Two home invasions, one in Texas and the other in Florida, were thwarted this past weekend when armed citizens acted to save themselves from violent intruders.
On Friday evening, police in DeSoto, Texas were called out to a home after a woman frantically called 911 to report a strange man carrying a handgun was trying to break into her home.
The 911 operator could hear screaming and yelling on the call as the man, later identified as Octavio Flores Mondragon, attempted to force his way in through the garage, and several neighbors simultaneously called 911 about reported gunshots, the release said.
When police arrived at 7:57 p.m., the woman, who was not identified, met them out front. She told police she noticed a dark truck following her in her neighborhood that pulled into her driveway behind her. According to the release, she said that she then ran into the home, called 911 and armed herself with her pistol. When Flores Mondragon attempted to force his way in, she fired multiple gunshots which stopped him.
Mondragon was discovered by officers in the garage of the home with gunshot wounds to his chest and face. He was taken to a local hospital, where at last report he was in critical condition. Once he’s well enough to leave the hospital he’ll be heading to the Dallas County Jail on charges of burglary of a habitation with intent to commit another felony.
A little more than 24 hours later, 911 dispatchers in Hillsborough County, Florida received a similar call about an intruder. It was just after midnight on Sunday morning when deputies responded to a report of a break-in at a home in Ruskin, Florida and discovered the would-be intruder had been shot and killed by the homeowner’s son.
“Imagine the fear of being awoken in the middle of the night to a stranger invading your home,” said Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister. “This is every homeowner’s greatest fear, a dangerous and brazen individual breaking in, showing a complete disregard for the safety and security of others. Our thoughts are with this family as they recover from the trauma of this event.”
The sheriff hasn’t released the name of the burglar who was killed or any additional details about the attempted home invasion, but Chronister’s description of the suspect as a “dangerous and brazen individual” could indicate that the perpetrator was armed at the time, and perhaps previously known to local law enforcement as well.
What’s most striking to me about these defensive gun uses is that in both cases the homeowner was able to contact 911 and alert law enforcement that a crime was taking place, but as quickly as officers and deputies responded it would have been too late to save the residents from harm. The phase “when seconds count police are minutes away” isn’t meant as a knock on police. It’s just a simple fact.
In some cities like Oakland, the response time for a Priority 1 call is almost an hour, thanks in large part to staffing shortfalls. There a lot of departments still dealing with dozens or even hundreds of officer vacancies, and many agencies across the country have been reporting that response times are going in the wrong direction. The reality is that if someone’s breaking into your home, you are the quickest first responder… and being able to defend yourself can all too easily be the difference between life and death.
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