Woman shoots vehicle burglar to death in Arlington during fight over gun
During a fight over her gun, a woman last week shot dead a man who had broken into her son’s vehicle in Arlington, police said on Wednesday.
Arlington police said the woman told them that on Aug. 11 the man burglarized the vehicle and she and her son confronted the suspect and tried to detain him.
A physical altercation erupted, and the woman and the suspect fought over her handgun.
One of them fired the gun in the air once, and the woman shot the suspect in self-defense, according to her statement, police said.
Christopher Cruz, 34, was fired upon about 12:45 a.m. Police said he was lying on the ground at George Stevens Park, a city park in the 500 block of Echols Street, when they arrived. Cruz died about nine hours later at a hospital of a gunshot wound to the head, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Police on Wednesday said the woman has not been arrested.
Mom fatally shot home intruder to defend kids, she says
MILWAUKEE (WTMJ) – A family of three is now traumatized after they say a strange man broke into their home, and the mother fatally shot him while defending her children, she claims.
A mother of two, who asked not to be identified, was showering before work Monday morning when she heard her children, ages 12 and 14, screaming from the living room.
Still dripping wet, she says she ran to her bedroom, grabbed her gun and faced down a strange man, who she claims broke into her home. She says the man charged, undeterred by her dogs, and she shot him in self-defense.
“It all happened so fast — an adrenaline rush,” she said.
Community activist Bushraa Rahman helped clean up the home after authorities removed the body.
“She was scared because her children were there with her. So, she did what any mother would do. She defended her children,” Rahman said. “It was an act of self-defense.”
Police have not identified the man. The mother says he appeared to be in his late 30s and was acting erratically.
Following the shooting, police arrested the mother then released her several hours later after questioning. They referred the case to the district attorney’s office for review.
“In today’s day and age, with mental health and everything else that’s taking place in the world, I mean, you better protect yourself. To be honest, you have to,” Rahman said.
The mother says her children are traumatized after the incident, and the family intends to move out once they find a new place to live.
She says she bought the gun 10 years ago after finding a man sleeping under her son’s bed. She says she hoped she’d never have to use it.