YUKON, OKLAHOMA — A woman shot and killed her ex-boyfriend in the early morning hours of February 27th after police say he broke into her home and began attacking her. The woman was able to gain access to her handgun and fired one shot, striking the man in the stomach.
“Our understanding is that they had been in an argument that evening. She was not expecting him. And when he did arrive and broke into the residence through the window, she was alarmed and that’s when he had began physically attacking her and yelling at her,” said John Brown, Deputy Chief for the Yukon Police Department. “He was physically attacking her with his hands and had thrown her to the ground a couple of times.”
The 23-year-old man was pronounced dead at the hospital. The extent of the woman’s injuries was not immediately known. She did, however, successfully defend herself against an active threat inside her own home, something that we see happen on a regular basis.
“It’s always tragic when someone passes away or is killed, especially in this type of situation. But we also understand that in this event, the homeowner she was able to properly defend herself,” said Brown. “We don’t know what his intentions were, but we also understand that he physically broke into the house. And any type of situation like that, that’s not normal type of behavior – and in her own residence, she has the right to protect herself. We do understand that she exercised her defense mechanisms in order to save herself.”
The incident occurred just before 4 a.m. and it wasn’t clear if the woman was already awake, or was awakened by the intrusion. What comes to mind when break-ins occur during hours that most people are still sleeping, is the importance of having a defensive tool close by and easily accessible. In many cases, you’ll only have a few seconds to react in order to save your life.