LONG GROVE, ILLINOIS — A homeowner awoke at approximately 4 a.m. to the sounds of an intruder attempting to break-into his home. He retrieved a semi-automatic pistol and confronted the intruder. During the confrontation, he fired four times, failing to hit the suspect even once. The suspect fled the scene and was apprehended a short time later while he was changing a flat on his vehicle.
According to the Daily Herald, Lake County sheriff’s office discovered the suspect, Erik G. Mota, 28, near the scene of the crime changing a tire on his car. His description was matched to that of the suspect involved in the home invasion. Two vehicles were allegedly burglarized in addition to damage done to the property.
Mota had a bullet hole in his pants leg but did not appear to be hit from gunfire.
Detective Christopher Covelli, a spokesman for the Lake County sheriff’s office, had this to say:
“He (the resident) fired four times. One of the rounds appears to have struck Mota in the pants leg, one of the rounds hit Mota’s vehicle and the other two missed,” Covelli said.
In regards as to whether or not the homeowner would potentially face charges, Covelli says that the man is not being charged but the ultimate decision will come from the State Attorney’s office.
“Ultimately, that’s a decision the state’s attorney makes in cases like this — the defense of property or life,” Covelli said. “At this point, the homeowner is not being charged.”
The homeowner was successful in repelling the intruder but as we can see, his marksmanship certainty left something to be desired. Before boo-hooing it too much, let’s consider that the stress of waking up from a dead sleep to a potential life-or-death situation is not how anyone wants to wake up.
These are the real life situations people face. It’s a great question we can then pose upon ourselves. As gun owners and concealed carriers, are we anymore prepared?
If that answer is only a ‘maybe’ or even a ‘no’, good job on being honest with yourself. It’s a lot more difficult to improve on something that you refuse to acknowledge. We’re not all some Wild West gunslingers — we’re ordinary everyday citizens with an honest desire to protect ourselves, our family, and our home from harm. The first step to upping our chances of prevailing in a defensive gun use situation is training for the right mentality.
Marksmanship is just one part of this. It also comes with fostering a sense of situational awareness and learning to hone and harness yourself in high stress environments. Be safe and stay ready.
