Texas is the only state that allows the use of deadly force to protect property but that doesn’t mean that it’s ever a good idea to do so.
A Camp County man heard some noise outside his home about 4:40 AM and upon investigation saw a man trying to break into his shed. He got his shotgun and went to confront the would-be burglar.
According to the Camp County Sheriff, “He shot the intruder. However, the man got up and they then struggled for the gun. The suspect was shot again before he managed to take the gun and flee.” – via KLTV
The suspect was later found at a local hospital.
First of all, never use deadly force to try to protect property. Even in Texas, the legal, and in this case also the physical, risks are just too great. Whatever the suspect could have taken out of this man’s shed would be worth nowhere near what his legal fees could be if he ends up charged with a crime. And that stuff certainly wouldn’t be worth his life.
Just because it might have been justified for this homeowner to approach the suspect with his shotgun doesn’t mean it was a good idea. Even though he shot the suspect, he still ended up in a struggle for the gun which he lost. The suspect could have turned the gun on him – fortunately for him, he didn’t. Ok, maybe it was a double barrel the therefore empty at this point but you get what I mean.
Call 911, get your gun, shout a warning from your doorway, be ready to retreat into the house, and hope the bad guy flees once he knows he has been found out but either way let the police do their jobs. Confronting suspects never looks like self-defense because you are initiating the contact. Even if it turns into justified self-defense, the value of the property you’re trying to defend just isn’t worth the risks.
