Shotgun VS. Home Invasion

Greene County Sheriff’s Department says a man from Bulls Gap is in serious condition after being shot while unlawfully entering a home in Spice Cove late Saturday night.

According to the police report, Jeremy Easterly and his wife were home at the time when they heard banging near their front door.

Mr. Easterly armed himself with a shotgun and went to investigate the noises. On opening the front door, he discovered two men standing outside.

Easterly told the men to leave and tried to shut the door, but 35-year-old Justin Letts forced his way in and chased Easterly through his home. The chase ended in Easterly’s bedroom when he turned around and fired the shotgun at his pursuer.

Letts was struck in the shoulder by the blast, causing his brother and accomplice to also run into the home.

Police arrested the would-be home invaders for aggravated assault and burglary/breaking and entering. Law enforcement officials have said they will not be pressing charges against Mr. Easterly for defending himself.

While this is great news for the homeowner/defender, there are lessons to be learned here. Opening the door to investigate noises outside your home might not be the best idea, as the example above shows. Getting a peephole installed is a cheap and simple DIY with basic power tools and skills.

Peephole cameras are also an option which allows you to see who is at your front door and even communicate with them over the intercom, all while safely behind your locked door.

Doors are not impenetrable, but they will slow down home invaders long enough for you to call 911 and get your home-defense gun. Unless you make it easy for them and open the door yourself allowing them to force their way inside, as seen here.

This is the classic door ambush we teach you how to defend against in one of our training videos. Make sure you check that out, because it could save your life.

We also like to highlight the importance of having some sort of self-defense insurance like USCCA, CCW Safe, US Law Shield, ETC. You can compare all of them on our self-defense insurance chart, to see which one is best for your needs.

If you have any thoughts on this story, door ambushes, or self-defense insurance, let us now in the comments, below.