Homeowner Shoots, Kills Man Who Breaks In

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

http://www.todaysthv.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=61170

Yell County authorities say a homeowner shot and killed one of two men who broke in to his home Wednesday night.

The sheriff says 44 year old Mike Jensen of Dardanelle carried an assault rifle as he made his way down the hallway after kicking in the door with another man.

The homeowner shot and killed Jensen with a shotgun and the other man fled in a vehicle.

The sheriff says it's unlikely any charges will be filed against the homeowner.

[gateley]

1. I hate violence, but

if I see some motherfucker coming down the hall toward me carrying an ASSAULT rifle, I couldn't shoot him dead enough.

[enid602]

2. ownership society

I guess this is what Bush means by the 'ownership society.'

[Mike Daniels]

52. The home owner killed a worthless piece of shit that invaded his home

If you mean by ownership society, the resident "owned" the shit pile that was carrying a weapon and kicked in the door than perhaps an ownership society is what we need.

[jgraz]

3. If only those burglars had free access to firearms, they'd be alive today

:crazy:

[L1A1Rocker]

12. Apparently you did not read the article

One of the burglars WAS armed. The home owner did real good!

[texastoast]

4. Why didn't he just shoot the kneecaps?

Not that I like shooting folks, but people need to be able to defend themselves, and the perps risked getting blown away by breaking into someone's house.

Killing someone is hard to live with, no matter how "right" someone is to do it.

[SteppingRazor]

7. Eh, dude had a weapon himself.

Shoot him in the legs, and he can still shoot you -- or a family member. It becomes a lot less likely, but it's still a possibility. In any case, I don't begrudge anyone the defense of their lives, their property or the lives of their family, particularly against armed intruders.

[texastoast]

23. Oh, I don't begrudge

Oh, yeah, if he had a gun, kneecaps aren't an option. I shoulda read the post more closely.

[gateley]

44. And not just a gun --

an assault rifle! Yikes!

At one point I was considering buying a gun and I took a police training course for civilians. I just wanted to learn how to shoot a gun out of someone's hand or, like you said, in the leg, and stop him/her from coming at me.

We were told that you can't rely on that. While you're taking aim (which is iffy at best) they could be blowing your head off.

I ended up NOT getting a gun, but found the training interesting and informative.

[benEzra]

58. I'd be very surprised...

And not just a gun -- an assault rifle! Yikes!

I'd be very, very surprised if the robbers had an actual NFA Title 2/Class III restricted assault rifle; it was possibly a poor choice of words by the reporter. An AR-15 or civilian AK lookalike is indeed just a rifle (all NFA Title 1 civilian rifles are non-automatic).

At one point I was considering buying a gun and I took a police training course for civilians. I just wanted to learn how to shoot a gun out of someone's hand or, like you said, in the leg, and stop him/her from coming at me.

We were told that you can't rely on that. While you're taking aim (which is iffy at best) they could be blowing your head off.

I ended up NOT getting a gun, but found the training interesting and informative.

Very true.

[texastoast]

68. At one time, I would never have owned a gun

But a perp broke into my house while my baby slept across the hall from me. I managed to get him out of the house by screaming out someone's name. That worked (that time), but the next day I went and bought a guard dog (recommended by the police over buying a gun, along with lighting) to sleep in the house. And I bought a seven-shot 12-gauge shotgun and a .38 with some hollow point bullets and went and learned to shoot them. This old hippie lost a lot of innocence that night. PISSES ME OFF that someone would just come into someone's home and do that to somebody.

[shireen]

9. it's not that easy to aim properly in a panicked or chaotic situation. nt

[L1A1Rocker]

14. ALWAYS shoot for center mass.

The reason to shoot someone is to STOP them from doing whatever it is they are doing. If you shoot to wound rather that to stop then you could very well end up dead.

[TransitJohn]

55. Absolutely.

No reason to even have a loaded weapon unless you intend to end life with it.

[TheFriendlyAnarchist]

15. Lol, the fucker had a shotgun, there isn't any aiming going on there.

It's more "Aim in the general direction and watch shit fly everywhere in a 2 foot spread"

The whole thing is still fucked up.

[Lance_Boyle]

18. What's fucked up? Armed home invasion foiled by armed homeowner.

Granted, armed home invasion is pretty fucked up, but I'd say death by shotgun is an accepted job risk of those who go in for that sort of thing.

[TheFriendlyAnarchist]

19. The fact that it had to come to that. The fact that they were trying to rob people.

The fact that someone is dead. The fact that the homeowner had to kill a man. It was an appropriate response, but it's sad that it has to be that way.

[gilpo]

74. Your screen name is an advertisement for this kind of thing

This scenario is the very definition of anarchy.

[benEzra]

26. Shot spread at that distance would have been less than 3 inches...

lol, the fucker had a shotgun, there isn't any aiming going on there.

It's more "Aim in the general direction and watch shit fly everywhere in a 2 foot spread"

Shot spread at that distance would have been less than 3 inches. The general rule of thumb for shot spread from a defensive shotgun, using buckshot, is around one inch of spread per yard of distance from the muzzle. To get a 2-foot spread with buckshot, you'd have to be 50-75 feet away.

At inside-the-home distances, you have to aim a shotgun just like you have to aim a rifle.

[TheFriendlyAnarchist]

32. That may very well be for this circumstance. It just said hall and I thought of mine

Ours is about 40 or so feet. Your estimation is probably more accurate for this man's situation, but mine sounds more dramatic :P

[benEzra]

57. LOL (n/t)

[krispos42]

63. Not at those ranges

In your typical house, the wad of shot probably can't get any bigger than a fist before hitting a wall.

Which is still far more devestating than the half, third or quarter of an inch that is a bullet diameter. But, yeah, you do have to aim.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

28. Too risky

Knee capping someone (especially if they are high) does not make you safe...

[TommyO]

29. I'm far from a gun nut, but I will not blame this homeowner in the least

for using appropriate force to defend himself against an armed intruder.

[slackmaster]

34. That goes against all the training I've ever had

1. Shoot for center of mass.

2. Repeat step 1 until threat is over.

[krispos42]

64. Old military rule...

anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice...

[krispos42]

65. Oops, dupe

[hootinholler]

72. Anything worth replying to...

Is worth replying to twice?

:rofl:
-Hoot

[madokie]

38. yea but letting something happen to a member of your family would be impossible to live with

I'd prolly shoot first like the homeowner did and shoot to kill not let some deranged bastard start shooting my house and family up. fuck that.

[jmg257]

40. I think he will sleep OK - it sounds like a good shoot. nt

[sendero]

41. He had a shotgun...

.. not a pinpoint weapon to be sure.

[JanMichael]

46. Because that is a damn hard shot to make, that's why

Please. The "kneecap" thing is bandied about by people who are unfamiliar with guns...but, please.

[BadgerLaw2010]

60. Because that doesn't work. Especially when they have a semi-automatic rifle themselves.

[krispos42]

62. Because then the little turd would sue the homeowner

for physical and emotional distress, lost income, loss of hearing, and loss of clean underwear!



Okay, I'm joking! :-)

Although today, it wouldn't surpise me...



No, legs are a harder shot to make than the center of mass of a human and far less certain. You don't want the criminal to fall against a wall and start returning fire. If it's come to the point where you have to pull the trigger, you shoot in such a way that your attacker is disabled ASAP. This a) keeps return fire down, b) gives you more time to deal with any other attackers that may be around, and c) minimized the total number of shots fired.

Shooting in the leg might be okay for police trying to prevent a dangerous felon from fleeing. But you're not the police and it's generally not your job nor your right to shoot somebody who's running away.

[Fed_Up_Grammy]

5. Good !

[Thrill]

6. Good. Anyone that comes in your home to steal or harm you

should get just that

[Pogue.Mahone]

8. Wow...

i wonder what the story is on this? burglars don't usually pack heavy firepower like that on jobs.

[Hobarticus]

10. My first thought, too...

Two men kick down the door with an assault rifle....sounds like there may be more to the story.

BTW, welcome to DU!

[L1A1Rocker]

16. Good for the home owner!!

[Hobarticus]

51. Not exactly something I'd call "good"

if I shot an intruder in my home. Doubt he's as jubilant as you are.

[MrCoffee]

21. you sound knowledgable re: proper armament for a home invasion

I kid, I kid!


Welcome to DU! :toast:

[Mythsaje]

11. But remember...

Guns NEVER save anyone.

[tularetom]

13. This is gonna happen more and more as the economy tanks

and the cops are unable to prevent it. Good for that guy. Unlike the asswipe in Texas who went outside after the cops told him not to and shot the 2 creeps who robbed his neighbors house.

[Zywiec]

20. What does this have to do with the economy?

Can you show me where armed home invasions increased based on the DOW, or unemployment rate?

:shrug:

[Jack_DeLeon]

61. The economy has a larger effect on the crime rate...

than useless things like more gun control.

[TCJ70]

31. People get robbed in good and bad economies...

...don't they?

[natrat]

50. come on....if food gets scarce for some folks

[Mike Daniels]

53. then have the guts/balls to rob a grocery store

Not some other homeowner.

[L1A1Rocker]

17. Good for the home owner!

[idovoodoo]

22. With any luck someone will blow away the other fucker who ran away, too.

Way to go Mr. Homeowner
edit: got names mixed up Jensen was the bad guy
:evilgrin:

[jody]

24. Newspapers often report "assault rifle" incorrectly but the intruder was clearly armed and IMO the

homeowner responded appropriately.

[Winterblues]

25. Shooting deaths seem to be a daily occurance on these boards

I wonder what it is like in a civilized world..

[benEzra]

27. In a nation of 300 million people,

shooting deaths would be a daily occurrence even if this were the UK.

Knife deaths are a daily occurrence in the USA as well, as is people being beaten to death by shod feet and bare hands. They don't get the same publicity, though.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

30. Its like the US but with Knives being used instead of guns..

"The surge in knife crime was highlighted yesterday when police announced a murder investigation after Andrew Holland, 16, died following a stabbing in Bolton. The teenager was awaiting his GCSE results this week and wanted to join the army, his family said."

[L1A1Rocker]

33. When you find one let the rest of us know

Unfortunately we are destined to live in the real world.

[ak]

35. any of you have kids

would you just let armed men come in and do what they want with your kids or wife

[Lex Talionis]

36. It also would be interesting to know what type of ..

"Assault rifle" it was. Seeing as how that description is usually wrong. Well, lets ask the antis to explain how this homeowner would have been better off without a weapon. Anyone want to answer?

[SteveM]

37. "Assault rifle" they say? I bet it was a semi-auto carbine...

Assault Rifle: rifle capable of full-auto fire. Highly regulated, registered with Feds, taxed.

Assault Weapon: term of art employed widely by gun-control groups and MSM. Probably refers to semi-auto carbine of moderate power. Many millions now owned by law-abiding Americans. This type employs century-old technology.

Between the police and mainstream media, there is a lot of intentional deception about firearms typology, the better to frighten the public with. I have a semi-auto rifle which dates to 1905. Nothing new.

[jmg257]

39. One for the good guys - nice job in what sounds like a good shoot. nt

[walldude]

42. This place never ceases to amaze me...

Good Job!! Good Shoot!! Great Job to the homeowner!... You know what, I'm not going to congratulate this poor guy. Armed men broke into his house and he was forced to defend himself. He had to use his weapon to take the life of another human being, and now he is going to have to live with that. I have known 2 people who have had to kill someone defending themselves, not in a war, and even though it was self defense these were good people who had a hard time living with what they were forced to do. One was my dad, he was a cop and shot a guy who drew a weapon on him. He never could live with what he had to do and he ended up quitting the force and crawled inside a bottle for the rest of his life. The other was a co-worker who told me that he never sleeps through the night anymore. I'm all for responsible gun ownership, this poor dude probably saved his family thanks to it, but I'm not going to sit here and cheer the fact that this guy was forced to kill someone. Luckily I've never been forced to hut anyone in my life but I'm sure if I did I wouldn't be looking for congratulations.

[jmg257]

47. You are confused a bit - we are NOT cheering the fact he killed someone, but that he was ABLE to do

what he had to. He was forced into the greatest struggle of his life (through no fault of his own) and he won. He was smart - he was armed - and he faced down some scumbag who was also seriously armed - inside his own home, and he lived!

He should NOT feel bad about surviving, even though he very well may. There is NOTHING for him, or your Dad, to feel guilty about.

[walldude]

54. Right, you aren't cheering him...

He was forced into the greatest struggle of his life (through no fault of his own) and he won. He was smart - he was armed - and he faced down some scumbag who was also seriously armed - inside his own home, and he lived!

Looks like cheerleading to me, and my entire point which seems to be escaping your grasp, is according to the people I have spoken to who have had to deal with this before, he didn't "WIN". HE took a life, justified, yes, but it won't make it any easier for him to live with it.

[jmg257]

56. Cheering him for what he was able to accomplish yes, cheering that he had to do so - no.

Maybe you don't see a difference, that's fine - I do.

And be sure - he won, no doubt about that - when the alternative was his own death - HE MOST DEFINITELY WON - and good for him.

Hopefully he won't let it get to him too much - he did the right thing and has nothing to feel guilty about.

[penguin7]

70. You are assuming that the bad guy would have shot him

And this assumption in itself bespeaks volumes for getting rid of guns.

If you assume that the bad guy with a gun is going to kill you, then the obvious thing to do is get rid of the damn guns. Clearly if this is the assumption the bad guy with a gun is far more dangerous than the bad guy without a gun.

[jmg257]

71. What gave it away - the rifle the BG had? The obvious thing is to get rid of the bad guy.

since you will not "get rid of the guns." They tried that with Alcohol & drugs, and we KNOW how that turned out. (VERY poorly)

Besides all that secured & unalienable right stuff, we also KNOW "guns" are not the only way to harm people or subject them to violent crimes. In fact approx 1 MILLION violent crimes don't involve guns at all.

Guns ain't the problem.

[krispos42]

66. We're happy he's still alive to live with it

and his family is still alive to help him through it.

[TCJ70]

67. We can't be glad that this guy survived a home invasion...

...by an armed intruder?

[opihimoimoi]

43. Smart brave guy 1 Armed Bad guy.....0

[brentspeak]

45. No problem here, as that's a justified shooting

Doesn't mean I'm on the same wavelength as the NRA on any of their ridiculous and unsafe positions, though.

[SoCalDem]

48. Well burst my bubble & call me Loretta..

I played my "Florida or Texas?" game..and damn it ended up Arkansas.. whodathunkit?:rofl:

[sampsonblk]

49. I'm good with that.

Nothing to cheer about, but I'm still good with it.

[williesgirl]

59. If someone broke into my home armed with any weapon, I'd shoot too. I feel sorry for the homeowner

having to go through this. Not the criminal. Hope they catch the other cretin.

[penguin7]

69. This is not a credible news source

"You may be surprised to know that, in 1999, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, there were only 154 justifiable homicides committed by private citizens with a firearm compared with a total of 8,259 firearm murders in the United States. Once a bullet leaves a gun, who is to say that it will stop only a criminal and not a family member? Yet at every opportunity the NRA uses the fear of crime to promote the need for ordinary citizens to keep guns in their home for self-protection. Furthermore, the NRA continues to oppose life-saving measures that require safe-storage of guns in the home"

http://www.bradycampaign.org/issues/gunrisks/riskinhome/

[jmg257]

73. Yea Brady is MUCH more credible when it comes to gun info! And Hitler was a

GREAT source for discussing the pros and cons of Judaism.

:sarcasm: (in case you missed it)


What the stats shows is that most of the million some-odd confirmed defensive uses of guns don't even require pulling the trigger. Compared to the 1 MILLION violent crimes that don't involve guns either - it's a great edge to have, and as this encounter shows, especially when the bad guy is armed.

Oh, and not really necessary to involve stats when discussing absolute rights - they are secured no matter what.

[aikoaiko]

75. The Brady Campaign uses scare tactics even worse than the NRA