A 34-year-old man broke into the home of Neil Reller and assaulted him. Reller fought back, causing the intruder to flee. The suspect then showed up a few miles away at the home of 72-year-old Ethel Himes and told her he had been assaulted. When Himes opened the door to help, the suspect struck Himes. He threw Himes to the floor and began choking her. Ethel’s son, Brad, walked in on the struggle and quickly retrieved a handgun from the bedroom. The assailant followed Brad to the bedroom and lunged at him, prompting Brad to fire. The assailant later died at a local hospital. Ethel Himes and her son reportedly suffered no serious injuries. (Star Tribune, Ray, MN, 7/28/14)
The Armed Citizen® Extra
Just prior to midnight, a 27-year-old Scottsdale, Ariz., man broke into his estranged girlfriend’s apartment, held her against her will and sexually assaulted her. Eventually able to escape her apartment, the victim ran through the halls of the complex banging on doors in an attempt to get help. When one of her neighbors opened his door to assist the woman, her attacker entered his residence and attacked the man. Fearing for his life, the neighbor produced a handgun and shot the intruder in the chest. The kidnapper attempted to flee the scene, but collapsed in the hall as law enforcement officers were arriving. The suspect was then transported to a local hospital where he was treated and eventually medically released back into police custody. He now faces charges of kidnapping, sexual assault, aggravated assault and burglary. No charges were filed against the neighbor for the defensive use of his handgun. (Arizona Daily Independent, Phoenix, AZ, 12/8/14)
From the Armed Citizen® Archives
October 1973:
A pistol hidden in a stereo saved the day when three men tried to rob former West Virginia Secretary of State Robert D. Bailey and his wife, Jean. Two of the intruders, one armed with a gun, forced their way into the Bailey’s Pineville, W. Va., home and demanded money. On the way to the vault, Mrs. Bailey lagged behind because, “I knew I was going to pass the stereo” where a .38-caliber handgun was hidden. She grabbed the handgun and got the drop on the two robbers. Her husband at gunpoint then made a third accomplice release their son, who was being held hostage in a nearby mobile home. (The Charleston Gazette, Charleston, WV)
