I had to 'defend' my home.

[Bear44]

I don't think I'll be calling the cops while I was armed, I'll wait until the dust settles. Cops have been known to show up shooting anybody that's armed, or appear to be armed, which is acceptable in most cases.
Paid admin leave, promotion, business as usual.
Worst case scenario, the cop gets fired from a low paying thankless job.

This is one of the reasons you try to keep the 911 operator on the line throughout the encounter. If you've made it to your defensive position there should be no reason to move. Put the phone on speaker and lay it down near by. That way they know where you are and you know where they are.

If that can't be done, be vocal... loudly. Communication in a tactical encounter is one of the key ways to avoid friendly fire.

The phone is also a good idea in case you have to use deadly force. They now have an audio recording of the encounter and that can help your case if there is any question that deadly force was needed.

 

[BanjoJohn]

This is one of the reasons you try to keep the 911 operator on the line throughout the encounter. If you've made it to your defensive position there should be no reason to move. Put the phone on speaker and lay it down near by. That way they know where you are and you know where they are.

If that can't be done, be vocal... loudly. Communication in a tactical encounter is one of the key ways to avoid friendly fire.

The phone is also a good idea in case you have to use deadly force. They now have an audio recording of the encounter and that can help your case if there is any question that deadly force was needed.

I'd rather use my cell phone to record the event, then call the police when it's all said and done.
They can come harass me while assuming I'm guilty until I can prove my innocence.

 

[Comanche]

Sounds like your Brother has some pent up resentment issues against you.
Grab a spray bottle, put a fresh dog turd in it, then fill the remainder up with milk.
Let bake in the sun a couple days, shake well.
Spray solution into his vehicle fresh air vent at base of windshield/ hood.
Soak it nicely.
When he turns on his air or heat from this point forward he will be reminded of what an ass he is.

 

[BigMike]

No harm, no foul. Take it as a learning experience and move on. You learned your bodies response to a perceived threat, thats worth a million bucks right there. Keep calm and carry on.

Without being there, the only thing I can see that I would have done differently is leaving the house. I would never leave the confines of my space to encounter a threat, in that situation.

 

[Deleted member 79987]

This happened to me some weeks ago and I have been meaning to share it to be able to lend a thought process to those who take home defense seriously; as I was caught off guard by the experience. First a summary, then an evaluation.

I was asleep in bed with wife and at about 1 am I heard gunshots that sounded like they were coming from inside my home. I sprung up, and grabbed my piece from my nightstand. It was a DA/SA HK at the time and I remember that I cocked the hammer, finger off the trigger. First thing I did was yell at my wife to cal the police. Which she did not do; for reasons that are beyond me. I left my room and went across the hall to the boys room where it sounded like the gunfire was coming from. They were startling and beginning to hoop and holler. I could see a figure outside their window and the firing was definitely coming from outside their window. I drew on the the window and went to fire but I did not due to my children running to me. I shooed both boys back into my bedroom and shut the door. I ran to the front door (shooting was in front yard) and opened it, walked out front broad-side with a shooting stance and did an assessment. The front porch light was on and my whole body was outside the door frame. I noticed immediately that the gunshots were colored, and they were coming from the ground (My 3/4 O'clock). It was fireworks. When I saw that the "I'm being attacked" factor just instantly dropped. I remember I lost all my primal instincts and I felt like the hulk coming back down. I immediately heard someone yelling my name from the drive way (my 9 O'clock) My brother came home from the navy on a late flight and lit fireworks in my yard and was walking towards me laughing, saying chill out, calm down, etc. There was a serious family fight as the whole situation was incredibly immature, dangerous, and upsetting to neighbors and children. Wife was furious. This is typical s*** from my family and is to be expected; but that did cross the line

Looking back I like to analyze the things I did wrong.
-My wife did not dial the police, which I scolded her for afterwards.
-I should have spent more time securing my family, and hunkering down in my household.
-I should not have gone outside
-I did not have cover outside
-I should not have walked my whole body outside
-I did not physically hear my wife, children, or my brother calling my name due to sheer adrenaline/fear/whatever. If there were LE present I doubt I would have heard/obeyed orders. If someone came in the back door while I went out front I doubt I would have heard my family holler.

Feel free to enjoy the read, consider the circumstances, and critique the performance (or lack there of). Have a plan, make sure if you know you/loved ones are safe you make a conscious decision to engage/cover/whatever and plot your moves before moving.

Thank you for being honest and posting your experiences -- definitely one we can learn from.

 

[PA4476]

I have read all the responses and think most everything has been covered. I think this was a good learning experience (hopefully for you, your family AND your brother)

One thing I can't help but think about, IF your wife had called 911, and IF a cop was really close by, he may have mistaken you for the bad guy when you were outside with your weapon, and you could have been shot. Even if your wife had stayed on the phone, she may not have been aware you had gone outside.

As D Deleted member 79987 said, thanks for sharing this, I know it can't be easy to lay it all out and take the critique from everyone. Lessons like those taken away from this can help others.

 

[Jblue]

THank you all for your replies and views.

 

[GeauxLSU]

This happened to me some weeks ago and I have been meaning to share it to be able to lend a thought process to those who take home defense seriously; as I was caught off guard by the experience. First a summary, then an evaluation.

I was asleep in bed with wife and at about 1 am I heard gunshots that sounded like they were coming from inside my home. I sprung up, and grabbed my piece from my nightstand. It was a DA/SA HK at the time and I remember that I cocked the hammer, finger off the trigger. First thing I did was yell at my wife to cal the police. Which she did not do; for reasons that are beyond me. I left my room and went across the hall to the boys room where it sounded like the gunfire was coming from. They were startling and beginning to hoop and holler. I could see a figure outside their window and the firing was definitely coming from outside their window. I drew on the the window and went to fire but I did not due to my children running to me. I shooed both boys back into my bedroom and shut the door. I ran to the front door (shooting was in front yard) and opened it, walked out front broad-side with a shooting stance and did an assessment. The front porch light was on and my whole body was outside the door frame. I noticed immediately that the gunshots were colored, and they were coming from the ground (My 3/4 O'clock). It was fireworks. When I saw that the "I'm being attacked" factor just instantly dropped. I remember I lost all my primal instincts and I felt like the hulk coming back down. I immediately heard someone yelling my name from the drive way (my 9 O'clock) My brother came home from the navy on a late flight and lit fireworks in my yard and was walking towards me laughing, saying chill out, calm down, etc. There was a serious family fight as the whole situation was incredibly immature, dangerous, and upsetting to neighbors and children. Wife was furious. This is typical s*** from my family and is to be expected; but that did cross the line

Looking back I like to analyze the things I did wrong.
-My wife did not dial the police, which I scolded her for afterwards.
-I should have spent more time securing my family, and hunkering down in my household.
-I should not have gone outside
-I did not have cover outside
-I should not have walked my whole body outside
-I did not physically hear my wife, children, or my brother calling my name due to sheer adrenaline/fear/whatever. If there were LE present I doubt I would have heard/obeyed orders. If someone came in the back door while I went out front I doubt I would have heard my family holler.

Feel free to enjoy the read, consider the circumstances, and critique the performance (or lack there of). Have a plan, make sure if you know you/loved ones are safe you make a conscious decision to engage/cover/whatever and plot your moves before moving.

Yep, that was a mess but thankfully not a disaster. If we are honest, life is FULL of messes, that thankfully for most, don't turn into disasters.
I have no idea how I'd react under the exact same situation. Oh I know how I 'plan' to react, but like the old saying goes, everybody has a plan until they get punche in the mouth. Waking up at 1am to what you believe to be gunfire from inside your home = being punched in the mouth. So again, not going to pretend to know or chastise.
Speaking of being punched in the mouth, if you didn't do that to your brother, that is your biggest fail of all. Seriously.

 

[Deleted member 79987]

I nearly exhausted my French right there.

You need to get out more -- maybe take a trip someplace where they don't speak Engrish. (he said sarcastically)

 

[cmshoot]

You need to get out more -- maybe take a trip someplace where they don't speak Engrish. (he said sarcastically)

I have a hard time wrapping my head around French. Spanish and Italian I’m not so bad at......used to speak Tagalog very, very well.