The Armed Citizen® May 24, 2024

Armed Citizen® Today

In what a local prosecutor called "one of the most heroic acts of self-preservation I have ever heard of," an 85-year-old Idaho woman defended herself and her disabled son from a violent home intruder on March 13, 2024.

At 2 a.m., the elderly woman was asleep when she was awakened by an alleged burglar wearing what reports called a "military jacket" and black ski mask while pointing a gun and flashlight at her. The man struck her in the head, then handcuffed her, taking her into the home's living room, where he restrained her to a wooden chair and began interrogating her about any valuables she had.

Eventually, the alleged burglar began searching the house for valuables, giving the 85-year-old victim a chance to drag herself back into her bedroom, where she grabbed a .357 Magnum revolver and hid it. The intruder came back to her and threatened to kill her. At that point, the woman opened fire, striking the man with two shots. The intruder returned fire, then retreated to the home's kitchen, where he succumbed to his gunshot wounds.

The elderly resident was wounded in the exchange and remained in the living room for 10 hours until her disabled son was able to get a phone to her to dial 911. Officers responded and took the woman to a local hospital, where she is recovering. Bingham County Prosecutor Ryan Jolley remarked in a case review that the "case presents an easy analysis of self-defense and justifiable homicide." (NBC News; Blackfoot, Idaho; 3/13/24)

From the Armed Citizen® Archives – August 1972

A young man made a purchase in Robert Hindman's Waukegan, Ill., service station, then grabbed a fistful of money from the startled manager and bolted out the door. Hindman got a pistol, ordered the thief to stop and held him for the police. An alleged accomplice waiting in a car was arrested also. (The News-Sun, Waukegan, Ill.)