July 1, 2009, 10:28 AM | #1 | |
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Homeowner Shoots Burglar
Here's another one. A perp with a long record broke into a house at night and ended up getting shot.
The homeowner went outside and around the house with a shotgun to confront the burglar. Things seem to have turned out OK but most experts wouldn't recommend that strategy. I would be surprised that anyone would try at that approach, but a few nights ago a friend of mine did exactly the same thing, but the people attempting to break in through a window heard him and slipped away. Quote:
http://www.thetandd.com/articles/200...6172749358.txt |
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July 1, 2009, 10:30 AM | #2 |
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Stupid.... but completely legal.
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July 2, 2009, 12:41 AM | #3 |
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Sounds like he handled it fine.
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July 2, 2009, 08:52 PM | #4 |
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Zap - immature blood lust
Last edited by Glenn E. Meyer; July 3, 2009 at 12:59 PM. Reason: See above |
July 2, 2009, 09:11 PM | #5 |
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There's no way for me to know what his situation is but I would definitely try to ascertain where the threat(s) is/are before I exited the house. Fortunately for me we're the only house for 100yds in every direction and surrounded by flat open pasture AND have motion activated floodlights covering about 270 degrees around the house.
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July 2, 2009, 10:01 PM | #6 |
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It's hard to say that what the homeowner did was smart or not tactically. It's quite possible that leaving the house as soon as the alarm went off was the smart thing to do. If you're in the back of the house when you hear an intruder break into the front of the house, immediately leaving by a back or side door might be the best course of action.
Once outside, looking to confront the intruder is a separate matter. In this case, it did not end unhappily for the homeowner. |
July 2, 2009, 10:13 PM | #7 |
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I don't see how leaving an area that you have control over to go into an area that could have any number of BGs waiting for you could possibly be the tactically smart move.
He should have retreated to a safe room and waited for the police, shooting only if confronted. If he was going to confront the BG then it was far safer to do it from inside, where he was in reasonable control.
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July 2, 2009, 10:16 PM | #8 |
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I wouldn't suggest going outside, so I am glad this turned out ok for the homeowner...for now...
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July 2, 2009, 10:19 PM | #9 |
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I guess i cant judge him since i wasnt in his shoes.But he's alive and well and thats all that counts.
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July 2, 2009, 11:03 PM | #10 | |||
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Quote:
Don't you know that in every teen slasher flick, the victim runs upstairs instead of outside!!!! And everyone in the audience knows it's a mistake. Quote:
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But assuming the decision has been made to confront the BG, doing so from the outside can provide the element of surprise and ability to maneuver. One size does not fit all, no matter what the label in the hat says. |
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July 3, 2009, 08:09 AM | #11 | ||||
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And it could put the homeowner square in the sights of a neighbor or of a policeman who had been called. A man with a gun in the dark approaches a door to a house that has another man inside when a burglary has been reported...a prescription for disaster. I'll second Peezakilla's earlier comment: "stupid." Harsh, perhaps, but properly descriptive. Again, a friend of mine took exactly the same approach the other night. The burglars heard him coming and took off. This isn't a matter of training, it's a matter of thinking. Quote:
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Far better to defend oneself from a defensive position whenever possible. |
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July 3, 2009, 08:23 AM | #12 | |
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The homeowner is lucky that this guy was just a fairly incompetent and unobservant burglar. I would have called the police, turned on the outside lights, and waited inside quietly with the gun. I doubt if he would have hung around after the lights went on. I'm glad the guy was caught but I wouldn't have risked an outside encounter especially with a wife and kids in the house in my case.
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July 3, 2009, 10:17 AM | #13 | ||
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July 3, 2009, 11:32 AM | #14 | ||
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Keep in mind that I am not arguing that the homeowner in this case did the right thing or that others should follow his model. I am arguing that "always stay in the house" may not be the right thing in some cases.
And when I say "arguing" I am not intending to argue with you. I am making an argument. My goal is not to persuade you that you're wrong. It's to explore the tactical issues. Also keep in mind that exiting the house and confronting the intruder are separate issues. I might exit a house but not confront an intruder. The two occurred in this case but are not inextricably linked as a tactical matter. But in case anyone is wondering, I recommend not getting into a gun battle (either one-sided because only you have the gun or two-sided) if you can avoid it. Quote:
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You assume that the homeowner couldn't exit quietly and surreptitiously, but isn't it possible? It certainly is from certain parts of my house (and not from others). Once again, since the sounding of a siren or horn from an alarm can block a lot of other sounds, it might be hard for the intruder(s) to hear the homeowner. And where might these intruders be lurking while an alarm is going off? We don't know since we don't know how the homeowner left the house. So if the intrusion was made in the back of the house and the homeowner had a clear view of the public street in front of his house and could see all was clear, going out the front door might be a lot safer than staying in the house. As for confronting an intruder, there are many, many risks. Assuming one has made the decision to do so, ya pays yer money and ya takes yer chances when you choose one method over another. |
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July 3, 2009, 12:28 PM | #15 |
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Tactically stupid, but even dummies catch a break every know and then.
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July 3, 2009, 12:34 PM | #16 | |
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Are there instances where one might find himself feeling safer outside? Yep. Is your alarm going off one of them, in and of itself. No way, no how.
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Nobody plans to screw up their lives... ...they just don't plan not to. -Andy Stanley Last edited by Brian Pfleuger; July 3, 2009 at 12:48 PM. |
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July 3, 2009, 12:47 PM | #17 |
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Good Guy GOOD
Bad guy NOT SO GOOD What else do ya want. Don't really care how he did it it worked.
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July 3, 2009, 04:05 PM | #18 | |
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July 7, 2009, 06:00 PM | #19 | |
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July 7, 2009, 06:22 PM | #20 |
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I would have put my house up for sale after the second break-in.
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