Not sure if this is in the right category or not. But around 0145 or so this morning my dogs started going crazy. They woke me up. My wife was in another room because she couldn’t get comfortable in our bed. I heard a knock at the front door, and we live in a rural area so it alarmed me that much more. So I jumped up unlocked the safe and grabbed one of my firearms. I went into the living room and my wife was in the hallway asking what was going on as we heard another knock. One of the dogs stayed by her and the other one was still on our bed. Little guy is scared to jump down still. But that’s a different story. I go to the door and put my hand on the knob as we hear another knock.
I yell Who is it?
Oh thank god you’re up and answered. I ran out of gas a mile or so…
You need to leave now.
But my name is Leo and I work…
I don’t give a f@@@ where you work Leo. You need to leave now.
I’m a good person and all I need is gas and…
LEO, I HAVE A GUN POINTED AT THE DOOR. YOU NEED TO LEAVE RIGHT NOW!
He mumbled something else as he was walking away. My wife went to check on our son during this and make sure his window was locked and he was still sleeping. I waited a couple minutes and went to get a flashlight and went outside to check for a car nearby or someone(Leo) walking around. Didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Went back inside. Checked the basement(we have a walk out basement). Let the dogs out and did another walk around. I thought for sure I was going to have to make a split second decision when he wouldn’t leave when I told him the first two times. I could feel my heart beating in my nose. I wasn’t thinking about it then, but afterwards when I calmed down some I was so glad to be a part of this organization and having them have my back for legal help and support calmed me down the rest of the way. Thank you USCCA! And everyone else who doesn’t think things like this can or won’t happen to them, it can. I’m very happy and thankful that I never had to make that decision last night.
@Kevin2 Perfect job Kevin, I would notify your P.D. to let them understand there’s a person or person’s working your neighborhood so they can possibly catch them.
Thanks. I actually thought my wife called last night and she thought I was calling when I went outside with the dogs the second time. I’m getting ready to go there now and talk to someone.
Great job Kevin well done
I have cameras installed and the bad guy hit two of them and knock
them out of view. ET go home, been watched and monitored. please
call POLICE and let them know. Great you have dogs too. Keep safe
with family in home and talk to police, please. I am in agreement !
@Kevin2, good job! I’d say you handled that situation very well.
And ain’t it great knowing that, if the worst happens, you’re not alone?
It really is!
I just got back from what I thought was the police station that I thought would’ve covered my house since they’re the closest. Nope. The county would come here. But they listened and said to call the county and tell them. The lady seemed a little more interested when she realized her sister lives down the street. It all she said was call the county and she would ask her sister and let her know what happened.
Do you have any neighbors, @Kevin2? It might be worth checking on them as well just in case they had any issues with the person.
One thing I might suggest because there are still good people out there, I may have offered to send a tow truck or the police to help them. Just in case it was really an innocent person in distress.
No matter what, your family’s safety comes first.
As soon as I see my neighbors I’m going to talk to them. I thought about calling the police to see if he really needed help or to stop him if he was up to no good, and when I mentioned calling the police to my wife I thought she was going to call and she thought I was. And we never discussed it when I came back in with the dogs until this morning. Kinda slipped my mind as I was calming down.
Adrenaline does funny things to your body, doesn’t it, @Kevin2? I’m very glad your family is OK and safe this morning.
Me too and yes it does. I used to be a firefighter/paramedic so I THOUGHT I knew how my body would react to the adrenaline and tunnel vision, but that was a completely different type of adrenaline and tunnel vision last night. Time to read and train more.
You’re a better person than I am, Miss Dawn. I have to admit that these actions didn’t occur to me as I thought about Kevin’s story.
That was my first thought, my second thought was why doesn’t this person have a cell phone? That was the tipper for me that this might not have been an innocent person.
And it would have taken a lot for me to pull the trigger unless they actually came into the house after being warned off.
Glad you and the family are safe and you are looking for more training. Some people on this forum feel comfortable clearing their house or scouting their land when they believe an intruder is in the area or house based on their level of training. Others view the best option of maintaining a safe position in the house and calling police to come deal with the subject(s). With out any criticism of the way you handled it, you may want to just stay in the house behind locked doors and call the police to search the surrounding property if it were to happen again just in case Leo had some friends hiding and waiting to see if you came outside.
Again, no criticism on the way you handled it. I am retired law enforcement and I think now, I would remain inside and let the on duty officers handle the situation even though I’ve had the training. Better from both a legal and a safety standpoint.
Absolutely. Give the warning, call the police (win the 911 race) and stand ready. Don’t shoot until it’s the last option.
In hindsight, that would’ve been the better option. Tunnel vision set in and all I was thinking was making sure he was gone.
Another thing that made me suspicious is that he said his car ran out of gas about a mile or so away. There are a lot of other houses within a mile. Also a gas station. And believe me, the last thing I wanted to do was pull the trigger. But if would’ve been between Leo or my family, I think we all would make the same choice.
Hindsight is 20/20, as they say. Don’t beat yourself up over it. You reacted well to the situation. Now that it’s over, learn from the experience so you can use the knowledge if there’s a next time.