“There was more violence at the home where a 14-year-old boy shot and killed a suspect intruder last week,” wsoctv.com reports. “Someone drove up to the home and fired [a shotgun] into the window Tuesday night . . . Homeowner George Wyant believes this shooting may have been in retaliation for the deadly shooting at his home that happened just over a week ago when . . .
Wyant’s 14-year-old grandson shot and killed Isai Delcid, 18, who police say broke into the family’s home to steal prescription pills. Delcid’s older brother, Carlos, was with him. He was arrested on burglary charges.
I don’t take pleasure in the injury or death of another human being. But some human beings need shooting. I reckon anyone who survives a life-threatening attack by force of arms shouldn’t spend too much time or energy second-guessing themselves or wishing they hadn’t done what needed to be done.
That said, I understand the need to Monday morning quarterback a defensive gun use (DGU). There’s a natural tendency to analyze the smallest details of any life-threatening event; your survival may depend on learning from the experience. DGU’s, like elections, have consequences.
Do they ever. While firearms trainers are careful to highlight the potentially ruinous legal and financial implications of a DGU, many gun gurus fail to flag the physical dangers of a post-DGU environment. These divide into two basic categories: immediate and longer-term.
In the immediate aftermath of a DGU, tunnel vision persists. Shooters tend to focus on what’s right in front of them, to the complete and total exclusion of everything else. That’s not good. Rare is the bad guy who doesn’t hang with equally bad amigos. His homies may not be there when the DGU goes down. They may arrive shortly thereafter, before the police. The bereaved bad guy or guys may be armed and more than slightly annoyed.
The advice there is simple enough: look around and assess the situation. If you’re not entirely sure of your safety, gather your friendlies (if necessary), seek cover and/or leave. You are under no legal obligation to stay at a crime scene if your life is in danger. Call the cops and inform them of your new whereabouts, careful to provide the minimum amount of information (e.g. I was involved in a defensive gun use at _____.)
The story above underscores the need to deal with longer-term dangers. Specifically, retribution.
As I mentioned above, most bad guys are pack animals (not lone wolves). They have family, friends and “business” associates. Some of these people might want to go all eye-for-an-eye on your ass. Hollywood movies are not your guide; the bad guys aren’t going to announce their intention to mess you and/or your loved ones up. They’re going to try and hurt you without warning.
The police are not going to protect you. They just can’t be there all – or any – of the time. As always, the safety and security of your loved ones and yourself is down to you. After a DGU, increase your situational awareness exponentially. If the police remove your carry permit, take appropriate action. Even if they don’t, consider going on vacation – without announcing your travel plans on Facebook. Or anything else, for that matter. Which reminds me . . .
Those post-DGU media interviews? Don’t do them. Anything you say can and will antagonize someone unhappy with the results of your armed self-defense. By the same token, TV pictures of your home provide vital intel for potential perps. Click on the link at the top of the post and check out how the TV news report displays the grounds around the home, including the vantage point the shotgunner used to fire upon the house. SMH.
In short, after a DGU, keep a low profile, keep your powder dry and watch your back. When can you let your guard down after a DGU? Never. Not that you should anyway . . .
Homeowner Shoots Home Invader Holding Gun To Woman’s Neck
After I stopped a gang banger from kid-napping and killing his girl friend; I carried two guns with extra mags and I kept an under folder AK-47 near by in my truck or in a back pack until the court decided if they were going to prosecute.
They didn’t and the “Vatos” didn’t try to exact retribution.
That’s why I don’t have a problem with the Rabbi carrying three guns. Until you’ve been the potential target of a violent drug gang, “peace through superior fire power” takes on a whole new meaning.
Considering whichever gun you use is going to be taken as evidence, it may be a good idea to own two of whichever your preferred carry gun is. That way you are still properly tooled up if the BG’s colleagues decide to make a social call.
That’s why I have at least one gun and ammo stashed. If a dgu occurs in my house and the CA cops decide to take all the guns on site I will have a weapon handier than another 10 day wait at the lgs.
Cases where a defender kills a BG and takes fire from the goblin’s bros are few and well-publicized. Cases where a defender is hounded by the authorities are common and under-reported.
Know how to use your firearms in self defense. Know a good lawyer for exactly the same reason. A DGU isn’t over until the defender is cleared by the authorities.
The G’s gang is bigger and can be way more vicious than any bunch of stumblebums running around the neighborhood with their Hi-Points.
I would add insurance to that list to help offset legal costs.
“A DGU isn’t over until the defender is cleared by the authorities”
Sometimes several times. I recall Zimmerman, for example, was cleared a couple times before being indicted. I have heard other stories of people told everything was fine, then being prosecuted. “Double jeopardy” only applies to an actual trial, anything less leaves you subject to someone changing his mind, maybe to quell riots or something.
On the subject of Hi-Points, TTAG recently reviewed one.
Why…?
Because…
Guns.
Hey,, let’s go shoot-up the home of a guy we already know is armed, capable, and willing to shoot to kill….we’ll take the car of course, you know……just in case he’s home.
Nobody said the lowlifes dealt in common -sense. Heck I don’t announce I have any guns. And I’m NOT alerting any punk in my home by racking my pump shotgun…because the sound is scary but 00buckshot is way scarier.
http://dailycaller.com/2014/12/26/homeowner-shoots-home-invader-holding-gun-to-womans-neck/
“You are under no legal obligation to stay at a crime scene if your life is in danger.”
I made this same comment to a “training video” on shooting aftermath. In the video which I believe was NRA approved, you are instructed to holster your weapon but have it in plain sight and call 911 and stay on the scene. Give the dispatcher your description and when the cops arrive, have your hands up.
So the guy was in a dark alley after shooting a mugger and he is supposed to just stand there talking on the phone? I would be more scared after shooting the guy than before in that case. You should’ve seen the hate responses when I said I would get in my car and start driving to the police station before calling 911.
Of course, I avoid being alone down dark alleys in the first place but that was the scene in the video.
This brings up an interesting question: would it be prudent to relocate after seriously injuring or killing an attacker? If so, what would be the minimum distance to relocate?
And if it is prudent to relocate, would it be prudent to change your name as well?
It wouldn’t be my first choice but in cases where the downed assailant is linked to known organized crime or is a relation to a notorious character that decision may be worth making. The problem is once you feel you are a target protecting your self by running may not be realistic. The world is a smaller place today and all it takes is one person to recognize you years later and whatever sense of security you have established would be false.
I think you could consider relocating even before DGU, you know, just to be on the safe side. Oh, and always keep the the phone number of trusted plastic surgeon handy. Unfortunately, after altering your facial features you will have to shot him, to dispose of witnesses, and then relocate again and have another plastic surgery, then kill the surgeon and so on. Make sure to do it all in San Fernando Valley, just so you would not run of plastic surgeons in the time of dire need.
I thought they were all in the Antelope Valley… That creepy, smiling dude on the sign.
When I first took up the gun for defense I asked for opinions on a car forum I was deeply involved with at the time. The impitus for my decision was an attempted break in that seemed to target my wife’s teenage daughter, but the negative responses seemed to ignore that entirely. Going on about how my DVD player isn’t worth a life and that I would only be incurring the wrath of the thugs friends. I still can’t wrap my head around the illogic of avoiding death via retribution by embracing death via the initial attempt. Oh, and there was the assertion that if ( yes IF ) people use guns for defense ( cuz they don’t?) the bad guys will simply up their game and start using machine guns.
Boy, I hope so. You can’t hit squat firing full auto, and you run out of ammo when I still have about 3 out of 5 rounds left.
I like the idea of cutting their head off with my chainsaw and placing said perps head on a pole. In the front yard.
This went out of fashion in the Anglosphere after the Stuarts lost power in the Glorious Revolution.
But the forces of barbarism in the Anglosphere seem to be waxing of late. The forces of civilization may react to this by returning the old “head on a stick” trick to fashion.
“But some human beings need shooting.” – This sentence… not sure it’s a wise thing to say knowing how the anti’s operate. Just sayin.
My mom’s version is “some people need shipping to Mars”, with the corollary worked in later: “Who said anything about space suits?”
Meanwhile, until we can ship people to Mars (with or without space suits), some people need to be removed from society anyway.
Yeah, that the sh¡t’s posse will take umbrage at his death is a serious consideration. Bad company and all that.
I live in the metro area where this happened. Another thing that didn’t help was the local newspaper posted a nice map of exactly where this family lived. The comments section of the original write up was full of comments wanting to know why they posted the family’s address.