I have been outlining a draft for a white paper or perhaps a short ebook on my life experiences and lessons. This is something everyone that knows me well tells me I should do. But… time always takes a chunk of of your plans.
One lesson all of us can take from this is that most of us have inadequate door lock protection. A simple pry bar is all it takes to gain entry into many structures. It’s fairly easy to install a dead bolt if you don’t have one and then re-enforce the deadbolt mounting plate. It’s also easy to mount a wireless security camera to provide break in surveillance. It’s a little odd that the perp left the door ajar, this announces entry to anyone who can see the door; it’s possible the door was damaged enough so that it didn’t stay closed when they left. Also, all firearms should be secure when we are not at home. My opinion is that TexasEskimo did a good job; he didn’t enter, he notified law enforcement, and he monitored the building until authorities came. I won’t nitpick his actions because he performed the basics adequately under the circumstances.
I agree your first two steps might have been a mistake but that’s just bad habit in human nature everything else is what a responsible armed citizens would do so good job