Man Shoots [three] Intruders Attempting to Rape His Granddaughter During Home Invasion

Kenneth Byrd and his family were settled in their North Carolina home Monday night when there was a knock at their door.

A stranger claimed his car was having mechanical problems and asked for water, according to a statement released by the Robeson County Sheriff's Office and obtained by PEOPLE.

Suddenly, two more men appeared and demanded money. They were dressed in black and wearing ski masks.

The suspects were armed with handguns and attempted to rape Byrd's 19-year-old granddaughter. "Mr. Byrd retrieved a weapon and several shots were fired between Mr. Byrd and the suspects in the house," according to the sheriff's office.

The three men left in Byrd's gold Cadillac and two of the men were eventually arrested after they went to McLeod Hospital in Dillon, South Carolina, with gunshot wounds. The third man, Jaime Lee Faison, 20, was found dead from a gunshot wound in Byrd's stolen Cadillac.

Byrd, 67, who was wounded in the shootout, was taken to Southeastern Regional Medical Center and later transported by helicopter to another hospital where he was listed in serious condition, according to officials.

The other two suspects, Brandon Stephens, 28, and Jamar Hawkins, 17, were charged with burglary, first degree sexual offense and kidnapping, among other charges. Their bond was set at $1 million each. Officials say the suspects were persons of interest in other home invasions.

Mark this:

The robber's ploy is to breach your entrance security and get inside your house out of public view.

The person will appear to be alone but his/HER accomplice(s) will be close by but out of sight until the breach. This is not a burglar, it is a robber, and they will have more than threats to convince you of their intentions.

A woman tried this on me. I answered a knock on the front door. Here's her initial approach:

"Mister, I hate to ask you this, but my car is broken down up he street, and I need to call my husband, but my cell phone battery is dead. May I come in and use your phone just to make a local call?"

Your decision is critical. My answer to her was:

"Well, you stay here and I will bring the portable phone."

I was a little wary, so I closed and locked the door. Had I known better, I would have then called 911 and stayed inside. But I brought out the portable phone, and she took it off about 15 feet and turned away "for privacy." She looked like she was using it for a couple of minutes, then gave it back to me and left for her car about half a block away. I went back inside and closed the door thinking we were done.

About 10 minutes later there was a knock, and the woman was back with another request.

"Mister, I hate to bother you again, but the reason my car quit is because the radiator was dry and the engine overheated. Could I please get some water for it?" While saying this she held up a small pail.

"There's a faucet and hose at the side of the house. You can get some water there," I said; then retired back into the house. About 10 minutes later, I looked out, and her station wagon was gone. But in a few minutes, there was another knock--it was my neighbor from across the street.

She said, "Did you know that the woman you were talking to was motioning to a man behind that tree over there? We think she was signalling the man to stay hidden from you, but we saw it all, so we called the police. They said they'll be right over."

The county policewoman came pretty soon, and she had a notebook with photographs. She showed me one, and it was the woman I'd talked with, but in different clothes. She showed me that of a man, which I had never seen and didn't recognize. The policewoman told me that these two had been operating in the suburbs and had been picked up for questioning. I never heard any more about it.

But, reviewing the scenario in my mind, I recalled that the woman had on a sort of full, smock-like top, perfect for concealing a weapon, and if she had been able to get in my house, her male accomplice could then have quickly entered and helped her overcome me, then robbed me and departed before any one could have stopped them. So even answering the door unarmed was a risk for me. And I did it twice.

Another tactic she might have used would be to get my attention by engaging me thus distracting me so that he could go around to try the back door and enter the house that way. Fortunately, I always keep my doors locked, although he might have gotten through the back door by breaking a pane out of the door window frame.

What I learned was that if someone you don't know and haven't invited knocks: (1) don't answer the door without being armed (concealed weapon, or at least a hammer or the like concealed); and (2) if you open the door, do not let them enter or get even close to the door for any reason, whether they are unknown civilians, or purport to be a service man of some kind, or a Mormon or JW religionist, or a magazine/encyclopedia hawker, or a representative of your child's school, or even a law enforcement officer without a warrant or serving a paper.

Especially, keep the LEO or school officer on the stoop or in the yard if he/she has a legitimate subject to discuss, but make it as short as possible, and be willing to meet with them elsewhere if necessary.

If you haven't invited any of these people or arranged for them to come, they have no business in your home for any reason. Always be armed, and keep them at a greater-than-arms-length distance. The LEO will likely just move toward you with the clear intention of coming in. Rather than backing off to allow him to barge in without invitation, you step forward to block the door, and perhaps even step past the sill to force him to back off, thus holding him outside. If they say, "May I come in?" you just respond politely but firmly, "No. Please tell me what you are here for," block the door and go from there, or shut and lock it. If there is any further attempt to gain entry, call 911 immediately. (You can always apologize later, if necessary.)

But always be alert, wary, and armed when you answer your door. If you have a cell phone, always keep it handy also. Even if you have already invited someone to drop in, it could always be someone else.

It's your home, protect it like a honey badger.

Never allow a guest to answer your door, and never answer the door at another person's home. You have no idea what that would entail.

(In some states, you may not carry concealed even in your own home. Check your state.)

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