Home Invasion Shooting Done Right

[Bill Mattocks]

This is not a fun story, and the bad guy in this case was apparently both mentally ill and on drugs at the time; but the couple whose home was invaded did the right thing.

http://www.yakima-herald.com/storie...h-bend-intruder-convicted-of-prosser-break-in

Please note the sequence of events. They armed themselves and retreated to their bedroom. They called 911 and were on the phone with the police. They even warned the attacker that they were armed, and pleaded with him to leave the house repeatedly. When the attacker broke down the bedroom door, they fired and ended the threat (and the attacker's life). This is a textbook 'good shoot', IMHO.

This is what the anti-gun people want to see outlawed. They would prefer to see the couple found dead by the police when they arrived on the scene minutes later.

The 46-year-old tenant of the North Bend home armed himself, and he and his girlfriend retreated into a bedroom to dial 911, Strachan said. The resident repeatedly ordered the man to leave and said he was armed, but the intruder still forced his way into the bedroom by kicking the door. That was when the resident fatally shot him, the sheriff's office said.

The shots were heard by deputies already in the area in response to two other 911 calls about an unknown man's frightening behavior. Henderson had apparently earlier caused a disturbance at a gas station and then tried to break into another home.

The man who shot the intruder was distraught, Strachan said. "Using deadly use of force was the last thing he wanted to do."

However, please note:

Sheriff's investigators have said it appears the tenant was acting in self-defense, but it will be up to King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg to determine whether criminal charges are warranted. Satterberg, in an interview Monday, was quick to say that "a person may use all reasonable force to repel an invasion of their residence, including deadly force."

"The law is strong and clear. You don't have to wait to be physically attacked by an intruder; you're entitled to believe that they intend to do you harm," Satterberg said. "The only limitation on that is a focus on reasonableness. You look at whether there was a reasonable fear that the homeowner was about to be injured."

Understand that when you use deadly force, even when you are in the right, your life is not going to go on as it has before. Under the best of circumstances, there are no charges filed. Under the worst, you find yourself hiring an attorney and spending every cent you have defending yourself for having defended yourself.

Yet another reason why every one who decides to arm themselves should be aware of the self-defense laws in their state and what they mean. Laws vary by state. It's up to you to know what they are where you live. Google is your friend if you can't find them.