GA: Homeowner who shot 3 Masked Intruders may have Used Semi-Automatic Rifle

Cul-de-sac where the gun fight occurred. Residence involved at top of image. Consider the scene at 4 a.m. with a full moon at 55 degrees high, about in the direction of the driveway leading from the cul-de-sac toward the edge of the white roof.  North is approximately at the upper left corner of this image.

Link to Google image of cul-de-sac:

On Monday morning, 16 September, at about 4 a.m., a gunfight erupted at the end of the cul-de-sac of White Oak Ct. SE, in Conyers, Georgia.

According to reports, three masked intruders approached three residents of the home. One of the intruders produced a handgun and fired shots at the residents. Then numerous shots were fired. At least one witness described it as an exchange of shots.

During the gunfight, the three masked intruders were all hit. One died at the scene, two others were fatally wounded and died at the hospital. From www.cnn.com: 

Another neighbor ran out to help after he heard what sounded like five shots from a handgun, he said.
"Then I heard somebody have an assault rifle," Carlos Watson told WSB. "And it was a slew of shots that came out."

 The homeowner, a man reported to be about 50 years old, called 911 immediately after the gunfight. Neighbors say he owns a semi-automatic rifle. From wsbtv.com: 

The homeowner who shot the masked intruder is a man. Neighbors say he's a truck driver who owns a semi-automatic rifle and is highly protective of his mother.

I talked to a retired peace officer. He said his first thought, on reading of the gunfight, was the homeowner had a shotgun or a semi-automatic rifle.

The number of shots has me leaning toward the semi-automatic rifle option.

A reported relative of one of the suspects said, as recorded by wtoc.com:

"That's not how it’s supposed to go. I understand one shot to stop the people, the victims or whatever, but aggressively to shoot these little teens, that's overkill. That's too much to handle,” said an unidentified male, who was reportedly related to one of the teens who died.

The obvious question, is: When confronted by three masked intruders at 4 a.m., how is a homeowner to know their ages? Is it relevant? A 15-year-old can kill you just as dead as a 18-Year-old, or a 25-year-old.   15-year-old young men may be deadlier. They do not know their own mortality, and may be more reckless.

When fired upon by three masked intruders, there are few who would deny a homeowner the right to firing back.

It is worthwhile to note the defender appears to have used a semi-automatic rifle, exactly the type that several Democrat candidates wish to outlaw. At least one, Beto O'Rourke, has said he wishes to confiscate such rifles.

This is exactly why semi-automatic rifles make good home defense choices. Multiple attackers at your home, threatening your life and the lives of your loved ones. The rifles offer ease of use, accuracy, sufficient power, and enough capacity with standard 30 round magazines to allow for misses, multiple attackers, or attempts to penetrate barriers.

Two signs on the property say: No Trespassing. "Violators may be shot". The writing is a bit indistinct on the "may be shot" part. It is not clear the signs would have been legible at 4 a.m. There was a full moon in the sky, but the property is shaded with numerous trees. The moon was about 55 degrees above the horizon, slightly West of South, which would have been roughly above the white roofed house at the bottom of the image. That should have illuminated much of the cul-de-sac. The sky was clear at 4 a.m. in Atlanta, about 20 miles from Conyers. It appears there was enough light for accurate shooting.

Police say they found two guns at the scene. It is uncertain if the two guns include the firearm used by the defender.

Some in the media are claiming this could be a "Stand Your Ground" case. I do not see it. I do not know of any self defense law that requires you to retreat while you are being threatened by multiple assailants and being fired upon.

"Duty to retreat" laws typically require a person to retreat, only if they may do so safely. That caveat would be unlikely to apply when being shot at.

It will be interesting to see if the police release the model and caliber of the firearm used by the defender.

©2019 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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