Investigating noises outside

[lovemachine]

I was sitting here thinking about this, and I was uncertain what would/could happen.

You and your wife are sitting down, enjoying a quiet evening together watching tv. It's around 11pm.

You 2 hear a loud noise outside. Not knowing what it was, you decide to check it out yourself. (you could call the police, but you dont know if its an animal or a person. Why call the police if it could be nothing?)
Your get your flashlight and gun. Pistol, rifle, shotgun, whatever.

You turn the outside lights on and looking out your window, you see nothing. So, you go outside and check things out, telling your wife to keep the door locked til you get back.

You then see a man next to the window of your house. He hasnt broken the window, you dont see a weapon, but it IS dark out.

Do you pull your gun on him?
Do you keep your gun on him until the police arrive?
Do you shoot on sight?

What's the best way to handle this situation?

 

[esrice]

What's the best way to handle this situation?

Shining your flashlight in his face/eyes would be a good first move.

Then depending on his reaction to that it could go several different ways.

If he runs away-- fine.

If he stands there, I'd make sure we had some distance between us and start issuing verbal commands.

If he came at me then I'd have to make some very quick decisions based on the information I had at the time.

 

[sporter]

Call 911, hide in the closet, beg for your life.

 

[Lancem]

time for the classic 12 ga slide rack, and the get off my lawn line.

 

[SSGSAD]

When I did armed security, we were trained to shine the light in their eyes, point our firearm at them and start giving verbal commands....
I am assuming, in your senario, since you grab a light and a gun, there is NO holster, you have a light in one hand and the gun in the other .....

 

[revsaxon]

Put 55 rounds into their head of course

That or just call the cops. Its their job to deal with it.

 

[hoosierdoc]

Throw a distraction rock first, saw it in a movie but sorta makes sense here, double element of surprise

 

[Sylvain]

Im not sure I would go outside in the first place.
You can see what's going on INSIDE your house and you can take cover if someone breaks in and starts shooting at you.

If you really have to go out in this situation I would blind the person with my light and ask him to leave.
If he doesnt want to leave then then the gun comes into play, I would aim at him, ask a last time and probably call the police.
I wouldnt shoot since my life is not in danger at that point.

 

[BlueEagle]

1 - *light in eyes*

2 - "Get the &#)% away from my house or I will kill you."

3 - If the person runs away: no further action required.
If they freeze, go back to step 2.
If they come towards me, resort to the last half of step two.

Will probably vary from this script if it ever actually happens. So many different options for what can happen, its impossible to know exactly what you're going to do.

 

[Sylvain]

1 - *light in eyes*

2 - "Get the &#)% away from my house or I will kill you."

3 - If the person runs away: no further action required.
If they freeze, go back to step 2.
If they come towards me, resort to the last half of step two.

Will probably vary from this script if it ever actually happens. So many different options for what can happen, its impossible to know exactly what you're going to do.

I agree, you never know what can happen.
What is that person is deaf? Forget about the verbal commands.
What is that person has mental problems, thinks it's his own home, thinks you are a menber of his family ... ?

So many things can happen.And a lethal response will not always be the best option.

 

[esrice]

2 - "Get the &#)% away from my house or I will kill you."

Unless, of course, your neighbor also heard the noise and came out to investigate-- in which case he now heard you yell "I will kill you!" and then *bang* *bang* *bang*.

 

[RichardR]

I'd just let my dogs out.

 

[7.62]

Shining your flashlight in his face/eyes would be a good first move.

Then depending on his reaction to that it could go several different ways.

If he runs away-- fine.

If he stands there, I'd make sure we had some distance between us and start issuing verbal commands.

If he came at me then I'd have to make some very quick decisions based on the information I had at the time.

I second that.

 

[bschmidt]

I would have to agree with Sylvain as well. Going outside puts you on the same turf as the potential bad guy without gaining anything. Calll the cops, wait inside on the "high ground" and if trouble starts with someone crawling through your window your options quickly narrow from "is the guy outside a peeping tom, the neighbor kid screwing around, or someone lost" to "pretty sure this is a bad guy".

 

[RGriff69]

I'd just let my dogs out.

Plus one on letting the dogs out. My dogs aren't mean but will let me know if someone's out there.

 

[Comp]

1. Do you pull your gun on him?
2. Do you keep your gun on him until the police arrive?
3. Do you shoot on sight?

#0.5 I'm not sure I would go outside in the first place. How do I know his partner isn't already inside now with your wife who YOU just left ALONE with him.

1. I would remove from holster, low ready before I went outside, if I went out. Flash light in the other hand. I would light him up with the light first for positive identity.

2. Low ready or on target if he makes on step in my direction or to smash the window and get into a loved one.

3. No

 

[eldirector]

Well, sticking to your scenario as described (you are already outside, gun and light in hand, and facing the intruder):
- light in eyes
- "Can I help you?"

then, depending on response:
- If it is a neighborhood kid, drag his/her butt back home.
- if the response is incoherent, confused, drugged, back off and call the cops
- if they flee, call the cops and report
- if they advance, start with the commands, retreat if possible, but be ready to act

 

[The Bubba Effect]

One night I heard a sound outside my bedroom window at about 3-4:00 am. It sounded clearly like a person walking slowly through the deep dead leaves outside my house.

I rolled out of bed and grabbed my pistol and moved quietly to the window. The window was open a little bit so I crouched by the window and listened to the rustling move directly to the window. The sounds stopped directly outside my window and I threw open the window, prepared to blow the head off of some would-be break in artist. Instead I was face to face with a very drunk college girl with her pants down. She promptly starts wailing, begging "please don't watch me pee". I fell down laughing inside my house, closed and locked the window and went back to sleep.

Bloomington is like that.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

What's the best way to handle this situation?

DO NOT GO OUTSIDE!!!

Why are you running around like Manny the Mall Ninja in your Mickey Mouse underwear and your Ho Chi Minh flip flops?

Don't get out of the boat, er, don't expose yourself like that. You are inside the house. In a very strong position, why give it up unless your place is on fire?

You're going to go outside and do what, Skippy? Save your favorite rake in the tool shed? Leave your wife to fend for herself? Create an opportunity for blue on blue gunfire when you leave contact with your wife? Go out and point a gun at the clumsy 15 year old neighbor sneaking a cigarette and go down for felony stupid?

Turn on the outside light and see what is out there: deer, dog, rhino out for a night run, neighbor's kid, etc. Having a gun is not a substitute for wisdom.

 

[esrice]

I would have to agree with Sylvain as well. Going outside puts you on the same turf as the potential bad guy without gaining anything.

But at this point you're working on the knowledge that there is an "unknown person" outside his window.

However in the OP's scenario he's not yet sure of what the noise is until he investigates it. Staying inside is great advice if you KNOW that someone is outside. But you're not going to stay inside and call the police because a raccoon knocked your patio furniture over.