Burglar at night (very long)

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Oakville Shooter,

I dare say that any Houstonian who shoots an intruder breaking into his home in the middle of the night would have no trouble with the police or the DA today. As an example, I submit Mr. Horn, the gentleman in Pasadena (a suburb of Houston) who shot two burglars leaving his neighbor's home in broad daylight who was no-billed by the grand jury. (If you shoot someone in TX, no matter how righteous the shoot, it is submitted to the grand jury to ensure that it is not a murder in disguise.)

I would bet that the majority of Houston cops if asked how a homeowner should respond to an intruder climbing through their broken window at 2:40 in the morning would respond "shoot him."

Most Houstonians to whom I have told my story have marveled at the fact that I didn't shoot him.
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I have no doubt that you would have been in the right with the law had you shot the intruder. I can not tell you that in your position, that I would not have shot him. I very well may have, and I too would expect to be in the right legally. It just struck me as odd that he said that you should have shot the guy after the situation was "peacefully" resolved.

You were right for not shooting. You would have been right if you had shot. As already said, glad you and your wife came through this unscathed. Also, I forgot in my first reply, thank-you sir for your service.

Oakville Shooter
 
Thanks,

If you had asked me before the event what I would do, I would have confidently told you that I would shoot the bad guy. If he had been quicker breaking in, if I hadn't had time to put on pants, or if I had awoke to the sound of breaking glass rather than the doorbell, I probably would have.

When we discuss scenarios here on the High Road, most posters seem to envision pretty clear cut scenarios. Nobody stresses issues such as not having any clothing on, waking to doorbell vs. glass breaking, what is in the background where the bullets may impact or a shirtless, fingernail clipper wielding intruder in the shoot / don't shoot decision. In truth all these things influenced my decisions as I tried to determine the course of action that would yield the best results.

I would like to write something the OODA loop and the mental process that I went through, but I am not sure I can do it justice. I suppose the simple version is that by waiting in the dark, I gave myself time to think, so when I did finally suprise the bad guy things happened so fast that I was inside his OODA loop , and in control of the situation. Of course at the time, I was not thinking in terms of OODA loops. I am simply trying to describe the event in terms that might help others gain more from my experience.
 
Well done 545, its always good when you make it out safely and (allthough some would disagree) didnt have to take the shot. Lots of times with these situations, armchair commandos say they would come out guns blazing rather then recognize that there are neighbors homes behind the bad guy.

rondog. OODA is a military acronym that stands for: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act.
 
545days -- Thank you very much for sharing your remarkable story. You handled the situation incredibly well

Your write-up was superb, but I wonder if you could tell us more about the after effects on your wife and you. Most people find it takes a good while to recover from an experience like that. Were you jumpy at home? Nervous in crowds? Restless or lethargic? Did it permanently change your outlook and sense of security?

I think it is incredible that he got probation considering he confessed to 40 break-ins, and expected your wife to be there alone. This guy was a serious danger to the public and needed years in prison. Has Texas come to this?
 
545

Great outcome.......way to maintain your cool. Glad all went well. Thank you for your service to our country.

Bill
 
545: good story, and have you ever considered the glaser safety slugs for your handgun? It's basically a shot-filled pistol round designed specifically for these kinds of situations.
 
rondog. OODA is a military acronym that stands for: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act.
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Thank you! Good answer, short and to the point!

Quote:
I'm sorry, but what does OODA mean?

For a definition, see highlights of OPs last post:


Quote:
I gave myself time to think, so when I did finally suprise the bad guy things happened so fast that I was inside his OODA loop , and in control of the situation.

For more information, see the following link for a THR thread on the subject:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthrea...ight=ooda+loop
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Bad answer. Long, evasive, and no help whatsoever.
 
Travlin,

Other than a new found enthusiamn for firearms, the experience really didn't change my wife. (And to be honest, she is far from a firearms enthusiast. She will however go with me to the range occasionally.) Having children to defend changed her feelings about shooting bad guys with far greater power than this experience did. Today, she would cap an intruder to protect our children in a heartbeat, and probably never even feel badly about it.

At most, it taught her not to stand out from the crowd. The wreath that decorated our door, was an indicator that a woman lived in the apartment. It went away. Her car choice changed from a British racing green Jaguar to a non descript tan Ford Taurus back when the Taurus was the best selling car in America and there was one at every corner.

As to me, I went from being an insufferable, smart-ass lieutenant to being, well... the same.

Never any nightmares, PTSD or psychological issues for either one of us. The panty burglar is now just a funny story that I tell to entertain. This write-up is the first time I have relayed the story in a serious manner in many years.
 
545 Days --

Thanks for the follow-up. I am glad to hear this had no negative effect for either of you.

I think the panty burglar was lucky that your military training and disciple helped you keep cool and capture rather than kill him. Beyond training though, you displayed remarkable self control and confidence in you ability. That takes a lot of personal fortitude. Most civilians would have shot this guy.

I like your thoughts on capturing him instead of just scaring him away. Some may consider that an unnecessary risk. I've seen many comments in other threads where people said they would be happy to let an intruder run out of the house after they had confronted him. I would be worried, as you were, that he might come back when my household was even more vulnerable. I think I'll start a new thread on that question.

My thanks also for defending us all through your military service.
 
I would have been ticked that the judge only gave him probation, especially considering that the scope of his criminality extended well beyond your situation. Maybe the first cop saw that coming and that's why he said you should have shot him.
 
Excellent write-up, 545days. Thanks for posting your incident.

I have a question, though, regarding:

As soon as he is completely in the room, I flip on the light, cock the revolver and yell "Freeze - Down on the floor!" ...
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Is the Ruger a single action or double action revo?
 
FCFC,

Yes, I was guilty of shouting conflicting orders. I suppose in my mind I meant:

Step 1. Freeze!
Step 2. Get down on the floor!

But unfortunately it all kind of ran together. I suppose I am lucky he didn't respond like the old man in the movie Raising Arizona that questioned John Goodman's orders in the bank robbery scene.

I remember reading a thread recently in which someone mentioned that even when conflicting orders are shouted, police are generally pretty good at picking up body language that signals surrender and submission. In my case it was clear I had scared the poop out of him, and he appeared to almost be in shock. He complied with the intent, if not the letter of my orders.

But you are right - I am am guilty of shouting textbook conflicting commands
 
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I didn't even notice the "conflicting"orders, 545days. I interpreted them as step 1, then step 2. So did the intruder.

What kind of Ruger? SA or DA?
 
545, what is your thinking on going to single action during the incident?
 
In Washington about once every other year someone gets shot breaking into someones home. Most recent I recall is an older man of color blew away a teenager halfway through the window. Charges are never filed. Breaking into someones home justifies the use of lethal force in this state
 
I truly admire your restraint in the situation.
I've had few bad man do few bad things to me and my loved ones in the past. I know the urge to knock someone's teeth out all to well.
 
In truth, I probably cocked it because that is the way you allways see it on TV. (Go ahead and laugh at me - I deserve it for admitting that.) All my handgun training at the time had been with 1911's, so I really had not given a lot of thought about optimum presentation of a revolver in a self defense situation. On the other hand, with a 1911, once you sweep the safety off, you are cocked and ready to go, so I suppose cocking it left me in the same position I would have been had I followed my training.

I will say that cocking a pistol while pointing at someone does make an impression on him (he has watched TV too.) I don't know if it is as impressive as racking a shotgun, but it sure made an impression on the bad guy in my apartment.
 
No need to laugh. You shared a detailed story about a home intusion event.
We can all learn something from your account. And we can all praise and critique, as appropriate. There is a lot to praise in your handling of the intrusion. Well done, 545.

From what I have learned, going to SA with a revo in a SD situation is inadvisable. Most advice is to train for DA use. For that reason, I never shoot a SD revo in SA. And I have no mental plan to use SA in an actual SD event. I don't need to. My usual carry revo is DAO.

Thanks again for sharing your incident with us. It was definitely a good exercise to consider all the factors in it.
 
Nice story. You handled it well.

I can identify with the pants thing...I had a peeping tom once, and I had to get my pants before I dealt with the situation.
 
Here's why...

Quote:
Before he left the cop advised me that I should have shot the bad guy (this happened in Texas.)

Not sure I understand this. You obviously handled the situation without shooting the guy. He only had a pair of nailclippers. No where in the post did you say that you were in fear of your life. I am not saying that the law wouldn't be on your side, it is Texas after all. With him in your house, it may even have been justified. I just don't follow the cop telling you that you "should have shot him." "Could have shot him" works better for me. Also, you are probably the first person I have ever heard say that "I began to wish that I had a little less gun than the .357 magnum." LOL

Glad that you had a gun that night and that you and yours came through it ok.
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1. Because it is dark, I don't for certain what weapons he has.
2. Becuase I am an old fart, he might be fast enough to wheel around and take me before I can shoot. Your average teenager makes me look REAL slow.
3. Because his very presence is a threat to me, my wife, and my kids and I will not allow that threat.
4. Because I have a hard time getting to sleep and he woke me up.

When he stepped inside I would most certainly have shot him. Most likely with the 12-gauge, No. 1 buck.

Still, I believe the OP did great. Good going.
 
Wow, what an impressive description of events. What strikes me is the fact that it lasted so long that the adrenalin had worn off and you began to think very analytically. It does not seem like you ever lost your head, but by the time you were thinking of over-penetration issues, you had reached a very careful thought process. Interesting.
 
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