Spartanburg Home Invasion Averted … With Hot Lead
Which is frankly the only way to handle a situation like this sans getting beaten or raped. A little outside our usual territory, but Spartanburg is only a half-hour away so in the interest of raising awareness we bring you this story:
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Deputies said that a homeowner shot a man trying to break into his home on Tuesday morning.
The shooting happened at 632 Nodding Hill Road just after 9 a.m.
The homeowner told FOX Carolina that he was laying on the couch when he heard someone banging on his door and then glass breaking. He said that he went to a bedroom and retrieved his gun. He said that when he came back to the door he saw a hand reaching inside his home and fired.
The man said that he heard several people scream and then run away.
Deputies said that they are interviewing a person who showed up after the shooting at a local hospital, suffering from a gunshot wound. They said they believe there was more than one person involved in the break-in.
And those others are still on the loose and perhaps looking for easier pickings, so be careful. Understand that what we’re talking about here is a group of people who are looking to break into people’s houses in broad daylight and may or may not be targeting houses with people in them. This is a dangerous situation you need to be prepared for.
Even in the largest cities with huge police forces the average response time for cops getting to a 911 call is around two minutes or so. That’s a long time for a gang of criminals to have you, your spouse or your children under their control. Here in Greenville County where there are so many transplants a lot of people aren’t familiar with South Carolina’s fairly libertarian gun laws and common sense approach to self-defense. I’d advise anyone who is home alone to take precautions against home invasion like adding locks to doors or buying a dog (even a small “yippy” dog which can warn you of danger) and check into purchasing a firearm and the training to use it.
If the man above was unarmed and waiting for police to arrive he would likely be dead.
David Israel Smith Charged in 2008 Greer Home Invasion and Murder Attempt
Home invasions are every person’s worst nightmare. In states like South Carolina where the law recognizes the Castle Doctrine it is, logically enough, less likely a criminal will target a house where people are home at the time for a burglary. But there are still some thugs so unconcerned with life, both their own and their victims, that they will break into a home knowing it is occupied expressly to victimize the homeowners. David Israel Smith is one such person:
A man from Goose Creek is under arrest after a stabbing in Greer in 2008.
Greer Police arrested 22-year old David Israel Smith, of Goose Creek, was arrested on Christmas day and charged with assault and battery with intent-to-kill and first-degree burglary. Smith is accused of breaking in to a home on Irving Street July 30, 2008, and stabbed a man multiple times to thew chest, head and hands.
The man was transported to Greenville Memorial Hospital due to his injuries. Smith is currently being held without bond at the Spartanburg County Detention Center.
Sometimes a locked door simply isn’t enough to keep you safe from the predators that roam our streets. Fox Carolina reports that the 33-year-old man was actually a guest in the home a few days before. He was apparently a friend of a friend.