As I was skimming through the news during a quiet moment of the holiday celebrations this week, I found a story out of my home state of California that caught my interest. In Harbison County, a small town in the San Diego area, two women decided that they would not fall victim to an armed intruder.
A man, later identified as 24-year-old convicted felon Charles Keller, kicked open the door of a home in which the women were residing. He claimed to be looking for someone and then demanded money. Perhaps not approving of their initial response, Keller fired at the women with his shotgun.
If he was attempting to wound the women, whose names have not been shared with the media, with his shooting efforts, he failed. Instead, the two would-be victims got into a scuffle with Keller and one of them managed to wrestle him to the ground. In doing so, she wrenched the gun away from Keller and hit him on the head. By the time officers arrived, Keller was bloody and lying on the street. He now is facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon and burglary.
There are plenty of people who advocate the idea that having a firearm in your house makes it a safer place. I will leave that debate for another blog. But, I imagine that the gun in mind in such instances did not enter the home through the person meaning to do harm. It turns out, though, that a weapon intended for criminal activity instead was used for self-protection.
I believe my protagonist Emily Stone would have a similar reaction to a stranger who entered her home. She is bold and strong, so overpowering a would-be attacker in such a scenario does not seem unlikely. In any case, great job by these two women in California for protecting themselves and bringing a dangerous man back into the grip of justice.
For more information and listings of the Award Winning Emily Stone Thriller Series, please visit my Amazon author page.
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Author Jennifer Chase 
I have this inkling that you, too, Jennifer, would have a similar reaction, in a similar situation. Only your intruder would end up lying in the street, bloody, *and* with a few cracked ribs as a forget-me-not present.
I believe more of us creeps into our protagonists than we often intend.
A belated Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!
All the best,
Rob
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LOL! You’re right Rob 🙂 I’ve been a few scuffles in my life against some bad guys, but, I’ll leave the details for the pages of my novels 😉 Thank you for stopping by! Happy New Year!!
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That article about the two women proves a point. Don’t mess with a woman. 🙂
I think Emily wouldn’t have let the guy get a shot off. He would’ve ended up on the street, cuffed and bloody with his gun still cold.
Thanks for sharing.
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