Interesting story from Des Moines

[tburnsten]

Totally anecdotal, but it is interesting how this plaayed out. Guy was apparently quite the hop-head, didn't even know where he was or if he'd been shot, and just stood on the lawn waiting to be arrested after violently smashing his way into an elderly lady's home.

An 89-year-old Des Moines woman this morning fired a .22 caliber handgun at a man who bashed in the front door of her east side house.

Beatrice Turner said the man pounded on her door at about 5:30 a.m. She said she tried to tell the man he had the wrong house.

The man, 37-year-old Nelson McAlpine, apparently broke the glass in the door and then used his fists to break through the wood door.

Turner said she grabbed a handgun and cautioned the intruder that she would shoot if he came inside.
Turner told police the man broke into her house and she fired a single shot at him.

A neighbor called police and officers were dispatched to the house, located near Hiatt Middle School.

When police arrived, they found McAlpine of 1363 E. 15th St., in Des Moines, standing on the lawn outside of Turner's house. He was arrested on a charge of second-degree burglary.

Officers said McAlpine told them he had been using drugs and didn't know where he was.

Police took McAlpine to Broadlawns Medical Center to make sure he had not been hit with a bullet. After it was determined he had not been shot, McAlpine was taken to Polk County Jail.

He is being held on $10,000 bond.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100420/NEWS/100420011/1001/Elderly-Des-Moines-woman-shoots-at-intruder-early-today-

Totally anecdotal, I'm glad the guy broke off his break-in after she fired at him, and I'm glad he wasn't shot. Good on her, she did everything right, there is no way she could have handled this situation in a more appropriate way.

[tburnsten]

1. Some of the comments on the story are in incredibly poor taste

Oh well.

[tburnsten]

2. OK which one of you

asshats just unrec'd this without even posting an opinion about it?

Come on guys, this forum is for discussion. If you don't like the story that got put up, maybe because it is an anecdote that goes against the ordinary anecdotal "O NOEZ TEH GUNZZ KILLZED THE BABBIEZZZ!!!" story like the one from Oakland, say something about it.

Why did you unrec it? A guy heavily under the influence of drugs was smashing the shit out of an old lady's house and doors at 5:30 AM, she told him to leave, he smashed through her front door, and she ran him off with a pistol without hurting him.

How can you have a problem with the outcome of this situation?

[zipplewrath]

3. I'm not much of a rec'er

I don't use it much either way. But the intent is to "recommend" or the reverse to influence what goes on the greatest page. I'm not sure there is much expectation for people to explain as such. If they don't think it makes good "greatest" material, they can unrec it. Quite honestly, it's a subject destined to get locked, so I wouldn't tend to recommend it. Probably wouldn't take the time to UNrec it either. It's more important to some than to others. Apparently it's important to you.

[tburnsten]

4. No it won't

check out all the other anecdotal stories of gun use, legally and morally justified defensive ones, like this story, and flagrantly wrong and criminal uses, like the young girl in Oakland who murdered her boyfriend.

These are the bread and butter of the Guns subforum, they shouldn't be, but they are. This one just stood out to me, in part because of the level of restraint shown by the woman, to illustrate that no, it isn't only inner city Chicago that involves crime like this, and maybe, just maybe, the good-natured people like this elderly woman are the same no matter what geographical region they live in, and maybe, just maybe, ones who happen to live in an area like Chicago or D.C. should not be prevented from adequately defending themselves against home invasions and other violent crimes.

It's only important to me because I view the rec and unrec as a way to express your view of the article, event, or post, and if you rec or unrec something, to me you should take a second and express yourself on the thread.

After all, that's what this forum is for, not just a place to go around rec'ing and unrec'ing things.

[tburnsten]

5. P.S.- Thanks for taking the time to respond. N/T

[SteveM]

7. Yeah, some of us are sensitive to those who, like the

cat, crept into the crypt, crapped, then crept out again.

But that's the gun-controllers.

[Caliman73]

6. Fortunate ending for both parties.

I support owning and using firearms for self defense, but I am not a fan of the "bad guy gets blown away" stories. This story does illustrate anecdotally the successful use of a firearm for self defense where fortunately, no one was killed. I am glad the woman is okay.