A homeowner was forced to shoot a man accused of breaking into her rural Edinburg home Tuesday night, according to the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office.
In a terrifying incident, a mother was home with her children when a burglar broke into her home. The brave mother alleged she warned the intruder to leave and informed him that she had a gun and the police were on the way, however, when the man refused to go, she shot at the man, wounding him and forcing him to flee.
Hidalgo County Sheriff JE Eddie Guerra said, “If someone’s breaking into your home, you have the right to protect yourself and use deadly force.”
According to the Daily Mail, the incident occurred on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, in Edinburg, Texas, around 9 pm close to the southern border. The town is part of the Rio Grande Valley region.
The suspect, Carlos Garcia, 36, reportedly entered the house through the family’s garage, stated a press release. The petrified woman and her children were holed up in their bedroom at the time.
The woman allegedly told the man she was armed and that she had already called 911 and they were on their way. According to the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office in southern Texas, suspect Carlos Garcia “refused to leave and continued to try and get into the bedroom.”
Despite the warning, the 36-year-old intruder made his way to the bedroom and that is when the mother pulled the trigger once through the door, leaving him wounded in his left arm. After being shot, the man immediately fled the house.
Shortly after the intruder escaped, the authorities arrived at the home. Police were able to apprehend Garcia after they located him in a field around 100 yards from the house he broke into and charged him with burglary.
Residents in the Lone Star State have the right to use deadly force under a Texas law known as the Castle Doctrine. The law is similar to ‘stand your ground’ measures across the US that state a person has no duty to retreat from an intruder.
Garcia was taken to a local hospital for his injuries before he was charged with “burglary of a habitation with intent,” according to Daily Mail. He is being held at the Hidalgo Adult Detention Center and his bond has been set at $750,000.
Source: AWM, Daily Mail
