Things got a little western in Riverton, Wyoming, over the weekend when an “irrational” and much younger unexpected visitor began beating and kicking on 85-year-old Wayne Williams’s front door. Around 11 p.m. Friday night, Williams heard violent pounding and shouting at his front door so grabbed a .380 he keeps for home defense from his bedroom and went to see what the ruckus was about, he told the Cowboy State Sentinel.
Once at the door, he opened it, a move he later admitted to the paper probably wasn’t the smartest thing he could have done, because as soon as he did, the intruder, who Williams described as about 25 years old, six inches taller than him and appearing drunk or under the influence of drugs tried to shove his way into the home. Williams attempted to fight him off, first aiming and squeezing the trigger of his handgun only to hear a dull click. He realized then that “he’d forgotten to rack a round into the chamber,” a key reason most firearms instructors urge defensive-minded gun owners who carry or keep their guns safely stored in the home to always leave their primary self-defense gun loaded and ready to fire.
“You must realize that the most dangerous criminal attacks occur at very close range and happen very quickly. So quickly, in fact, that you simply might not have time to chamber than round and defend yourself,” writes Jim Wilson for NRA Family.
The intruder challenged the senior citizen to shoot him as the two began wrestling. Despite being older than nearly 98 percent of the world population, Williams fought his much younger attacker back out of the door owing to the man’s lack of coordination, the homeowner told the paper. The two tumbled into the yard and as Williams struggled to get to his feet, he managed to cycle a round into the .380’s chamber and fire shot.
Williams said he heard the intruder quip, “I’ve been hit,” before Williams dashed back into his house to call 911.
Dealing with the Law
Williams called 911 and the police soon showed up. As many people who defend themselves are surprised to learn, the police don’t always take what an armed citizen has to say at face value.
“It seemed to Williams they were more concerned initially with him and with his gun than ‘the guy who was attacking me,’” the Cowboy State Sentinel reported Williams as saying. “But he put the gun down and cooperated.”
An ambulance hauled the wounded intruder to the hospital and took Williams to the police station for further questioning while they also apparently went through his home in his absence. He noted the holster he had pulled his .380 from and flung on his bed was gone when he got home.
The newspaper said the Riverton Police Department refused to respond to that claim “citing the active investigation.” They also declined to comment further other than to say, “the incident appeared to be a shooting in response to an attempted burglary.”
This is why your only words to the police in a DGU should be “I was in fear for me life” and “I need to consult with my attorney before answering any questions”
Excellent advice. Put the word “only” in bold capitals.
Attempted burglary? Howz’bout attempted murder?
Fer Kristos’ sake —
DON’T OPEN THE DOOR! Good Gawd people are naive.
HAVE A ROUND IN THE CHAMBER! If the firearm is a revolver, then you don’t need to even think about this. Just make sure it’s loaded. The chances you’ll need more than six rounds are infinitesimal, especially at personal range.
“Despite being older than nearly 98 percent of the world population”
And uses a caliber weaker “than nearly 98% of” all calibers.
Hard to argue with success. Still, a snubbie in 38spc or even 357 might be a good buy if the crazy guy is coming back.
Snubbie 38 is about the same as 380 but with the potential for heavier and different shapes for bullets. Snubbie 357…..yeah depends on loading but a step up with different considerations. But hard to argue with not needed to (or having to remember to) rack at 85 before a crisis.
A .22 in hand is better than two in the bush.
que the caliber wars….
Cool always learn new stuff in those
I got my trusty Gun right here so I’ll just open the door…right. Get a fancy door camera so you can speak with the intruder before you blast him; mount the camera high so the aft cannot tape over it. If it would have been joe biden he would have opened door thinking it was hunter…Time to go mow.
The police are not our friends. Their first duty is to protect the State, not the individual. They are more interested in checking the box to “solve the crime (any crime, the easier the better). To Serve and Protect does not refer to you and me. Therefore “I was in fear for my life. Need to call my lawyer” is your only answer.
25 YO vs an 85 yo….. should be mighty simple
Don’t open your door unless it’s gestapo er cops. And perhaps don’t live alone. Too bad the young cretin lived🙄
Don’t even open it for the cops! “Do you have a warrant? No? Go away.”
Poor old guy will probably never see his gun again. It will stay in the evidence locker in perpetuity until it suddenly disappears, because someone will decide it looks good in their own collection. I surmise he learned his lesson about always having one in the chamber, and am glad the old guy is still around to tell the store. However, it is sad-but am not surprised-that the police were more concerned that the old man actually had a gun to defend himself with.
If you’re only using a .380 ya really have to do a double tap minimum. And if ya live in Wyoming, let the coyotes eat ‘em.
Not a bad practice to use for any caliber while being ready to go to slide lock and reload if need be but typically not an issue (yes there are exceptions but you guys are outliers let’s be honest). As to the coyotes…….. wouldn’t advocate for it and even on the practical end depends on neighbors and other issues (victim potentially needing medical attention note not the burglar the victim)
The Truth About Doors.
As many above have said, don’t answer it. Call the police and let them deal with drug-adled whatevers.
However, everyone should assess their doors. Can you view the doorway from a vantage point? Do you have a doorbell camera? Do you have a solid door? Have you taken the time to replace the short factory screws with longer-stronger screws? Are all of the exterior doors secured? Are the windows next to your door made of tempered glass?
Yes. He should have not answered the door. Yes, He should have already had a round in the chamber. And no. He should not have been hauled to the police station to answer questions.
These types of events are becoming common in Riverton, Wyoming which has assumed the title of Wyoming’s
“Crime Capitol”
I would probably open the door. But then, I have a steel security door that I would NOT open that allows me to assess any caller.