Would-be burglars come in all shapes and sizes. The two who attempted to break into a home in Atascocita, Texas, Wednesday were females, one 17 years old, the other in her mid-20s. Both trespassers were shot and critically wounded for their trouble.
According to ABC affiliate KTRK, the two suspects were fairly brazen. After pulling up to the house in a stolen car, the women pounding on the door, prompting the unidentified 60-year-old homeowner to phone 911.
“The first call was I’ve got two females at my door, banging on the door,” Harris County Constable Lt. Walter Stensland is quoted as saying. A second call came in minutes later, advising that the two were in the house and that the owner had defended his turf with a 20-gauge shotgun loaded with buckshot used for deer hunting.
Deputies found two women … both shot in the torso. The older suspect was still in the house, while the teen ran into the street and collapsed.
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At least one was flown by LifeFlight helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital. Both are expected to survive but they may have suffered lifelong injuries. The older suspect was out of surgery Wednesday night, but may be paralyzed due to a spinal cord injury. The teen suspect, who remained in surgery Wednesday night, may lose an arm.
Stensland told reporters it is the first break-in he has covered that involved two female suspects.
The homeowner was unharmed. So far, no charges have been brought against him, and none likely will insofar as Texas is one of thirty states with a “castle doctrine.” This is a law that designates a person’s home as a place in which he has certain protections and immunities permitting him, under certain circumstances, to use force to defend himself against an intruder.
As to the break-in, a neighbor said it best: “You lose all of your personal rights, when you decide to do something like that.”