There was no “suspension of disbelief” needed when the distraught dad plowed through every obstacle and left no stone — or bone — unturned in his quest to bring his little girl safely home.
A case of a dad coming to his daughter’s rescue hit the headlines much closer to home, and on Father’s Day.
Authorities in Johnston County, North Carolina, are probing a Sunday shooting where an armed parent shot a 23-year-old who allegedly “accosted” an 11-year-old girl.
The suspect then allegedly tried to gain entry into the residence.
Officers were called to a home with a report of a breaking and entering in the small town of Winston Mills at around 9 p.m. on Father’s Day evening. The rural area has less than 3,000 residents. On arrival they found the 23-year-old suspect dead and the armed father waiting to cooperate.
According to Chief A.Z. Williams, the department’s preliminary investigation revealed the suspect entered the backyard where the children were playing outside. At that point he allegedly attempted to attack the 11-year-old.
The other two children who were playing there ran inside to alert her parents.
According to police, the suspect then tried to follow the children into the home by grabbing the back door handle and aggressively shaking it. But, now alerted to the impending danger, the young girl’s father was ready. He shot the 23-year-old suspect, and he died there from his injuries.
Police have not released the suspect’s name as they work to notify the next of kin. No charges have been filed, and Williams told reporters that the case appears to be simply a father protecting his daughter and family.
It is not believed the suspect and the family knew each other.
Williams related that the shooting was one of the first violent incidents he’s encountered in his five years with the Winston Mills Police Department. The local PD requested the sheriff’s office handle the investigation.
The suspect quite possibly would be alive today if he had not attempted to enter the family’s home. Of all the actions he could have taken, this one forced the armed father’s hand, and he responded appropriately.
Based on the police chief’s statements, it is highly unlikely the father will face charges. He carried out the most fundamental role of a parent to perfection, one that has been in place for thousands of years.
Protect your children.
Being Father’s Day, undoubtedly there was a card given and likely a present of some sort for the appreciative dad. Like fathers everywhere, he took time to reflect on the blessings afforded to him by having a family and children to raise and be proud of.
Certainly, at no point did he anticipate having a violent stranger invade his peaceful sanctuary and allegedly attack one of his precious children. That is something that no one in any normal living situation expects. But, like car accidents and medical emergencies, it just happened.
Thankfully for all involved, this father was prepared. When the children ran inside to tell him and his wife about the stranger, he did not have to frantically wonder what he should do. Instead, he grabbed a weapon that was ready and confronted the situation.
Again, the suspect would likely be in jail today rather than the morgue if he had simply fled. But witnesses reported he violently tried to force his way into the home, and that action left the father with no choice.
