"I was sleeping, and he woke me up.": Hotel robbery victim defends lives with firearm

WXIX (Fox Cincinnati) reported recently that a man who was awakened in his hotel room by an armed would-be robber at 5:30 a.m. was forced to use his own firearm in self-defense.

From the article:

The Fairfield Police Department said the shooting happened around 5:30 a.m. on the second floor of the Holiday Inn Express on Fairfield Business Park Drive.

According to a 911 call, [Kaaree] Hipsher-Burton had a gun and was trying to rob a man and others in the hotel room.

The caller said he then shot Hipsher-Burton.

“He had a firearm and he told us to get on the ground or he was going to shoot us. And I shot him,” the caller said.

Previously the caller advised Hipsher-Burton had a ski mask on.

Officers arrived at the hotel to find Hipsher-Burton dead in the hallway, police explained.

In coverage of the same incident by The Journal-News in Hamilton, Ohio, the victim was not only protecting his own life, but that of two family members:

"I shot him," he said. "I was sleeping, and he woke me up."

The victim said he was protecting his brother and nephew. Hipsher-Burton wore a red ski mask and black jacket and carried a purse, according to the man.

"He brought it out, he pointed at us; it looked like it was a Glock or something," the attempted robbery victim told the dispatcher. "He said he was about to shoot, and I shot real quick."

After the man shot Hipsher-Burton, he told dispatchers he "ran. I ran to the (front) desk," adding he had a panic attack after the shooting. "I got scared."

Under Ohio's Castle Doctrine law, if someone unlawfully enters or attempts to enter an occupied home or temporary habitation (such as a hotel room), or occupied car, citizens have an initial presumption that they may act in self defense, and will not be second-guessed by the State.

Chad D. Baus served as Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary from 2013-2019, and continues to serve on the Board of Directors. He is co-founder of BFA-PAC, and served as its Vice Chairman for 15 years. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website, and is also an NRA-certified firearms instructor.