Abusive, Estranged Step-Father Shot In Self-Defense

HILL COUNTY, TEXAS — An abusive ex-husband got a close-range 9mm bullet to the chest when he decided to choke his 20-year-old step-daughter and threaten the lives of his ex-wife and step-daughter who were attempting to flee.

According to the Hillsboro Reporter, A woman and her step-daughter allegedly received a call from her estranged, abusive ex-husband.  He warned them that he was on his way and he was coming to start a fight.  Before both women could get into their vehicle and leave, Franky Douglas, 35, arrived on his motorcycle and jumped the fence in pursuit.  The step-daughter got into the truck while the woman tried to de-escalate the situation with Douglas.  According to testimony provided at the scene of the crime by the county Justice of the Peace, Douglas attempted to choke the step-daughter while she sat in the vehicle.  The other woman tried to distract him and during that distraction, the step-daughter was able to gain access over a handgun and fatally shoot Douglas in the chest.

He was presumed dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace Charles Jones of Itasca.  Temporary Sheriff Wes Collins believes the shooting was done in self-defense and neither women are being charged in the commission of a crime.

Violent ex-husband shows up thinking he can physically beat and abuse two family members only to get shot in the chest.

This.  This is the right ending to that story.

We always talk about the theoretical and the hypothetical, but it’s stories like these that remind us why guns aren’t some tools only for the big, bad wolf.  A gun in the right hands can bring closure to a really bad situation.  It’s unfortunate that the step-daughter, in her early 20s, had to be the agent of Douglas’ demise but in all honesty, if she hadn’t, there’s no telling what he would have done to both of them.

• Means of escape cut off?  Yes.
• Attempts to de-escalate?  Yes.
• Aggravated assault?  Yes.
• The Right Ending?  Yes and yes.