Home Invasion Averted

[Pigpopper]

I wish there were more details on this story...

TYLER [TX] – A home invasion, in which a woman was injured, is being investigated by Tyler Police. It was reported around 11:30 last night in the 3300 block of Garden Valley Road. The residents told officers three males had knocked on their front door. When a woman answered the door, one of the men began to raise a gun and attempt to come into the house.
According to police, a man in the house got his own gun and kicked the door into one of the suspects. Shots were exchanged between the suspects and the man. The woman received a minor gunshot wound. The suspects left the area in a four door passenger car.

Here is the link as reported on the radio this morning - http://www.ktbb.com/post/?p=21350

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[ctsketch]

got a link to the news article?

[Guardian]

http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12837729

[retsupt99]

So much safer to NOT answer the door. Be armed and ready, but don't open that door, and call 911 if the strangers will not leave.

[ppkheat]

IMHO I think quite a few home invasions happen because the invaders know that drugs or drug money is present in that home.

Not saying the folks in the news of this thread were.

[ctsketch]

Mother wants to protect her son, son wants to protect her mother. But all is well that ends well, most have been a frightening experience.

[Harryball]

Im glad they are ok. Good to see good people not getting killed.

[9MMare]

So much safer to NOT answer the door. Be armed and ready, but don't open that door, and call 911 if the strangers will not leave.

This is a good reminder for me.

My house in the main living area is practically see-thru. Floor to ceiling windows on one side, including onto back porch....and a huge ex-warehouse front door with a 4x6 solid glass inset. (It's a unique and cool house...*sigh*...but not perfect)

In daylight I could answer my doors with my gun and at least be watching the other side. At nite, no.

This is a good reminder for me to head straight for my safe room/bedroom after dark...I can even open the window and ask visitors to identify themselves from there if they are at the front door. And no one should be at my back door at nite...there's no sidewalk to follow or guide people back there. That is automatic 911.

My front gate is usually locked after dark, so no one should be at my door unnanounced after dark. (rural property). I also have 2 alert dogs.

Does anyone have any other strategic suggestions for me? And buying a new house is not an option. I still believe in quality of life over length of life.

[CyanLite]

This is a good reminder for me.

Does anyone have any other strategic suggestions for me? And buying a new house is not an option. I still believe in quality of life over length of life.

For me, anybody that comes to my door after dark gets greeted with my XDm. No exceptions. I've had my family come over at night one time (no prior notice) and they got greeted with it.

Solicitors like to come around my way on the weekends, selling newspapers or whatever, I never fully open the door for them because I have a suspicion that some of those folks are there to scope out your place, rather than sell you something.

[mirage2521]

This is a good reminder for me.

My house in the main living area is practically see-thru. Floor to ceiling windows on one side, including onto back porch....and a huge ex-warehouse front door with a 4x6 solid glass inset. (It's a unique and cool house...*sigh*...but not perfect)

In daylight I could answer my doors with my gun and at least be watching the other side. At nite, no.

This is a good reminder for me to head straight for my safe room/bedroom after dark...I can even open the window and ask visitors to identify themselves from there if they are at the front door. And no one should be at my back door at nite...there's no sidewalk to follow or guide people back there. That is automatic 911.

My front gate is usually locked after dark, so no one should be at my door unnanounced after dark. (rural property). I also have 2 alert dogs.

Does anyone have any other strategic suggestions for me? And buying a new house is not an option. I still believe in quality of life over length of life.

Simple inexpensive intercom system to communicate with people at your front door would be a cheap improvement.

[OldVet]

IMHO I think quite a few home invasions happen because the invaders know that drugs or drug money is present in that home.

Not saying the folks in the news of this thread were.

Like the guys in the Mercedes and FBI jackets who tried to break in and ran from returning gunfire? It was all over the news media, but what they didn't show was the home owner getting busted for estacy afterwards. I agree that something specific leads to most home invasions. They aren't all that "random."

[oneshot]

So much safer to NOT answer the door. Be armed and ready, but don't open that door, and call 911 if the strangers will not leave.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^YEP^^^WE HAVE A WINNER^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^6

This is a good reminder for me.

My house in the main living area is practically see-thru. Floor to ceiling windows on one side, including onto back porch....and a huge ex-warehouse front door with a 4x6 solid glass inset. (It's a unique and cool house...*sigh*...but not perfect)

In daylight I could answer my doors with my gun and at least be watching the other side. At nite, no.

This is a good reminder for me to head straight for my safe room/bedroom after dark...I can even open the window and ask visitors to identify themselves from there if they are at the front door. And no one should be at my back door at nite...there's no sidewalk to follow or guide people back there. That is automatic 911.

My front gate is usually locked after dark, so no one should be at my door unnanounced after dark. (rural property). I also have 2 alert dogs.

Does anyone have any other strategic suggestions for me? And buying a new house is not an option. I still believe in quality of life over length of life.

^^^^^^^^^^^YES^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


They sell room darkening shades, with which you can install going halfway up your wall length windows. The dark shades will cut down on outlining/shadowing the occupants of the house, when the lights are on inside.
SECONDLY, install motion detector lights on your outside lights, if you haven't done so already, at least on your outside doorway walls, Ideally, on as many walls as possible.
If its only a stray cat,possum, skunk or the like, so be it. If its a possible home invasion, or the like you will be alerted, and so will the perp, as well as anyone looking out their window, or driving by.Keep your bushes trimmed so that the likelyhood someone can easily hide in them is not likely.



There's a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore looking like an idiot.

[9MMare]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^YEP^^^WE HAVE A WINNER^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^6




^^^^^^^^^^^YES^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


They sell room darkening shades, with which you can install going halfway up your wall length windows. The dark shades will cut down on outlining/shadowing the occupants of the house, when the lights are on inside.
SECONDLY, install motion detector lights on your outside lights, if you haven't done so already, at least on your outside doorway walls, Ideally, on as many walls as possible.
If its only a stray cat,possum, skunk or the like, so be it. If its a possible home invasion, or the like you will be alerted, and so will the perp, as well as anyone looking out their window, or driving by.Keep your bushes trimmed so that the likelyhood someone can easily hide in them is not likely.



There's a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore looking like an idiot.

Thank you very much. I will look into the shades...they would make me feel better (not that I really feel unsafe, but the realities of a real situation make those windows a liability.)

I do have a couple of motion detector lights...but I cant see any of them from the main living area or my bedroom. I also have a big halogen farm light that is on all the time covering the main area from gate to front door. It may be a good idea to put one by the floor to ceiling windows...except we do get alot of 'critters' here.

[9MMare]

Simple inexpensive intercom system to communicate with people at your front door would be a cheap improvement.

I dont really need one. I can talk thru the door pretty easily (when the dogs arent barking like crazy.)

It's an antique door salvaged from a warehouse...it's huge and the glass inset is a solid piece...4x6 feet.


Not the most secure.

[shockwave]

For me, anybody that comes to my door after dark gets greeted with my XDm. No exceptions.

In Florida, that action will send you to prison for 3 years. No exceptions.

I'm also intrigued by retsup's suggestion that it's "so much safer to NOT answer the door." Yes, it's also much safer to have an egg-shaped steel cocoon in your home in which you hide and from which you never emerge.

Yesterday afternoon the doorbell rang, and here's how I handled the crisis: I walked to the door, and looked to the narrow side-windows flanking the door. The way this place is set up, there's a solid wood door with deadbolt, flanked by two windows on each side that are 4 x 6" panes. Curtains over these side windows can be moved aside to see who's out there, and they're just transparent enough that in daylight you can make out the general nature of the caller.

So I go to the door, lean to the side, and can see it's a young woman, no more than 5 feet tall or so. No need to ID the person further. Turns out she was hawking window upgrades. We chatted a bit and I came out on the doorstep, closing the door behind me to talk with her further. True, she could have been a shill, with confederate goons on either side of the house waiting to pounce on me, and they could have dragged me inside, kicking and screaming, and tortured me to death with my own steam-iron, sure. Life is risk.

But I'll be damned if I can't answer my own damn door. You can't do that, you aren't free.

Now if it's at night and there's a knock, different protocol: I'll turn on the porch light and look through the window to see who's out there. If it's a stranger, I'll decide what to do based on their appearance. Anything hinky, I'll say "hang on a sec," and grab a magnum. Take it from there.