I can’t even.

A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper was attacked during an attempted home invasion Kirby.

The attack happened around 11:45 p.m. Thursday at the trooper’s home on Tom Stafford . Officials say the trooper heard something going in his backyard. The trooper put on his protective vest, grabbed his gun, and started outside to check it out. As he stepped out, he was attacked by a man who tried to force his way inside the home. The two got into a struggle, and the trooper’s gun fired a shot. The bullet struck the trooper’s ballistic vest, which prevented it from causing serious injury.

The suspect took off foot. The trooper was transported to San Antonio Medical Center for further evaluation.

So, the trooper is at home and off duty when detects someone in his backyard. He responds not by calling in on-duty local police or sheriffs who are in a better position to get some numbers together and do a safer sweep from a better tactical position, but by putting his gun and vest on and stepping blindly into the darkness against an unknown number of potential hostiles.

This is what we call a poor decision, and we’ve cautioned against doing in the past. They don’t call doorways “the fatal funnel” without reason.

As the trooper steps outside and away from relative safety, he is immediately engaged by a man who tried to force his way into the trooper’s home. They allegedly struggled, and during the struggle, the firearm turned back upon the officer, and a round was discharged, fortunately striking him in his ballistic vest, avoiding serious injury. The suspect then ran off and has not been located.

The trooper was taken to a local hospital as a cautionary measure.

What can we learn here?

State troopers are generally thought of as being well-trained, squared-away guys who are in the business of handling bad guys single-handedly. Even with his training, experience and equipment, This trooper still managed to walk into an ambush, and the only thing that saved him from potentially serious injuries or death was the decision he made to wear his ballistic vest.

You should stay inside and call 911.

When you are in your home, do not give up the relative safety afforded by your home by wandering outside to confront and unknown number of people, who may be armed. Instead, call 911 so that dispatchers can vector in one or more law enforcement units who can come into the situation from outside the perimeter, and they’ll generally try to stage things so that 2-3 of them or more roll in together, and they aren’t above pulling out a long gun as an equalizer in your yard party.

We don’t want you shot, and we don’t want you making poor decisions under stress that might leave you rotting in prison.