Home Invaders Pistol Whip Man and His Mother. Then He Remembers Dad’s Old Hunting Rifle

A couple of armed home invaders will no longer be victimizing people. Again, having firearms for self defense can keep you from being on the news as the person having a funeral. Appears this pair of invaders were planning others since they had fake badges and planned to impersonate police officers.

Congratulations for defending yourself.

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He said his mother happened to be visiting him from Nashville. She cooked some chili for him at his home on Eastwood Drive. The two sat down at about 5 p.m. to eat. Moments later, someone knocked on the door.

"When I opened the door, these two guys stormed in with guns and started pistol-whipping me and took me to the ground," said Hernandez.

One of the intruders went after his mother, who was trying to escape.

"He started pistol whipping and kicking her in the side," he said.

The son's attacker demanded money and forced him through the house at gunpoint. He took him to a guest bedroom and threw him to the ground.

"He put a gun to my head,” Hernandez said, “and I just started fighting back."

Hernandez said it just so happened that his father's old hunting rifle was stashed away in that guest room. Hernandez had been thinking about refinishing it. During the scuffle, Hernandez managed to grab the rifle, and he started firing.

Bullets struck both men. Wounded, they both fled the house. One collapsed dead in a neighbor's yard. The other man hopped in a getaway car, but later collapsed in the parking lot of a Zaxby's restaurant. He remained in critical condition until passing Thursday from his wounds.

Police believe the men had been trying to impersonate police officers. Police badges and zip ties were found at the scene, police said.

Hernandez, his face swollen and bruised from being pistol-whipped, is glad he had protection.

"I feel like if I hadn't had the gun in there, this whole news story would be about me and my mother being dead in this house," he said.

Even so, he still can't get past the fact that he killed someone. He offered an apology to the families of the men he shot.

“I never want to hurt anybody like that, but they put me in a situation, and I only reacted to it," said Hernandez. "It sucks that a man lost his life yesterday, but I had to protect my family.”

Hernandez said his mother remains hospitalized." She suffered a heart attack after police officers arrived," he said.

Been there...done that. I feel for the man. He needs to find someone to talk with for the next few weeks if not months & years. If not it's gonna eat away at him for the rest of his life. It has a way of tarnishing you as a person. In your own mind...not so much the minds of others that know you.

a reply to: infolurker

he must be pretty quick with the rifle to get the drop on someone with a loaded handgun

I went through a home invasion once and thanks to a pistol, am here responding now.

Thankfully, I didn't have to pull the trigger- but pointing a gun at men and being ready to kill is a traumatic thing in itself and I'm still upset that they forced me to do it... and the whole home invasion-threatening murder thing doesn't sit well with me, either.

People... sigh.

And another one gone, and another one gone.


Hope his mom is okay.

a reply to: infolurker
Good for him. This is exactly why people should be armed.

US Criminals are pretty dumb.

Why break in to a house were its likley the home owner has a gun?

Why dont they do it like in the UK, stalk the target out and see when the person goes to work then break in when no ones at home

No mess, no fuss and low chance of being caught.

a reply to: openyourmind1262

Been there...done that. I feel for the man. He needs to find someone to talk with for the next few weeks if not months & years. If not it's gonna eat away at him for the rest of his life. It has a way of tarnishing you as a person.

I don't know if many people who own guns think about that when they say they would defend themselves. You have every right to defend yourself, but coming to grips after ending a human life even if they're criminals, must weight heavily on their minds afterwards.

I don't now how police officers and military personal do it. I'm sure it weighs on the minds of military personnel especially if there's collateral damage of innocent lives. That's why it's important they get psychological counseling once they return from serving.

a reply to: infolurker

Prediction, no gun hating liberals will have anything to say.

This is why the 2nd is so important, the best protector of your life is you.

a reply to: infolurker

“I never want to hurt anybody like that, but they put me in a situation, and I only reacted to it," said Hernandez. "It sucks that a man lost his life yesterday, but I had to protect my family.”

Sounds like a pretty decent human being right there. We need more like him.

He did the right thing and has enough humanity to see the bigger picture.

a reply to: BIGPoJo

Well, I'm sorta a 'gun-hating liberal' on most days, even after having three hombres kick down my door at 3 a.m.... but hating the destructive properties of something that is too often misused and admitting the occasional necessity of it are two separate things too often melded together.

But there is something to be said for an equalizing agent... properly used and even, gasp, a teensy bit more regulated.

Luckily, in my case, the dolts only had knives... they were too poor and desperate to buy a gun, heh.

a reply to: WeRpeons

You have every right to defend yourself, but coming to grips after ending a human life even if they're criminals, must weight heavily on their minds afterwards.

I don't now how police officers and military personal do it.

To be honest I wonder sometimes from all the police killings that appear to happen and the demeanour of some cops , if cops view those who have taken a life as higher on the totem pole kind of thing.

Kind of like gangs when they take a life and get their tattoos as a form of respect?

Note not suggesting all cops nor all the killings aren't justified, but it appears that something isn't kosher.

originally posted by: crazyewok
US Criminals are pretty dumb.

Why break in to a house were its likley the home owner has a gun?

Why dont they do it like in the UK, stalk the target out and see when the person goes to work then break in when no ones at home

No mess, no fuss and low chance of being caught.

Many home invasions include sexual assault.

originally posted by: infolurker

originally posted by: crazyewok
US Criminals are pretty dumb.

Why break in to a house were its likley the home owner has a gun?

Why dont they do it like in the UK, stalk the target out and see when the person goes to work then break in when no ones at home

No mess, no fuss and low chance of being caught.

Many home invasions include sexual assault.

Maybe thats not a common thing here. Most rapes here involve alcohol and substances or family.

Well diffrent crimes for diffrent countrys I guess.

Home invasions when people are at home do happen here, they are just rare. Most are done while the home owner is away.

But as I said different crime patterns for diffrent countrys. Intresting learning them from country to country.

If it wasn't for the first deputy to arrive at my home that night....the advice, the guidance & the direction he gave me. Along with a shoulder & two ears that listened. And still do to this day. We became friends that night.....meet in the worst way possible. Don't know which way I would have went.a reply to: WeRpeons

a reply to: openyourmind1262

Yeah, glad you went the right way... I still have nightmares 15 yrs later and didn't even have to kill anyone. It wasn't your fault ... but know something in us doesn't care about the logic.. .that's why ptsd is such a b*tch.

Yes, it is something that is hard at times unless you are a sociopath with no feelings (emotions). I worked in a world where it was necessary at times. Even though it goes back over 20 years, when I see certain news stories and even movies or documentaries I find myself going back as all the memories and feelings come flooding in like it happened earlier today. I even find adrenaline pumping in from the memories at times.

And it is hard to decompress. That is what was hardest for me. With my job, the mental health community would not talk to me. I was told several times they felt their lives would be in danger. It took a very special person that I found to talk to that slowly over 15 years helped me decompress. When I found the world closing in on my mind I will go talk to her to this day. I think that for any person that has to take a life, they need to have someone that they can talk to. Holding it all in can lead to bad things happening down the road.

I am glad this guy was able to come out on top. I also agree with DOCHOLIDAZE, quite a feat for a civilian to get to a long gun and in a position to shoot with someone who is an aggressor with a loaded handgun.

So a responsible gun owner has a loaded rifle sitting in a closet?

originally posted by: Curious69
So a responsible gun owner has a loaded rifle sitting in a closet?

Yes.

Seems like it was a good idea, too, as it may have saved his life and others.

No one knows except uncle Sam and his kind when someone might be targeting their house. We must always be alert.
The cop trick is pretty slick! You figure your gonna be in trouble if you don't open the door. So what do you do?

Anyone have an answer?

Where's your warrant doesn't work any more does it? They just kick the door in now don't they?