Homeowner Shoots And Kills Alleged Intruder

Why do I post articles about goblins dieing as a result of their actions? Because it is important to remember why it is necessary for free citizens to maintain the right to keep and bear arms.

From 7 KLTV

Homeowner Shoots And Kills Alleged Intruder

Lindsay Wilcox, Reporting:

A homeowner shoots and kills a man authorities say broke into the family's Bullard home. It happened just after 12:00 p.m. on County Road 150 in Smith County.

The Smith County Sheriff's Department says the owner of Graham Farms came home to find a strange car in his driveway, and the door to his house open. They say Terry Graham shot and killed 34-year-old Hiram J. Chambers, of Tyler, after coming face-to-face with the man. Chambers allegedly reached for something in a bag, and authorities say they later found two loaded weapons.

How different would this story have turned out if the homeowner lived in say.... rural New York, or California?

I have to ask my usual question posed after such encounters. Was this the goblins first rodeo?

Chambers was out of jail on parole for a prior home burglary.

And we receive the usual answer.

Off-Duty Cop Helped End Utah Mall Rage

By now we have all seen the headlines and listened to the news. Sulejmen Talovic, an 18 year old Bosnian refugee, used a shotgun to kill five people in the Trolley Square Mall.

As horrific as his actions were, it could have been worse. An off duty police officer exchanged gunfire with the goblin and kept him isolated until help could arrive.

From Forbes:

Off-Duty Cop Helped End Utah Mall Rage

By PAUL FOY

An off-duty police officer having an early Valentine's Day dinner with his wife was credited Tuesday with helping stop a rampage in a crowded shopping mall by an 18-year-old gunman who shot five people to death before he was killed by police...

...Ken Hammond, an off-duty officer from Ogden, north of Salt Lake City, jumped up from his seat at a restaurant after hearing gunfire and cornered the gunman, exchanging fire with him until other officers arrived, Burbank said.

"There is no question that his quick actions saved the lives of numerous other people," the police chief said.

This incident is a graphic example of why it is so very important that folks of good will and temperament carry a firearm wherever they go. The trained, alert, CHL carrying citizen could have helped put an earlier stop to this violence. Utah is a "shall issue" state, where were the folks who have those licences?

A little background on the goblin:

Talovic had a backpack full of ammunition, a shotgun and a .38-caliber pistol, police said. Investigators knew little about Talovic, except than he lived in Salt Lake City with his mother, the police chief said. He was enrolled in numerous city schools before withdrawing in 2004, the school district said.

Talovic's aunt, Ajka Onerovic, emerged briefly from the family's house to say relatives had no idea why the young man attacked so many strangers.

And then the required "he was such a good boy" quote:

"He was a such a good boy. I don't know what happened," she told Salt Lake City television station KSL.

The fact that he was "...enrolled in numerous city schools before withdrawing in 2004" might prove that claim false.

Some quotes from eye witnesses:

Accountant Jeff Barlow was on a date at another restaurant when he looked outside and saw the gunman firing from the hip.

"I thought it was some kind of joke - some kind of movie or stunt," Barlow said. "I didn't believe it was happening. And then I saw a man go down in a courtyard. I realized this was serious. These are real bullets flying around."

His date, Stephanie Bronson, added: "Just crazy. Absolutely terrifying."

David Dean, who owns a greeting-card store at the mall, said three or four people died inside his store, which was packed with Valentine's Day shoppers.

I would not be able to live with myself, knowing that people died, and I did nothing.

Why did this particular goblin decide to go shoot up a mall? I have a couple of ideas, but I will keep them to myself for the time being. We will see what is released by the police and other investigating agencies. One thing that I am very sure of, is that this will not be the last time we hear about an incidence of extreme violence happening in a mall. First will be the copycats, those folks who are on the edge and will see how easy it is to get their 15 minutes of fame. Then there is the ever present possibility of organized terrorist cells attacking malls. I had thought this would be more likely in states that prohibited it's citizens from protecting themselves, but this incident has made me change my mind. They can attack anywhere and at any time.

If you have a CHL, then carry your firearm. If you have a CHL, know how to effectively deploy your firearm. You may be the only thing standing between a goblin like this, and your family and others in a public place.

If you do not have your CHL (CCL in other states), I would recommend that you consider receiving appropriate handgun training and obtaining one. A free citizen has the responsibility to stand against violence.

Related news: Salt Lake City killer ID'd as Bosnian teen

Also commenting:

Shooting The Messenger

Free Constitution

The War on Guns

And most likely everyone else.

84-Year-Old Homeowner Shoots Intruder

Folks often question why anyone would need a firearm for self defense, and many states and municipalities make it very difficult or even impossible for a homeowner to legally obtain a firearm to defend their home and person. I have often said that gun control laws such as the ones in Washington D.C. are not only unconstitutional, they are immoral. A firearm in the hand is a free citizens best means of self defense. Nature has provided all of it's creatures with some means of defense against predators. The gazelle has it's speed, and the porcupine it's quills. Humans have the unique ability to make and use tools, and the best tool currently available for defense against a violent predator is a firearm. A firearm is the great equalizer, it allows the weak and small to defend themselves from the strong, and the old to defend themselves from the young. There are many, many occurances of people defending themselves from violence with a firearm.

Action News 5 reports on one such situation.

84-year-old homeowner shoots intruder

Syan Rhodes reports

Police say 84-year-old Willie Hancox called 911 around two Friday afternoon to say that he had shot an intruder.

Hancox says he fired two shots, hitting an intruder twice in the head.

Hancox says he is sick of the crime in his community.

"He said if they come in the door, I'm not gonna let them kill me and he meant that," says neighbor, Dorothy Dickerson.

Dickerson lives across the street and looks after Hancox.

Dickerson adds, "I say God is good, cause they had no business in there, and whoever did that got what they deserved. And, I say it in front of they face, not behind they back and I mean it."

It sounds like the entire community is tired of crime and criminals.

Dickerson's sentiment is shared by most neighbors.

"He did the right thing," says neighbor, Markel Dickerson. "People that's law abiding people is getting tired of being pushed around by the thugs and thieves and dope dealers."

Now before anyone protests, stating that Mr. Hancox took the law into his own hands, remember that the goblin entered his home with the intent of robbing and possibly doing harm, and Mr. Hancox reacted to the situation.

This story almost had a much different ending:

That's why Mr. Hancox had a gun, one his sons recently tried to take from him.

"We came over here that Saturday morning he said, hey, where's my gun, I need it back. I told him dad, you dont' really need a gun in this house." says Jake Hancox.

Jake Hancox says after speaking with his brother, the two decided to give the gun back to their father.

Now, both brothers are glad they listened. Jake Hancox says that the situation could have easily ended the other way around.

Thank goodness the son's had a change of heart and allowed Dad his means of protection.

As for the goblin:

The intruder is listed in critical condition.

The politicians of Washington D.C., New York City and Boston would have denied Mr. Hancox the ability to protect himself from the goblin. These politicians feel that it is their right to leave an old man defenseless in his home, and easy prey for predators. These politicians are traitors to the constitution and to the people they supposedly serve.

I found this article on Keep and Bear Arms.

Home Intruder Shot Dead

This incident occurred last Wednesday, I did not comment on it as details were sketchy. Today the Star Telegram has filled in some of the blanks.

By MELODY McDONALD

FORT WORTH - A 22-year-old man was fatally shot early Wednesday after he forced his way into his ex-girlfriend's house and started kicking in the door of the bedroom where she and her boyfriend were sleeping, police said.

Police said the woman's boyfriend, 29, grabbed a handgun and started firing, hitting Sammien Chopp once in the left chest as he pushed into the room.

The shot was not immediately fatal:

After the shooting, police said, Chopp got into a 1990 white Jaguar and tried to drive to a hospital.

Shortly before 8:30 a.m., a patrol officer saw the Jaguar driving erratically along the northbound service road of Interstate 35W just south of Berry Street. When it stopped in a traffic lane, Thornton said, the officer got out of his patrol car, put the Jaguar in park and discovered that the driver had been shot.

An ambulance took Chopp to John Peter Smith hospital, where he died at 9:14 a.m.

This next paragraph is not very clear on who called 911. It appears that a neighbor called 911, not the occupants of the house where the incident occurred. If that is the case, that was a very big mistake (the first of a couple). If you are involved in a defensive shooting, you need to be the one to call 911. It is not just your responsibility, it goes a long way towards painting yourself as the good guy in the eyes of the police and the district attorney (LawDog has more on what to do after a shooting here).

In the meantime, police received a call from a house in the 5600 block of De Cory Road, where Chopp had been shot. At the time they did not know it was related to the man in the Jaguar.

The man who shot Chopp had left after the shooting, but police called him, and he voluntarily went to the Police Department.

"We interviewed him and he was released based on the statement he gave and the statement of the witnesses," Thornton said, declining to release the man's name because he was not arrested.

The good guy left the scene and had to be called by the police. A great big NO NO. He is very lucky that he has not been charged with anything. Leaving the scene is probably the worst thing you could do after a defensive shooting.

This may explain why the D.A. and the police have taken the good guys word even though he left the scene:

According to court records, Chopp has several convictions for drugs and one for evading arrest. At the time of his death, he was awaiting trial on two drug charges, one for unlawful firearm possession, one for resisting arrest and one for assault causing bodily injury.

You can read the article in it's entirety here.

Finally, a Police Spokeswoman Gets It!

I think I am going to have to add the Albuquerque Tribune to my often read newspapers list.

While looking around for this afternoons topic, I found Alphecca had commented on a WorldNetDaily article titled "FIGHTING BACK 3 home intruders shot dead in Albuquerque". This article quoted the Albuquerque spokeswoman making some very interesting comments. These comments are not what I have come to expect to hear from police spokes-folks, so I decided to dig a little deeper and came up with this great article in the Albuquerque paper:

Using deadly force is legal

By Michael Gisick

The car in which Raymond Gabaldon died, according to Albuquerque police, had been reported stolen on Dec. 7, Gabaldon's 40th birthday.

Two weeks later, on Dec. 22, Gabaldon drove the car onto Desert Drive in southwest Albuquerque, where he chose a house in the 600 block and broke in, police say.

He'd done stuff like that before: twice in 1986 and again in 1992, 1996, 2005 and 2006. Burglary, robbery, auto theft, aggravated burglary, weapons, drugs. Jail. Probation.

There was a warrant out for his arrest Dec. 22, for violating his probation on a previous burglary charge, when police say he broke into the house on Desert Drive and got himself shot by the homeowner.

Gabaldon retreated outside, but made it only as far as the stolen car, where police found him dead.

He was the third man in the past month shot and killed after reportedly breaking into an Albuquerque-area home. Authorities say that's more likely a coincidence than a trend.

"Hopefully this is going to send a message to people who are breaking into homes," Albuquerque police spokeswoman Trish Hoffman said Tuesday. "They're engaging in very dangerous behavior, not only to the people they're robbing, but to themselves."

"Hopefully this is going to send a message to people who are breaking into homes..." Now that is what I like to see, a police spokeswoman supporting the right of citizens to protect themselves, and sending notice to the goblins that the police stand with the citizenry on this issue.

I do have to note that this particular incidence would not have taken place if the criminal justice system had done it's job. This goblin had a long history of similar crimes and should have been segregated from society long ago. The criminal justice system failed to do it's job, a homeowners life and well being was jeopardized, and the goblin was killed. I guess we can chalk it up to "all's well that ends well".

Things We Can Learn From the Daily News

In looking for interesting topics to comment upon each day, I read through several news papers. I generally start with the major Texas papers, then on to the Denver Post, the LA Times and the Seattle Times. I find articles in the smaller papers via Keep and Bear Arms and Google. There is a lot to learn from articles on the use of firearms for self protection. Today we have a couple of good examples.

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

Two dead, one injured in shooting near Packwood, Lewis County

PACKWOOD, Wash. -- Gunfire that killed two people and injured one exploded near this Lewis County community Wednesday, when a homeowner found a visitor from Las Vegas breaking into his gun safe, the sheriff's office reported.

The homeowner said a male friend from nearby Morton arrived in the morning for a visit, along with two women and a man from Las Vegas, Nev., whom the homeowner did not know, said sheriff's Chief Criminal Deputy Joe Doench.

The homeowner told investigators he became suspicious he was being distracted by three of his guests, Doench said. Armed with a semi-automatic rifle, he directed the visitors to another part of the house.

There, he said he found one of the women had broken into his gun safe and was removing weapons, Doench said. She then shot the homeowner once in the ear with a rifle, giving him a superficial head wound.

The homeowner returned fire, killing the woman.

In these four short paragraphs we learn some valuable lessons. It is very likely that these "visitors" planned on stealing the firearms from the get-go. It appears to be the whole purpose of the visit. This leads us to lesson number 1.

1. Do not advertise the quantity and type of firearms that you own. Lots of folks know that I am a firearms advocate, very few know the extent of my small collection. Just as you would probably not inform a casual acquaintance that you have $20,000 worth of jewelry in your home, don't brag on your firearms.

(Note: The tornado sirens have just gone off)

2. "...he said he found one of the women had broken into his gun safe and was removing weapons" That was not a real gun safe. It sounds like it is one of the gun lockers made by Stack-On and others that are made to keep firearms out of the reach of children, but are not a deterrent to thieves and fire. If you have a quantity of firearms, protect them with a decent safe (also a good place to put that $20k worth of jewelry).

The first two lessons are common sense to many that read this blog, the third lesson is a habit that is not practiced by many.

3. "Armed with a semi-automatic rifle, he directed the visitors to another part of the house." The homeowner had a firearm at hand and at the ready, even when he was secure in his own home. This topic comes up for discussion fairly often on the gun boards, being armed in your own home. This incident shows that having a firearm handy at all times could save your life. Is there any doubt what the outcome would have been if the homeowner had not been armed and taken action?

Another incident with a good lesson occurred here in Texas and is reported in the Houston Chronicle:

Camera tips off men to robbery

By RENÉE C. LEE

CROSBY — Startled by a loud noise in the middle of the night, Jay and Russell Jefferies stumbled from their beds early Wednesday to view the monitor of their home security camera to see what had interrupted their slumber.

What they saw jolted them awake.

According to authorities, four heavily armed men were outside their small house in the 3900 block of Crosby Barbers Hill Road trying to kick in the front door about 2 a.m.

The Jefferieses, whom investigators think are brothers, rushed to grab their shotguns and opened fire as the intruders burst through the door shooting, said Harris County sheriff's Sgt. N. Araguz. One brother managed to call 911 in the midst of flying bullets, he said.

By the time Harris County sheriff's deputies responded to the weapons-disturbance call, two suspects had been fatally wounded.

This lesson is an easy one, install cameras at the entrances to your home or apartment. Basic two camera systems that interact with your television are inexpensive and easy to install. Motion sensor porch lights and cameras in addition to your alarm system will go a long way towards securing your home.

It could be said that another lesson learned form the above incident is that a shotgun makes a fine home defense weapon, sure seemed to do the trick this time.

As you can see, news articles can be a source of ideas for what works, and what may not. Most times the author is not very knowledgeable about firearms, but you can still glean some good stuff between the lines.

(Tornado update: A funnel formed and touched down not far from here. It did not last long and now all is well in this area. The radio reports that so far 18 tornadoes have formed in this storm system and there have been a couple of fatalities)

Breaking News!

Tuesday of last week I commented on a Knox County commissioner did not let a gunman rob his business. Instead he pulled out his own gun. To refresh your memories, a goblin named Kane Stakehouse attempted an armed robbery of an auto dealership owned by Commissioner Lambert. The goblin attempted to draw his firearm, the commissioner outdrew him, and the goblin went to jail.

Since that incident, there has been quite a few editorials and comments written lambasting the commissioner for his actions.

The Metro Pulse had this to say:

Knox County Commissioner Greg “Lumpy” Lambert, the used car dealer who once offered a firearm with each vehicle purchased from his North Knoxville car lot, is still employing guns in his latest bit of showboating.

In the process, he has shown himself to be a danger to himself and others.

His confrontation with a young man last Saturday at his dealership is an example of Lambert’s lack of judgment.

There were some others, but the worst site is not up at the moment. So, did Commissioner do the county a service by being a responsible citizen and carrying a firearm? Or was he showing a lack of judgement?

Say Uncle caught todays breaking news that answers that question.

“Breaking News: Stackhouse to be charged with Murder”

Yes, the goblin is being charged with murder. It appears that he shot and killed a truck driver just hours before attempting to rob the commissioner.

From KnoxNews (several hours after bloggers broke the story):

But Hutchison told commissioners that a grand jury is expected to hear evidence Tuesday linking the man to the slaying of David Lindsey, 53, of Knoxville.

Lindsey was found lying in the parking lot of Walgreen's, 5320 Clinton Highway, just after 3 a.m. Nov. 11 by a fellow truck driver, according to the Sheriff's Office. He had been shot in the head and leg, and he died later at the University of Tennessee Medical Center.

"We're charging this person with murder -- a murder he committed 10 hours earlier (than his encounter with Lambert)," Hutchison said while praising Lambert's actions.

"What (Lambert) did, probably saved his life."

Yes, commissioner Lambert not only saved his own life, but also the lives of others that this goblin would have came into contact with later in the day.

I wonder if all the folks who wrote comments critical to the commissioner will be just as quick to apologize now that it has been proven that he was correct in his judgement.

Man who kicked in door is fatally shot

Our local paper, the Fort Worth Star Telegram, reports on the following incident:

A 22-year-old Fort Worth man died early Saturday in Tyler after he kicked in a door and was shot multiple times by the homeowner, police said.

Another home invasion stopped by the judicious, legal use of deadly force. Another homeowner that would have been robbed, harmed, raped or killed by a violent criminal if it not were for the fact that the homeowner was armed. As it turns out, the homeowner was very well armed:

Robert Delk, 63, told police that he and his wife were awakened about 4:30 a.m. by banging on their door, said Don Martin, a Tyler police spokesman. As a precaution, Delk grabbed his .44-caliber Magnum, and as Delk approached the door, Herrera kicked it in.

The homeowner was 63, the goblin 22. What do you think the end result of the confrontation would have been had Mr. Delk not been armed?

The understatement of the article:

"We don't know if he was mistaken about whose house he was at or what," Martin said. "The circumstances are still unclear."

Yes officer Martin, the goblin was mistaken about whose house he was at. He thought he was kicking in the door of a defenseless elderly couple that owned a business and may have some money on hand. Definitely mistaken about the "defenseless" part.

A little history on the goblin:

According to public records, Herrera has been involved in criminal activity before and has served time in prison. His most recent sentence was three months on a criminal mischief charge. He had also been in prison for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, burglary of a vehicle and two misdemeanor charges of driving while intoxicated.

Here we have a young career predator in training, stopped in his tracks by a citizen who believed in and used his Second Amendment rights to preserve his freedom and liberty. Good job Mr. Delk. You did what was necessary to protect yourself, you wife and your home.

Read the full article here.

Intruder shot by homeowner

From Keep and Bear Arms and the LA Daily News, we find this little gem of an article:

CANYON COUNTRY - A woman shot a gang member Wednesday who had broken into her Canyon Country home while his mother waited outside in the getaway car, sheriff's deputies said.

The 29-year-old suspect, whose wounds were not life-threatening, snapped the lock on the homeowner's screen door and barged in as the woman retreated to the backyard, gun in hand, according to a sheriff's report.

A 29 year old gang banger takes Mom out on a job, just another day at the office. Except today he picked the wrong house to rob, and the wrong woman to intimidate.

When suspect Mike Lugo of Palmdale approached the woman about 10:45 a.m. through her back door, yelling at her as he advanced, the woman shot him with a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver. Frightened, she hit him twice in the abdomen and once in the leg, missing a fourth shot, Bryski said.

Three out of four ain't bad. Actually it is much better than quite a few police shootings.

What did the sheriff have to say about this?

"To be honest it's fairly rare, but occasionally it does pay off to own a gun," sheriff's Lt. Tom Bryski said.

"...occasionally it does pay off"? Well sheriff, that "occasionally" is the reason we have the Second Amendment. That "occasionally" is why our Founding Fathers gave us the right to keep and bear arms. That "occasionally" is the reason so many people do accept the responsibility of carrying a firearm on their person. Remember that, sheriff, if you are ever in the position of approving concealed weapon licences in California.

This is the best part of the article:

Lugo managed to run from the Canvas Street street house and got into the Dodge Intrepid, with his mother, Cynthia Brandon, behind the wheel, Bryski said.

Brandon, 51, drove off, but the Palmdale resident didn't know where a local hospital was, Bryski said. So she flagged down a sheriff's deputy speeding by on Soledad Canyon Road and Deep Creek Drive. The deputy was responding to the victim's 911 call.

The bad guy's Mom flagged down the sheriff as he was answering the 911 call. Looks like the homeowner had it under control. It was good of the bad guy to make it easy for the sheriff's department to make an arrest.

The article points out that there is evidence that this was not the first house on the criminals list for the day. The article fails to point out that it would not have been the last if the homeowner had not taken action.

The neighbors always have something to say to a reporter:

Eryc Fults, 39, who lives a few houses away from the victim, heard shots, but thought they were wood pallets being dropped up the street. He learned later that the woman had shot a suspected burglar.

"Good for her," he said. "Well, not good that she shot him, but if somebody's breaking into your house ..."

You had it right the first time Eryc, good for her!

Corpus Christi Teen Kills Burglar in Home

This short but sweet article from Houston Chronicle shows why firearm familiarity and safety training for your children is a much better idea than gun locks:

CORPUS CHRISTI — A 14-year-old boy shot and killed a man who broke into his family's home today and threatened to kill him and his mother, Police Chief Bryan Smith said.

Smith said the man, whose name was not immediately known, confronted a woman as she was carrying groceries into her home shortly before 1 p.m.

The man forced her inside and tied up her and her son. Smith said the woman was able to loosen the binding and free her son, who got his father's revolver from a security box beneath a bed.

As the man tried to break into the room where the two were and threatened to kill them both, the teen fired a shot through the door and hit the intruder in the head, Smith said.

The teenager either knew the security code on the box, or his mother gave it to him. There was no fumbling around for keys or other nonsense. The teenager was at least somewhat familiar with the operation of the revolver, and he killed the goblin. One goblin dead, one boy taking a very large step towards becoming a man by his adult actions.

This teenager and his mother are alive and well because there was a firearm available for protection, and the teenager knew how to use it. A teenager, one of the folks that the Brady Bunch and others are trying so very hard to keep from ever learning the safe operation of a handgun.

Man Fatally Shoots Assailant in Downtown Seattle

Beautiful downtown Seattle in the middle of the shopping district. It is a patrolled area that poses no danger for the good citizens of the city. Well, maybe not:

SEATTLE - A fight between two total strangers led to a fatal shooting in downtown Seattle Saturday morning.

It happened at Fourth Avenue and Pine Street, at 11:30 a.m., in the heart of the shopping area.

Police said a man who was visiting downtown and minding his own business was brutally attacked by a stranger. But the victim of that attack had a gun and license to carry it. So he shot his attacker.

Police said they received complaints about a man who had been harassing shoppers about a half hour before the incident. But the suspect then began assaulting a complete stranger, kicking him repeatedly.

“We heard a loud noise, we looked out the window there was a black man standing over somebody with a gun in his hand then he was walking around. And he was saying: ‘I shot him,’” said witness Annette Johnson.

This is just another fine example of why it is important to always be alert and ready for any situation that may come about. The good guy was from out of town, on business or shopping, and enjoying the day when he was attacked. If he were not armed, we might be talking about a victim, instead we are talking about a citizen who utilized his right to keep and bear arms to protect himself.

One interesting item of note in this article: The police were called about the man harassing shoppers thirty minutes before the good guy was forced to shoot him, they had thirty minutes to put a stop to this harassment.

Two Home Invasions With Two Different Results!

It did not take long to find a blog worthy article in the local news for today's post. The headline caught my attention, and I clicked on it to see what I could learn, if anything, to help bolster my personal home protection measures. This is the headline: "Man dies trying to escape home invasion". Violent home invasions are on the increase throughout the United States, and we get our share in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. What was interesting about this particular article by Bill Miller is the fact that the article covered two home invasions that occurred in the area last night. Here are a couple of clips from the article:

Home invasion #1:

A Dallas man died late Wednesday after jumping through a window to escape three robbers who burst into his apartment, north of the city's downtown area, officials said.

Sansiski Daniels, 43, died at about 11 p.m. at Parkland Memorial Hospital where he was taken following the home invasion in the 3200 block of Cedar Springs Road, a spokeswoman for the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office said.

Home invasion #2:

In another overnight home invasion, the would-be robber was hospitalized, said Sgt. Ross Salverino, a detective in the robbery unit...

...But, Salverino said, one of the residents grabbed his own pistol and gunfire was exchanged. One of the suspects was shot multiple times and the other fled. The wounded man was taken to Baylor Medical Center, but his condition was unavailable early Thursday.

No one else was hurt in the shootout, Salverino said.

One home responded as the police recommend, and as is law in some states. That man is dead. The second home responded by standing their ground and protecting themselves. Those people are still alive. Which was the better result?

Why is it that the story of the good guy that escaped injury because of his prompt action with a firearm is buried within the story where the homeowner died? If both accounts are in the same article, why wasn't the headline something along the lines of: "Home Invasion Attempt Foiled by Armed Resident"?

The moral of this story seems quite obvious. Take the necessary measures to protect yourself and your family. A good means of personal protection is a firearm. If you decide that a firearm would be a good tool to have for yourself and your family, receive quality training in the safe use of that firearm.