TALLADEGA, ALABAMA — An alert 11-year-old boy turned the tables on a home intruder when he grabbed a 9mm handgun and started firing.
Chris Gaither is that boy, and he was home alone Wednesday morning when the trouble started. Someone had broken in to his home and started walking upstairs. Scared but level-headed, Gaither grabbed a 9mm handgun to defend himself and his home.
“When he was coming down the stairs, that’s when he told me he was going to kill me, f-you and all that,” Gaither said.
The intruder made it out the front door with a hamper in hand.
That’s when Gaither started firing off bullets. As the intruder was about to jump a fence in the front yard, Gaither’s 12th and final shot hit the suspect in the leg.
“I shot through the hamper he was carrying,” Gaither said. “It was a full metal jacket bullet. It went straight through the back of his leg. He started crying like a little baby.”
During the altercation, the intruder pointed a gun at Gaither but did not fire. He apparently didn’t know who he was dealing with.
“When I pulled the gun, I guess he didn’t think it was a real gun because he kept on walking,” Gaither said.
The intruder, not yet identified, was taken to the hospital and treated for a gunshot wound to the leg.
Gaither credits his step-father’s training for his ability to defend himself with the firearm.
Gaither ended the interview with a message to the injured intruder, hoping it’ll sink in. “I hope you learned your lesson for coming to this house trying to steal stuff.”
