Dayton woman shoots home invader with handgun

by Chad D. Baus

WHIO (Dayton CBS) reported recently that police arrested two teens accused of entering the home of a woman who responded with a firearm, shooting one of the alleged burglars in the arm.

From the article:

Dayton officers responded at approximately 6 p.m. Monday to the home in the 200 block of Richmond Avenue.

According to a police incident report, the woman heard the two teens knocking on her front door, then the back, but did not answer the door because she didn't know them.

She said she grabbed her .38 Special revolver for protection when the teens began to kick in her back door, according to the report.
They reportedly entered her kitchen and, "charged towards her."

She fired one shot and one of the teens fell to the ground, then they both ran out the back door, according to the report.

The burglars ran away going north on Richmond and were seen by neighbors in the Homewood Avenue area, according to communications with the Montgomery County Regional Dispatch Center. A K9 unit was called to search the area but the teens could not be located.

A short time later a juvenile showed up at Grandview Hospital with a gunshot wound to the arm. His mother stated he was involved in the burglary on Richmond with another juvenile male, according to the report.

The other teen was located at a residence on Riverside Drive and arrested. Both will be charged with burglary.

The article concludes by noting that the woman, 43, is not facing any charges. Under Ohio's Castle Doctrine law, which took effect in 2008, if someone unlawfully enters or attempts to enter the owner's occupied home or temporary habitation, or occupied car, citizens have an initial presumption that they may act in self defense.

One cannot help but wonder if, had this woman lived in New Jersey, the outcome would have looked more like this:

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chairman.