Merry Christmas, The Police Just Left My House

I think you reacted perfectly, especially coming from a dead sleep.

Best of all was not stepping outside until you saw cops on the scene. No need to engage someone outside, especially if you expect the police to roll up - they may be confused about who is the perp.

Pressing charges? It probably won't affect anything. The drunk person was going to jail and to court whether you pressed charges or not.

I probably would have not pressed charges, for a couple reasons:

1 - Likely save yourself a lot of time and hassle to just drop it.

2 - Merry Christmas! The holidays can put a lot of pressure on families. It's not an excuse for his behavior, but he might not be a typical criminal type, might just have gotten his wife the wrong color slippers or something.

3 - Probably the only chance you have for any restitution is if the drunk guy has some remorse and wants to reimburse you for damages. This is a lot less likely to happen if you press charges.

Please don't take this as any kind of criticism, it's just what I would probably do.
 
This post brought to you by all the dumb crap I see posted in T&T every week.



Should have shot him in the dark before identifying who he was. Preferably with a pump shotgun loaded with number 1 buckshot so there wouldn't be any over penetration.


Don't get excited. It's a joke.

Merry Christmas. Get some sleep.
 
I live in a pretty bad neighborhood--it is infested by drug gangs that are connected to drug cartels going down to Mexico. I've caught these guys breaking and entering other houses a couple of times--they move in groups and move fast, in and out in just a few minutes. They also have spotters positioned to tell them when the police are approaching.

they are fearless--even when spotted they know enough to simply walk away so not to attract attention. They are very well armed, I've heard entire 7.62 mags emptied in broad daylight within a block--so far they haven't blasted anyone at home--they are pretty careful to hit when they know the owner is at work and rob in broad daylight (BTW, they don't care about alarm systems). I don't know if they're armed during a robbery--but I know they shoot each other without hesitation, so I wouldn't take any chances.

These guys bang the back door in and rush in fast because the rip-off depends on being in and out before the police respond. My feeling is that I have mere seconds to grab a weapon before they're on me--my inclination is to shoot first and ask questions later since they generally hit in groups of 6 or so to clean the house out as quickly as possible. I know it's important to ID and warn before shooting--but I believe a moment's hesitation, along with the ruthless nature of these gangs--and you are likely going to be dead.

Don't know if there's a better way to deal with this (other than moving out, not easy in this economy).
 
I know it's important to ID and warn before shooting--but I believe a moment's hesitation, along with the ruthless nature of these gangs--and you are likely going to be dead.
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ID, yes. But why do you think you need to give a warning? (and the ID can be pretty rudimentary)
 
I'm guessing that if it comes to legal consequences--by letting them know they must leave now and they keep coming it raises the bar for "immediate threat of serious injury or death" I've been advised by a police weapons trainer that although the Kastle doctrine likely works in your favor--don't count on it for "carte blanche."
 
hanglider: I'm guessing that if it comes to legal consequences--by letting them know they must leave now and they keep coming it raises the bar for "immediate threat of serious injury or death" I've been advised by a police weapons trainer that although the Kastle doctrine likely works in your favor--don't count on it for "carte blanche."
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We don't have that problem in Texas. The bar is not very high if someone is breaking into your property whether it is your house or your car. If I hear glass breaking in my apartment, the intruder won't hear me dialing the police or making a sound. All he will hear is my CA 44 Spl Bulldog barking at him. I certainly would not want to give away my location inside by making a sound. My 911 call would go in after it was over. I live far way from the police, that he would have the door kicked in before the police arrive to take a report. :)
 
TexasJustice7, people responding in the manner you just described have shot: their own child, who forgot a house key and tried to sneak in via window; the new neighbor they hadn't met, who got dropped off one or two houses off by his buddies after a night at the bar and thought he was breaking into his own home; thirteen year old burglars; etc.

Advice like yours, if acted upon, might not get people indicted; however, it has good odds of making them the victims of their own consciences for life.
 
Mleake: TexasJustice7, people responding in the manner you just described have shot: their own child, who forgot a house key and tried to sneak in via window; the new neighbor they hadn't met, who got dropped off one or two houses off by his buddies after a night at the bar and thought he was breaking into his own home; thirteen year old burglars; etc.

Advice like yours, if acted upon, might not get people indicted; however, it has good odds of making them the victims of their own consciences for life.
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Sorry, I have to respectfully disagree, as I have no children who would be breaking in especially without knocking. Also cannot help it if the parents of a 13 year old did not teach him not to commit burglaries and breakins.

Lots of people don't like the laws in Texas, and can choose to live elsewhere. Lots of people in this country do not like Texas laws on capitol punishment either but those who live in Texas overwhelmingly support those laws. I have no intentions of announcing to an intruder where I am at, since if he is armed he may shoot me as he comes in. I don't control where others live, but I choose to live in Texas and I like it the way it is here. I do not recall reading about anyone shooting a drunk who tried entering the wrong house either since living here for many years. Others who do no live in Texas have to know the laws of the states in which they live and abide by them. I abide by the laws in Texas.
 
Joe,

Glad everything worked out for the both of you. Sounds like it was a pretty hairy experience.

I was awakened one time about 2:30 in the morning to some serious pounding on my front door. I grabbed my britches and my 1911 and headed to the closest window to see what the hell was going on. When I looked out I see police cars and an officer standing on my porch. I opened the door and he asked if I could come out and check if anything was missing from our truck. I went out and they had this teenager in the back seat, and my neighbor standing off to one side. The kid had somehow gotten into the truck and had some things piled up but was caught in the act by my neighbor who had just gotten off work. He said as he came down the street he saw the kid climb in the back seat and shut the door real quick. He then called 911 on his cell and walked over and held the kid at gun point until the officers showed up.

Once I let them know what was mine and what wasn't they asked me if I wanted to tell the kid anything, I said hell yes, and walked over to the open door. I told him he was damn lucky, and that he should use this experience as something to learn from and move forward with his life. He should know now, and always remember, that this could have just as easily have been his last moments on this earth, and what ever he was getting out of the cars was simply not worth it. I told him he was lucky that my neighbor had caught him since this has happened to me in the past and I am not nearly as nice as he is, and he would have been at least on a stretcher hoping he would make, it if not already gone.


This said, to be honest, I would probably not shoot someone in the act of breaking into my car, but telling the kid that scared the crap out of him, and that was the point. Hopefully he realized just how close he was to being a statistic.

Now if someone were coming into the house, teen or not, they will get one warning, my dog,
P1010027.jpg

and if they push that issue, I will not hesitate to use deadly force, no ands, ifs, of buts about it.
 
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Good job - consider it your Christmas Present !

May I suggest you also consider how you can harden your house, to make it even less inviting? We don't want to live behind bars, but there are things you can do to make entry more difficult.
 
Law vs conscience.

TexasJustice7
We don't have that problem in Texas. The bar is not very high if someone is breaking into your property whether it is your house or your car. If I hear glass breaking in my apartment, the intruder won't hear me dialing the police or making a sound. All he will hear is my CA 44 Spl Bulldog barking at him. I certainly would not want to give away my location inside by making a sound. My 911 call would go in after it was over. I live far way from the police, that he would have the door kicked in before the police arrive to take a report.
TexasJustice7 is offline
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There are 13 year old kids killed midway through an AK-47 magazine fired at U.S. soldiers who still invade the dreams of the (trained and battle hardened) men who killed them.

Texas law is no defense against one's own conscience if you have second thoughts over the death of a kid too young, stupid or peer-influenced to exercise good judgement.

Until you have done it yourself, you simply don't know.

I know from my own experiences that almost every irrevocable act I have taken has always left me with questions.

Not that I would not acquit you, TexasJustice7, if you were charged with excessive use of force and I were on your jury, or would do exactly as you describe in the same circumstances. I would probably be totally on your side.

But I would not expect either of us to survive the experienced unchanged in our hearts. Preparing for that change is also part of what the armed citizen is wise to do.

Lost Sheep
 
Well, I haven't found out any info on the guy that was arrested other than his name and I have seen his mugshot online. I can't seem to find any info on address, although I did find out that he is 25 years old.

I wonder if the police would give me more info as far as what the guy was claiming he was doing. If he was just a dumb drunk that thought he was trying to get into his own house then I would think about dropping the charges. I know the holidays sometimes bring people down to a point that they normally don't get to. All I know is that we are both fortunate that he didn't get in. Maybe I'll visit the station tomorrow and see what they will tell me.
 
The police report is public information and you are entitled to a copy; at least that is true in most states. Your mileage may vary. You should be able to look up his info on the appropriate court website.
 
LostSheep: There are 13 year old kids killed midway through an AK-47 magazine fired at U.S. soldiers who still invade the dreams of the (trained and battle hardened) men who killed them.

Texas law is no defense against one's own conscience if you have second thoughts over the death of a kid too young, stupid or peer-influenced to exercise good judgement.

Until you have done it yourself, you simply don't know.

I know from my own experiences that almost every irrevocable act I have taken has always left me with questions.
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I served in vietnam in the Marine Corp, so I know about that. I don't regret having volunteered for that, nor for volunteering for orders to vietnam. Regardless of age, when the enemy is trying to kill us in war it is either we kill them or they kill us. There are many aging veterans of vietnam now getting old. It seems that some of the young thugs want to find elderly victims. There is a lot wrong with me but theres not a thing wrong with my trigger finger. To me, it is not wrong to kill, it is wrong to murder. Murder is the taking of innocent life. If there is a criminal trying to break into my home
I have far more reason to take his life than killing enemy vc in vietnam.
I have not lost a lot of sleep over it and I do not claim post treumatic stress.

Many of the young criminals like to prey upon the elderly and disabled. While I might not shoot a 13 year old for trying to break into my vehicle if I am not in it, if I and my disabled daughter are in it, and he attempts to carjack me, I am going for my gun. Same if he invades my home. A 13 year old breaking into a home or carjacking a vehicle is not innocent. So I would have no regret in either situation. One does what one has to do, whether defending their home, or in combat. I would stop shooting the intruder in either case, when there is no longer a threat.
 
I posted this in jest
Should have shot him in the dark before identifying who he was.
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Satirizing the "I don't care who dey be, I'mma gunna shoot ehney buddy dat comes in mhy house!" attitude commonly displayed on T&T


Six posts later we get this.

TexasJustice7 said:
If I hear glass breaking in my apartment, the intruder won't hear me dialing the police or making a sound. All he will hear is my CA 44 Spl Bulldog barking at him. I certainly would not want to give away my location inside by making a sound. My 911 call would go in after it was over.
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It's a Tactics and Training Christmas miracle!
 
He then called 911 on his cell and walked over and held the kid at gun point until the officers showed up.
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So, what if the kid had tried to run off, instead of staying in the truck? Would he have shot him?
 
So, what if the kid had tried to run off, instead of staying in the truck? Would he have shot him?
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You know, we talked about it later on and he said he was just as scared as the kid was. The initial encounter was not what he had expected to have getting off work after a 16hr shift, then coming home to find that.

He said that when he turned the corner onto our street he saw the kid dive into the back seat of the truck and pull the door closed, and at that point wasn't sure how old a person he was. He drove past my house, and stopped just past his which is next door, and was already dialing the phone, before he got out of his truck. When he approached and hit the flashlight the kid simply tried to pretend he wasn't there, so he simply stood there telling him he had a gun on him and to stay right where he was. I only live about 1/2 mile from the station and believe me, when you call and mention anything to do with a gun, they get there seemingly in seconds.

If it had come down to it, he said he doubted he would have shot unless attacked or rushed, regardless of the age of the person he found in my truck. The responding officers had nothing at all bad to say about the way everything was handled, and were very professional about the whole issue.

We are all simply glad it turned out the way it did, verses how it could have.

As to actually having to use deadly force in a situation, I agree it would change my life forever, I would have issues about it. I would however have less grief about protecting myself or my family, from the actual incident, than all of the following liberal press coverage, the distraught family member of the "so called victim", and the issues of possible civil suites, because everyone knows that it's never the crooks fault.
 
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