South Carolina veteran uses butt of his shotgun to kill home intruder who attacked his wife

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  • J Galt

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    14   1   0
    Mar 21, 2020
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    Indianapolis
    I know ammo is hard to get and expensive as hell, but isn't this a bit much?

    Seriously though, I'm glad he was there for his wife and the nut job that attacked her was stopped.

    https://www.foxnews.com/us/south-carolina-invader-elderly-woman-dies-scuffle-husband

    A South Carolina armed home invader who attacked a 79-year-old woman near her back door is dead after the victim’s 82-year-old Vietnam War veteran husband beat him down with the butt end of a shotgun earlier this week, according to local authorities.​
    Herbert Parrish snatched the firearm off a wall mount after the suspect, identified as 61-year-old Harold Runnels, broke into the home with a knife, knocked his wife to the ground and slashed her forehead Monday afternoon, Columbia, S.C.-based FOX 57 reported.​
    He lived in a nearby mobile home community, according to WJBF-TV, and approached by knocking on the back door and asking if the couple had seen a missing dog.​
    Runnels later died at a hospital due to injuries suffered in the scuffle, according to authorities.​
    Aiken County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Eric Abdullah, a department spokesman, said residents should call 911 immediately if they suspect their home is being broken into.​
    "Of course, folks have the right to defend themselves if their lives are in danger, but the best thing to do is to call for help," he told the Aiken Standard newspaper. "Every situation is going to be different. It may be a similar crime in nature, but every situation is going to be different. There’s no way to accurately predict exactly what actions that any person should take if somebody is trying to invade their home. The best recourse is to think smartly and get help on the way."​
    The Parrishes were not being charged. They were both treated for minor injuries but were expected to be OK.​
     

    thompal

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    Sep 27, 2008
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    Gotta love how the police spokesman said that if their wife was being attacked by a home invader, the best thing to do is call the police.
     

    04FXSTS

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    0   0   0
    Dec 31, 2010
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    Eugene
    Calling 911 is a good idea and will probably be done at some point in time when you have time. It does not sound like the husband had time in this case. If it sounds like someone is trying to break into my house my first reaction would be to secure the home defense tool that seemed most appropiate to the situation. By now the dogs would be going nuts and the wife awake and on her phone while I try to explain through the door how the potential intruder can save their own life. Simple, just leave now. If they break into the house then they will be treated as an immediate threat to my wife and I and will be dealt with accordingly and immediatly. Jim.
     

    KellyinAvon

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    6   0   0
    Dec 22, 2012
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    Sounds just north of a scuffle to me.
    Glad he was on point.
    Armed home invasion is a bit north of scuffle on my map as well. Everybody catch the ages? 61 YO home invader, 79 YO victim, 82 YO good guy. Good guy was 26 in 1965 the year ground forces got to Vietnam. Geesh!!
     

    EyeCarry

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    9   0   0
    May 10, 2014
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    Bloomington
    Still, will this be catalogued as a "good guy with a gun?

    I wonder what the back story is about the guy with the knife. Priors, history, neighborly relationship.
     

    printcraft

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    16   0   0
    Feb 14, 2008
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    Uranus
    I know ammo is hard to get and expensive as hell, but isn't this a bit much?

    Seriously though, I'm glad he was there for his wife and the nut job that attacked her was stopped.

    https://www.foxnews.com/us/south-carolina-invader-elderly-woman-dies-scuffle-husband

    A South Carolina armed home invader who attacked a 79-year-old woman near her back door is dead after the victim’s 82-year-old Vietnam War veteran husband beat him down with the butt end of a shotgun earlier this week, according to local authorities.​
    Herbert Parrish snatched the firearm off a wall mount after the suspect, identified as 61-year-old Harold Runnels, broke into the home with a knife, knocked his wife to the ground and slashed her forehead Monday afternoon, Columbia, S.C.-based FOX 57 reported.​
    He lived in a nearby mobile home community, according to WJBF-TV, and approached by knocking on the back door and asking if the couple had seen a missing dog.
    Runnels later died at a hospital due to injuries suffered in the scuffle, according to authorities.​
    Aiken County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Eric Abdullah, a department spokesman, said residents should call 911 immediately if they suspect their home is being broken into.
    "Of course, folks have the right to defend themselves if their lives are in danger, but the best thing to do is to call for help," he told the Aiken Standard newspaper. "Every situation is going to be different. It may be a similar crime in nature, but every situation is going to be different. There’s no way to accurately predict exactly what actions that any person should take if somebody is trying to invade their home. The best recourse is to think smartly and get help on the way."
    The Parrishes were not being charged. They were both treated for minor injuries but were expected to be OK.​


    Guy knocks at the door under false pretenses and attempts to kill the homeowners...
    He didn't give indication of breaking in, it wasn't the case that they were locked inside and this guy is trying to break the door down where they had time to "call for help".
    "Hold on, are you breaking in? Let me call the cops, please wait outside for 5 or 10 minutes for them to arrive."
    capt. eric should really look at the facts here before giving useless advice.
     

    GIJEW

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    8   0   0
    Mar 14, 2009
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    I'm glad to hear no charges are being filed. Reading that clap-trap from the sheriff about 'first call 911' and how "all situations are different", I was thinking the homeowner might be facing charges for hitting the home invader too many times
     

    Steve

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    84   0   0
    Nov 10, 2008
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    Just goes to show that when seconds count, the police are only minutes away. Good on the homeowner. Maybe if the police spokesperson's home was being invaded, he should call 911 and wait for them to show up before taking any action. Bet he would change his tune then.
     

    KittySlayer

    Grandmaster
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    4   0   0
    Jan 29, 2013
    6,473
    77
    Northeast IN
    Just goes to show that when seconds count, the police are only minutes away.
    ...and the reason behind my sig. line.

    Perhaps the old guy knew the choke on his shotgun would have allowed some pellets to miss center mass and he didn’t want to patch any damaged wall. Just grab a paper towel and wipe up the blood and brains, Bounty the quicker picker upper.

    Bet there’ll be some good stories at the VFW this weekend.
     
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