What follows is my, John Daub, recounting of my life-changing events of Monday January 5, 2015.
The Event
The day began like any other day. I woke up around 3:30 AM to go to the gym. Woke up, got ready, and arrived at the gym around 4:15 AM or so. I worked out, then returned home around 5:30 (my gym is close to my home, so I walk to and from the gym). All seemed normal, and after 2 weeks of holidays and semi-vacation I was looking forward to getting back into the swing of work and the normal work-life routine.
Upon returning home, I did my usual: taking off my sweats and stripping down to just my gym shorts (and underwear) so I can cool off before showering. I let the dog out back to do her morning business, and I went outside with her (it was cold in just my shorts, but it helps me cool down). Coming back into the house, my wife had just woken up and was coming into the kitchen for her morning coffee. As we typically do at this time, we chat about last night and the day ahead.
After our chat, it was time to get on with the day so I headed to the master bathroom. It was around 6:15 AM give or take. I was going to the bathroom primarily to shower but first with a pit-stop at the toilet. I sat down on the toilet and did what people do today – I had my iPhone in hand and was checking email and other things while I sat. After a few minutes of sitting, I started to hear noises outside. It was yelling, and while I could not determine what was being said, I could certainly tell it was the voice of an adult male or maybe males — I couldn’t determine a number (certainly 1, maybe more). The noise concerned me because I live in a quiet neighborhood, and there was no reason to have yelling, especially at that hour of the morning while it was still dark outside. Naturally, this highly unusual event gave me great concern.
I called out to my wife to get her attention because I figured she heard it too and perhaps had a better bead on what the noise was (and I wasn’t quite done on the toilet).
From this point on, everything unfolded quickly. In fact, it will probably take you longer to read this than was the actual duration of the event.
From my perspective, the main thing I remember is hearing my wife screaming for me. Her words were saying there was someone at the door. But the way she said it — the sheer mortal terror in her voice — was something I had never heard out of her in the almost 20 years of our marriage.
When this happened I realized I better get moving, so I gave a quick wipe, pulled up my shorts, put my phone in my pocket (I don’t recall doing this, but I must have given my later use of the phone), and quickly went to retrieve my handgun. My wife’s communication made it evident there was something extremely wrong, likely threatening.
Aside: all my brain focused on was the sound of my wife, her words, and the mortal terror in her voice. I can only assume the reason I did not hear the door crashing open was due to auditory exclusion, but I learn after the fact from my wife and my daughter the sounds at the door were extreme. My wife said the male voice on the other side of the front door was howling – at first she thought it was a coyote (quickly dismissed as that didn’t make sense)! Then the door was being aggressively rattled and shaken — this was not a polite knock at the door, this was aggressive, violent. My wife reports as she ran towards the bedroom, hearing the crash of the front door flying open. I did not see the door opening, as I was still on my way out of the bedroom.
I quickly exited the bedroom, went down the hallway (with family members fleeing past me in the opposite direction) and upon reaching the end of the hall and entering the foyer/living room, I saw what had happened.
I saw my front door was wide open, forcibly opened due to the obvious damage to the door frame.
I saw an unknown man within my home. I later measured and he was around 6-10′ inside my home.
I pointed my gun at him and repeatedly yelled “GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!”.
The man continued his approach towards me.
At that point, I fired my gun.
Once I saw the man change, that he turned to leave out the front door, I stopped shooting.
The man walked towards the front door, and fell down just outside the front door.
I yelled “CALL 911!” over and over. I went to the alarm panel to try to active the panic buttons but I couldn’t get things working (I recall then at that point hearing the alarm going off — did I activate it? had it been going off all this time? auditory exclusion… I’m not sure). I reached into my pocket, found my phone, and called 911 to report the incident. My wife was already on her mobile phone with 911 as well.
While waiting for the arrival of the police, I stayed as far away from the front door and the person as I could, but kept things in view. I had no idea what else might be in store (were there others? my belief was our home was being burglarized). After some time Austin Police Department arrived on scene (I do not know how long it took, but it felt like an eternity).
The After-the-Fact Knowledge
Well-after the incident, it was discovered this man was autistic and lived in a group home in the neighborhood. According to reports, the man had “become agitated” and ran away from home and would not return (apparently he had a history of such behavior, and according to his own family his behavior had become more unpredictable in the past year). Apparently he had banged on other doors in the neighborhood and other neighbors had called 911 in response to it. I don’t know how many other doors he banged on before he broke through the door of my home.
I had no idea who this man was that had forced open my door and entered my home. I had never seen him before. While I knew about the group home, they have always kept to themselves. While we might see the residents outside on occasion (e.g. a group walk around the block), we had not seen much of them in the past year. Even if we did, residents come and go, and since they keep to themselves and I’m sure due to HIPAA laws, there’s no way the neighbors can really know who exactly is living in the home.
I do not know what lead this man to behave as he did. In fact, anything and everything I know about this man and the particulars of the group home come from the media reports in the aftermath.
I understand the armchair quarterbacking that is afforded by the luxury of the after-the-fact knowledge. I was not afforded this luxury. Given what was presented to me as it was unfolding:
- aggressive howling and banging on my front door
- my door obviously forced open
- an unknown man in my home
- not obeying commands to get out even with a gun pointed at him
- his continued approach
I know any rational, reasonable person would have assessed the situation in the same way.
This whole event is unfortunate and tragic, and it is important to remember it is the luxury of after-the-fact knowledge that enables that assessment.
Legal
I was never arrested. I was never charged with anything.
On June 2, 2015, a Travis County Grand Jury no-billed me. All of the evidence – which included offense reports, pictures, autopsy reports, and ballistics reports – were presented to a grand jury and they found my actions were justified.
Addressing Some Questions and Erroneous Reporting
While the news media reports have been generally correct, there was enough inattention to facts and delivery by the reporters that have caused incorrect or unclear understanding of the situation. Due to this, along with armchair quarterbacking based upon this faulty information, I wanted to address a few things.
I do not have 3 daughters (yes, one news story reported this “fact”). I do have 3 children, but only 1 daughter.
No one in my household answered the door, opened the door, or went anywhere near the door. If your door was being aggressively, violently rattled off it’s hinges with a male voice howling on the other side of it, would you approach it? Neither would we, and we did not.
The door frame was physically broken. Here’s a picture of the door frame., and KVUE reports “Austin police confirmed the damage in the photo was how the door looked when they arrived.”
He was within my home. This was not at the door, outside the door, within the door. At the time I encountered him, he was a good 6-10′ into the foyer/living-room area.
I was not sleeping and my wife did not wake me up. As I said, I was sitting on the toilet when this began.
There was no time to call 911 and wait.
I did not “shoot first, and ask questions later”. I do not view a gun as the “only resort”, as the answer to all questions. I do not have a gun and am “itching for a chance to use it.” We have a well-lit exterior. We have a strong door. We have a dog. We have an alarm system. I gave this man opportunity to leave by repeatedly shouting a very clear command to “GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!”, and waiting for a response/reaction. Yes I did have my gun pointed at him while I shouted, to give emphasis to my demand he leaves my house immediately. Due to my experience as a firearms trainer, due to my knowledge of violent encounters, I know quite well that the best thing one can do is work to avoid the situation. I did everything I could to avoid using my gun. Despite all those things, an unknown man forced his way into my home. His aggression, his breaking down my door, demonstrated to me he had the ability to bring harm to myself, my wife, and/or my children. That he broke through my door and entered my home gave him the opportunity to cause us harm. The fact he continued to approach me despite my pointed gun and commands gave me reasonable belief that my life or the lives of my family were in jeopardy. Given the totality of the circumstances, any reasonable person would have come to the same conclusion I did (home invasion, burglary, someone intending to steal my things and/or cause me and/or my family members grave bodily harm).
Could I have done something else? Like tackle him? Maybe. Again, with my experience as a firearms trainer and also my experience in empty-hand martial arts, I know that getting into a direct hand-to-hand confrontation like this could be a dangerous and deadly endeavor (here’s a video with sobering examples of how empty-hand, unarmed violence can be deadly). This man’s family described him as a “gentle giant” – “giant” being the operative word. When you hear a man described as a “giant”, what comes to mind? He was a large man, and obviously strong enough and aggressive enough to break down a heavy door. Would you want to trade punches or wrestle with such a person? I wouldn’t either.
Yes I’m big and strong. That doesn’t mean I’m looking for trouble, nor does it mean I want to get into trouble. Just because one can do something (e.g. fight, get physical) not mean it’s wise and safe to do that thing. Again, I know avoidance is preferred and I prefer to avoid physical altercation because I know of the potential cost (again, see the previously linked-to video).
My key point is precisely because of my training, I know better. I don’t have fantasies about being a hero. I don’t dream of getting into fights or confrontations. My knowledge of violence comes from studying real events, not from Hollywood movies nor ignorance. Because of my knowledge, I did everything I could to avoid having problems because I know avoidance is the preferred approach.
For anyone that thinks I was “lying in wait” or “just looking for a reason to shoot someone” or am “trigger happy”, what factual knowledge enabled you to arrive at such a conclusion? Nothing could be further from the truth! It’s a shame you know nothing about me, refuse to seek truth, and form and hold opinions based upon scant information, bias, and ignorance. In fact, I’m saddened to learn there are people in this world that view others with such blind contempt, instead of the understanding and compassion they seem to always demand for themselves. But you are welcome to your opinion, and your insistence on clinging to falsehoods speaks more about you than it does me.
Closing Words
Looking back on the event, I do not believe this man had any evil intent. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous – and by his family’s own words, by his actions of that day, it is evident he had the capacity to inflict harm. But again, I cannot believe there was evil intent here. You and I can “what if” the situation endlessly, but it does no good because it’s impossible to truly say how things could have worked out if something were different. But one thing I do wonder is how things might have been different if the group home had done their job.
I don’t believe any person would want such a thing to happen to them, no matter the context, no matter the circumstance. It’s an unfortunate and tragic situation for all involved. My heart breaks for his family. I ask you to please pray for the repose of his soul and for peace for his family.
I would also like to give praise and thanks to the men and women of the Austin Police Department with whom I interacted. They were professional, polite, helpful, and I have nothing but good things to say about how they operated with regards to my event.
I never wanted such a thing to happen, but it did and I can’t undo it – my actions, the actions of the others involved that lead up to and enabled this situation to happen. The best I can do is try to find something positive from it. To try to find some way to make the world better from it. One hope is that it brought the problems with the group home into the public eye; perhaps the lives of others will be improved because of this event, if it means bringing better protections, better oversight, better living conditions. Time will tell. But I will not sit by and just let time pass; I fully intend to be active in making good come from this event.
Stuff From Hsoi 
K, first off, wow
I do recall seeing the news reports, but either didn’t connect the name with you, or the reports I saw didn’t give your name. I do recall thinking that I would have likely reacted much the same. When a “giant” breaks through the front door screaming you don’t stop to ask if he’s mentally all there.
The damage to the door frame is sobering. I know, from working at home improvement stores that door frames aren’t the sturdiest things ever, but looking at that is scary. There are several products on the market that are supposed to strengthen that area of the frame. Now that you’ve been through the whole thing do you think they might have helped?
That’s part of why I put this out there: to clarify things in the face of news reports. The news reports were mostly good, but there was enough misinformation or poor reporting that certainly readers/viewers took things as they did and thus didn’t quite have the right understanding, impressions, and facts. Plus, they all have the luxury of complete after-the-fact details, so they can armchair quarterback with ease. I had no such luxury.
To have reinforced the door was always on my honey-do list of things that just never got honey-done. I do wonder how having it there might have changed things, but there’s just no way I can say. It’s possible he may not have broken through, it’s possible he still might have. It’s possible things could have ended up the same, better, or worse. There’s really just no way to know.
Sorry you and your family had to experience this event and aftermath. I like to think that, of all your neighbors, you were best equipped to deal with it. He was going door to door and who knows what you prevented had he moved on to the next house or person outside. Additionally, your story may prevent other families from being harmed. For example, before reading about your experience, I used to sometimes leave my firearm in my vehicle while at home. That won’t do me any my children any good if someone bursts into my house.
We think about the neighbor situation. One neighbor immediately adjacent to the facility is elderly and frail, and we wonder what may have happened to her if it was her door that was broken through.
And yes… keep your firearm on your person. Cars are easily broken into. And personal safety equipment does one no good if it’s not readily available when needed. Life vests, first aid kits, fire extinguishers, etc..
Thank you, Jasin.
First time here, came due to a friend linking this on Facebook… Sounds like you did everything right.
I have to agree with what you said in the last part of the post, I am no hero and that is precisely why I carry… I have often said, the reason I carry is to stop a very, very bad situation from getting even worse.
Thank you, Chris.
As the mom of two autistic “adults” for whom I’m the custodial guardian, these scenarios are my nightmares. I know you did what you did to protect your family, but having to be 1000 times more vigilant with my daughters, and knowing I can’t watch them every minute of the day, I fear one day I’ll get a call saying one of them has been killed. They are both bigger than other people their age, and when they have sensory overload meltdowns, they become enraged, terrified, and almost superhumanly strong. They can easily do physical damage that they neither intend nor direct. Think flailing blindly in terror at a perceived threat trying to stop it or get away from it. The other part of an autistic meltdown is that their communications center in their brains shuts down. You can scream demands and instructions until you’re blue in the face, but the words won’t register in their overloaded brains as more than threatening noise, creating more agitation. Something you experienced. A normal, sane person would heed the vocal and visual warnings, an autistic person in meltdown just doesn’t register them.
The only thing I can do is remain vigilant in watching over my girls, and trusting that when they’re in someone else’s custody, that they are also being vigilant. I also work hard to educate local first responders and the community about autism, and the communication and interaction limitations of autistic people. But no matter how much is done, how much education and caring there is, tragedies will happen. My thoughts and prayers are with the man’s family.
Angel – thank you for sharing this.
These very thoughts go through my head, and are part of what makes this event so difficult for me. As the event unfolded, I had no idea — how could I? All I knew is what was presented before me. Once I learned who it was, in APD Detective’s car on the way back from the police station, I broke down and cried. Still to this day it pains me; I mean, just a few weeks ago a mother celebrated Christmas without her son. Even now as I type this, the thought of that breaks me apart.
Ever since this happened, all I’ve wanted is somehow, some way, for some sort of good to come out of this event — so that Jared James did not die in vain. Part of my reasoning for sharing the story is so others can be aware, and maybe we can make something good come from it.
I know a lot of people are taking my story in terms of the “self-defense” aspect of things; that’s certainly part of it. But for me, another part of it is precisely what you speak of, and the nightmare you live with. I hope that some light can be shed on the way such facilities are run, and how the residents are treated and cared for (or perhaps, not cared for); perhaps reform and improvement can come. I hope it can shed some light on the realities and issues that autistic people, and their families, have to deal with — and perhaps what can be done there to make things better.
I don’t know the answers, but I think about these things often and continue to seek to find ways to make good come from this. If you have any input, anything you’d like to share, please do.
Thank you for your prayers for Jared James and his family.
A few thoughts come immediately to mind.
I work hard to assimilate my daughters into their community. I don’t isolate them from interaction. It’s not always easy or comfortable, but I don’t want them to ever feel alien in their own hometown. I’ve introduced them to the first responders in our town, firemen, police and sheriff’s deputies, EMTs. They are familiar with the girls and their challenges, and the girls recognize them as being “in their world.” They are more likely to respond positively to someone they already know and like, even in meltdown.
The second thought is community. The people living in the group home are your neighbors. Do you know any of your neighbors, or just smile and wave? We’ve lost the feeling of community, and that’s something I battle daily. The girls know our neighbors, the neighbors have been to our house for block parties, Christmas parties, birthday parties. We make an effort at outreach. Again, the neighbors knowing the girls and being comfortable with them may prevent an unfortunate tragedy. The girls knowing the neighbors makes it more likely that they would seek them out for help if needed. Jared was most likely lost, disoriented, and in his panic, trying to get back home. Every house looks like home to an autistic brain in meltdown.
Which brings me to my third thought. There are Amber alerts for missing children. There are silver alerts for missing seniors. There is nothing for a missing adult with disabilities. If the group home had the ability to send text messages to their neighbors alerting them that one of the residents was out and possibly in danger, would that have helped in this case? Done immediately, would the texts have drawn the community together to find Jared and return him safely?
Too often, I’ve been told to put my girls in a home and get on with my life. My daughters are my life. Maybe we just need to have a better sense of family, belonging, community.
Point 1 is good.
Point 2, yes I know my neighbors, but this particular home was stand-off-ish and isolated themselves. In fact, they got worse in the year prior to this event (one of my neighbors and I were talking about that). Used to be that the residents would go out and about — taking group walks to the duck pond, etc., and we’d see them, smile, wave, and certainly got to recognize residents (even if they didn’t fully interact with us). Early on (we’ve lived here for many years), they wouldn’t even turn on their porch light at Halloween, but in later years started to and certainly we’d all stop by. But in the year prior to this event, everything went… quiet. We’d never see people, no lights, we really had no clue who was living there. Sadly, the only times we’d tend to see people were when APD would be called to the house to contend with something. 😦 They seemed to go out of their way to NOT interact with the rest of the neighborhood; I’m not sure what changed. I feel fairly safe in saying if I had recognized the person in my living room I would have acted differently, but I did not.
Point 3, I’m not sure if it would have helped here, only because everything apparently happened very quickly — it takes time to get an alert out, and it may not have happened in time. BUT specifics aside, I certainly could see such a system being useful and helpful. For sure.
You’ve got my wheels turning…. in a good way. Thank you.
And to your last point — I couldn’t agree more.
Wow I cant imagine having experienced that1 How terrifying. I must say it sounds like something has been going “wrong” in the home with your description of the past years experience. I do know that places like this can become abusive to the residents living there. I hope this events can bring to light what is going on in the home. Its a horribly tragic event but his soul is at peace and nothing can take that away. I hope you can find peace with what has been done. Everything happens for a reason. I pray some good can come out of it. If only to bring awareness to people with autism. I like the ideas that the above poster had made. Had this home done what she has done for her children this would not have happened probably. A group effort would have been made to find this gentleman. Why they didnt have people out there looking for him and letting the neighbors know he was missing and possibly in danger would certainly have helped! Peace be with you and your family.
Yes, from what I can understand — and I have no special knowledge, only what the news media reported — the facility had a lot of problems for some time. I can only wonder what conditions the residents lived under. The fact the stated reasons (from Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services) for the license revocation was untrained staff and not monitoring/administering medications well….
There is peace within our household. I hope there is peace within his family’s household. I pray for that.
And yes, I too hope that some good will come from it. As I’ve said elsewhere, I refuse to allow Jared James to have died in vain.
Thank you, Dia.
I met you at a defensive handgun training course. I am so sorry that this happened. For you, for the deceased, and for the family.
We are living in an imperfect world. We do our best, and it still is not always enough. As the parent of a mentally ill child, I have had those same nightmares. We do what we can, and we teach others about mental illness whenever they are willing to listen. But we know that someday something like this could happen. If it does, I hope I find it in myself to forgive everyone.
Thank you for the understanding.
You had NO choice but to press that trigger.
I think the liberal social engineers have to ask themselves: if you want to live in a society without guns, how would you handle cases like this? Who owns the consequences? The group home for the patients? How would a criminal negligence suit help the potential victims AFTER they’ve been hurt or killed? And what happens when the next patient goes off his meds or runs amok because of inadequate supervision?
The hell of it is that this was the best possible outcome of a whole stack of much worse ones. Evil, Darwin and Murphy walk the earth and they WILL kill people that can’t defend themselves. I don’t like it either but that’s just the way it is.
Hope you and the family are doing alright after this harrowing mishap.
I do understand. And you raise good questions, that unfortunately don’t have easy answers. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to answer them tho.
And yes, we’re doing alright. Thank you.
Whether or not he would have INTENDED to harm you or your family doesn’t matter. It would not have mattered that he didn’t know that what he did was wrong, or that he was simply mentally defective. The point of using force to defend yourself is not to punish wrongdoers, it is to prevent the people that you care about from coming to harm. Had this man, in the midst of his “sensory overload meltdown” killed one of your children, would it have made a difference that he was mentally defective? Your child would still be dead, and he would still be autistic.
The point here is this: Did he present a threat to the health and well being of you and your family, regardless of WHY he presented that threat? I would say that the answer to that question is yes. That is the only thing that you need to remember. If that answer is not enough to help you deal with this, I would suggest that you seek some professional counseling to help you deal with the trauma that you are having to endure over this.
As far as though who criticize your actions, remember this: they were not there, and until they stand in your shoes, they cannot understand your decision. Keep in mind that the attackers in even the most clear cut self defense cases have people who defend them.
Indeed. Those are all points I well-understand (even before this event occurred), but are worth articulating here. Believe me, there’s much about this event that I could write about (and perhaps I will in the future), but it’s well… a lot. 🙂
No worries, really. We’re doing ok, and while there are detractors, only a few have said anything to my face; the overwhelming majority of people that hear this story are understanding and sympathetic. Either way, the detractors weren’t there, they have made their assessment of the situation based off little (and typically erroneous) information, and usually they have their minds made up and want to be mad to suit whatever it is within them that needs to feel the way they do. If they are willing to listen to the facts and give things thoughtful consideration, I’m happy to speak with them. Those that prefer to live in their world of misunderstanding and misinformation, I can’t help them.
Thank you.
John,
Thank you for sharing this; I came over from Bayou Renaissance Man. It’s shocking to read it, and I can only imagine what it was like to have gone through it. I’d like to ask a few questions, and I completely understand any unwillingness to answer them in a public forum.
Did you arrange for any emotional care after the shooting, for you or your family? Might you post something about that?
Did you interact directly with the media at all? I saw mention at one point that your attorney said you wouldn’t comment until after the case was closed. Did the media respect that?
Can you discuss whether there was any civil action as a result of this?
Can you discuss whether you had a family plan of action and whether this has changed that plan at all?
Wishing your family grace in peace in the new year.
Hi Bob. You’re (and anyone) are welcome to ask all the questions you want. I’ll work to answer them the best I can. Talking about it, asking questions, answering questions, etc. is a key way for people to learn from this event.
Did we arrange for care after the shooting? Sorta. We did speak with APD’s Crisis Counselor during the immediate aftermath. We had some referrals from friends to good therapists and other psych people, should we have needed it. We did spend time speaking with the Deacon of our church, as well as a couple of the priests. But on the whole, we were alright. I attribute that to many years of training and preparation (and the innoculation it provides), even within the family (e.g. we talk about these things; there’s no mysteries with my children). Certainly if we needed formal care we’d have taken it. For those reading, I’d recommend the book “Deadly Force Encounters: What Cops Need To Know To Mentally And Physically Prepare For And Survive A Gunfight” by Alexis Artwohl & Loren W. Christensen.
Media interaction. Most of that was handled by my attorney. Any interaction I directly had was usually they came to the house, knocked on the door, I did not open the door but spoke through it… “Who is it?” “So-and-so-reporter” “No thank you. Have a good day.” And that’d be the end of it. Or a couple times a phone call would come through, but any number I don’t recognize goes right to voice mail, so those all ended up in voice mail and I didn’t respond (tho I’d relay it to my attorney). I had no desire to speak to the media. They did come out to the house a few times after the immediate incident, and even then I’d politely decline.
As of this writing, I am unaware of any civil action, towards me, towards the care facility, towards anyone. Because of how Texas law works, because I was no-billed by a grand jury, Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Title 4, Chapter 83, Section 83.001 regarding Civil Immunity takes hold:
http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/CP/htm/CP.83.htm
So while someone could certainly file a civil lawsuit against me, it’s unlikely they’d win so why waste the time/money/effort. But still, this is America, Land of the Lawsuit, so you never know. I’m not expecting a lawsuit against me, but in theory it remains in the realm of possibility. As for other lawsuits, such as the family of the deceased suing the care facility, I am unaware of any actions either way.
Did we have a plan of action? In what way? We have many plans.
And thank you for the well wishes.
Thanks for the reply. I was specifically wondering about plans of action, like wife goes here, kids go there, etc. I know my wife and I are sadly deficient in that area.
And thanks again for writing about this. I think after-action stories like this should be required reading in any discussion about carrying a gun. Far too many people think it’s just about strapping on a holster, shoving a gun in there, and saying, “OK, I’m good.” I doubt many carriers think much about what happens after they pull the trigger.
Gotcha. Well, we do have plans, but in a lot of ways it’s also important to have more general concepts/principles. That is, specifics of course help and work and are important, but the best laid plans don’t always work out or can’t because of how a particular situation unfolds. But that’s where the forethought, discussions, etc. with the family members is important, so they can make decisions as things unfold.
I don’t think you’re in Central Texas, but if you are, I’ll give a shout out to my boss-man and mentor, Karl Rehn. He’s got a class, AT-2A Home Defense Tactics: http://www.krtraining.com/KRTraining/Classes/homedeftac.html It’s a class actually held in the student’s house: you host, up to 6 other people come (can’t have too big a class, for logistics), and Karl walks through, helps assess the house, and you get to start figuring out those plans. I’ve actually taken the class twice: once at someone’s house, then hosted at my own house (which really helped my wife and kids).
And thank you for the kind words. That’s one reason I shared it — there’s a LOT of aftermath, a lot of reality involved in such a thing. If it helps people sink some reality in, think about things, become better prepared — well, that’s good.
I also notice your blog got set to private very shortly after the incident, which I assume was also on the advice of your attorney…
Yes it was.
As a retired cop. You protected the family. Good job. It’s unfortunate that the kid was autistic and didn’t realize what he was doing. But you didn’t. I feel for the family of the boy ( or adult ) and your family for going through a horrific experience. Again don’t beat yourself up for doing what we all must do which is protect our families.
Adult. He was 24 years old.
I don’t beat myself up over it because yes, all impressions I had were of a home invasion (I thought burglary or some such thing), and I did what had to be done. Still, the after-knowledge is what it is… and it does, and likely forever will, pain me some. I don’t lose sleep over the event, but I do pray for the deceased and his family almost every day.
Pingback: Regarding the events of January 5, 2015 | Stuff From Hsoi – Gun Free Zone
I remember seeing this and thinking … hey, I know that guy! Well, we don’t “know” each other, but you were part of the cadre at two classes I took out at KR.
Glad everything turned out alright, all things considered. I hate that you had to write this post, but it is a good read, and a good reminder that not only can this happen to anyone, but when it does it usually happens FAST and at inopportune times (can’t a guy enjoy his morning ritual?) I’ve been out to KR for a few classes since this incident occurred and had asked Karl if there was ever a possibility that there’d be sort of an AAR on what happened as it seems like a teachable moment for sure. So, again, thank you for sharing this.
Take care, John. See ya on the range.
Thank you, Marvin.