I hope this was placed in the right department....
This is a very sad story, indeed...I remember telling my wife about a man who came home and heard noises coming from this bedroom..
It was his niece hiding in the closet and she want to surprise him...
He shot her to death....
I have told my brother (who does not listen) and my wife, that when entering the house, we are to sound off a word that no one knows..I also suggested, that his be done late at night when all of the lights are out...
If this was me, I would take a defensive position and call for back up...I would also not fire, unless, I had positively ID that person...Granted, that may place you behind the eight ball, which could place one in serious jeopardy...
Then there is always the condition of fear and survival, which quickly replaces sound judgment...
Since most households are occupied more than once, caution is the watch word...
BTW, another reason for us to take a home defense course.
A man mistook his fiancée for an intruder and shot her dead the day before their wedding. Skip related content Related photos / videos Enlarge photo
John Tabutt told police he sized his gun because he thought he heard someone in his Florida home.
Thinking his live-in partner was in bed, the 62-year-old fired at a figure in a dark hallway.
He discovered too late he struck Nancy Dinsmore, also 62, who he was due to marry the very next day.
Tabutt called 911 in the early hours of Friday, moaning and sobbing, according to local newspaper reports.
"I thought I had an intruder in the house," he told the emergency operator. "Honest to God, she looks dead."
A "distraught" Tabutt stood by while his fiancée was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics, according to police.
He has not been charged with any offence and officers said everything pointed to a tragic accident.
The couple planned to wed in a small ceremony at St. Stephen Catholic Church in Florida's Winter Springs, Ms Dinsmore's son-in-law Scott Sposato told the Orlando Sentinel.
"They loved each other," he said. "It was quite apparent."
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God bless and our Men and Women In Uniform. RIP Arkansas Hunter e
This is why I have a light attached to my shotgun and a Surefire next to my handgun. Also, my home alarm system beeps every time a door or window opens or closes even during the day when the alarm is not activated.
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NRA Life Member, member: JPFO, NAGR, 2A Foundation and Life Member of Vietnam Veterans of America
Back when I taught safety we always stressed know your target before you shoot. The worst one i remember was the deer hunter that turned and fired at movement and it was some gal getting her mail. (shooting by a road is also a no no)
I dont understand this conceptually, Not passing judgement on the guy mind you, but my house is always full of nieces and nephews and little carpet martians. but my grandfather taught hunters safety from the time I was little so the buzz phrase I was always exposed to was "always know what you are shooting at" I dont get how a man could hear a noise in his closed closet and his first instinct be to fire shots into it. I just dont understand it. Allthough my prayers go to the family of the little girl and the man who will now have to live with this the rest of his life.
For anyone who disagrees with the "know your target" ideology, because they think "shoot first before you get shot" is more important, remember this...
It would be better that you get shot by a robber then you shooting a loved one. In other words, I would rather die myself then live knowing I killed a family member.
For anyone who disagrees with the "know your target" ideology, because they think "shoot first before you get shot" is more important, remember this...
It would be better that you get shot by a robber then you shooting a loved one. In other words, I would rather die myself then live knowing I killed a family member.
I never thought about this way, Frostshell... The people that make this terrible mistake, will surely pay for it for there rest of their live.
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God bless and our Men and Women In Uniform. RIP Arkansas Hunter e
Unless the man is very stupid or unstable, there is something about this story that just sounds wrong. The facts don't add up.
Ever been to Florida? There's criminals EVERYWHERE down there, and elderly folks too. Not to mention the tourists from all over the world. A victim-rich environment for the bad guys.
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I child-proofed my house, but they still keep getting in!
For anyone who disagrees with the "know your target" ideology, because they think "shoot first before you get shot" is more important, remember this...
It would be better that you get shot by a robber then you shooting a loved one. In other words, I would rather die myself then live knowing I killed a family member.
I think it's also important that you have your family members educated on stupid things not to do that could/will get you shot. You make a good point, but someone hiding in a closet is not a good thing. Now the guy who shot his soon to be wife should have made sure she was in bed with him before shooting first.
__________________ I try to live life, that in the morning, Satan shudders & says 'Oh crap, she's awake!"
This is why I have a light attached to my shotgun and a Surefire next to my handgun. Also, my home alarm system beeps every time a door or window opens or closes even during the day when the alarm is not activated.
Excellent suggestion RNL. The home alarm system that you described cost less than the monthly increase of a cable TV upgrade. Any number of good companies are out there. ADT, Brinks Home Security, APEX, and a number of others can have a system custom installed, sometimes for free. Even when the perimeter door and window sensors are on off mode, a warning will sound when anybody enters or leaves.
As many here already stated, know your target!! I might reiterate with, "Know your target, damn it!!" Even in law enforcement, we would have been nailed to the grand entrance of the courthouse for shooting through walls and doors, even if there was an armed bad guy behind it. Granted, citizens get a little more leeway than we did, but not much more.
Finally, I don't know how old the niece was, but I know there is a stage that children go through where they really delight in surprising adults. We adopted my only child, a son, from China who was 5 years old at the time. For about three years, his great pastime was sneaking into a room and hiding so he could jump out and frighten an adult. He also liked to sneak up real close from behind, follow and even quickly turn around with an adult without being seen until it was too funny for him to bear any longer and he would giggle away his presence just inches behind you. It was a little unnerving for me at first because I had never had children before; but I learned to accept that they are not adults regardless of how mature they may act at times. Now he is 11 years old, is taller than most children his age, and he sleep walks … right into the master bedroom. If ever there is a time for an armed homeowner to have one’s wits about him/her, then that’s as good a reason as any. That is also a good reason to have a home alarm system to help make sense of these scenarios before somebody gets hurt or killed.
__________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Was "Your" Voice Heard Today? NRA-ILA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This type of accidental shooting happens far too often. I live with my son's family which includes three children. We have discussed this many times in intimate detail. If the time ever comes that we are faced with that situation, my son has taught the kids to stay put. The dog sleeps in the front room by the door so she would be our first alarm . The good thing is that the bedrooms upstairs are all together down one short hallway with the master bedroom facing the front door and the kids are not old enough yet to be out late at night. Anyone coming in after bedtime is definitely a BG.
Sad Handgun Death. 
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and our Men and Women In Uniform. RIP Arkansas Hunter e 
The people that make this terrible mistake, will surely pay for it for there rest of their live. 
