Fewer than 10% of United States prison inmates are female, and women seldom make the news as perpetrators of violent crimes. This past week, an incident in Yuma, Arizona, stood out as an exception to the latter trend.
At about 1:25 a.m., the occupants of a home were awoken by sounds coming from outside the house. According to a neighbor, the homeowner attempted to warn potential intruders that someone was home by flickering the lights.
Within moments, however, two men and two women broke in by smashing the back door and window. The homeowner then fired several rounds, hitting all four of the home invaders. That resulted in a flurry of 9-1-1 calls, both from the victims themselves and others in the area who had been startled awake in their generally calm and peaceful neighborhood.
None of the home’s residents were harmed during the incident. All four intruders made it to the hospital, before one assumed room temperature. They have all been identified as follows:
Jessica Aynes, 28, of Yuma, was pronounced dead at Yuma Regional Medical Center. Next of kin has been notified.
Thirty-six-year-old Edith Guerrero, of Somerton, was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center with a gunshot wound and later flown to a Phoenix-area hospital.
Jaden James, 18, of Mesa, Ariz., was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center with a gunshot wound.
Twenty-seven-year-old Leonardo Gonzalez, of Yuma, was self-transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center and was later flown to a Phoenix-area hospital.
Although charges against the home owner aren’t expected, the case is still under investigation at the time of this writing. At least one neighbor has spoken out in support of the homeowner’s actions, saying he was defending his home.
All together now: Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Let this be a lesson to any man or woman who may be considering a career in smash-and-grab home invasion in a nation with over 100 million gun owners and 400 million civilian-owned firearms.