You're in the shower and a home invader armed with a knife breaks in. Is your self-defense training up to par?
Legendary firearms writer and instructor Mas Ayoob shares the story of a California man forced to defend himself while taking a shower.
He notes that Lee Smith, at the time a 13- year veteran of both the Newport Beach and Anaheim police departments, was forced into a situation in which he had to act more like an armed citizen than a police officer. That means no partner. No radio. No handgun, OC spray, TASER, or ballistic plates.
Just you and a towel. Do you have the skill and the will to defend yourself?
The Break-In
Ayoob says Smith is taking a shower when he hears pounding on his front door.
He wonders how someone got past the locked gate to get there in the first place. He turns off the water and steps out of the shower. From the bathroom door, a glance down the hallway shows him the main door, located between two sliding windows. He sees the silhouette of a man at the window, whose arm comes up. There is a sound of metal on glass, as if someone is prying the window. Then Lee hears the glass crack and realizes it’s a break-in.
Smith doesn't want the bad guy to see him, so he crawls from the bathroom to the bedroom to use a landline (remember those?) to call 9-1-1, just like any citizen has to do.
As he hears more glass breaking he briefly considers loading a hunting shotgun, but realizes it will take too long. He grabs his Colt Government Model .45 from his off-duty shoulder holster. He thinks he should retreat to the closet -- but his cop training overrides that thought and he feels compelled to engage the attacker.
Lee turns the corner and faces the intruder from no more than 10 feet away. No mask. The intruder is a male Hispanic wearing several layers of clothing (it’s about 50 degrees), looking about Lee’s size: 5’11” or so, maybe 170–180 lbs., with a few days growth of beard and thick black hair. He is holding something in his right hand. Lee sees it in his peripheral vision, but he can’t precisely identify it. Lee reflexively yells, “Police! Get on the ground!” or words to that effect.
But the man does not move. They stare at each other. Time seems to stop. The man’s expression is angry and unafraid, an expression this streetwise cop has seen on the faces of many perpetrators. What goes through Lee’s mind is the word “parolee.”And then the frozen tableau breaks.
The intruder doesn't say a word. Then he takes a step toward Lee.
Smith fires two shots at center mass, just like he has been trained.
He sees the man’s body begin to turn at the first shot and rock backward at the second. The intruder stops moving forward. He blades his body, finally speaks — “F@@k you!” — and lunges toward the window, climbing out with another “F@@k you!” The attack has broken off, and Lee ceases fire. The man climbs out the window. Lee hears him push the outside gate open, hears running feet, and then a car starting up.
Lee hurries to the window, briefly contemplates pursuing the bad guy, but, yeah, not a good idea considering he is naked and there is broken glass everywhere. Instead, he calls 9-1-1.
The Result of His Defensive Actions
Officers found the invader in his Honda Civic, which had run over a fire hydrant now spraying water skyward. The bad guy slumped over in his seat was holding onto a long-bladed fillet knife. He was transported to the hospital where he died from massive blood loss caused by two 185-grain Silvertips.
Of course, the bad guy had a long record of burglary, robbery, and possession of deadly weapons. He was out on parole and toxicology screens show that he tested positive for cocaine and heroin.
Okay, this self-defense situation was successfully resolved with no loss of life to any innocents and the only damage being the ruptured municipal fire hydrant and two holes in Smith's wall.
Self-Defense Lessons to Be Learned
Smith remembers having tunnel vision.
He said he had a strong feeling of fear that he realized he needed to overcome it.
Perception distortion caused Smith to think the intruder was taller than he was. The bad guy turned out to be shorter than Smith thought, 5’6″, but also heavier at some 200 lbs.
Time distortion. Smith said "time froze" as he faced the intruder.
Auditory exclusion. Smith said, “I heard nothing. I don’t recall even hearing the two .45 rounds going off in that enclosed room.”
Deficient memory. Smith can't be certain of exactly what he said to challenge the intruder.
We will fight like we train. He reacted in a way that was consistent with his training. Earwitnesses said they heard Smith yell "Police" as part of his challenge. He shot the criminal center of mass, two shots.
Handguns are not reliable manstoppers -- even the vaunted .45. In this case, the mortally-wounded criminal was able to flee out a window, through a courtyard, start a car and drive some distance before losing consciousness.
The most important self-defense takeaway we can get here is that we are all prone to react in a way that we've been taught or practiced.
Train accordingly.
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