This time, it was a senior citizen who was armed and prepared when the bad guy showed up.
Police in North Charleston, South Carolina booked 42-year-old John Jones to the Al Cannon Detention Center Tuesday on one count of 1st degree burglary. The incident happened days beforehand, but Jones had spent time in the hospital recovering from a gunshot wound.
Authorities report that the homeowner and the suspect who was shot are acquainted with each other and had a run-in just prior to the attempted break-in. Police responded to a call from Cambridge Avenue over the alleged attempt to enter the home and subsequent shooting.
The 70-year-old homeowner told responding officers that he and a female acquaintance were at a gas station when Jones approached the woman and began an argument. During the confrontation, the suspect allegedly grabbed the female victim and put her in a chokehold.
Fortunately, she was able to break free, and she and the homeowner then returned to the residence. It was then that Jones turned up at the home.
According to the incident report, Jones then kicked in the screen door and the front door. The homeowner, however, was prepared for the attack and had armed himself with a pistol. He fired two or three shots in the intruder’s direction, and the suspect was hit.
The suspect fled the area but was located a short time later on South Allen Drive. He was then transported to the hospital for treatment of his injuries.
He currently faces only the burglary charge, but further action pertaining to the alleged physical assault on the female victim may be pending. The investigation by law enforcement revealed that Jones was already wanted by authorities for a warrant in Charleston County. Police have not released his prior criminal history.
As for the homeowner, he appears to be in the clear. Investigators found what they termed “visible damage” to the screen door and front door of the residence. This supported the two victims’ claims that Jones forced his way into the home.
Furthermore, police found shell casings within the home, backing up the report that Jones had entered and was shot while threatening the pair inside the residence. All indications are that this is an open and shut case of self-defense.
The suspect is charged with forcing his way into the 70-year-old man’s home, and he was clearly enraged. Without the presence of the firearm, there is no telling how this incident would have ended. But there is no doubt that it would have ended differently, and the result would be far less favorable for the occupants of the home.
The much younger man who allegedly attacked the female victim and then broke into the home did not expect to encounter an armed senior citizen. Carrying out what amounts to a home invasion is a sure sign that the alleged perpetrator believed he would not run into serious resistance.
That was a mistake.
Instead, he pushed up against an armed and prepared homeowner who was not afraid to exercise his Second Amendment rights to protect what was dear to him.
The loud anti-gun lobby professes to care about the innocent, but it’s the innocent who most need the ability to protect themselves from violent criminals. The police are rarely there on the scene when the threat occurs, leaving it up to the potential victim to fend for themselves.
And without the weapon, chances are good that the 70-year-old man would not have been able to ward off the attack of another man just over half his age.
That’s the story that must be told and retold — the rescuing of life and property when there is no other means of protection. Legal firearms in the hands of law-abiding citizens are the surest way to protect from violent attacks, and stripping gun rights away will only create more victims.
