A Philadelphia woman is safe and sound after police say a masked man smashed his way into her apartment early Wednesday morning. The alleged intruder, on the other hand, is neither alive nor well, thanks to the fact that the woman was able to defend herself with a gun.
According to Philadelphia police, the break-in occurred around 5 AM Wednesday at an apartment building in the city's Frankford neighborhood. Investigators say a 29-year-old man wearing a ski mask shattered a second-floor window and climbed inside the apartment, where he was confronted by the woman who lived there.
The woman fired at least two rounds, according to police, striking the intruder in the head. Officers responding to the scene found the man lying on the floor of a bedroom. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Chief Inspector Scott Small told reporters that the woman and the intruder knew each other and had some sort of prior relationship.
Unless there's more to the story than police have revealed so far, this sounds like a pretty straightforward case of self-defense.
Someone wearing a ski mask smashing through a second-story window in the pre-dawn hours isn't there to drop off some donuts. Whatever history existed between the woman and the man who allegedly broke into her apartment, she was confronted inside her home by a masked individual. At this point, it's not even clear if the woman realized she knew who the intruder was, but either way, she had a legitimate fear for her life at that moment.
That's the kind of situation where seconds matter, and thankfully this woman didn't have to wait for police to arrive before she could protect herself.
As of Wednesday morning, police hadn't announced any arrests or charges in connection with the shooting. Authorities also haven't said whether the woman's firearm was legally possessed.
That last detail will undoubtedly be of interest to Philadelphia authorities, but it's worth remembering that the legality of possessing a firearm and the legality of using one in self-defense are two separate questions. Even someone who unlawfully possesses a gun can lawfully act to defend themselves.
Gun-control advocates almost always talk about firearms in the home in terms of risk, ignoring incidents like this. But the coverage from Fox 29 in Philadelphia (which appears to be the only news outlet reporting on this defensive gun use at the moment) is an important reminder that there is another side to that equation. A gun can be used for harm, but it can also provide someone facing a violent threat with the means to protect herself when there is no time, and maybe even no opportunity to dial 911.
We'll keep an eye out for more details, but based on what authorities have disclosed, I would be absolutely shocked if the woman faces any charges for the shooting itself. It looks like this armed citizen was prepared to defend herself when a masked intruder came crashing through her window early this morning, and that may very well be why she's still alive this evening.
Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their extreme gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.
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