Via Guns America by Larry Z
This is one of those situations that makes your gut twist because there’s no easy answer.
According to reporting from KHOU 11, a chaotic scene unfolded just after midnight this week in southwest Houston when a bloodied man was caught on camera pounding on doors, screaming for help.
“Help me, please… call 911,” he can be heard saying in doorbell footage.
Neighbors woke up to the noise. One homeowner, Melissa Molina, did what most people think they’d do. She stayed inside, kept the door locked, and called police.
“I have my kid. I have the dog… we’re not going to do that,” she said.
And honestly, that’s the moment everything hinges on. Because just minutes later, the situation escalated fast.
The same man — Still bleeding, still desperate — moved on to another home. This time, instead of waiting outside… He kicked the door in.
Forced entry. Middle of the night. Unknown threat. That’s when the homeowner inside opened fire, shooting him multiple times.
No charges have been filed so far.
Now here’s where it gets real and where this turns into a question for you. Because on one hand, you’ve got a guy clearly in distress. Beaten. Bloody. Begging for help.
On the other hand?
You’ve got a forced home invasion at night. One of the most dangerous, unpredictable situations a homeowner can face.
Police say the man may have been assaulted by a family member just moments before. But in that moment, the homeowner inside didn’t know that.
All they knew was this: Someone just kicked in their door.
So what would you do?
- Do you open the door when someone is screaming for help at 1:30 in the morning?
- Do you take that risk with your family inside?
- Or do you stay locked in, call 911, and let it play out from behind a barrier?
And if that person forces their way in anyway. At what point does helping someone turn into defending yourself?
Even neighbors seem split. Molina didn’t necessarily blame the shooter.
“You never know if that was a tactic… to break in and rob him,” she said. That’s the reality people don’t like to talk about.
Criminals have used deception before. Fake distress. Fake emergencies. Anything to get a door open. And at the same time, sometimes people really do need help.
The man who was shot is expected to survive. Police are still searching for the person who allegedly assaulted him in the first place, believed to be his own brother.
But the bigger question doesn’t go away. Because this could happen anywhere. Quiet neighborhood. Late night. Someone pounding on your door. Blood on their face. Panic in their voice.
How do you play it?
Read in its entirety at gunsamerica.com.
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You go to the door armed and talk through the door. Then call 911. If you let them in, be ready to defend yourself. If they just kick in the door then they get shot, several times as you were trained.
My doors and their locks ( several STRONG locks on each door ) are quite strong and heavy. And I’m also armed and won’t even go close to the door if I don’t know the person. I can see that person out of a relatively high window.
BUT if someone comes to my door and seems to need help, I certainly will call 911 for help for that person.
But they WON’T be allowed to come inside!
Ya never know!
I should add that we live back a dirt road in the woods … far away from where most people would ever travel.
To be in this area, and to seem be injured, would naturally bring suspicion to our minds.
I’ve just read Keith Clark’s comment above mine. He’s correct in MOST of what he says.
BUT it is wise to NOT go close to the door in a case like this.
A ‘bad guy’ can and will shoot through the door, and they will certainly threaten the home owner with that knowledge so that the door will be opened by that homeowner.
Keep away from the door and talk loud enough for that person outside to be able to hear you. But don’t let them see where you are!
Tell them that your are calling the police for help for them, but don’t EVER let them inside the house.
And BE ARMED … just in case!
It is better and safer to do it this way, even if that person is actually injured, than to allow yourself to be attacked or even killed.
It is ALWAYS better to be safe than to be sorry!