Nope. This isn’t another scenario of, “Well, if someone broke in I’d shoot him,” with the usual argument afterwards of, “You say you would, but you don’t know if you would until it really happens.”
Think she would shoot to kill?
I submit to you the story of Sarah McKinley, an 18 year old recently widowed mother of a three month old son, who found herself in a scary situation. If you haven’t heard about this yet please click the link above and check it out.
Here’s the short version:
On New Years Eve she was in her home in Oklahoma with her three month old son when 24 year old Justin Martin broke in brandishing a knife.
It took Martin and his accomplice, Dustin Stewart, about twenty minutes to break in and when Martin finally broke through the door she was on the other side with a shotgun load of goodies just for him. What happened? Let’s just say that Martin is spending the new year and the rest of eternity in a place where he won’t have a problem staying warm.
During the interview on one of the news channels she says something to the effect of, “I wouldn’t have done it if it weren’t for the baby.” But she did do it and now she and her baby are safe.
In the end it comes down to means and motivation. She had the means to protect herself with a pistol and a shotgun, and the motivation was provided by her son. Would she have done the same if her son wasn’t there? Who knows?
I won’t go into a lot of detail here because you can read the story and watch the video (with the 911 recording) for yourself, but I will note a few remarkable things: 1) This young woman seemed calm as a cucumber, 2) She did all the right things (in my opinion) in this situation up to and including pulling the trigger, 3) The other guy turned himself in after the incident and is now being charged with murder.
That’s it.
Now, what do YOU think? Should she have waited and just let these guys take drugs or money or whatever they wanted? (In which case Martin would probably still be alive.)
Would you have done the same thing in her situation? Would you have shot early or waited? Or maybe not shot at all?
Let’s hear what you think in the comments below.
-Jarhead Survivor
She was absolutely right. Even without the child she was right. The instant he violated her rights she was right. I applaud her for calling 911, but it was totally unnecessary. and He brought a knive to a gun fight…LOL
Agreed. The intruder waived any right to remain alive at the very the moment he began trying to break in.
Imo, she did the right thing. The man and his accomplice knew she was in the house and refused to stop attempting to break in. Any reasonable person could assume these people were desperate and could do anything.
I d0n’t blame her one bit – I’m sure her recently deceased husband would agree too.
if she had lived in n.y. or ill. she would be facing charges.
Why?
Thats not true. I can assure you as a police officer who lives and works in NYS that she was absolutely justified in using deadly physical force pursuant to article 35 of the NYS Penal Law. She was justified much earlier in the incident, and used more restraint than necessary in waiting as long as she did to fire, hoping law enforcement could arrive in the meantime and intervene. She’s a freakin’ hero, and no District Attorney in the nation would dare charge her with anything.
good shoot all day
too bad more americans couldn’t arm themselves and kill these lowlifes !
big daddy government would rather have seen this woman and her baby murdered then hurt one of it’s “special” people
Truth is , if the intruder can see that you are OBVIOUSL home ad still proceeds to break in, you must assume that intend you some kind of harm. No one in thier right mind would enter some one elses home by force if they were home unless they were prepared to do what ever was needed to carry out thier nefarious plot. say the only way to shoot is to shoot to kill. Dead men tell no tales and there is going to be a statement made, I want it to be mine and ONLY mine!
Excellent point. There is no doubt that he meant harm to her. At that point, it was either her life (and the life of her infant) or his. She made the right and courageous choice.
Joe
she did EVERYTHING right any other choise and she most likely would be dead
This girl makes me want to go and give her about a 1000 thank yous on the behalf of all women who carry guns, she looked intelligent, competent and self assured. Too many girls today are non of these, especially with firearms, so THANK YOU!!
It’s hard to improve on perfection.
This young woman did all the right things, even in this time of political correctness. It is also refreshing to see the press and public support for her…. This type of incident is exactly why I have a 12 gauge shotgun, loaded with Winchester PDX-1 home defense rounds, right by my bed. With the increase in home invasion crime…I want to stop a determined intruder….the combination load of 00Buckshot and a deer slug, in one round….is the best thing for that, IMHO…you might want to check them out yourself…about $13.00/box at Walmart…
Definitely the right thing.
Here in Canada we are awaiting the trial of a homeowner in Welland, Ontario who fire a handgun at three assailants who tried to burn his house down with Molotov cocktails. The whole thing was caught on video and looks pretty clear cut to everyone but the police went ahead and charged him with careless use of a firearm. Those charges were dropped but now they are proceeding with unsafe storage charges. The trial is scheduled for the end of January. Unsafe storage is basically a “gotcha!” charge when everything else fails.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/01/20/man-faces-jail-after-protecting-home-from-masked-attackers/
As a Canadian, this case sickens me. He should have been able to shoot AT all three of them. He was a firearms instructor as well, so he probably would have been able to make short work of them. He intentionally didn’t and the cops know it. He should never have been charged with anything. If there is a defense fund for this, let me know because I would love to help him out, if he needs it.
she did everything that i would have done.when somebody breaks in to your home they are there for no-good reasons,when they bring weapons with them they plan to eliminate any witnesses in the residence.he brought a knife,and forgot that she might have some way to defend herself and HER CHILD
hell yes she did the right thing !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Based upon the facts I read & clip I saw on Yahoo! news, she was completely justified. Would I have done the same in her exact position? Without a doubt, it would be 3 center mass. The intruder was an armed threat with an intent to do me harm.
Here is a fun & very true story from my childhood -
I lived in a tract of homes & my friends a half a block up from me were home alone for the night. It was a 13 year old boy & his 7 year old brother. It was the mid 60′s & was acceptable to leave kids home like this plus, it was a pretty tight knit neighborhood.
Anyway, there was a knock on the door around 9:30 pm & the boys asked “who is it”. No answer. The knock happened again & the same response. The third time the knock was more demanding & shaking the knob but still no identification.
The 13 year old, an avid hunter, ran upstairs grabbed his bow & arrows and ran back down the stairs & set himself in a slightly elevated position (the stairs were facing the front door so when you entered the home you saw the stairway first – the style of that model home). He told his younger to grab the door knob & when he says so – open it real fast.
The 13 year old loaded an arrow, drew the bow back fully & said “now!”
The door flung open & there stood the 20 year old boyfriend of their older sister who was having a little fun scaring the younger brothers. He saw the bow drawn & an arrow with his name on it & promptly fainted in the doorway. A lesson I’m sure he’ll never forget.
Weird deal on being on the phone with 911 for 21 minutes without a cop showing up. I can guarantee that wouldn’t happen where I’m at.
But yeah, you’re in a trailer with an infant (only one door?) someone’s trying to kick in the door, and the police aren’t showing up, when the door gets kicked open you shoot. Good for her for keep her wits about her and doing what needed done.
Given everything else being the same, I might have fired the pistol into the floor to try and scare them off before they got into the house. If that didn’t work I would have shot him. Having an infant in the house really narrows your options of what you can do.
Living by my self in a house with 3 doors to the outside, windows I can climb out of, neighbors close by, and cops that actually show up, if someone kicked in one of my doors I’d be out another door or a window and running to the neighbors for help.
Given the option to run from a fight I’m going to choose to run almost every time. The girl in that story didn’t have the option to run.
Hmm… In all the different scenarios you’ve put on here where shooting was an option, I’m pretty sure this was the first one where I said shoot.
I totally applaud her! she did the only thing left for her to do to protect herself and her child.
But I do believe it depends on the situation. I had a similar situation, but I was alone in the house. As the intruders were coming in my back window I was running out my front door calling 911 but I know without a shadow of a doubt, had my kids been home I would have been running for my gun and not the door.
I feel bad for this young woman that she had to go through all this but am thankful she and her child are safe thanks to her actions.
Synn, and Mike(see above)
the “duty to retreat” is a bunch of “bull…oney”…
this creep had at least one accomplice, with him. there is no way for you, as the intended victim to be sure you can get to help, by fleeing your home. “when seconds count, the police are only minutes away”. unless “they” have set your house on fire, i can’t think of any reason to risk running out of your home, with nothing.
In Oklahoma we don’t have to retreat in our own homes, we have a castle law, she could have made her stand at the front door if she wanted. You also have the cold hard truth…young mom against home invaders…period. No matter what state you live in if monsters come to hurt you in your own home, you do whatever it takes to stop it, it’s a no brainer.
Amen IrishDutchUncle.
Why would you run and leave your safe haven where you have a gun and protection to “run”? The cops took 21 minutes to get there, the creeps could have tracked her and the crying infant down and murdered them within that time.
Michael, What happens when you fire the one round you have chambered into the ground and the creep rushes you and your gun malfunctions on the second round? Answer: You and your baby dies.
Retreat my ass. She did everything right!
i agree she did everything right. (not every place has the castle doctrine anymore)
i’m glad for Synn, that she made it through her invasion too. it worked out for her, to run that time, but her guardian angel was with her that day. there is nothing in my place, worth shooting anyone over either. (except for the wife and kid…
and what if they came home before the invaders left?)
She did a great job. I don’t see how she could improve on her response.
What bothers me about this situation is that it took the intruders 20 minutes to enter the home. What would have happened if she was sitting on the couch with the baby in her arms and the door suddenly flies open and two men are inside the home (within feet of them). Unless she is carrying a weapon at all times, she would have been in serious trouble – and even then she might not have time to react.
This was what I would consider a best case scenario.
Well we should never shot to kill, we should be shooting to STOP the threat, now the best way to do this is several hi speed masses of lead to the center mass, or injected into the brain.
If they die they die, that is up to them and the EMT’s
We shoot to live.
Thing is , they dont turn over a new leaf , they just recuperate and do it all over again , they may start out with robbery , but they sooner or later take it to robbery/rape or robbery/murder , glad she dropped him and broke the cycle .
If I were an 18 year old widow and single mother, I would have shot through the door. Honestly, who would convict her? Aside from that, she did perfectly. I’m glad there are some decisive people in my generation.
Perfect job by the young lady. I try to instill the same mixture of calm, determination, and ability in my daughters to be able to eliminate the threat if faced with a life threatening situation. Good job!
She did the right thing ………she made the only real choice she had and didnt flinch , we need more women like that . I also wish we would bring back public hangings with mandatory attendance . Also , people like that should be our heros instead of some moron pro athlete that turns out to be a rapist or dog fighter or monkey rapper that sounds like Hitler with a 3rd grade education , etc . Glorify the the guy/gal that protects their families , or helps defend another from the scum , etc . One reason why this country is such a mess is lost values . The real heros in life are the people who do what this woman did , the married couple that has never cheated on each other , the mom/dad that is always there for their kids , the guy/gal that works two jobs to make sure their children have a roof over their head and cloths on their back . Those are the people that deserve our respect .
Absolutely the right thing! Good for her for having / keeping guns in the household (whether they were hers or her late husbands), knowing how to use them, and having the fortitude to use them. Good mid-western gal!
I just feel bad for her that she now has to deal with having shot and killed someone on top of her recent loss of her husband. Crappy couple of months. But I”m guessing there will be a flood of support for her given this went national, so hopefully she’ll get plenty of external support to help deal with it.
My wife and I discussed this and my opinion is they knew she was home alone from the obit/funeral notices and they had already scoped out their prey the previous day when pretending to be a concerned neighbor when she refused to open the door.
This probably was going to be a rape, robbery, and murder of a defenseless woman with no husband around.
As it stands now the felon is now with the husband with a lot of explaining to do.
If you are justified in firing a warning shot, you are justified in shooting them. You should never fire a warning shot. It is the same as deadly force and you don’t know where that bullet will go. If you pull the trigger, point it at who you intend to shoot and pull the trigger.
She was absolutely justified in shooting the intruder. He knew she was there and he had a large knife. At best, she would have been sexually assaulted. At worst, he would have sexually assaulted her and then killed her.
And from what I understand, where she is, it’s pretty rural so that explains the long time for the cops to show up. All things to think about before you run away to a BOL. In a city, it does not take very long to get the police. In the country it can take ages.
I think that we are going to see many more of these scenarios, as this country slides towards a financial meltdown that seem’s sure to happen. Good people are desperate, so you know that the cockroaches of humanity are going to be more aggressive. Good for you young mother. Your baby will be proud to have you as a parent some day when this story is told. Lock and load people, thing’s are going to get much worse. The writing is on the wall,for all that are looking to see.
We may, we may not. I doubt it will take many more scenarios with this outcome before the badun’s start to think hard before busting in on anyone. ‘Tis the beauty of the 2nd amendment. Arm yourselves peeps!
Public hangings worked .
I think this really boils down to one thing. If you injure or simply capture the home invader, do you want this guy eventually walking the streets?
Remember, with our justice system, there is no guaranteee he is going to jail. Even if he does, it’s not a life sentence. And when he gets out, will you or your family be able to sleep at night knowing he’s out there?
You’re allowed to use deadly force if someone enters your home. Use it and be sure they are no longer a threat. Agree with Duck, shoot to live.
I agree with what she did. I have no desire to harm a soul,but if you break in my my home you will be shot! And this shoot to kill BS! Is there any other way? If you shoot to wound as many say may indeed get You killed!
China
III
Aye that !!!!!!! If somebody breaks into your house , they are not there to shake your hand . These days , you must assume that they are also armed , not to do so could be fatal to you or your loved ones .
Yep!
-exactly right:
FIRST, she called the police.
SECOND, she waited for the police as long as possible (Must be a lot else going on in Blanchard?!)
THIRD, she did not fire until the perimeter of her house was breached
AND her life was in jeopardy.
FOURTH, she was facing him, he was facing her, he was obviously aware there was a person in the house (if stalking & casing hadn’t prepared him for that), and he was not retreating.
What I mean is that (putting the moral imperatives aside), in a court of law she might have had trouble if she’d decided to fire “a warning shot” to someone who was not aware of her presence , had not been verbally warned, or was not aggressive (Granted it doesn’t seem to apply here… but you never know how things can be mis-represented.)
A sturdy front door with multiple locks should be the first line of defense… the fact that it took 20 min for them to break in says something, and barricading the door was a smart move. She was wise in paying attention to the other things that the man did earlier, which meant that when it happened she had some degree of mental preparation, understood what the situation was, and could summarize it for 911. I think it was brains saved her as well as her bullets.
a sturdy front door, an even sturdier back door. (and side door, and cellar door…)
… and if there’s only one doorway into your trailer, a sturdy escape hatch door, on the bottom.
This young woman did a great job of staying calm and doing what had to be done. Unfortunately it has become very comman for these break-ins to occur when a person dies from cancer. The low-lifes watch the obits and when they see the right info, they come looking for the pain meds that are usually found in large quantities in the final days of many cancer victims.
KYPrepper,
Good call. I was wondering why this creep targeted her after the funeral, but I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. Well, I guess a lead injection cured that creeps drug addiction.
She is a hero in my eyes. What alot of people thats not from around here didnt know is that she had just buried her husband earlier that morning.When she tried calling 911 with her cell phone it bounced off another tower that delayed the police from showing up.Thank god A reputable Alarm co came in the next week and installed her an alarm system for free. Some good things do come out of tradegy…Such a stong young women willing to protect her child!!!
Thank god she lives in Ok and we have the “go ahead and make my day” law!!