U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Crime and armed defense happen everywhere. That doesn’t mean that every time and place is equally dangerous. We see career criminals re-offend. We also see more citizens who are armed in pro-gun states. Pahrump, Nevada, is home to the Nye county jail, a Nevada state prison, and an extensive firearms training center. As you might expect, this homeowner was armed last week when a repeat offender broke into his home. This defender did the right thing at the right time.
The homeowner was asleep in his bed a little after 9:30 at night. He was woken by a noise coming from his kitchen. The homeowner got out of bed and grabbed his handgun. The defender had his gun in his hands when the intruder kicked down his bedroom door. The homeowner shot the intruder twice in the upper-center chest as the intruder came through the fatal funnel of the doorway. The intruder immediately fell to the floor. The defender stopped shooting. He stayed at the scene and called 911 for help.
News reports don’t mention when the homeowner put away his firearm. The homeowner met law enforcement when they arrived. He also gave the officers a brief statement.
Emergency Medical Services began treatment of the attacker. He was first driven to a local transport pad and then flown by a medical helicopter to the nearest level 1 trauma center in Las Vegas. The attacker was immediately placed in critical care.
Police identified the firearm that the armed attacker was carrying. It was a shotgun stolen the night before during a home invasion at another address. The intruder was also identified as Shawn Richards. Richards has a history of criminal convictions. If he survives, he will be charged with home invasion, grand larceny of a firearm, burglary, being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, and probation violations.
Nevada is a castle doctrine state, so the local prosecutor has the legal burden to prove that the defender did not face an immediate, lethal, and unavoidable threat of death or great bodily injury in his home. Nevada is also a stand-your-ground state, meaning the defender did not have a legal duty to retreat. According to the Nye county sheriff’s office, the homeowner will not face any charges.
This story is one of many that goes underreported by the mainstream media because it shows a positive image of a law-abiding gun owner using that tool to defend their life and family. It is our responsibility at AmmoLand to report these stories to you the reader. While we will continue to report these stories, groups like the Crime Prevention Research Center, led by Dr. John Lott, are fastidious in studying the use of firearms for self-defense. Stay up to date with all news on self-defense by following CPRC and Ammoland.
Original News Sources-
- Armed homeowner opens fire on shotgun-toting crook who invaded residence. Seriously wounded suspect was wanted on probation violation.
- NSCO: Intruder shot in Pahrump home invasion was ‘wanted man’
- Sheriff’s Office: Alleged home invader shot by resident in Pahrump
- Homeowner shoots, seriously injures intruder in Pahrump, police say
- Man shot while committing home invasion in Pahrump, Nye County police say
About Rob Morse
Rob Morse writes about gun rights at Ammoland, at Clash Daily, at Second Call Defense, and on his SlowFacts blog. He hosts the Self Defense Gun Stories Podcast and co-hosts the Polite Society Podcast. Rob was an NRA pistol instructor and combat handgun competitor.