Welcome to Aftermath, a portion of our First Line email newsletter where Attorney Anthony L. DeWitt walks you through a real-life self-defense incident and shares his key takeaways.
A man in Florida opened his home to his former girlfriend after she was brutally assaulted by her current boyfriend. The attack left her with broken ribs, a broken nose, and a broken jaw. The current boyfriend, a convicted felon, kicked in the defender’s door and attacked him. The defender managed to grab his 9mm and fired three center-of-mass shots, killing the attacker.
When a homeowner is aware of a credible threat, what steps can be taken in advance to improve safety without escalating the situation? What would you have done differently?
Advice from John Corriea (ASP) who has actual personal experience on this question: when you call the cops, tell them you are armed and may have to use your gun if the intruder makes it into the house. Without hearing “gun” the prowler call to 911 gets general response priority, i.e. cops will get there when they can. When 911 hears “gun” your call moves to the immediate response with lights and sirens by multiple cops priority.
Ok, you guys are so missing the obvious thing. You guys always think weapon first.
I myself throw her ass in the car and get her medical attention; the hospital will notify the cops.
This way, thinking of HER FIRST, not “Where’s my weapon?” you circumvent the whole situation.
Side note: maybe don’t hook up with a foolish woman who would seek out a violent felon.
Life is full of choices.
Actually all of us are missing obvious things… even you.
Have you noticed the is no time-frame in this story… so you either “throw her ass in the car” or “look for the weapon”. All depends on when the current boyfriend kicked in the door.
This indicates it was closed, and the article suggests he was not on the other side of the door. It suggests time has passed; she would not even make it into my house. If I see someone beaten, I take them in right away. Personally, my bag is right near the door hidden; it takes moments to grab if you know where to look, and it has a weapon in it along with all my identification and keys.
Frankly if my Ex was pounding on my door, I’d call the cops on her, and when her new beau showed up for her, I’d be a good witness.
Not my monkey, not my circus.
As to “take her ass to the hospital” mentality, maybe the hero of the story in the OP was instead waiting for the ambulance to arrive fearing that trying to transport her himself could worsen her injuries? Didn’t have a car? Maybe she refused to leave just looking for somewhere to hide?
Regardless of the Ex, a violent offender kicking down your door and making forced entry is a good shoot.
It’s weird how people say things like “a good shooting.” This ideology perplexes me.
Fear and “Dangerous World” Syndrome: This belief is deeply rooted in a perception that society is on the brink of collapse and that everyday life is filled with high risk. This fear-based reasoning is a strong driver, with owners often convinced that taking protection into their own hands is necessary, sometimes due to a lack of trust in law enforcement or other institutions.
The unseen cost of a “Good Shooting.” The psychological fallout from killing another person, often termed “perpetrator trauma” or “participation-induced traumatic stress” (PITS), causes severe, long-lasting mental health issues, including PTSD, intense guilt, shame, and depression. Symptoms often involve flashbacks, nightmares, substance abuse, and moral injury, which can persist for decades regardless of whether the killing was in combat, accidental, or in self-defense. Unless you are a psychopath, subsequently you are entirely fine with it.
Speaking of sanctimonious preaching do you ever proofread your posts?
Why do you claim to carry a gun if this is how you feel?
Personally I’ve sent two assailants to the hospital, they were trying to hurt me and failed. I don’t regret hurting them back.
That’s not fear based reasoning, and it’s not being a psychopath either.
The cops weren’t there, and much like 90+% of the REAL WORLD my self defense was in my own hands.
Others here have sent humans to the grave through the course of combat or in the line of duty. Are you suggesting they are all psychopaths for continuing to carry guns for self defense in spite of previously taken lives?
“Good shoot” isn’t a clean break statement, it’s meant as “legally justified”
One would think that someone who thinks so highly of their own intelligence would understand that.
My ex-wife came to my house one day to hide. Her new boyfriend had beat her. He had blackenedd her eye, bloodied her lip, you could see where he stomped on her (white nurse uniform) when she was on the ground. I don’t think I’ve ever been so angry in my ENTIRE life.
In all of our troubles, I never hit her, I never raised a hand to her. She doesn’t deserve to be hit by anyone, let alone a man that is twice her strength. Her and I still talk and get along great these days. She turned her life around and became a pretty cool broad. I still love her, as she is the mother of my child… and always will be.
Some years later he got 22 year in jail for drug-related charges.
I commend you for this behavior. The world needs more people with this attitude.
Sadly the world seems to be filled with dolts that fail to comprehend the meanings behind the world or a discussion and prove their mental views viciously and failings.
This might personify why your belief system might be superior to others.
“A good shooting” easy point—there is not really such a thing unless you are mentally compromised. It will haunt you. Also, there is no correlation between carrying a weapon and having to use it; this simply goes to what will happen if you have to shoot someone.
The distortion of reality and the outright misinterpretation of what is stated are also common.
Question for you: if you did hurt her, would you regret it at this point? I am imagining you would even if you didn’t have a choice in doing so. This is what makes you a decent human being. Not payback, baby; you had it coming…
Only a person with a mental disorder feels this way and acts on it.
A reasonably well-balanced person such as yourself does not relish in this type of behavior.
So thank you for your attitude; this is a really positive one and gives hope for the human race.
It is so hard to believe that random people would just want to hurt anyone for no apparent reason. However, if they knew you, that would be different; this I can understand.
