Woman Defends Family in Texas Home Invasion

When a man unlawfully entered the home of an Edinburg, Texas woman last week, he got something he didn’t expect. The homeowner protected her children and herself from the unwelcomed intruder by shooting him. This sort of thing happens all the time. However, even with the scant details provided in news reports, this was an absolute textbook example of how to do it right.

Hidalgo County, Texas, Home Invasion—

According to law enforcement, just after 9 PM, a man entered a Hidalgo County home through the garage. Inside the home were a woman and her children. The woman called 911 while retreating with her children to her bedroom, where she locked the door. The man continued, trying to get through the locked door.

From inside her room, she announced to the intruder that deputies were on their way and that she had armed herself with a gun. The warnings didn’t deter the suspect, and he continued his attempts at entering the bedroom.

Realizing the man was not stopping, she fired a round through at the suspect through the door. The homeowner could not persuade the man to leave with words, but the single shot that stuck him in the arm seemed to do the trick. The suspect ran from the home and deputies found him in a field about 100 yards away from the victim’s home.

Complete Home Defense: Tactics For Defending Your Castle—

We could have used this woman’s actions as the perfect example in a course we did a few years back, called Complete Home Defense: Tactics For Defending Your Castle. This course runs over 8 hours long and comprehensively touches on every factor relating to strong home defense. Worked into the course is a fundamental we refer to as IFDR- Isolate the Family, Defend the Room.

This woman employed this principle by locking herself and her children in one location of the home. But she didn’t stop there.

She armed herself, called the police and announced to the intruder that she was armed and law enforcement was on the way. To be clear, she had no legal responsibility to tell the guy she had a gun, but there are a few reasons to do it if you have the time.

One big reason to announce to the suspect like this woman did is that it can reduce the possibility of shooting a family member. Of course, we should always identify what we are shooting at, and this includes making sure the human figure inside your home isn’t a family member.

Another benefit of verbal commands is that it gives the suspect a chance to flee the home. You certainly can shoot an intruder inside your home, but it might be better if you don’t have to shoot them. Announcements didn’t scare the suspect away this time, but because the woman had a tactical advantage, she had the time to try.

Post Shooting—

After the shooting, she didn’t chase the guy out of her home or blast multiple shots recklessly in the suspect’s direction. She did what she had to do. She defended her family and stopped when deadly force was no longer necessary.

Last, we can’t forget that this incident almost certainly would have had a much different outcome were it not for the woman’s decision to get a firearm and learn how to use it. Responsible gun owners routinely save lives every day. But remember, simply owning a gun is not the answer. You must know how to use it safely, and responsibly store and carry the gun.

Kudos to this woman for defending her children and deciding not to be a helpless victim.