A realtor was setting up an open house late one Sunday morning when a prospective male homebuyer arrived. She welcomed him and they began discussing the property and loan options. He asked to see the master bedroom, but once they were upstairs, he pulled out a knife with bear spray attached to it and threatened her. He demanded she give him her ring and get in the closet. The realtor, fearing for her life, drew her legally concealed firearm. The man then sprayed her, fogging her version and burning her eyes. Undeterred, she fired shots toward him, missing but scaring him off. She then blindly searched for her phone and was able to call the police, who eventually arrested her attacker. Although the bear spray burned her eyes, she recovered and is otherwise unharmed. The woman told local media, “My life was in danger, and if I did not have my firearm, I would not be here to talk to you.” (9news.com, Commerce City, Colo., 08/07/19)
A woman awoke to noises outside her house around 3:45 a.m., and immediately called the police. However, before officers arrived, two men broke into her house through the back door, forcing her to shoot in self-defense, fatally wounding both of them. At the time of publication, no charges had been filed, as Arizona has three statutes: defense of a residential structure; the castle doctrine, which expands the rule to include your car; and pure self defense, using deadly force in any place you have the right to be in—as long as it is legally permitted. "The self defense statute applies anywhere. Anywhere where you have a legal right to be," criminal defense attorney Louis Fidel told local press. Fidel said the prosecutor will look at the totality of the facts. (kgun9.com, Tucson, Ariz., 10/16/19)
