A 42-year-old Springfield (MO) man forced his way into another man’s home and learned the hard way that centerfire rifle bullets are barrier-blind.

A 63-year-old man said his deer rifle saved his life and the lives of two other people Tuesday night after he fatally shot a man who had broken into his house in northwest Springfield.

Mark Glidewell said he never thought he would have to shoot somebody, but he believes he made the right decision to pull the trigger when he said 42-year-old Charlie M. Ingram broke a pane of glass and climbed through a window in Glidewell’s kitchen.

Ingram, of Springfield, died at a hospital, according to a news release from Springfield police.

The release said the incident took place at about 9:21 p.m. Tuesday on the 1500 block of North Golden Avenue. When Glidewell spoke to the News-Leader Wednesday morning, he said he hadn’t slept at all since then.

Glidewell said he was watching TV Tuesday night with a female friend Monday night when Ingram, the woman’s ex-boyfriend, came to the house and demanded to be let in.

Ingram was in a rage, Glidewell said, noting that a similar altercation had taken place about 10 days ago.

“I had to run him off that night,” Glidewell said. “Verbally.”

Words weren’t working Tuesday night, Glidewell said, as Ingram refused to leave the property and banged on the glass front door until it shattered.

Glidewell was afraid Ingram would kill him, Ingram’s ex-girlfriend and another man at the house whom Glidewell pays to do odd jobs.

Ingram went around to the back of the house, broke a kitchen window and climbed through, Glidewell said, and when Ingram saw the 7-millimeter deer rifle pointed at him, “his eyes got big.”

“I don’t see how he could think we would not protect ourselves,” he said.

Glidewell pulled the trigger and a bullet ripped through a post in the kitchen, struck Ingram and knocked him back through the window, Glidewell said.

“I never thought I’d have to shoot somebody, but I’m glad I had (my rifle),” he said. “I felt like I had to protect myself and the people in my house.”

Shooting Ingram was “terrible,” Glidewell said, and something he’ll have to live with forever. Still, everybody should have a gun at home for protection, he said.

It isn’t clear whether the rifle in question was a 7mm-08 Remington or a 7mm Remington Magnum, but it was clearly up for the job of home defense, even though deer rifles aren’t exactly optimal for the purpose.

Many folks have a very difficult time adjusting psychologically to taking a human life, but Mr. Glidewell seem to be acutely aware that his actions were not only warranted, but in the defense of three innocent lives. Hopefully that knowledge will help him cope with the aftermath of this shooting.