A 67-year-old grandmother of 16 was sleeping when her dog began to whine at 3:30 a.m.—not his usual hour to go out. Suspecting something was amiss, the woman armed herself with a World War II-era handgun she inherited from her grandfather, and then walked to the back door. Before opening it, she peaked through the blinds and, to her surprise, saw a man in his mid-20s staring back at her. She turned on the patio light, but the man didn’t move. She opened the door and fired a shot in the direction of the strange man, whom she surmised might be a drug user. He finally turned and fled. The woman said she was glad that she had scared him off, and said, “I don’t think he’ll be coming back.” (inMaricopa.com, Maricopa, Ariz., 01/08/21)
A man went to his girlfriend’s house and instigated a fight over whether she had been out the night before. The argument escalated, and the woman told him to leave. Instead, the jealous boyfriend advanced toward her with clenched fists. Fearing for her life, the woman, who was armed, fired at him and retreated into the house, but the man followed her and proceeded to break down the door. Police soon arrived on the scene and arrested the man, charging him with second-degree burglary, assault, criminal damage and disorderly conduct. (pinalcentral.com, San Tan Valley, Ariz., 01/28/20)
