SC Sheriff: Man kicked in door, shot by homeowner

SC Sheriff: Man kicked in door, shot by homeowner

www.fortmilltimes.com

The Associated Press

LANDRUM, S.C. --

A South Carolina man is recovering after sheriff's deputies say he kicked in a Landrum home's door, assaulted his wife, and then was shot when he tried to get his hands on the home's owner.

The Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office says Dakota Hester is in critical condition Saturday after being shot multiple times after a Friday night rampage.

Deputies say Hester was shot by Jonathan Wofford after he called 911 to report someone was trying to break into his home, retreated to his bedroom, locked the door, and saw Hester kick in that door t

(visit the link for the full news article)

So, he called 911 to report the break-in, and before the police could arrive, the suspect broke down the main door, assaulted his own wife (the suspects wife was in the home) by grabbing her by the neck and tossing her against the wall. The police still had not arrived yet when he then broke down a second door to the room where the homeowner was hiding for protection. With the police still not there. the homeowner made a decision to open fire on the suspect in self-defense.

In a world where guns are banned completely, this story may have had a much different and more tragic ending for two American citizens. The fact that possession of a gun and its thoughtful use in this instance is one of the main tenets of the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Without this right, as many are trying to remove, we will be subject to something similar if it ever happens. And before responses such as "this is a rare case" or "this doesn't happen often enough", consider this:

- If it happens even once to you, it could mean your life or the life of your family (that is pretty important)
- The recent "mass shootings" are also rare occurrences considering the population and number of gun owners in the country. (that's pretty important)

Your thoughts ATS?

www.fortmilltimes.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by Krakatoa


So he was hiding upstairs while the intruder was attacking his wife? I don't need a gun to hide while my wife gets beat up. I can do that unarmed.

He is a coward.

If you're willing to hide while your wife is attacked, then you don't deserve a gun.

reply to post by Miraj


Yeah, I caught that one too.
WTF???

What kind of man HIDES while his wife is being assulted and ONLY opens fire when HE is in danger?!?!?!

I think you folks so far are missing the main point here. TPTB aggressively tell us to call 911 and hide away when this happens, so you will be safe. Let the authorities deal with the situation. Well, guess what, IT DOESN'T WORK.

Regardless of his actions here regarding his wife (which we do not know the entire story of why she was assaulted first), the recommended actions failed. What worked to protect his home was his 2nd Amendment rights being exercised. That is the big picture point. Quibbling over his actions like you are is beneath us all, and does not add anything to the discussion at hand IMO.

I welcome all intelligent discussion here, pro and con. All I ask is please keep it relevant and civil.

so how many kids killed themselves yesterday with guns kept in a house with no gun safe ?

these intruder cases are a weak argument for guns

simply because it is much more rare than people believe

if every teen suicide with a gun were posted here daily, it would be too depressing to come here

just checked, there are 45 suicides a day in the US from firearms

yay guns !!!

Originally posted by Miraj
He is a coward.

If you're willing to hide while your wife is attacked, then you don't deserve a gun.

I read the story in the link.

The man that was breaking doors down had a last name, it was 'Hester'. The woman that he assaulted was his own wife, Amy Hester.

The homeowner's wife was not assaulted.

I am not certain that the homeowner is a coward.

Originally posted by syrinx high priest
so how many kids killed themselves yesterday with guns kept in a house with no gun safe ?

these intruder cases are a weak argument for guns

simply because it is much more rare than people believe

if every teen suicide with a gun were posted here daily, it would be too depressing to come here

just checked, there are 45 suicides a day in the US from firearms

yay guns !!!

edit on 10-3-2013 by syrinx high priest because: (no reason given)

There are a great many more saved by the use of guns or the threat of use of force. Usually just the latter but unfortunately, as in this case, sometimes it comes to actually shooting the scumbags too.

When the world doesn't have predatory criminals willing to rape, murder and pillage for their own personal reasons ...then perhaps a debate can even start on how defense shooting isn't a valid basis for gun rights. That's likely never coming as things stand now though, so the idea of taking the last line of defense which law abiding people have to survive is just outrageous.

Guns Save Lives

It's a far far deeper divide being forced here than ever should be ....and as the OP is all about, what hangs in the balance are literally the lives of American citizens in their own homes, able or not able to save their own lives when threatened, IMO.

Originally posted by syrinx high priest
so how many kids killed themselves yesterday with guns kept in a house with no gun safe ?

these intruder cases are a weak argument for guns

edit on 10-3-2013 by syrinx high priest because: (no reason given)

How many kids killed themselves from texting while driving? way more than those killed by guns not locked up in a safe. Quick lets ban cell phones...

And How about this argument for guns... its our right as given to us by the Constitution, period.

Everything else is fear mongering rhetoric to take away our rights.

reply to post by butcherguy


Thanks for the clarification on the wife. I misread the story. I have corrected this in the OP to be more accurate. Now, it seems the suspects wife was in the home, along with the homeowner. Sounds like a case where the suspect did not approve of his wife being in that home. But, breaking down the door and assaulting folks is always a recipe for disaster in my book.

So, the homeowner was defending himself. While (it seems to me) the woman went out to stop her husband from breaking in I guess. The back story of what the REAL situation was is still unknown. Regardless of the reasons, I still stand by my statement that the 2nd Amendment is important even in this case. The motives of those involved is irrelevant, the Constitution does not stipulate motive, only that Americans have the right to keep and bear arms.

So the wife was cheating on the husband and the husband went to confront the guy she was cheating on him with and the guy that was cheating shot the husband because the husband was pissed? What a pussy! IF you're cheating on someones wife you deserve to get your ass beat. IMO
If someone was screwing my wife you'd better bet your sweet butt I'm busting down doors and breaking heads.

Originally posted by kimish
So the wife was cheating on the husband and the husband went to confront the guy she was cheating on him with and the guy that was cheating shot the husband?
If someone was screwing my wife you'd better bet your sweet butt I'm busting down doors and breaking heads.

That, I admit was the first thought that popped into my head.

But it is possible that the woman was abused, and simply came to a neighbors house for refuge, or it could be that the homeowner was a coworker or even just a friend.

Originally posted by kimish
So the wife was cheating on the husband and the husband went to confront the guy she was cheating on him with and the guy that was cheating shot the husband because the husband was pissed? What a pussy! IF you're cheating on someones wife you deserve to get your ass beat. IMO
If someone was screwing my wife you'd better bet your sweet butt I'm busting down doors and breaking heads.

edit on 10-3-2013 by kimish because: (no reason given)

Off-Topic: Then you better EXPECT to be shot dead or worse, incapacitated to the point of not being able to care for yourself for the rest of that "life". Is a cheating wife really worth your life.

On-Topic: Does someone that has not been charged with a crime, not deserve to defend themselves from an attacker....regardless of what they have or have not done?

reply to post by syrinx high priest


I have to ask, is your issue with kids who committed suicide or is it the guns themselves?

Suicide is yet another outcome of uncontrolled metal health issues. I don't blame pain pills for people purposefully overdosing as a method of suicide.

People like you don't ever address the causes of these things. Your reactionary BS continues to distract from the real issues.

Why are kids killing themselves? How do we stop it? How do we treat the underlying mental issues that lead to ideation and eventually to suicide itself?

Of course these questions are hard to answer. So I suppose we should just take the easy route and break out that good ole ban hammer..Because banning stuff works great.

reply to post by Krakatoa


Very true. But if someone was cheating on my wife I wouldn't expect them to shoot me for breaking into said house for a confrontation. To me the guy that used a gun is a pussy, plain in simple, if in fact he was having an affair with the woman. I may have jumped the gun a bit...
But, I am all for one protecting their home, using a gun included, but if you had it coming... Take an ass whooping like a man instead of hiding behind a weapon.
If she was an abused woman and was seeking refuge then the man that got shot deserved what he got IMO.

Go ahead and re read it. The SUSPECTS wife was being beaten. Not the home owners

Originally posted by syrinx high priest
so how many kids killed themselves yesterday with guns kept in a house with no gun safe ?

these intruder cases are a weak argument for guns

simply because it is much more rare than people believe

if every teen suicide with a gun were posted here daily, it would be too depressing to come here

just checked, there are 45 suicides a day in the US from firearms

yay guns !!!

edit on 10-3-2013 by syrinx high priest because: (no reason given)

All of these are straw-man arguments and off-topic to this discussion of having the right to defend onesselve with a firearm when necessary. Please refrain from straying too far from the main point of the thread. If you have some reply or thought on-topic that is within your belief system, I an glad to hear it and we can debate like adults. Otherwise, I respectfully ask you avoid this thread if you must.

Originally posted by projectvxn
reply to post by syrinx high priest

 

I have to ask, is your issue with kids who committed suicide or is it the guns themselves?

Suicide is yet another outcome of uncontrolled metal health issues. I don't blame pain pills for people purposefully overdosing as a method of suicide.

People like you don't ever address the causes of these things. Your reactionary BS continues to distract from the real issues.

Why are kids killing themselves? How do we stop it? How do we treat the underlying mental issues that lead to ideation and eventually to suicide itself?

Of course these questions are hard to answer. So I suppose we should just take the easy route and break out that good ole ban hammer..Because banning stuff works great.

These kids don't need any treatment. I think he was talking about accidental deaths. Over 500 children die annually from accidental firearm discharges.