Two weeks ago, an Indiana man heard some noises at his doorstep at night. He fired through the door and killed a cleaning lady who thought she was at an unoccupied house to do work. That case is all over my news feed since the shooter was criminally charged with the killing on Monday.
Indiana fatal shooting renews questions about stand-your-ground laws
If you do some research, you will find quite a few mistaken identity shootings where the “defender” fired through a door or wall.
These shootings don’t go well for the shooter. Let’s take a look at a few.
Earlier this year, and 86 year old man was convicted of assault after he fired multiple shots through the door at a teenager who thought he was ringing the doorbell at a friend’s house. The man plead guilty and died before sentencing.
Ralph Yarl shooter Andrew Lester dies days after entering guilty plea
from the linked article
In 2019 a South Carolina man fatally shot his daughter after mistaking her for an intruder.
Dad mistakes daughter for intruder, shoots her to death
According to the article:
“Pressley’s father told investigators he fired through a door at what he believed was an intruder, who turned out to be his adult daughter.”
This happens with stunning regularity. Here’s another one:
Dad accidentally kills daughter in robbery
It isn’t just an American thing. The incident above happened in South Africa, but could have just as easily happened here. A man was awakened by what he thought was someone breaking into his house. He heard suspicious noises outside his bedroom door and fired a shot. The shot went right through the door, striking his own daughter in the head.
You see the technique of shooting through doors a lot in movies. Beginning students almost always ask me about it. There are even some “professional” firearms instructors who have been recorded on video advocating the technique. I think it’s a disaster waiting to happen.
If you can’t identify your target, you shouldn’t shoot. It’s that simple. One of the basic four rules of firearms safety is “Know your target and what’s beyond”. Have we forgotten this simple lesson?
Besides being dangerous, shooting through walls is tactically unsound. You aren’t likely to get a good hit, you waste ammunition, and you temporarily reduce your ability to hear the intruder (ever fired a gun without ear protection in a house?).
Don’t do it. Let’s keep this tactic in the movies where it belongs.
Instead you should develop a clear challenge protocol. Tactical instructor Claude Werner advocates yelling out a simple “Who’s there?” in situations like this. That’s a great idea.
According to Claude’s research:
“Odds are that the ‘bump in the night,’ has no more than a 3% possibility of being an intruder. The other 97+% is either a family member, friend, or some harmless dumbass.”
The intruder is far more likely to be a family member than a ninja coming to assassinate you in your sleep. Any family member will likely call out when you voice your question. Tragedy averted.
Read this sad story.
Tragedy: Florida Man Shoots, Kills Fiancee Day Before Wedding
“John Tabutt, 62, told authorities he had grabbed his gun after he thought he heard an intruder, then fired at a figure in the hallway, according to Brunelle. It was Tabutt’s live-in fiancee, 62-year-old Nancy Dinsmore, whom family members say he was going to marry Saturday. Tabutt told authorities he thought she was next to him in bed the whole time.”
Do you think he might be happier with the outcome had he had called out “Who’s there?” rather than firing his gun at an unidentified target?
You can always escalate, but you can’t bring that fired bullet back.
If you call out and don’t get a response or the response isn’t what you expect, you need a second challenge: “I have a gun and have called the police. Get out of my house right now.”
Gather your family in your designated safe room and call police. Let them find the intruder(s).
In a home defense scenario, there’s almost never a need to shoot through walls or doors. More gun owners should recognize that fact.
Training some friends in the US Army in building clearing tactics at TDI before they headed out to Afghanistan. In war, shooting through walls might be a valid tactic. In your home…not so much.
