Every so often you’ll come across a story wherein a criminal breaks into a home and gets scared off by a gun-wielding homeowner. Ever wonder what happens in the minutes following the break in? Usually we get plenty of first-hand accounts of what goes down inside of a home during a crime, but it’s fairly rare that we get an opportunity to see the immediate aftermath of a self-defense shooting.
According to reports, a Detroit man was alerted to a home intruder at about 6:00 a.m. on Monday. The homeowner grabbed his weapon and shot the intruder once in his chest. Somehow, the intruder managed to run to his car and drive off.
This is usually where the story ends. The police showed up to investigate, but we typically have no way of knowing what the criminal did until after he’s been caught. This story is an exception. Surveillance shows why breaking into someone’s house is a terrible idea.
The home intruder managed to drive about three miles to a nearby gas station. The man walked into the store and immediately collapsed in the doorway. He yelled to the clerk that he had been shot and asked him to call 911.
The police arrived in under a minute (they were in the neighborhood, after all) and rushed the suspect to the hospital where he was listed in critical condition.
We’re relieved that the homeowner was able to defend himself against a stranger, but it’s still a bit hard to watch a man clutch his chest and collapse under the pain of a bullet wound. If this isn’t a lesson in good reasons not to start a life of crime, then we don’t know what is.
Police plan to arrest the suspect once he recovers from his wound. The homeowner, on the other hand, is in the clear. According to ABC 7 news, it is not likely that the homeowner will be charged. They have not said whether or not the homeowner had a permit for the gun.