A Fountain man defended his home from intruders over the weekend:
Fountain teen says he didn’t hesitate to shoot home invaders
Associated Press
Originally published 08:51 a.m., January 22, 2008
Updated 08:51 a.m., January 22, 2008FOUNTAIN — A Fountain teenager who woke up to the sounds of robbers in his home says he didn’t hesitate to shoot the men before they took off with an iPod.
Fountain police spokesman Sergeant Jess Freeman says the suspects are currently hospitalized for treatment of gunshot wounds.
Their names have not been released.
Nineteen-year-old Cody Buckler says he was asleep at about 11 p.m. Sunday when he heard unfamiliar voices in the living room.
He told authorities he heard someone tell a child in the house that he was a police officer, so he crept down the hall and saw two men who were wearing masks, hats and gloves.
Buckler then went back to his bedroom, retrieved a 12-gauge shotgun and shot both suspects.
Police say both men had semiautomatic handguns.
It’s not clear what Buckler’s relationship to the children is. (The references to a “teen” and “teenager” are somewhat misleading, as a 19 year old is legally an adult.) Assuming that the facts are basically as stated, certainly the shootings were justified. Of course, even better is to secure one’s home so that breaking into it is more difficult. It’s a very scary thing when armed criminals stand between you and children. In this case, apparently the criminals were just after loot, but that’s impossible for the homeowner to determine at the time. I don’t know how the criminals entered the home in this case. However, remarkably often people leave windows open and even doors unlocked. Good lighting, secure windows, and bolt locks will deter many criminals. Alarms can be a good option for some. Families should also think carefully about action plans. I have no specific advice to offer on this point, but one possibility is to teach children to hide if they hear strangers in the house. At any rate, the intruders committed a serious and highly dangerous crime, and they deserve a long stay in prison.