'I gotta protect my family; that’s just the end of it': Homeowner shoots 'giant' male who entered his bedroom after midnight



A Washington state homeowner shot a "giant" male intruder who entered the bedroom he shares with his wife early Tuesday morning.

Kent police told KOMO-TV the incident occurred at 1:27 a.m. in the 26600 block of 134th Avenue SE.

'You hear stories, and you never think it’s gonna be you — until it’s you, until it’s your family,' he told the station.

While the station interviewed the homeowner exclusively about the incident, KOMO said he was still too shaken to be publicly identified.

“I honestly still keep going back to my bedroom because I’m like, ‘Did it happen?’” the homeowner recounted to the station.

The victim told KOMO he was asleep with his wife when the male entered their bedroom and turned on the light.

"It was quick. I woke up, and there was this giant standing in my bedroom," the homeowner recalled to the station, noting that he believed the intruder stood at least 6 feet, 5 inches tall.

The homeowner told KOMO that he began hitting the intruder with items from a nearby nightstand, after which he got his gun and opened fire.

"I think [being hit with objects] helped to push him out of the door, and I had just enough time to run for my safe [and retrieve my gun]," he told the station, adding that he "shot two rounds" but "didn’t know if I struck him."

More from KOMO:

Around 3:05 a.m., Kent police said they were called to an apartment on the 14900 block of SE 272nd for a medical call involving a person who'd suffered a gunshot wound. Officers then found a man matching the description of the aforementioned burglary suspect with a gunshot wound to his torso. They then applied a chest seal to the open wound, and Puget Sound Fire firefighters arrived shortly after to continue medical treatment.

Police said the burglar, a 39-year-old Kent resident, was taken to the hospital for additional medical treatment. Regarding the shooting, officers said the homeowner had a concealed pistol license and legally owned his gun at the time of the incident. They said he acted lawfully.

The homeowner added to the station that in addition to his wife and daughter, his brother and family also were in his home — meaning five children were present at the time of the incident.

That said, the homeowner emphasized to KOMO that he didn't hesitate to protect multiple loved ones and would do it again.

“You hear stories, and you never think it’s gonna be you — until it’s you, until it’s your family," he told the station.

"This is my safe house, this is my home, this is where we live," the homeowner added to KOMO. “I gotta protect my family; that’s just the end of it."

You can view KOMO's video report here.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Grandmother protecting herself and her 4-year-old grandson shoots auto theft suspect who broke into her home, cops say



A New Mexico grandmother protecting herself and her 4-year-old grandson shot an auto theft suspect who broke into her home Friday night.

What are the details?

Albuquerque police said they tried to pull over a stolen truck near Central and Cypress around 8 p.m. and used spike strips to flatten the tires, the Albuquerque Journal reported, citing a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.

Police told the paper the truck was “on its rims” and crashed into a curb near Candelaria and Rio Grande NW.

The driver ran into the neighborhood, and police made a perimeter to search the area, the Journal said.

A woman who was with her 4-year-old grandson told police she heard someone inside her home, the paper said, adding that she confronted the male who “appeared to be angry” and told her he “just needed her keys.”

The woman told police she thought about arming herself but “did not know if she had time to use the weapon” if the intruder also had a gun, the paper reported, citing the complaint.

The woman told police she took the intruder to a “bowl of keys” in the kitchen, and the male took several keys and left, the Journal reported.

Police said the woman told them she then grabbed a gun and took her grandchild into a bedroom — but she said she discovered the intruder back in her hallway “demanding more keys," the paper said.

With that, the woman told police she pointed the gun at the intruder and “told him to get out” — but he began approaching her instead, the Journal said, citing the complaint.

The woman told police she was scared “he would kill her or her grandchild,” and she shot him once, the paper reported.

The woman told police the intruder fell to the ground and began “crawling through the halls asking for water,” the Journal said, adding that the woman said she “put pressure on his wound until police arrived.”

The woman called 911 around 9:30 p.m., arriving officers detained the burglar — identified as 32-year-old Joseph Rivera — at the home, and the woman gave police the gun she used to shoot him, the paper said.

Police told the Journal that Rivera is charged with burglary, attempted burglary, and auto theft, and will be booked into jail after he's released from the hospital.

More from the paper:

Rivera is currently on pretrial release in a July 2023 case in which he was found in a stolen vehicle with fentanyl, cocaine and heroin on him, according to court records. At the time, Rivera told police that “his personal life and caring for his family has been incredibly difficult” as he struggled with undiagnosed mental health issues and addiction.

A warrant was issued in that case when he didn’t show up for a court hearing in October.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Armed crooks rob man outside his home, force him to front door. But his relative in home also has a gun and opens fire.



Three masked males robbed a man at gunpoint outside his Houston home early Sunday morning and forced him to his front door — but police said the victim's relative inside the home saw what was happening, grabbed a gun, and began firing at the suspects.

What are the details?

The victim was exiting his car around 12:30 a.m. to enter his home in the 2600 block of Caplin Street when the trio approached the man and robbed him at gunpoint, police told KPRC-TV.

Police said the suspects forced the man up to the front door of his home, KTRK-TV reported.

Police added that a family member of the victim from inside the home witnessed what was happening and came outside and shot at the suspects, KPRC said.

"Those suspects then returned fire and fled the scene," Lt. T. Trometer told KTRK. "Shortly after that, police units arrived and were able to locate one of the suspects in a nearby neighborhood. He had injuries, gunshot wounds to the legs and one to the arm."

Police added to KPRC that a K-9 unit located the wounded suspect, who was soon taken to a hospital and was set to be charged with aggravated robbery. The suspect is expected to survive, KTRK reported.

As for the other two suspects, police added to KPRC that they fled the scene in a white Ford SUV. No other information about them has been released, the station added.

KTRK also reported that it's unknown whether police know the other two suspects' whereabouts.

How are folks reacting?

Commenters reacting to KPRC's story on the robbery and shooting not surprisingly were quite happy with the relative who came to the victim's rescue — but otherwise disgusted that the robbery occurred in the first place:

  • "Whomever the person was that came out the house shooting, if they ever need a place to stay, I have an extra bedroom," one commenter wrote.
  • "Was the guy who was shot already out on bond for something else?" another commenter asked. "I’m going to guess yes."
  • "Stay vigilant folks ..." another commenter warned.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Concealed-carry hero takes out shooter who seriously wounded him, killed two at party: 'If I didn't have my gun, everyone in the house would have died'



A bullet tore through Raul Mendez's left eye amid a deadly rampage at a Fourth of July party in Arizona this summer, covering his face with blood and rendering him unconscious.

But Mendez told Fox News that with God's help, he soon opened his eyes amid screaming from other partygoers — and then he got up, pulled out his concealed handgun, and fatally shot the suspect before he could kill or wound any more people.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

"If I didn't have my gun, everyone in the house would have died," Mendez said in a National Rifle Association video about the incident. "The news vans would've been front and center. But because I did, you never even heard about it."

Image source: YouTube screenshot

What are the details?

On the evening of July 3, Mendez, his two daughters, and his wife — who was seven months pregnant — gathered with friends and other families at a home in Sunrise for a party featuring food and fireworks, Fox News said.

A neighbor of the man hosting the party had joined the festivities despite not being close friends with anyone present, Mendez told the cable network — and police later identified that neighbor as 46-year-old Jason Hunt, saying he opened fire unprovoked at the gathering, according to the Arizona Republic.

Mendez told Fox News that Hunt and other party attendees were eating in the kitchen when Hunt pulled out a gun and began firing, sending everyone fleeing.

"My back was turned," Mendez recounted to the cable network. "I heard the first gunshot, and that's what made me kind of turn my head. ... But by the time I even was able to look and see what was going on, a bullet already had struck the side of my face."

Mendez was shot in front of his wife, who rushed to his side and believed he was dead due to the amount of blood covering his face, Fox News noted.

She then grabbed their two daughters and put them into a room deeper in the house, barricading them and other children inside, the cable network said.

"She barricaded the door with the dresser. There were three other children in there, not including my two daughters. A total of five kids. She … throws them in the closet, throws clothes over them. Tells them, ‘Be quiet. Do not make a peep if you hear loud noises in this room,’" Mendez told Fox News in regard to his wife's actions.

Mendez said two other women began fighting the suspect and were screaming for Mendez, as they knew he had a concealed weapon, the cable network explained.

"By the glory of God or the adrenaline and just everything — just the will to live and the will to protect my family — I was able to hear those pleas, those yells for help," Mendez recalled to Fox News. "I heard my name. And I was able to get up."

With that, Mendez pulled out his own gun and shot the suspect four times in the chest, the cable network said.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Two of Mendez’s friends — Conrradito Ochoa Navarro, 41, and Carl Dinora, 38 — were killed, while four others, including Mendez, were seriously wounded, Fox News noted.

Police said Mendez and others were acting in self-defense and in defense of innocent individuals, the cable network said, citing a KTAR-TV report.

No motive has been announced in the case, Fox News said, adding that the Sunrise police department didn't immediately respond to the cable network's requests for case updates.

What happened afterward?

Besides losing his left eye and his sense of smell, Mendez also suffered a fractured jaw and a torn eardrum, Fox News said, adding that he spent a week in the hospital and is scheduled for more surgeries.

But Mendez also is speaking out about the importance of the Second Amendment and how law-abiding, armed Americans can help stop shootings before they claim more lives, the cable network said.

"This world is unpredictable. And honestly, at the end of the day, the people that want to ban guns, they're only banning it from good people, not criminals," he told Fox News. "Because again, there [are] no gun laws for criminals."

What's more, Mendez has since purchased two additional handguns for his family members to train with, saying they are "more ready to confront [evil] with equal force now than ever," Fox News noted.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Mendez — a lifetime NRA member — lauded the Second Amendment and denounced the media for not covering his story as part of the NRA video, the cable network said.

He Stopped a Mass Shooting But The Media Never Covered It — Now We Know Whyyoutu.be

Good guy with a gun takes lethal action after man pulls weapon from car and threatens to 'shoot up the crowd' at family gathering



A good guy with a gun took lethal action when a man pulled a weapon from a car and threatened to "shoot up the crowd" at a family gathering in Florida over the weekend.

What are the details?

A fight broke out between two women at a family gathering on Division Avenue and 4th Street in West Palm Beach on Sunday night, and the fight turned into a brawl involving around 20 people, detectives told WPEC-TV.

Police were dispatched to the scene after reports of gunshots at 10:42 p.m., the station said.

The 911 caller said someone had been shot, WPEC said, and the caller also said the person who was shot took a short-barreled shotgun out of a car and threatened to "shoot up the crowd."

The police department said the 22-year-old who made the threat refused to drop his weapon after multiple people confronted him, and the station said that's when a 32-year-old man fired his gun and hit the man who made the threat.

The man who shot the 22-year-old had a concealed weapon license and remained on the scene with police and cooperated with the investigation, WPEC said.

Detectives told the station the armed man who made the threat was pronounced dead at the scene, and they are treating the case as an isolated incident and aren't seeking other suspects. WPEC added that no charges are pending.

The station added that the deceased man was from West Palm Beach, and his name has not been released. The Palm Beach County medical examiner will determine the cause of death, WPEC said.

Man killed after threatening to open fire at party in West Palm Beach youtu.be

Anything else?

Earlier this month a Jacksonville homeowner said he was worried about his safety and his neighbors' safety when he shot a mud-covered intruder "acting like he was possessed" who broke into his residence, threatened him, and then left the home and went back into the neighborhood.

Officials said a homeowner in Pensacola won't face charges after firing a rifle at home invaders in July. Video showed one of the crooks smiling outside the home before the group entered it by force — and the same video showed them all running for their lives seconds later when the homeowner opened fire on them.