DETROIT, MICHIGAN — Renting out rooms can sometimes be an affordable way to turn a home into profitable venture. Unfortunately for one landlady and her boyfriend, one of their tenants was not going to simply abide by the rules of the house. When that tenant brandished a gun, though, the landlady’s boyfriend was ready with a gun of his own.
According to WXYZ in Detroit, the tenant rented a room in a house in West Detroit from a landlady and her boyfriend. He came home in the early hours of the morning, 4 a.m., and began getting extremely angry when he couldn’t get in. The landlady sent her boyfriend down to let him in when they discovered the tenant was armed. When the tenant made the horrible decision to point that gun at the landlady, the boyfriend jumped to the situation and opened fire on him.
The tenant died at the scene.
Detroit police are still investigating this situation to ensure that the shots were fired in self-defense but at a preliminary glance, it does appear that the event warranted it. Drunk or not, pointing a handgun at another person is a direct threat upon that person’s life.
Increasingly, people are finding novel ways to turn their home into a profitable venture as a means to bring themselves out of poverty and assist others. Renting out rooms can be a lucrative possibility. However, not everyone plays nice.
It’s important when dealing with tenants to always be respectful and give as much space as is needed to de-escalate the situation but at 4 a.m., it’s truly difficult to judge what a person’s intentions or temperament is at.
This is a ‘Guns Saving Lives’ scenario that no landlord honestly wants to deal with but it’s a possibility. Best to be prepared, handle the situation calmly and directly, and give a tenant every opportunity to not make a foolish mistake. However, as we are taught to treat every firearm as if it is loaded, there is no fooling around when one gets brandished at you or your family.