GOOD: Man Shoots Drunken Home Invader - Lake St Louis, MO

[CT-Mike]

St. Charles Journal | News | NEW: Lake Saint Louis man shoots neighbor he thought was intruder

A Lake Saint Louis man says he shot an intruder that turned out to be his neighbor.

Police said they received a call around 5:30 a.m. Thursday morning from the homeowner, who lives alone in the Harbor Town condominiums located on the western edge of Lake Saint Louis. They arrived to the scene to find the next-door neighbor laying on the floor, shot in the knee and pelvis.

When questioned by police, the homeowner said he was sleeping upstairs when he heard a noise, grabbed his gun and found a person in his downstairs kitchen. The homeowner warned the man three times to not move or he would shoot, police said, but the man continued to approach the homeowner, who was on the staircase.

Police said they suspect the man had been drinking, as his speech was slurred and he smelled of alcohol. He was taken to SSM St. Joseph’s Hospital in St. Charles and is expected to recover.

The case is still under investigation, and the names of both men were not released. Police do not suspect the homeowner of foul play.

A bad outcome for someone who probably drunkenly stumbled into the wrong house. I can totally see the homeowner not being able to recognize his neighbor in a darkened house after just waking up, especially since the neighbor was in an altered mental status, and thus not as easy for the victim to recognize (if he even knew him at all).

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Redneck Repairs]

Man Shoots Drunken Home Invader

All well and good . However i question the value of "Drunken Home Invader" . Now understand i like a few folk here tend to " over use adult beverages " but even at my worst i neither will pick a fight nor invade property . In fact if you found me at my worst ( dont happen much anymore ) you would be more tempted to push my forehead and giggle when i fell over rather than shoot me .
now dont get me wrong if i am drunk and threatning folk in any way then shoot me , and not once but untill i fall down and dont get up again . However other than the fact some drunks get impolite ( i can ) and tresspass ( i dont ) i really dont see the " drunk " being an issue , it imho isnt an excuse and only serves to make the home defender look bad .

[CT-Mike]

I was just trying to explain the situation, not try to make the victim look bad or excuse the perp's behavior in any way. He was given several orders to stop but he just kept advancing. I would have shot him also under the circumstances (assuming I didn't immediately recognize the guy - which the victim apparently didn't).

[johnstuf]

They are both very fortunate! What I would like to know is how the druken neighbor managed to get into the condo in the first place! They are both complete idiots. One for getting drunk and the other for not locking his door! Nether one has the common sense he was born with. I hope the shooter does not have a CCW.

Just my 2 cents.

Safe and sane shooting everyone,

johnstuf

[Redneck Repairs]

Mike understood lol its a good shoot , and a good outcome . Just as a rule i dont want drunk to be dangerous , and i feel none of us do . Ergo i take exception to " drunk " being in the headline . a criminal got shot . You afer all would not have posted that " a drunk homeowner defended himself and family " would you ? Tho there is a real problem with drunkenness in our country i dont feel that unless it specifically addresses behaver of the partys that it is comment worthy . As stated i am a reforming boozer with a ccw . I no longer booze like i used to , however booze is not an excuse for criminal behaver . Tomorrow i may be drunk again via alcohol or drugs , If i am you wont find me with a pistol , and you wont find a reason to shoot me . You may feel you need to pity me but that is the most you can do . When i heal up you wont even pity me . Sorry if i take the dope the drs say i should i operate half screwed up , if i dont i hurt and get irratible . when i dont give a crap i take one pill and pour whisky on it . However i dont visit folk nor do i remove a gun from storage when i hurt . However between the pills , and the booze i can be screwed up . I dont however take libertys with anyone elses property , and frankly i dont think that " drunk " is either an excuse to do so , or a reason to shoot. Heck hand if you come into my house you will be carried out . end of discussion . I dont care if you want the tv , the microwave , an arm full of trader guns or whatever , come in and you will be shot , if i dont my wife will . I have 6 vehicles out in the parking lot , if you enter my house it is only to harm us , not to enrich yourself thro some obama changie social program . As old LE the wife and i will both demand you lay down once , after that it goes rodeo . as a side note your best bet is that i have taken pills or booze and refuse to arm , the wife with the ar or fal will be kinder than i might .

[cl00bie]

Seems to me that calling this guy a "home invader" in the title is a little inaccurate. Trespasser, maybe. But to me, home invader is someone (or someones) breaking down the door with the intent to hurt or scare the people within. This guy doesn't seem to fit the bill.

Could it be the terminology was used to put a positive spin on an unfortunate incident for all concerned?

[grady]

Ya break into the wrong castle, ya gotsta deal with the dragon that lives there.

I wonder what their future block parties will be like?

[retsupt99]

I have never considered giving a breathalyzer test to any uninvited guest to our home...drinking too much can have its problems.

Stay armed...stay sober...stay safe!

[cl00bie]

Ya break into the wrong castle, ya gotsta deal with the dragon that lives there.

I don't want to be argumentative, but I don't believe the guy broke into the house.

I'd love to see what the neighborhood looks like. My aunt used to live in a development where every single house in the development was alike. The only difference was that the houses next to each other were "mirror images".

I could imagine some poor drunk guy approaching the door to what he thinks is his house and walking in. He goes to the fridge to get a beer, and is confronted by some guy he doesn't know in "his" house. Add to that the fact that the "burglar" is armed.

Last I knew, picking the wrong door when you were drunk or confused was not a capital offense. It wasn't for this guy because by the grace of God, the homeowner was either a p*ss-poor shot, or a crappy tactician.

[dukalmighty]

If you get so drunk you enter the wrong home,maybe you shouldn't be drinking,on the other hand I wake up and somebodys in my house I'm not required to ask 10 questions before shooting,you don't wanta get shot stay in your own house

[sniper58]

Ya break into the wrong castle, ya gotsta deal with the dragon that lives there.

I wonder what their future block parties will be like?

So true! Waaaay back in the day I never entered the wrong abode, no matter how drunk I was. This could have gotten very ugly if the homeowner wasn't armed. I'd hope the homeowner learned to lock his door going forward..............

[CT-Mike]

Seems to me that calling this guy a "home invader" in the title is a little inaccurate. Trespasser, maybe. But to me, home invader is someone (or someones) breaking down the door with the intent to hurt or scare the people within. This guy doesn't seem to fit the bill.

Could it be the terminology was used to put a positive spin on an unfortunate incident for all concerned?

clOObie,

The way I see it the intruder did invade the other guys home. He was even given several commands to stop advancing, which he ignored. I probably would have shot him also, especially just having woken up to noises in my house.

[grady]

I don't want to be argumentative, but I don't believe the guy broke into the house.

I'd love to see what the neighborhood looks like. My aunt used to live in a development where every single house in the development was alike. The only difference was that the houses next to each other were "mirror images".

Not argumentative at all. We really don't know if the homeowner left the door unlocked, or if the intruder broke through some flimsy door lock. We've got some friends who live in a condo in Lake St. Louis (perhaps the same neighborhood, but I forgot the name), and you're right: it's easy to get mixed up, especially if the condo you're headed to isn't an end unit.

Last I knew, picking the wrong door when you were drunk or confused was not a capital offense.

But it could well have turned out that way, and the law would probably have supported the homeowner. If one is going to get drunk and be out moving around, whether it be driving or going into someone else's house, one may have to pay an adult price. It's not fun and games any longer when one's irresponsible behavior impacts others.

It wasn't for this guy because by the grace of God, the homeowner was either a p*ss-poor shot, or a crappy tactician.

Agreed. The intruder is fortunate to still be alive. Apparently he could have used a designated driver or someone to help him find the right house. My guess is he may choose to alter some of his personal habits in the future... if he's smart enough to learn anything from this.

[whyipackmy45]

I think this will be a wake up call for the neighbor to get sober.

And for the homeowner to get to the range

[Bark'n]

Very interesting to hear that for some people, all it takes for the bad guy to get the drop on you and turn the tables is to act like a drunk neighbor...

I also don't see how you can make the assumption that there were no signs of forced entry just because it wasn't mentioned in the article.

A stranger in MY home at 5 am who is not supposed to be there, failing repeated commands to stop advancing on me is treading on VERY thin ice.

Alcohol at this point and in this case is irrelevant! Failure to obey my lawful commands in my own home is exactly the deciding factor here!

Quote: From Warren Oats to Roy Scheider in Blue Thunder "Lemme give you a piece of advice...When you're walking on egg shells... Don't Hop!