HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS — Police believe two men specifically targeted a homeowner in a late-night home invasion that ended with one of them killed and another gravely wounded. The event happened late at night during a week day. The homeowner awoke to find his back door kicked in. When he went out to his car to get his handgun, he turned around to face two intruders. He used the handgun to shoot both of them — one dying at the scene and another escaping. That second suspect was found by police at a hospital some distance away from the event. After he is stabilized, he will be charged with the burglary.
According to KWTX News, the homeowner will not be charged with shooting the two suspects and police believe he was justified in his actions. Their preliminary investigation lead them to believe he had been targeted specifically. That reason was not published in the news article.
I would have liked to see the guy have his gun near him versus in a vehicle. What would have happened if the intruders had got to him before he managed to get to his car? What if the intruders — who police believe were there to burglarize the house — sacked his car before heading inside?
There’s a lot of ‘what if’s that result in a very different ending to this story.
Also, if he knew there were some number of intruders in his home, why wouldn’t he wait outside until police could arrive? Then again, perhaps he didn’t have his cell phone on him or it wasn’t charged.
Instead of telling you what I think about all of this, perhaps our readers can come up with some good explanation for why they would go back into a home after they managed to get outside safely and secure a firearm.
I look at it like this: police are much better trained than I am and they have numbers. If they’re on their way and I have no pets or family members inside to concern myself, I may just as well let them do the heavy lifting.
Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below. As always, we welcome discussion because we’re always trying to improve our own understanding of the defensive mindset law-abiding citizens use to protect themselves.