Intruder banging door killed by homeowner

Houston Chronicle ^ | Jan. 2, 2004, 10:58PM

[Nayt2]

A homeowner fatally shot an intruder who refused to leave his northwest Houston home after repeatedly banging on the door.

The victim, shot in the shoulder and chest, died at Ben Taub Hospital. The Harris County Medical Examiner's Office identified him as Arthur Coronado Jr., 54, of the 20400 block of Finat.

The 52-year-old homeowner heard loud knocking on his front door in the 8900 block of Lomax around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, saw the unidentified man outside and told him to stop. But the intruder ignored those warnings and kept banging on the door with enough force to nearly open it. The homeowner grabbed a pistol.

When the intruder disregarded another request to leave, the homeowner fired several shots through the door. The intruder then walked a short distance down the street and collapsed.

[PLMerite]

I want to hear more details. If the guy was a known felon with a penchant for home invasions or just stupidly drunk.

I've *tried* to knock down a front door and it ain't as easy as it looks in the movies. I weighed about 200 lbs at the time and all I ever did was crack the thing down the center line. The guy whose house it was was pretty pissed, too.

Personally I might have waited until the door actually gave way, but at that point things get really unpredictable. I figure the deceased either knew he was at the wrong house or would have if he was sober. His misfortune.

[DB]

Read the last part of #58.

The news story was posted here on FR when it happened.

[Clay Moore]

I used to take a bunch of parts to a machine shop near where this happened. Unless the neighborhood, or shall I say "hood" has changed a bunch in 20 years, this guy probably saved his own life.

[DB]

BTW, if you want to break the door in, you hit it at or near the lock and break the wood door jam where the dead bolt goes in. If you hit in the center it is much harder to break and only damages the door itself. A steel door in a steel jam would be very tough to break through.

[epow]

This incident reminds my of another incident from a few years ago. Where I formerly lived (FL) a young man under the influence of drugs and alcohol awakened an elderly couple late one night by pounding on their front door with his fists while screaming obscenities and threats. After unsuccessfully trying to persuade the man to leave, the elderly homeowner reacted by firing a shotgun through the door at face level. Fortunately for the door-pounder, the birdshot only penetrated deeply enough to shatter his lower jaw as well as part of his upper jaw and cheekbone. The door-pounder survived, but was badly disfigured. Given the placement of the shot, I think he was fortunate not to lose his eyes, or even his life.

The prosecuting attorney's office declined to charge the shooter with a crime, and I believe the injured man was charged with attempted breaking and entering. AFAIK the elderly couple was not sued or otherwise hassled by the door-pounder.

I believe the lesson of both these incidents is obvious. Unless you think you might enjoy experiencing serious gunshot wounds, avoid the practice of breaking down other people's doors late at night. Especially in areas of the country where people are prone to keep guns handy just in case such a situation should arise. Mine is standing in the corner of my bedroom, and it isn't loaded with birdshot.

[Sloth]

Standing away from the door holding a gun at whatever comes through (if they do come through the door) isn't that risky on your part. As soon as the door starts to come open it's over for the perp.

True, but if this was happening to me and I had family members elsewhere in the house, I'd be afraid of other perps trying to come in through other doors / windows, etc., that I couldn't cover while occupied at the front door.

[Squantos]

After dark in Texas ...criminal has to be ON the property not IN the property. Add to that the damage to the door will hopefully show that forced entry was being attempted and if the shooter states he was in fear of his life then I predict a no bill by the Grand Jury........:o)

Eaker and Texascowboys area so lets ask them to keep a Mk 1 Mod 0 eyeball on the case for us.

Stay safe !

[The KG9 Kid]

"... You don't shoot at what you can't see."

Sorry, there's not enough information in the story to determine whether the door was transparent or not.

[Lancey Howard]

Nah. Bad shoot.
Call the cops, keep the gun in your hand, and keep it aimed at the door. The minute the door opens, eyeball the target to make sure he's a stranger, then blam! But shooting through the door? Nah.

[Lancey Howard]

Sorry, there's not enough information in the story to determine whether the door was transparent or not.

Good point. My front door, for example, has a 4-inch by 5-foot glass slot running vertically in the middle, so I can immediately see who's out there. I don't think it is that unusual.

Other doors have chains which allow them to be opened a few inches. It seems from the story that the homeowner identified the door banger as a threat by shouting through the door. I would like to know how THAT conversation went.

[DB]

The only other apparent witness to that "conversation" is dead.

[Justa]

I think one shot thru the door would be sufficient (in any language) to convey the message: "get lost". That goes both ways though. The best I can say is that the trespasser had poor judgement. I believe Texas law protects the actions of the homeowner. Suicide by property rights.

[Redleg Duke]

"Fine, you can bet the persons life on the other side of the door who's intent is unknown against your life defended by your attorney...

Your call..."

That is exactly right, buddy! I will err on the side of my family's safety. You can sacrifice your own family's lives on the altar of political correctness all you want.

[DB]

So do you shoot at cars on the road that are endangering your family’s safety?

With the power to take someones life comes responsiblity.

[stevie_d_64]

See...Scrolling down knowing someone would post this point of law paid off...

Good job Chief!

I haven't finished looking at all the replies yet...May not ever get through this...

As much as some here may know my real feelings on this incident...I have to say that it IS a real unfortunate incident, and that it would be for anyone else here faced with the same situation...

Albiet, it very well could have ended up the same way if it had happened at my house...Eaker's...Humble's...etc. etc.

I always think its prudent to be prepared for anything...But still be secure in ones home...

But be prepared to make it extremely "unfair" for someone who wishes harm on you and your friends and family...

Later,
Steve

[stevie_d_64]

RBCD.com

They may have a problem with construction products such as doors, sheetrock (somewhat), plywood etc etc...

But thats not what this stuff is for...

The effect on clothing/tissue is absolutely astounding...

Its what I carry...Takes the worry out of it all...

Later,
Steve

[CPOSharky]

Post 44 by Calamari laid out the actual citations of Texas law on the matter.

Texas law on deadly force is the best of any state I have been in. If only they had open carry.

Unfortunately I had to move from Texas to Virginia. There is open carry here but shooting through a door will get you arrested. The bad actor better be inside your house and threatening you. As soon as he turns around to leave you can't do anything. In fact the law says that if there is a shooting, someone is going to trial, period.

[paul51]

it could be debated

What's to debate?

[stevie_d_64]

Ahhh, I must have missed that one...Thanks...

But I almost have to play devils advocate here...

If someone were "banging" on my front door...

And I wasn't expecting someone...Or something happening to cause the "banging"...

I would without a doubt be alert, calm and collected, be in a position to answer the "banging", from a safe position, and be able to better determine if its actually a threat...

Being prepared that way (in a fantasy world) would allow me "not" to actually consider shooting through the door...Something I would not consider doing anyway...

Its a difficult call all around...I do not envy anyone that decision...

Of course we do not have all the facts...And probably never will...But this should be tagged as a defensive shooting, and we should all learn from this incident and try to apply what we know about ourselves and what we understand about the law and how it applies to us in our own locale...

Virginia is a great State...I don't recall directly...But its an open carry State isn;t it???

I'll have to check Packing.org now...

See what you did! hehehe

Later,
OSC(SW) Steve

[CPOSharky]

Virginia is an open carry state.

For me to consider shooting through a closed door would have require some extreme circumstances. I would have to be certain that the actor on the other side was intent on serious harm. And that would take more than just banging.

In the Texas case, if the homeowner told the banger to leave, it would be criminal trespass and deadly force could be used. But not in any other state to my knowlege.