A Fort Worth woman reportedly turned to her firearm after pepper spray failed to stop an ex-boyfriend who allegedly entered her home without permission and attacked her.
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Fort Worth police responded to the 5500 block of Hidden Creek shortly after 7 a.m. on Saturday, June 13. The woman had called 911 and reported that she had shot someone inside her home.
According to police accounts provided to WFAA and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the woman’s former boyfriend entered the residence without her permission and began physically assaulting her.
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She initially attempted to defend herself with pepper spray. When that failed to stop the alleged attack, she drew a firearm and opened fire, striking the man three times.
Emergency personnel transported him to a hospital in critical condition. Police have not publicly identified either person, and no updated information about the man’s medical condition was available as of June 22.
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Authorities also have not announced any charges against the woman.
Pepper Spray Reportedly Failed to Stop the Attack
The shooting remains under investigation, meaning several important facts have not yet been released. Police have not disclosed how the man entered the home, whether the woman had previously obtained a protective order or whether investigators recovered other evidence supporting her account.
Reports describe a woman facing an unauthorized intruder and alleged attacker inside her own home. It also demonstrates why firearms remain an indispensable equalizer for people facing larger or stronger assailants.
Gun-control advocates often tell Americans that they should rely on police or use some supposedly less dangerous method of resistance. This woman reportedly tried exactly that. She used pepper spray before resorting to her firearm. It apparently did not stop the attack.
Pepper spray can be useful, but no defensive tool is guaranteed to work. An attacker may fight through it, avoid the spray or continue an assault before its effects become debilitating.
Police Cannot Arrive Before Every Attack
Police cannot be expected to arrive before every violent encounter unfolds. In this case, officers responded after the woman had already been forced to make that decision herself.
Texas law generally allows deadly force when someone reasonably believes it is immediately necessary to prevent death, serious bodily injury or certain violent crimes. State law also provides significant protections when an attacker unlawfully and forcibly enters an occupied home. Whether those protections apply will ultimately depend on facts established by investigators and prosecutors.
The basic lesson is difficult to ignore. The woman reportedly attempted to use pepper spray, but the alleged assault continued. Her firearm gave her another option when the first one failed.
when a problem comes along, you must whip it