In a terrifying incident, a mother was home with her children when a burglar broke into her home.
However, after the Texas mother hid with her children in a locked bedroom as a man broke into her home through the garage, she then went into action to defend her children and her home.
The brave mother alleged she warned the intruder to leave and informed him that she had a gun and the police were on the way, however, when the man refused to go, she shot at the man, wounding him and forcing him to flee.
“When Garcia refused to leave and continued to try to get into the bedroom, the homeowner shot once through the door,” police said. “Garcia fled the house.”
The incident unfolded around 9:13 p.m. in the 5500 block of Nardo Street in Edinburg. The Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Deputies and Deputy Constables received a call from a woman who said a man, later identified as 36-year-old Carlos Garcia, broke into her home through her garage and was trying to break into the bedroom where she and her children were hiding. The woman and Garcia knew each other, though it is unclear what their relationship was, according to KRGV.
Shortly after the intruder escaped, the authorities arrived at the home. Police were able to apprehend Garcia after they located him in a field around 100 yards from the house he broke into and charged him with burglary.
Sheriff Guerra reportedly said, “You have the right to defend yourself in your own home against an intruder. I imagine she was in fear of her life … so she did what she had to do, and we support her.”
Sheriff Guerra further added, “You don’t have to give notice, if someone’s breaking into your home you have the right to protect yourself and use deadly force, and you’re not going to have any problem with the sheriff of Hidalgo County.”
Residents in the Lone Star State have the right to use deadly force under a Texas law known as the Castle Doctrine. The law is similar to ‘stand your ground’ measures across the US that state a person has no duty to retreat from an intruder.
Garcia was taken to a local hospital for his injuries before he was charged with “burglary of a habitation with intent,” according to Daily Mail.
“Garcia was medically cleared and booked into the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center for Burglary of Habitation with Intent,” police said.
Garcia is being held at the Hidalgo Adult Detention Center and his bond has been set at $750,000.