HOUSTON, TX- Authorities with the Houston Police Department (HPD) have stated that an individual dressed as a healthcare worker was fatally shot after forcing his way into an elderly woman’s home.
An investigation is underway after a man fatally shot an intruder that was acting as a health care worker while trying to break into the home of the man’s mother in southeast Houston, police said. https://t.co/gU4bKmcyTV
— KPRC 2 Houston (@KPRC2) April 12, 2022
According to FOX26, the incident occurred at a residence located in the 12500-block of Cooperstown Drive around 11:30 p.m on April 11th. The fatal shooting will now be referred to a Harris County grand jury.
Officers with HPD said that a 65-year-old woman that was home alone received a knock on her door from a man wearing scrubs who was claiming to be a health care worker. The woman refused to let the man in and called her 40-year-old son, who was only a few blocks away.
Officers stated that the son arrived and found that the man had broken the door. As the intruder was forcing his way into the home, the son fired his personal weapon and shot the suspect. Neighbor Yazmin said:
“I heard, ‘bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!’ Five or six gunshots.”
Thirteen-year-old neighbor Nicole, added:
“It was really, really frightening. We were hearing multiple gunshots.”
Residents stated that the neighborhood is normally super quiet and is full of retirees. Another neighbor, Mike, said:
“We sit out here all day long. I couldn’t believe it. Last night, when I came out, there were cars everywhere. Police cars.”
Intruder Is Shot & Killed After Trying To Break Into SE Houston Home | KPRC AM 950 | Walton And Johnson https://t.co/LaOOiFbSJO
— SearchWarrant (@SearchWarrant1) April 14, 2022
According to investigators, the elderly woman also had a gun, but it is believed that she did not use the firearm. Investigators said that it appears the man chose the house at random, but the investigation is still ongoing. Nicole, the young teenager said:
“I just feel really, really bad for her. She deserves so much better. I just feel scared now because I don’t know if it’s going to happen again.”
HPD Lieutenant J.P. Horelica added that the motive for the home invasion is still unclear. He said in a statement:
“It doesn’t look like there’s any relation at all. It was just a random thing. The home health care that dropped on the original radio was part of a ruse to try to gain entry in the home without having to force entry, and when that didn’t work, he tried to force entry in there.”
The woman and her son were not injured during the incident. A grand jury will now decide if anyone involved will face charges as a result of the incident.
In a separate incident in Michigan, a man who was having an affair with a former coworker tried to kill his wife with a shotgun in the middle of the night, but had to make it look like a home invasion when his plan failed.
The incident happened around 3 a.m. on March 29th in Casco Township, Michigan. Police said they were called to the home by 57-year-old Gregory Allen Ringel. Police said that Ringel told them a person armed with a shotgun had entered the home through the garage, walked through the kitchen and knocked over a steel tumbler.
Michigan man having affair with ex-coworker makes up fake home invasion after failing to kill wife https://t.co/WjW5QjrWCu
— ClickOnDetroit (@clickondetroit) April 18, 2022
Ringel said that the noise woke his wife up and so she got up out of bed to see what happened. Officials said that Ringel’s story was that his wife had been met at the doorway with a shotgun barrel as the armed person was entering her room.
Ringel then told police that the man shot at his wife, but missed and so she shut the door on the gun barrel, effectively keeping the gunman from entering the room.
Ringel stated that he had been sleeping in another room, but that when he woke up he grabbed his handgun from the nightstand. He said that when he saw a shadow, he shot in the direction of the alleged intruder before going to check on his wife.
Investigators working the case said that inconsistencies and unexplained facts began to pop up in Ringel’s story. Police said they eventually learned that Ringel was having an affair with an ex-coworker from out of state.
During a follow-up interview, Ringel admitted that he had made up the home invasion after using a single-shot 12 gauge to try to enter the bedroom and shoot his wife.
Ringel was arrested and charged with assault with intent to murder, firearm discharge in a building, false report of a felony, and two felony firearm violations.
Criminal holds gun to man’s head during home invasion – gets shot and killed by his girlfriend
March 26th, 2022
LAS VEGAS, NV – A Las Vegas woman called 9-1-1 to report a break in at her home. Dispatchers could hear the sound of glass breaking over the phone.
The woman was at home with her boyfriend and three children when she heard a commotion around 4:30 am.
Las Vegas Metro Police Department Lt. Ray Spencer said that the woman informed them on the call that the intruder was her ex-boyfriend.
She was armed with a handgun. Her ex saw that she was armed and left, only to return a few minutes later with a gun of his own. Once again, he entered the home uninvited and threatened the new current boyfriend, holding his gun to his head.
It was at that moment that the homeowner fired a single shot at her ex-boyfriend, striking and killing him.
Well Done you!! Defending yourself AND current boyfriend.
Las Vegas police: Woman shoots, kills ex-boyfriend during reported home invasion https://t.co/JDwH0TkA3f— Go Buckeyes (@8621buckeye) March 23, 2022
According to the Las Vegas Sun, Lt. Spencer said that the shooting appeared to be in self-defense.
“Spencer said police will submit a report on the incident to the District Attorney’s Office for review.
He said circumstances of the incident indicating that the woman acted in self-defense include the fact that the ex-boyfriend ‘had ample opportunity to leave, however he chose to return back into the house armed with a handgun.'”
All of the legal occupants of the home escaped without injury.
It is unknown what sparked the ex-boyfriend to break into the home or why he threatened the man inside the residence. Police are continuing the investigation.
Nevada’s self-defense laws allow you to stand your ground without a duty to retreat, as long as you comply with four things.
- You did not start the fight.
- You have reasonable belief that your life in in immediate jeopardy.
- You have a right to be in the location where deadly force is used.
- You are not otherwise breaking the law at the time deadly force is used.
According to preliminary reports from LVMPD, the homeowner appears to have met all of the requirements.
Newspaper in city with skyrocketing crime pleads with readers to not buy a gun for self-defense
Californians had a decision to make as they endure a two-year span of increased criminal violence, pushes to throttle law enforcement’s ability to protect communities and prosecutors going soft on criminals.
They could choose to lawfully purchase a firearm to protect themselves or be a victim. They choose the former.
That’s got gun control peddlers worried. An opinion column in The Los Angeles Times pleaded with readers, “Thinking of buying a gun for self-defense? Don’t do it.”
Californians instead took up their Second Amendment rights. They weren’t alone either as millions of law-abiding Americans from coast-to-coast purchased a firearm last year, including more than 5.4 million first-timers.
Pleading Their Case
The Los Angeles Times’ opinion writers have had their heads buried on California’s beaches. Californians on the other hand have been feeling unsafe.
The Los Angeles City Council cut $150 million from the police department budget in the aftermath of riots that followed the murder of George Floyd. A police shortage, including $47 million in owed backpay for overtime, has left criminals emboldened.
That led to a short-staffed LAPD issuing an unthinkable warning to city residents: if you’re the victim of a crime, just “cooperate and comply.”
The LA Times-endorsed, George Soros-funded County District Attorney George Gascon has been on the receiving end of public outcry, and a recall effort, for his continued soft treatment of violent criminals, including murderers.
Criminals noticed. In 2021, Los Angeles saw a 12 percent year-over-year increase in murders. Violent crimes and property crimes were both up 4 percent. The Los Angeles Times opinion page, instead of condemning the crime, clung to fear.
“Choosing to have a gun in your home, because it will keep you safe, is a myth. And a deadly one at that.” The column urged readers to practice “common sense” and “safety,” stating, “Be responsible and be wise. Don’t buy into the myth of owning a gun for self-defense. The life you save may be your own.”
Resounding Rejection
Law-abiding Californians are tuning out “be a good victim” advice and instead are choosing lawful firearm ownership. In 2021, nearly 1.5 million verifications were run through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) for Californians purchasing a firearm.
The year before the figure was even higher at 1.6 million.
The owner of the only Los Angeles firearm retail store said business was booming and he wasn’t surprised.
“This morning I sold six shotguns in about an hour to people that say, ‘I want a home defense shotgun,’” Russell Stuart said. “Everyone has a general sense of constant fear, which is very sad.”
Debbie Mizrahie lives in Beverly Hills and described why she chose to purchase a gun.
She’s “always been anti-gun” but changed her mind. She wanted to, “get myself shooting lessons because I now understand that there may be a need for me to know how to defend myself and my family. We’re living in fear.”
Geneva Solomon owns Redstone Firearms in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Burbank. Her firsthand experiences contradict the “advice” and “data” from the Los Angeles Times opinion page.
“Years ago a gentleman was charged with home invasion on my home. He forced his way into my home and I walked downstairs with a gun,” Solomon described. “I believe that my firearm deescalated what could have happened if he felt we were unarmed.”
Solomon encourages all gun owners new and old in her store to seek more training and education to be confident and safe gun owners.
National Movement
Californians buying firearms aren’t outliers. They are part of a larger firearm-owning community that’s growing by the day. NSSF retailer survey data from 2021 revealed more than 5.4 million law-abiding Americans purchased a firearm for the first time.
That’s on top of the more than 8.4 million in 2020. It’s not just white males stockpiling guns either, as the media and national gun control groups often portray.
Women accounted for more than 33 percent of first-time buyers in 2021, only slightly lower than the 40 percent from 2020. A full 44 percent of retailers saw an increase of African-Americans purchasing firearms in 2021; nearly 40 percent of retailers saw an increase of Hispanic-American buyers and over 27 percent of retailers saw an increase of Asian-American buyers.
On top of purchasing their first firearm, buyers were looking for training. Retailers said that almost 47 percent of first-time buyers inquired about training and education courses and more than 43 percent of them signed up for classes.
Americans from all walks of life, including Californians, aren’t listening to the fear and loathing from newspaper opinion pages. They’re thinking, and acting, for themselves.
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