Good Guy with a Gun #303: Pettis County, MO

When someone’s breaking and entering at 1 AM, five miles from town, a homeowner has to be his own response team. | Original incident: August 30, 2024

Aug 30, 2026

These posts are based on our Good Guy with a Gun calendar. Today’s post is somewhat updated from the calendar version.

A little after one in the morning, somebody driving past a rural intersection south of Sedalia called in a single-vehicle wreck. Deputies started that way.

Nine minutes later, still on the road, they got a second call: a burglary in progress at a house near the crash scene. The homeowner been confronted by an intruder who had forced his way into his house through the rear door.

The homeowner shot the intruder. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene.

Comments on the Sheriff’s Facebook news release indicate that the intruder may have been a generally good person who was struggling with mental health issues. It’s tragic if true, but it doesn’t change the fact that the homeowner was faced with a home intruder, and he was armed and ready to face the potential danger.

The sheriff didn’t say whether the wreck had anything to do with the break-in — but they’re mentioned in the news together, so maybe? I’m not a “real journalist,” so I’m allowed to speculate.