AKRON, OHIO — A neighbor with a history of questionable behavior decided it would be a good idea to force entry into the home of an Army vet. The vet recalled seeing his neighbor at the door and a verbal altercation took place. When the neighbor tried to force his way into the home, the vet warned him that he was armed and would defend himself.
via News 5 Cleveland
“You try to come in through this door, I’m gonna shoot you,” the homeowner said he told his neighbor. “He said, “Yeah, where’s the gun?’ and I picked it up. I said, ‘This is the gun and you’re gonna get shot.'”
That wasn’t good enough for the neighbor’s liking. He forced his way in and a physical altercation broke out. The homeowner told News 5 that he had suffered multiple strokes and heart attacks prior to the altercation taking place and believed he may suffer another. Using his firearm, he reportedly aimed at the man’s leg and shot him in the ankle.
The neighbor was injured and waited for police to arrive. He was arrested, taken to the hospital, and charged with assault and aggravated burglary.
According to the homeowner, he called out his neighbor on previous occasions for attempting to snoop in on other neighbors’ homes. He also told him to slow down when the neighbor raced down the road at high speeds.
It looks like a series of events that culminated in a very poor decision on behalf of the suspect. He thought that he could force his way inside, assault the homeowner and burglarize his home. Despite warning, despite being shown the gun that would be used to defend against his intrusion, he did it anyway.
The very best thing that could have happened in this scenario pretty much did happen. The homeowner preserved his own life, protected himself and his property, and made sure his neighbor would be locked away behind bars.
Being prepared to defend your life from someone you know, an acquaintance, or another neighbor is nothing new. We’ve reported on multiple incidents involving prior knowledge of the intruder. In all cases, the intruder didn’t seem to know or care about the potential threats he was posing to the person defending himself.
That’s why it’s our responsibility to be on top of these things. We can’t count on an intruder to stop what he’s doing just because it makes all the rational sense in the world to do so. Carry every single day, and be prepared to defend your home. No one can do it better than you.