- Jan 13, 2009
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Three teenagers were killed Monday, shot by a man as they were breaking into his home.
Three Teen Burglars Killed By Broken Arrow Homeowner's Son, Depu - NewsOn6.com
There's a few things in this story that are worth discussing in this forum, I think. First off, I would say it's not appropriate for a Christian to celebrate the fact that the suspects died. It's sad that happened. It's also sad that the resident felt he had to kill them. He will likely have PTSD over this incident. Prayers for all involved would be good. Having said that, here's my thoughts on the rest of the story:
The Wagoner County Sheriff's Office said the homeowner and his adult son were in the home when three males wearing masks and gloves tried to break in at about 12:30 p.m. The homeowner's son shot the intruders with a rifle, deputies said, killing all three.
"These three individuals came to this residence with the intent to burglarize it," Deputy Nick Mahoney said, "One was with brass knuckles, the other one was with a knife."
They said the 23-year-old resident was sleeping in the home when he heard "loud bangs" coming from the back door.
Mahoney said, "They were masked at the time, all had gloves on. They entered in through a black door, shattering the back door and they entered into the residence."
Deputies said the resident armed himself with an AR-15 rifle and walked toward the back door where he encountered the three masked burglars.
This is clearly a case where deadly force was justified. Three intruders, at least two armed with deadly weapons, break into a home with criminal intent. Textbook case of justifiable and proportionate self defense.
Also, this debunks the "AR-15s are not suitable for self defense" argument that gets thrown around sometimes.
Deputies say the males were 16, 17 and 18 years old. Their names have not been released.
They said two of the teens died inside the house while the third ran from the home before dying in the driveway.
Now that's just sad. Eternal rest grant them Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them
Deputies say they arrested a fourth person, a 21-year-old woman identified as Elizabeth Marie Rodriguez, who they determined had driven the three suspects to the home.
She is now booked in the Wagoner County jail on three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of first-degree burglary.
The murder charges for the accomplice won't stick, most likely. They should probably downgrade that to something more reasonable, like accessory before the fact. The burglary charges could stick.