Four armed intruders began to kick down the door of a two-story apartment, so the three inhabitants locked themselves in an upstairs bedroom and exited onto the balcony where they had no escape. One of the occupants grabbed a rifle kept in the bedroom. One of the home invaders, dressed in camouflage with a black cloth covering his face, managed to kick open the bedroom door. The occupant raised the rifle and shot one round at the intruder, causing the home invaders to flee. Derrick Timmons, 20, was pronounced dead when his body was later found. The other offenders are still being sought by police. (The Courier Herald, Dublin, Ga., 3/15/12)
The Armed Citizen Extra
(The following account did not appear in the print version of American Rifleman)
Michael Moffitt was at home with his girlfriend when an 11 p.m. knock drew him to the apartment door. When the couple looked through the peephole they realized that it was being covered from the outside. Moffitt retrieved a legally owned AR-15 rifle and checked the peephole again. This time it was uncovered, so Moffitt opened the door to investigate. A masked intruder armed with a handgun tried to force his way through, leading Moffitt to open fire. The intruder was fatally wounded, and police declared that Moffitt had acted in self-defense. A second masked man was reportedly seen on the back of the building, but fled after hearing the gunfire. (The Tennessean, Nashville, Tenn., 4/20/12)
From The Armed Citizen Archives
May 1981: Burglars had broken into Dean French’s Cedar Flats, Wash., home a dozen times within a year, so one morning he pretended to leave for work, and then surreptitiously returned to keep watch for housebreakers. His patience was rewarded when he captured an 18-year-old burglar at gunpoint. (The Daily Olympian, Olympia, Wash.)
