A Chicago couple called 911 three times, but it allegedly took police 20 minutes to respond. The resident had already shot the intruder twice and stopped the attempted break-in by the time help arrived.
This is the second time this week that a victim of a crime used a gun in self-defense on Chicago’s North Side.
A couple was at home when they heard noises on the roof. When the husband checked out the noises, he said he saw a shadowy figure of a stranger trying to break in on his roof.
Minutes after the third 911 call, other callers reported hearing gunfire. The husband, who had a CCL, shot at the intruder and stopped her from getting into the house. When the police finally arrived, they found a female who had been shot on the house’s roof.
She was in critical condition after the husband struck her in the wrist and chest.
Officers at the scene said it looked like she got onto the property through a nearby building site and used rope to get onto the roof. Police discovered a bag at the site that may have contained heroin and hypodermic needles.
How is a CCL relevant here?
You need a FOID card in Illinois just to own a gun to defend your home and a concealed carry license (CCL) to carry. Had the resident not gone through the process of submitting an application and a background check to get their FOID, police could have charged him with a crime even though it was their home.
Was she really a threat before actually entering the residence?
“(720 ILCS 5/7-2) (from Ch. 38, par. 7-2)
Sec. 7-2. Use of force in defense of dwelling.
(a) A person is justified in the use of force against another when and to the extent that he reasonably believes that such conduct is necessary to prevent or terminate such other’s unlawful entry into or attack upon a dwelling. However, he is justified in the use of force which is intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm only if:
(1) The entry is made or attempted in a violent, riotous, or tumultuous manner, and he reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent an assault upon, or offer of personal violence to, him or another then in the dwelling, or
(2) He reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent the commission of a felony in the dwelling.”
The wife called 911 three different times, and it took the police over 20 minutes to respond. What options does that leave to protect yourself except to be armed?
Remember, when seconds count, the police are only minutes away.