These posts are based on our Good Guy with a Gun calendar. Today’s post is essentially the same as the calendar version.
At a quarter to two on a Saturday afternoon, a burglar got shot.
The homeowner had a gun. Paramedics treated the burglar at the scene and took him to a hospital in critical condition, and the Sheriff’s Department sent homicide detectives out to the house.
That’s the whole story. Nobody was named, nobody who was there was quoted, and no one ever reported whether the man lived. And even the video we have came from the nightly news, which gave essentially no detail and shrouded an afternoon event in evening darkness.
I know, I’m a broken record, but here it is: The Good Guy with a Gun isn’t a myth, he’s just underdocumented.
At any rate, the one original line in all of it belongs to NBC4 reporter Julia Deng, who called this a home invasion “gone HORRIBLY wrong.” As usual, it makes me wonder what she think it looks like when a home invasion goes right.
Sources
News
City News Service filed the report, and the same copy ran in several places.
Burglary suspect shot, critically injured by Cerritos homeowner (Press-Telegram)
Cerritos homeowner shoots suspected burglar, Sheriff’s Department says (Long Beach Post)
Homeowner shoots burglary suspect in Cerritos (2UrbanGirls)
CBS Los Angeles wrote its own and posted 19 seconds of video. Homeowner shoots attempted burglar in Cerritos (CBS Los Angeles)
NBC Los Angeles ran a story and the 11 PM video it embeds.
Homeowner in Cerritos shoots and injures suspected burglar (Story)
Broadcast, with Julia Deng’s annoying “HORRIBLY wrong” comment
Finally, Cerritos Homeowner Shoots Suspected Burglar (Los Cerritos Community News)
2A / specialist media
Smoketales just posted their wrapper on the video above.
That reporter loves to be dramatic, I guess. Either she expects a homeowner whose home is being invaded to just let the invader do whatever he wants, or maybe she thinks he could just politely say, "This isn't your home; will you please leave?" and all will be well. Lord help us.