My home invasion story

[JLaw]

Here's a third 'at a boy to rooster, your reply was right on.
This bad scenario did end happily.

JLaw

[robert_de_niro]

robert_de_niro,
In what part of Amarillo did this happen?
I grew up in the panhandle and Amarillo was my 'second' home, or my home away from home. I attened WTSU... Least that was what it was in the 70's.

My wife's from Canyon, her parents live between Amarilo and Canyon on McCormic Rd west of Western and east of I-27.

Amarillo's grown a lot over the past few years (few?) but there are parts of Amarillo that I never -- NEVER -- felt safe in!

Russ

It's East of 23rd (I-27) and South of 4th Ave. (Main St.)
Well, I'm actually in Canyon, believe it or not. I just figured I'd list Amarillo because no one would know where Canyon is. It was on 8th and 26th if that helps. I am actually attending WTAMU (formerly WTSU). Small world, eh?

Been a while since I've been up there, but...
is that east of ... I forget the name of the street... the main N/S drag thru town?

We lived in a small apt complex just east of that street and 8th Ave for a while when we were first married in '71.

Russ


And, I had it right... perp only had an arm and a leg in the window at the time!

[propellerhead]

Any advise from the better trained folks?

i do have to point something out....

i have read a lot of people talk about center mass incorrectly.

Center of Mass = just that, the center of whatever mass is in front of you.

Center of Mass is not the thoracic cavity. (but it can be)

if all he had to shoot at was a leg and arm, then the center of mass is the biggest target available of those 2 limbs.


advice?
here is my advice. read robert_de_niro's story with an open mind. his result was the best possible outcome you can hope for; no on died, the badguys got caught, and he didnt suffer any consequences for defending himself. there are a lot of "experts" out there who would say otherwise, and comense to pick appart his story and point out "what he did wrong"... but the fact still stands; the outcome was great. its easy to point a finger, but remember, you always have three pointing right back at you.

there is a lot of bull that gets tossed around (especially on the internet). just make sure to lookout for #1 and be sure not to step in #2.

I believe I did point it out.... that I wasn't trying to pick apart his story and pass judgement on what he did wrong, if any. I agreed that the end result was great and never did I point a finger at anyone. I am very new at this and far from being an expert. If I stepped on someone's toes here, I apologize. Sharing the story does present an excellent opportunity to learn and that's all I want to do. I'm not claiming to be an expert nor am I trying to find fault in anyone but myself. Learn and build upon this experience. That's all. Isn't that what we intelligent people do? Isn't that why we share experiences in forums? If this forum is not the place for this, then say so and I'm out of this thread.

I just remember a clear point made in my CHL class. They advised against shooting a limb. The advise was shoot to stop. The advise was to aim for the upper half of the torso. The original post lead me to believe a shot was made to the leg. It was later pointed out that the perp hasn't fully entered the house/apartment yet when the shot was made. Nerves were a major factor and I don't even know what I would've done if I were in the situation. The fact remains, the instrusion was stopped yet the person could've been 100% capable of firing back, even if the leg was hit. So, my question remains... would it have been advisable to wait for a clear shot to the upper torso? That also means you could easily be in the perp's sights. Tough call. That's why I ask...

[Charles L. Cotton]

Any advise from the better trained folks?

i do have to point something out....

i have read a lot of people talk about center mass incorrectly.

Center of Mass = just that, the center of whatever mass is in front of you.

Center of Mass is not the thoracic cavity. (but it can be)

if all he had to shoot at was a leg and arm, then the center of mass is the biggest target available of those 2 limbs.


advice?
here is my advice. read robert_de_niro's story with an open mind. his result was the best possible outcome you can hope for; no on died, the badguys got caught, and he didnt suffer any consequences for defending himself. there are a lot of "experts" out there who would say otherwise, and comense to pick appart his story and point out "what he did wrong"... but the fact still stands; the outcome was great. its easy to point a finger, but remember, you always have three pointing right back at you.

there is a lot of bull that gets tossed around (especially on the internet). just make sure to lookout for #1 and be sure not to step in #2.

I believe I did point it out.... that I wasn't trying to pick apart his story and pass judgement on what he did wrong, if any. I agreed that the end result was great and never did I point a finger at anyone. I am very new at this and far from being an expert. If I stepped on someone's toes here, I apologize. Sharing the story does present an excellent opportunity to learn and that's all I want to do. I'm not claiming to be an expert nor am I trying to find fault in anyone but myself. Learn and build upon this experience. That's all. Isn't that what we intelligent people do? Isn't that why we share experiences in forums? If this forum is not the place for this, then say so and I'm out of this thread.

I just remember a clear point made in my CHL class. They advised against shooting a limb. The advise was shoot to stop. The advise was to aim for the upper half of the torso. The original post lead me to believe a shot was made to the leg. It was later pointed out that the perp hasn't fully entered the house/apartment yet when the shot was made. Nerves were a major factor and I don't even know what I would've done if I were in the situation. The fact remains, the instrusion was stopped yet the person could've been 100% capable of firing back, even if the leg was hit. So, my question remains... would it have been advisable to wait for a clear shot to the upper torso? That also means you could easily be in the perp's sights. Tough call. That's why I ask...

Rooster can speak for himself, but I don't think he took offense, nor did he mean any. I think he was just pointing out that most/all tactical trainers teach shooting at the center-of-mass (COM), but it means the center of whatever body parts are showing. This may or may not be his chest. As Clint Smith says, "shoot what's available until something better becomes available."

Regards,
Chas.

[robert_de_niro]

I know I didn't take any offense to it... I just figured I would share my experience to give some people who (thankfully) have never been in that situation as much of an idea of what it's like as possible.

Side note: If you asked me what I would have done differently, I would say that I would have paused the situation, put some earplugs in, and then pushed play. Man that was loud.

[tomneal]

Center of Mass

or as John Wayne said it:

I shot him where he looked the bigest.


All in all a good story, with a happy ending.
The goal is always "Stop the bad guy".
and you want to accomplish that goal with the least effort/risk on your part.


One last thought.
If you shoot because of a "bad guy", at your home...
you probably need to move. ASAP

Even if you're not worried about the bad guy or his friends. You may end up with issues with your neighbors.

It's on my:
"What is the worst that will happen and how will you deal with it"
list.

[propellerhead]

Thanks. I learn something new everyday. :)

[therooster]

I believe I did point it out.... that I wasn't trying to pick apart his story and pass judgement on what he did wrong, if any. I agreed that the end result was great and never did I point a finger at anyone. I am very new at this and far from being an expert. If I stepped on someone's toes here, I apologize. Sharing the story does present an excellent opportunity to learn and that's all I want to do. I'm not claiming to be an expert nor am I trying to find fault in anyone but myself. Learn and build upon this experience. That's all. Isn't that what we intelligent people do? Isn't that why we share experiences in forums? If this forum is not the place for this, then say so and I'm out of this thread.

i was not pointing you, or anyone else for that matter, out. i was just speaking in general.

So, my question remains... would it have been advisable to wait for a clear shot to the upper torso? That also means you could easily be in the perp's sights. Tough call. That's why I ask...

it is a tough call, and i believe its a decision that you can ONLY make at that time. trying to "pre-decide" future actions is nearly impossible because there are so many mind changing factors comming at you, in an instant, during a fight or flight situation. you will understand when it happens to you, otherwise its very hard to explain.

• annother plug for Clint... as Clint Smith says " you have the rest of your life to figure out your problem, how long you live depends on how well(or fast) you solve it."

the way you feel right now, kind of confused/unclear, is common. i think we all felt that way when we first started carrying and thinking defensively. in time, you will learn and understand more. read some good books, get some good training, and most importantly keep an open mind. dont get stuck on one instructors mindset; learn from as many of them as possible.

[kw5kw]

<snip>
the way you feel right now, kind of confused/unclear, is common. i think we all felt that way when we first started carrying and thinking defensively. in time, you will learn and understand more. read some good books, get some good training, and most importantly keep an open mind. dont get stuck on one instructors mindset; learn from as many of them as possible.

I think that this is the key: "Thinking Defensively!"

Too many of us think on the offense, while carrying a CHL we must think of the defense of our selves and others. We are not offensive, that the BG's... they're offensive! (in more ways than one!)

We are there to protect: 1) our lives (and property); 2) the lives of our family and 3) the lives of other innocent victims!

Whilst we might debate about the property of others, lets not be hasty... these things are considered on a one at a time basis... there is no rule set in concrete or stone, they are all considered on a case by case basis.

We are not carrying to kill on purpose! IF I start to feel that way, then it's time for me to hang up my holsters and sell ALL of my weapons--including knives.

Just my Humble Opinion.

Russ

[propellerhead]

dont get stuck on one instructors mindset; learn from as many of them as possible.

That's precisely why I asked my question. Thanks.

It would worry me to death if I wounded an intruder and he got away. Would he come back later for revenge? Even if he got a year or two in jail. Would he harm me or my family later in retaliation? Those thoughts run through my head. And when those questions come up in a conversation, it is often followed by "Empty your magazine into the bad guy".

[therooster]

It would worry me to death

i dont remember who gave me this advice, but i consider it some of the best i ever got.


"dont worry about the things you have no control over, because you have no control over it. and dont worry about the things you have control over, because you have control of it."


think about it, long and hard.

[Boma]

I think you did great. You shot at him when you saw the treat (gun). If you waited for his whole body and head to come in, he would have saw you and know what direction to shoot back at. Your instincts served you right. Great job.

He peed in his pants, because he believed he could come in and hurt you and the danger got turned back in his face in a heartbeat.

[maximus2161]

... urine dripping from the windowsill ...

I just now managed to stop laughing.

- Jim

You can imagine it wasn't too funny when it happened, but yeah-it was way funny when it was over. The cops on the scene were rolling...

I imagine the BG in question wears briefs...if it were boxers you probably would have been left with a big suprise...or a trail of small ones.

[KnightlE]

My only question is why did it take a week for you to get outta there? I would have taken everything valuable out that night and head to a bud's place. Anyway, good story and good judgement on your part.

[Geister]

I turned 21 in Jan 2004, and bought my first gun, a Glock 22, and I loved it. I had just moved into my first apartment and I can't say it was the nicest place ever. It wasn't too bad, but it was affordable, which is priority #1 if you're a college student like I am.

Well, I hope you learned your lesson. Priority #1 is finding a SAFER place to live. There is NO way I would have moved into that apartment with those kinds of neighbors.