animals were not scarred off by a shout or a honking car horn.

One piece of warning. Shooting through a door might get you into trouble in some places. There was a case here in WA state not too long ago of an innocent guy that got shot through a motel door. Not saying the creeper at your place was innocent but it presented some interesting challenges to the defence arguing that the defendant was in fear for his life if the door was still closed. Just food for thought. Hope the cops catch the guy and he does not bother you again.

 

[Helix]

A well trained German shepherd also helps to deter crime at our place. The night we had the attempted break-in she was sleeping in the detached garage. Now she has a little house by the back door which we like much better.

 

[kdub]

Dang, Tom!

That was close! Sure is a shame something like that happens, but your wife took the proper action. Glad she was unharmed and had the presence of mind to get the handgun. Too bad you weren't there to ventilate the door while he was kicking on it.

Yes, crime in the country is getting just as bad as crime in the towns anymore.

 

[tpv]

Yea, she was pretty rattled. She would have done it, but living with yourself afterwards would be hard for her.

 

[tpv]

update,
my son left our house and drove around some county roads. He found the guy. Orange hat, green jacket, so we all jumped in the car, called 911, stopped him and waited for the sheriff to come where my wife could ID him. Three sheriffs cars came speeding up to us and they have the guy now. How about that!
By the way, the police said that as long as you are in fear for your life,which my wife was, you can use whatever means up to and including bang flop. You don't have to be inside your house.
The guy said he didn't have any money and was hungry, pretty good motive to me.
Maybe tomorrow will just be a normal day.
Happy Presidents Day-
Oh yea, the weapons used for ths hunting story
My wife has a 7 shot Taurus 357 with a light trigger, and I have my Taurus hammerless snubby 38. The guy stopped when he saw it.

 

[Shawn Crea]

Happy 'almost-ending' Tom! Hope the courts finish up - satisfactorily - you and your family's good work.

 

[jodum]

Now everyone gets to go to court for the next three years. Glad it all came our good though.

 

[tpv]

we just hope tomorrow is normal!

 

[Helix]

awesome ending to the story. Hope you get a good judge.

 

[miestro_jerry]

We have Rufus guarding the house, and around my place gun shots day or night are normal. Our sheriff said that we have the right to protect our homes, our family and our land with deadly force as that the deputies pretty much take reports when they show up 30 to 60 minutes later.

Jerry

 

[kdub]

Tell Clay he done good, Tom!

 

[MikeG]

Wow. Can't believe you caught him. Good for you. That was right after I talked to you this morning.

 

[tpv]

Yep, never a dull moment.
The guy tried to kick the door in with my wife standing about 8 ft away and the hammer back on the 357. If the door would have come open, he would have been dead, cause I know Chris would have killed him. She never cusses, but she hollered out "You come through that door and I will blow your XXXXXXX head off" (For effect, don't you know) He ran like heck.
She took a sleeping pill and is settling in now. Our dumb dog was sound asleep during the whole thing.

 

[tpv]

I think the Sheriff's people were disappointed she didn't shoot.
I shouldn't say it that way. Let's just say they told us we were well within our rights and leave it at that.

 

[MikeG]

Dugie the rib-stealing dog? Good thing the guy wasn't covered in ketchup, he'd have been dead...

On a serious note, yeah, I'm glad we have a right to defend our homes. Don't want to have it come to that but sometimes it happens.

Glad to hear it worked out OK. The cops will probably arrest that guy many, many more times in his life.

 

[45_70Sharps]

Living in the country isn't a guarantee any more. Drugs are way to common everywhere plus the dirtballs travel to find a target sometimes.
Glad that everything came out O.K.
I live very rural and I worry about my daughter all the time. She's only four, but she is getting older and the day will come when she's not under constant supervision. Bad people everywhere. It's sure not like when I was a kid. It has been nearly 40 years since I was in first grade, but I use to walk to school some of the time back then and there wasn't much to worry about back in those days.

 

[slim 60]

i compliment your very brave wife.. i do wonder if she had a chance to call 911 .. at our house i keep my gun on me ..but a telephone nearby.. the plan is to call 911 ,and if at night tell them to come in sirens loud as can be..this to help me avoid killing a leo..i hope this would be standard procedure..
i really think your wife is just on the ball an reacted the way you half to when that kinda danger ,threatens..im glad he never made it in the house ..
this way your wife doesn t have to deal with the trauma of killing the man..
now i use to live 20- 30 min from any possible deputy from making it to our house.. my wife was instructed to shout them to leave an put a rnd into a thick floor ..this to leave the guy no doubt about whether she was bluffing..
so tell your wife ,we proud of her this morning.. slim

 

[Cavitation]

Good to hear stories like this that come out well. I hope they can stick it to this waste of air.

My wife before we got married lived alone and had someone breaking into her house while she was gone and driving up the driveway at night. I gave her a crash course on handgun safety and handling and left her my 1911. She did not believe she could shoot someone and not go to jail. So I printed out the Maine state law to her about self defense. It states here that if you feel a danger to life or severe bodily injury your may defend yourself by any means (in a nutshell). But you always have to be prepared to justify it in court. With all that said. It is better to be judged by 12 than carried by six. I moved in with her a couple months latter and got the word out in this little town that anyone caught screwing around would be shot. I have never had anyone pull anything else since. It just goes to show that these criminals are such pussies and prey on women as easy targets. Well not all of them! And yours abviously is not one of them.

Again good to hear it worked out so well and your life was only a "little' interrupted.

AL

 

[Range Junkie]

Your wife did a good job but I'm glad she didn't have to shoot the guy. Who knows how she would have been able to deal with it.