Drunk man bangs on wrong door, narrowly avoids being shot
BREMERTON, Wash. -- Police say a drunk Oregon man who mistakenly tried to get into a Bremerton home early Thursday morning got more than he bargained for when the homeowner pulled out a handgun and shot at him.
A young woman living in the 300 block of North Cambrian Avenue called 911 at midnight after hearing a man banging on her door.
The woman, who was in the house with her mother and younger sister, told officers the stranger was banging on the door and demanding to be let it.
The commotion woke the woman's mother and sister, and police say the mother grabbed a handgun and yelled at the stranger, "You've got the wrong house!"
While the woman was still on the phone with the 911 dispatcher, her mom fired a single shot at the door. Police say the bullet went through the door and a glass storm door before coming to a stop in the door frame.
The stranger, who was not hit, ran away. Police found him a few blocks away and took him into custody.
Police say the 26-year-old Oregon man was drunk and had showed up at the wrong address. It's unclear if he will face any criminal charges.
A young woman living in the 300 block of North Cambrian Avenue called 911 at midnight after hearing a man banging on her door.
The woman, who was in the house with her mother and younger sister, told officers the stranger was banging on the door and demanding to be let it.
The commotion woke the woman's mother and sister, and police say the mother grabbed a handgun and yelled at the stranger, "You've got the wrong house!"
While the woman was still on the phone with the 911 dispatcher, her mom fired a single shot at the door. Police say the bullet went through the door and a glass storm door before coming to a stop in the door frame.
The stranger, who was not hit, ran away. Police found him a few blocks away and took him into custody.
Police say the 26-year-old Oregon man was drunk and had showed up at the wrong address. It's unclear if he will face any criminal charges.
I've always wanted a trap door about 10 feet in front of my entry with a string of fire crackers for just such an occasion.
Alright another responsible gun owner story..
So this one time I was sleeping in bed with my now ex husband and around 3 a.m. I heard a man's voice outside my window saying "give me a push". He kept saying it over and over was getting louder and louder. After about 10 minutes I woke my husband up and said, "some guy is outside yelling, can you give me a push, go out there." So my now ex husband gets up and I follow close behind him and we hear the man scream in a beligerent voice, "Can you please give me a push?" We open up the door, base ball bats in hand and look around but can't see the man. My husband says "where are you, we are armed?" The man says "on your phucking swing."
PS - the only joke I know and I tell it every chance I get neener neener
I have no sympathy for drunk behavior of any kind. None whatsoever. This was Darwinism in full effect.Â
@jowsuf Â
If it was Darwinism in full effect, he would be dead.
Yeah.. there is a great example of the new sexy advertising by Glock and the NRA to get women to buy guns. Â you shot through a freakin' DOOR??? Â What if it was a neighbor who needed help? What if it was a drunk friend? Or.. someone who had the wrong house. Â If that person is NOT inside, you do not freakin' shoot them. Â So sick of the backwoods mentality here. Â
@DTÂ If you are a woman and it is an actual intruder, shooting through the door is a good strategy. Straight form the cops. If you are on the phone with 911 state-of-mind is established, clearly you think it is an intruder, you are screaming, announce you are going to, and shoot through the door. A shot is not always accurate and a wounded man can overpower an armed woman. Shoot through the door.Â
@justsayingÂ
I pray that you meant that as sarcasm. Otherwise, what you wrote is the absolute most ignorant statement concerning the subject.Â
The idiot should have to pay for her door to get fixed at the very least..... stupid drunk, lucky to be alive...
@Funky-MunkyÂ
Nah, let her pay for her own door. She was reckless and negligent. The drunk was just stupid.
@Bornhere @Funky-Munky Reckless and negligent? She was protecting her home and family from someone she perceived to be trying to enter her home. She didn't know he was a "harmless" drunk or if he was a "violent" maniac. She was within her right to use her weapon to protect her family and home against all invaders, whether they be murderers or flower wearing fairies from the land of Brememlow. Bang on my door and I will even open the door up to see the look on your face when you get shot trying to enter a domain that is not yours'
@Jalharad @Robinsnest Right... i'm sure a 12 year old kid sounds just like a 26 year old drunk man.
I swear... do people even think before they write some of their ludicrous statements?
@Robinsnest I applaud her taking responsibility but I don't care for her method. While there was a perceived threat, I do not think it was imminent enough to warrant firing. If he had broken through the door, sure open up.  But the thing is, if you are concerned enough to fire then it better be a dire threat and you don't fire a warning shot you fire to stop the threat. If a person thinks they can fire a warning shot then they have not reached the point of imminent danger and shouldn't be shooting at all. Shooting is a last resort period and it means you have tried everything possible. She could have waited and let him bang all night or until the cops got there.Â
Maybe there was more to it, who knows. But from my viewpoint the threshold of imminent danger was not crossed so firing was not warranted.
@Robinsnest Â
She also could not know that it wasn't a friend or relative. Shooting the door does nothing to protect her family. How freaking hard is it to understand and practice the four rules of firearm safety? They are simple enough for a young child to understand and practice.
If she really wanted to protect her home and children, she would have moved them to a safe place while calling 911 and taking up a defensive position to be ready, should he get in the house. At that point, you identify your target and if a threat, engage until the threat is stopped.
You do not fire on unidentified targets. Period.
@Robinsnest Sorry. Until that person was INSIDE the house, she should not have shot through the damn door. Seriously. She's an idiot.  Actually drunks trying to get into the wrong house happens all the time, especially in college areas. She was totally reckless and negligent.  If someone breaks open your door or window, and you SEE them, and tell them to stop... then you fire.  NOT through the door.  I
@Robinsnest as long as that door remained closed, he was not in her house. YOU DO NOT SHOOT THROUGH DOORS. For all she knew it could have been a 12 y/o kid on the other side.
@Bornhere I realize the irresponsibility of the shooter.... but... on a brighter note.... who the Hell hasn't wanted to shoot a round through the door at some deadbeat banging on your door and upsetting your harmony?
@Bornhere :D)
@Funky-Munky
Not that I'll publicly admit to.
She is very fortunate it didn't ricochet to hit her and/or her children.
@Bornhere Given how rare a ricochet really is and the likely situation etc I don't think there was much danger.Â
@SeattleJoe
Ricochets happen more often than you think. i have been on the receiving end of a couple, myself. Fact is, she was irresponsible and could have hurt the ones she was trying to protect.
Wrong to shoot someone on the other side of the door. I am glad that the Bremerton police are being understanding about this, but everyone should realize this is not how to defend yourself.
You don't EVER shoot someone through a door. That door is keeping you from harm and you don't know who is on the other side and beyond. Now once the door comes open? If they don't start running it's time to start pulling the trigger......until then sit on the phone with 911 and prepare yourself mentally to take a life if you have to.
@dg54321 Â
First, she should have taken her children to a safe location while calling 911 and taking up a defensive position. Should the person make it into the house, you do everything in your power to protect your children and yourself. Shoot and keep shooting until the threat is eliminated.
Not sure what I would do if a drunk man was yelling and pounding my door in at midnight.Â
@Melissa Angevine Call 911, that's what.  I had one knocking at my door at 3 am.  Probably a drunk who didn't know he wasn't at home as well.  The hubby did get up and yell at him until he finally left but it was easy to tell that he wasn't armed.
Why on earth would anyone shoot through a door that was clearly keeping the man out? All you're doing is creating unnecessary damage and endangering people.
Lucky a cop wasn't shot through the door. I hope they charge her with reckless endangerment
@lakeunion Hmmm. How many drunk cops come around to peoples houses in the middle of the night and bang on their door?
@SeattleJoe
Depends on if they are Lake Stevens cops or not.
@lakeunion You are awfully judgmental on a panicked woman.  But how do you know she didn't shoot into the door frame on purpose? You did read the part where the bullet didn't go through and outside, right?
@Goodwin @lakeunion Well if she's too wimpy and frightened to own a gun, then she should surrender it.  You can't "freak out" if you have a weapon in your hand that can kill anyone with just a little pull of ONE finger.  She could have killed someone on the sidewalk, that person could have been a neighbor in trouble.  SHe is the poster child for the new marketing and PANIC buying that the NRA has been pushing since 2008.  Crime rates are WAY down from even 5 years ago, 10 years ago.  She sounds like some of the paranoid komo kommenters who brag about having guns on their coffee tables, next to the bed, in the kitchen, 24/7.  Stupid.Â
@RN1 @dg54321 @Bornhere @DT I saw one of the anti-gunners try to say that the number of gun owners was going down because it was simply existing gun owners adding more guns. Interesting given the statistics showing more and more people are getting into firearm competition, recreational shooting etc.Â
@dg54321 @Bornhere @DT yeah. she has this funny concept of cause and effect. She knows crime is down, and gun ownership is up, but she think guns cause crime. Total disconnect of the logic circuits.
@Bornhere @DT I actually had hope for a moment. Foolish me.
@DTÂ
Damn, DT! You were doing just fine and were making a valid point, right up until the uneducated rant.
@Goodwin @lakeunion Doesn't matter. If you can't verify the target you don't fire the weapon. I understand she was panicked but if she can't control herself well enough to know when to fire and when not to, she needs more training. We very easily could have been reading yet another story of someone accidentally shooting their own family member or friend.....
@Goodwin Panicked is not a time to have a gun in your hands. Yes, we read where the bullet didn't go all the way through... no thanks to her. Reckless endangerment. She violated one of the very basic and universal rules of firearm safety. Period. She needs to rethink her readiness and ability to respond with a firearm.Â
Not smart shooting through the door... Yet another shining example of a (ir)responsible gun owner...
@what? And I presume by your comment you want to paint all gun owners in a bad light because a few are irresponsible. Now, lets see which fallacy is that again?
@what? sadly I must agree... know your target and back drop etc..
God looks out for fools and drunks.
@SargeMcCÂ Good one.....
@SargeMcCÂ In this case it looks like both, good call!
Irresponsible people like that mother give responsible gun owners a bad wrap. You don't shoot at someone who is at your front door. You shoot them once they illegally enter your house.Â
@Tattooed_Angel No, actually she is the epitome of the law abiding gun owners. 99% of them should not own weapons. They are not mentally or emotionally able to hand the responsibility of something that can destroy many lives in less effort than it would take to operate a curling iron.Â
@DT @Tattooed_Angel Oh boy. You don't seriously expect intelligent people to take this crappola seriously do you?
@DTÂ
 H y p e r b o l e.
@Tattooed_Angel Looks like someone needs remedial training on the four very simple rules of firearm safety.
@Tattooed_Angel I agree. You don't shoot till you know what your target is. The cops were on the phone on their way there was no reason to escalate the incident. Come on people, if you're going to be a responsible gun owner don't screw it up for the rest of us. Just back off, wait for the cops, keep at least 10 feet distance from the attacker, if they bust in the door start shooting.