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A Houston area burglar chose poorly last week when he broke into a home belonging to a pastor and his wife…both of whom know their way around a gun.

Residents were alerted to something amiss about 11:30pm. From khou.com:

Jeff Powers and his wife told police they were awakened by noises coming from their backyard. Police say they saw a man in their backyard, who forced his way inside the residence in the 6100 block of Del Monte, near River Oaks.

When the intruder entered the home, both the pastor and his wife opened fire. The Houston Police Department described the result with impressive economy.

According to a later statement from HPD,

“A preliminary investigation revealed the residents were asleep in their bed when they were awakened by a loud noise. While investigating the cause of the noise, they noticed their backyard gate was opened and saw a male (suspect) in their back yard,” police said in a statement released on Monday.

“The suspect then forced his way and gained entry into the residence. The residents, in fear for their lives, discharged their firearms several times, striking the suspect,” the statement read.

The suspect was identified Monday afternoon by the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office as 24-year-old Roberto Sanchez. His primary cause of death was reported as “multiple gunshot wounds.”

No surprise there. Pastor and Mrs. Powers had apparently thought through how to deal with the aftermath of a defensive gun use.

Following the shooting, the pastor and his wife went outside, placed their guns on the ground and waited for police, authorities said.

The case has been submitted to a grand jury without charges. We don’t expect any.

We’ll say it again: you are your own first responder. And always will be.

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63 COMMENTS

  2. Great DGU that so many on the other side assures us never occurred. BTW Re: the graphics. We don’t draw a chalk outline around the body. Ever.

    • One of the reasons I’m not a cop: If I came into a scene where a homeowner had had popped a bad guy and they drew the chalk outline? Im drawing the dead cartoon face with the “x” for eyes and the tongue hanging out. Probably a speech ballon with something like “Derp, probably should have picked the house with the prius in the driveway and the hillary sticker!” I would be in sensitivity training 24/7….

      • And you would know all the details in the middle of the night upon first arriving at the scene…..how……exactly?

        Who’s to say the three weren’t a sexual threesome, when 200,000 years of evolution, instinct and emotions kicked in, prompting the husband to shoot the paramour? Then he threatens the wife to help stage the scene and go along with the story? Stranger things have happened. Hell, even this has happened before.

        Then you come along high-fiving the murderers? Surely your prejudice would compromise the investigation somehow. Now, I know you’re just kidding around here. I get it; it’s kind of funny. However, there are people who commit all kinds of acts for all kinds of reasons, not all of which comport with innocence under the law, despite what initial appearances present. This is why it’s important for all cases to be investigated professionally, meaning competently and dispassionately, through to disposition by established standards.

        Not everyone believes that, because they get so caught up in the headlines and aforementioned high-fiving. That’s very dangerous because people can deceive law enforcement and law enforcement itself can be dishonest, not to mention first reports can be inaccurate.

        • At which point in this saga does the dam burst, the mine collapse, the earthquake-combined-with-typhoon hit, and the Martian Invasion begin?

          Have we ascertained if the pastor is really a shape-shifting Grey, a Lizard Person, or a Rosicrucian? Does the wife have a relationship with the New World Order and the International Jewish Conspiracy to Pollute Aryan Precious Bodily Fluids With Fluoride?

          Was the intruder really a time-travelling TransgenderAgenda representative from the Future, sent back to prevent the couple conceiving the one child who could save the World in 2039 from being overwhelmed with Gays?

          You need some help, Dude.

        • DUDE ! YOU are tripping balls, seriously! Ummm, BROKEN in rear door on house? Etc.
          Please, be quiet for all our sakes….

        • Uh, there is the physical evidence of forced entry to deflate your, well, “imaginative” scenario.

          Seriously, that was some strange thinking on your part.

  3. Im not super hip to the workings of the interwebs and social media, but is there a way that someone could perhaps sticky stories like this on the moms demand or ms watts facebook or twitter or somerhing? That would he funny.

  4. That was what is know as “SUPRISE”!!!! That should cause other burglars in Houston to consider another occupation.
    Back in the early 70s I was a member of shooting range in Philly that was operated by people who were also in the mortuary business. One of the other members was a priest. One night somebody attempted to rob him of the church offerings and was surprised by the .357 the priest pulled from under his robe. His funeral was conducted by the part of the range family who operated the Funeral home. People commented that it was a full service shooting range.

    • So, yesterday I was taking a shooting class. The guy teaching it, who had previously been a SWAT officer, was the local Justice of the Peace. I asked him whether he saw just alleged misdemeanor offenders in front of him. No, apparently he handles all initial criminal arraignments.

      He had us shooting at pictures of people with guns, after telling us about having followed a woman to the convenience store a 1/2 mile from here back when he was the county’s detective. She was shooting at him, but he wasn’t returning fire because of her sex. He then chronicled her history after getting out of prison, committing violent crimes, getting caught, sent to prison, etc, and finally, I believe, dying in another shootout with the police. He then made sure that the guys in the class each had at least one female target to shoot at. By then, we were working on double taps and rapid fire. I expect that if the last one I shot at had been real, she probably wouldn’t have survived, given the fairly tight pattern I shot center mass. We only loaded 5 rounds into each of three magazines, but part of the drill included magazine drops, which meant 15 rounds in not that many more seconds. Great fun.

      I should add that our county courthouse is probably not a good place to pull a gun. Too many people working there have concealed carry permits (esp with the JP running classes that qualify you to have one), and routinely carry on the job.

      • You’d never get in our court house with a gun. We have armed guards and metal detectors. Cell phones not even allowed.

    • Well, I am utterly dismayed. Here we apparently have two people who minister peace, love and unquestioning tolerance, yet failed to turn the other cheek, and calmly counsel the intruder on life choices. Can’t believe they weren’t abject pacifists. If you can’t trust ministers to see the good in everyone, who can you trust?

      Rootin’, tootin’ sinner shootin’ ministers. Whudda thunk?

      • “…yet failed to turn the other cheek, and calmly counsel the intruder on life choices.”

        On the other hand, the intruder got his ‘last rites’ with *zero* delay…

        • “On the other hand, the intruder got his ‘last rites’ with *zero* delay…”

          Well,….there’s that.

      • Sam I Am,

        I have supplies at the ready so that I can immediately sit down for tea and cookies with a home-invader and discuss possible alternative lifestyle choices for him/her.

        • DatGlk_makesulukfat,

          Except for an exceedingly tiny percentage of the population that develops both male and female organs in the womb or has a genetic error with respect to simply having XX or XY chromosomes, everyone else really is either “he” or “she”, male or female, as they were born.

          Intense and persistent feelings to the contrary does not change reality.

        • “Intense and persistent feelings to the contrary does not change reality.”

          That’s like so 1950s. You gotta get in this century. Reality is what a person perceives it is. Anything else is tyranny of the group imposed upon the individual. Once upon a time, you needed drugs to alter reality. Now we are enlightened, on our way to being one with the universe, and drugs are no longer needed. We can create our reality, second by second, unshackled by the chains of physics, chemistry, and biology. Everything is artificial except the true spirit in the sky (or universe for those advanced in self-satisfaction).

          BTW, don’t go pointing out that in everyone’s reality, artificial shelter, food and airconditioning are needed. Spoilsport.

        • “I have supplies at the ready so that I can immediately sit down for tea and cookies with a home-invader and discuss possible alternative lifestyle choices for him/her.”

          There ya’ go. A sympathetic ear is all a poor soul needs . Everyone deserves a second chance, or four, or a hunnert. Good on ya’

        • Sam I Am,

          We can create our reality, second by second, unshackled by the chains of physics, chemistry, and biology.

          Excellent observation and the most succinct, profound way of communicating the mindset of so many people.

        • “Excellent observation and the most succinct, profound way of communicating the mindset of so many people.”

          Thanx. Hard work to try to think like the deluded, harder still to try to write it down.

        • uncommon_sense says, “Intense and persistent feelings to the contrary does not change reality.”

          I agree.
          Personally, I am a lesbian trapped in a man’s body. That’s reality.

        • “Personally, I am a lesbian trapped in a man’s body. That’s reality.”

          If you say so.

  6. Connie, if you’re interested in a firm Biblical basis for self-defense and defense of others to share with other Christians, see my book, “A Time To Kill: The Bible and Self-Defense”. I’m a Christian/Gun Nut/Lawyer who spent 40 years teaching the Bible. It’s on Amazon in paperback and Kindle. My name is Greg Hopkins. (So you can locate it by author.)

    • I read this book two years ago, and can’t recommend it enough. Every Christian gun owner or prospective owner should read it. Buy it, read it, and give a copy to any “Christian pacifist,” especially one who questions your gun ownership or stance on self defense. It presents clear biblical rationale and guidance on YOUR responsibility to defend yourself, your family and your property against evil doers. Read it Now! You will gain confidence in your ownership and carry decisions.

    • Gregolas,

      I have used references in your book as well as many additional Biblical justifications for preservation of life and armed self-defense. Alas, my church leadership will have none of it. (My church leadership even asked how they could prohibit law enforcement from being armed in church.)

      And this is coming from a church that holds the Bible as the inerrant, inspired, incorruptible, timeless, and literal word of God. Unfortunately, even the Bible cannot overcome FEELINGS.

      I am intelligent and extremely well-versed in the Bible (no pun intended). I believe my church’s doctrine and policies are utterly and absolutely consistent with the Bible in every other respect. How my church fails so spectacularly with respect to preservation of life and armed self-defense is a complete mystery to me.

      • They are just decieved and like many today are ruled by emotions instead of logic.at my church the pastor is armed as well as three others.oh btw my church is a Christ centered one stay locked and loaded

    • Greg, I read your book last month. Pretty good. For other TTAGers, here’s a short review of it that I wrote.

      A Time to Kill: The Myth of Christian Pacifism by Greg Hopkins, 332 pgs.

      Although this isn’t the first book I’ve read on the subject, it certainly is the most comprehensive. As the title suggests, A Time to Kill examines the Bible to see what God has to say about self-defense. Hopkins, an attorney, prosecutor, judge, cop, and Christian sometimes uses ten words when two or three will suffice which contributes to this book’s length (hey, he is an attorney), but the book also explores other areas such as the death penalty, the military, law enforcement, God’s view on how Christians should behave in general, and general self-defense topics that you’d find in non-Christian books. As I said, it is comprehensive.

      Although I think the book could be improved with some judicious editing by cutting down the size (for books like this, I’m more of a fact, fact, fact, fact type of person), it is an excellent book and I wholeheartedly recommend it for those looking for answers or just a good discussion of the topic. I thought I had a very good handle on the subject, but even I learned a fair amount.

      • Thanks Danny ! We just changed the subtitle to “The Bible and Self-Defense” so people searching for info on the subject could find the book easier. Thanks for your positive review ! Thank you to BenAround and UncommonSense, too !

  9. Well I’d cut him if he stood, and shoot him if he’d run, I’d kill him with my Bible and I’d raise the rent . G Damn the pusher

  10. When someone forces their way into your home it does not matter what their purpose is. The risk to the homeowners has a big, long and ugly history behind it. That is at the heart of “Castle Doctrine”. Because whatever the person forcing entry is up to it is no good and is often violent and deadly.

    So, pending the very unlikely reveal of evidence to the contrary, these two home owners did the right thing and should soon have their guns back. That is if they do not have them back already.

    Next on the homeowner’s To Do List should be improving doors against being kicked open. They have to repair that back door anyway, may as well do it right this time.

    • In my state if someone breaks into your home in the middle of the night you can only respond to the level of force that they are coming at you with, so if they have a knife you can only use a knife back, if they have a knife and you shoot them with a gun you are in the shit, the only exception is if they are coming at you with that knife to cause deadly harm then you can shoot them, it’s ridiculous, if he comes in with a knife am I supposed to stand there and wait to see if he comes at me with the knife before I can shoot him? Sorry if he breaks into my house he’s getting shot regardless of what weapon or no weapon he has, i’d rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6!!

  14. Well, Greg, Bezos and his boy and girls and zes are quick. They have eliminated you and your book. Appears you are in good company as a digital nonentity at the hands of the Leftist media.

    • The book came right up when I searched for it. A little pricey for a paperback. So either it was restored after a short takedown or you don’t search well.

  16. My wife and I are, well, past middle age. We tend to sleep like logs. I’m not certain we’d have awoken to the sounds in our backyard that alerted these two admirable shooters.

    So, we maintain a nearly 100 lb. Giant German Shepherd (www.giantgermanshepherds.com) and he sleeps outside our locked bedroom door throughout the night with otherwise complete access to the house.

    He’s very protective and territorial. He’s absolutely not the sort of dog anyone would like to encounter in the middle of the night within his own territory.

    We also both sleep with armamentswithin reach on the opposite sides of the bed. I won”t go into more detail.

    We too have a plan.

    Works for us. We sleep like babies.

  17. 13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
    NEHEMIAH 4

  18. usnr
    What note from the article is “The case has been sent to the grand jury with no charges. We expect none.”
    What? Houston is now politically Libtard. Why have a State Attorney if no one has the nuts to just add the file to records past.
    No, political pressures, msm, calls for prosecution from activists, so what, everything sent to a grand jury?
    We need 25,000 more like the pastor and wife, but at the border.
    Bad moon a risin…

    • Phil in TX says:
      May 12, 2019 at 16:32
      “Required by TX law.
      Phil in TX”
      ========================

      According to Phil from Texas a homicide has to go to a grand jury, it is the law there.

      But hey, sending it to the grand jury with no charges does sound like a recommendation from the prosecutor to call it all good, job well done!

  19. I loved the part about “primary cause of death was multiple gun shot wounds.” sounds like a secondary cause of death is not necessary

  20. Interestingly, I just finished reading DUTY by Paul Greene, a biography of General Paul Tibbets who commanded the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. This book is based on interviews of Tibbets when he was elderly. The interview had sequed to guns. General Tibbets kept a 12 gauge shotgun for self defense. His father had kept a .45, probably a Colt 1911. Tibbets described one incident when he was a child in which an unidentified person had been prying at the door in the middle of the night. General Tibbets’ father had emptied the .45 through the door. The discovery of blood stains on the porch the next morning had confirmed that he had not missed.

  21. Thank you for sharing this story. With the anti-gun driven media, these stories aren’t widely reported. The “good guy (and gal) with a gun stopping a bad guy with a gun” doesn’t fit the media’s agenda. Sadly, I’m pretty sure that if there was a way to find and report even just most of the ways that firearms prevent crimes and save lives, that the media and many politicians would twist the information and/or bury it. It’s a shame that America loving, Constitutional honoring, and God-fearing people are portrayed as the Nation’s problem. Thankfully, I live in a area where folks can have a difference of opinion about firearms (with a very lively discussion) and yet remain respectful to each other. As a pistol-packing Pastor in KY, I’m blessed to have a team of people that have taken a lot of training (at their expensive) and give their time each week to protect the people who attend our Church. Our volunteer Security Team is well organized and have an action plan in place in the case of an emergency. Far from the negative picture of a bunch of “red-necks” who are ready to shoot at anything that moves. Because of folks like the ones in Houston, I remain hopeful and prayerful for our great Nation. The truth shall set us free. May God continue to bless the United States Of America!

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