Posted on 10/06/2004 12:48:54 AM PDT by Jaysun
I was sitting in my study tonight when I heard something at my front door. I already knew that my family was in bed, so I retrieved my pistol before going to investigate. As I got closer to the foyer I could hear the doorknob jingling. The motion lights were on, so I was sure that someone was trying to get into the house.
I stopped at the doorway into our dining room where I had a clear view of the front door. I cocked my revolver, aimed at the door, and waited. Suddenly this swings open and this guy steps into the house. I hadn’t said anything at this point, and my heart was hammering away like a sewing machine.
I said, “Stop! What are you doing?” I didn’t yell it at him, mostly because I was too nervous to muster anything much louder than a normal tone. He looks around to see where my voice was coming from and when he saw me with a gun aimed at his face he freaked out.
He immediately dropped what looked like a gym bag and threw his hands into the air. He took his eyes off of me, ducked his head, and started bending at his knees to get into a kneeling position. I kept my aim trained on his head. He was saying, “SH*T SH*T DON’T SHOOT! OH GOD DON’T SHOOT, OH SH*T!…” So I said, “Do not move! What in the hell are you doing in my house?” At this point I was both angry and scared at the same time.
He said, “I’m here to stay with Patricia…..my Aunt Patricia…I’m from New York and I’m here for the week.” Of course, there is no Patricia here, and I told him as much. By this time, my wife had awakened and she alerted me to that fact by letting out a shrill yelp. I told her to get the phone and call the police. He continued to insist that he was here to stay with Patricia. Somewhere in there he also mentioned someone named Dan. Then it dawned on me. Dan and Patricia are my neighbors. I told Melanie to call them and ask if they were expecting company.
Dan and Patricia confirmed his story so I lowered my gun. They walked over and he finally stopped hyperventilating long enough for us to figure out what happened. Patricia had mailed him a house key in a letter a few weeks ago. At that time he wasn’t sure exactly when he’d be here, and they wanted to make sure he could get in if they were out of town (they just got back).
So he followed her directions, came to what he thought was her house, put the key in the lock, and turned the knob. Their key unlocks my door and vice versa. We have no idea how we ended up with two doorknobs with matching locks. I’m still trying to figure that one out.
Anyway, I just sat back down and I’m still somewhat shaken. He has no idea (or maybe he does) how close I came to blowing his head off when he walked in the door. His name is Kevin. He ended the night by saying, “Damn! I knew Alabama was going to be different, but I though that I’d at least get my bags unpacked before almost being killed.”
Whew. I’m still shaken. Just thought I’d share this bizarre event with you guys.
Congrats on your control. Many would have just emptied the iron on 'em as soon as they walked in...JFK
Damn!
I know I shouldn't be laughing... but I can't stop!
Wow...Wow...
That's all I got.
Well, good job on staying calm throughout the ordeal. Or at least maintaining the appearance of calm.
You kept your cool in a tense situation and you should be applauded. Man, I hope that kid brought a change of underwear.
Weird about the house key. Glad you're okay and safe.
Your more steady than I. I am afraid that I would have shot then ask the question... the boy is lucky..I hope he didn't soil your entryway..
My choice is a S/W .45 double action revolver..what a nasty mess that would have made..
Nice work keeping your head and not capping the guy. My brother nearly shot his brother-in-law under similar circumstances (didn't know his b-in-law was coming to spend the night). It sounds like you did everything right.
I'm sure the adrenaline is going like crazy for you. Good luck getting to sleep.
WOW what a story! I started shaking just reading it! Glad your all ok!
Holy Smokes! Great job under pressure! I really feel for the "intruder"! Be grateful that you have this experience under your belt... (the adrenaline rush, the confrontation, etc... you handled it by the book!)
I am so thankful this ended the way it did!!
Being armed for self defense is an awesome responsibility and it sounds you you handled it properly.
Many years ago I was borrowing an apartment in Dallas from a friend of a friend for a few days while I looked for a new place for the school year, and one night after just a few beers I stuck the key into what I thought was the right apartment and was in the place about five minutes before I relaized that it was the wrong unit. Fortunately no one was home training a gun on me.
In that case the similarity of the locks was easily explained by the cheapness of the apartment construction.
I've had four armed encounters in civillian life, never having had to fire a shot. You did good in assesing the situation and deciding that the young man didn't need to be shot. The more confedence a person has in their abilities with a gun the more time they have to make that decision.
Sounds like a few situations I experienced when I owned my own business. I would often work late, sometimes until well after midnight. Strangely enough, some folks thought that 2 a.m. in the morning was a perfectly legitimate time to stop in and ask me questions about vcr repair. After seeing that the door was locked, they would bang on it for five minutes. I could never figure out why they were taken aback when I answered the door well armed. I asked one fellow, who didn't get it, how would he answer the door at two in the morning?
You did a good job of being sure of your target; another fine example of how those basic firearm safety rules save lives.
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