A homeowner, who’d called 911 in response to a home invasion and exchanged fire with the intruders was ultimately shot by responding officers in Charleston, South Carolina. Officers arrived on the scene and saw to male suspects fleeing on bicycles. The local agency’s statement would seem to indicate they believe it was the homeowner’s own fault he was shot.

“Our deputies proceeded to the rear of the home and were confronted by an armed subject exiting or standing at the back door of the residence,” the sheriff’s statement read. “Our deputies challenged the subject and ordered him to drop his weapon, which he didn’t at the time. As a result, one of our deputies fired his service weapon striking the subject once in the neck area.” Police said the subject who was shot is a homeowner or resides at the property.

via South Carolina Police Responding to Home Invasion Call Shoot Home’s Resident – ABC News.

This isn’t meant to be a post about police brutality. We all have our own opinions on that and unfortunately, because the homeowner in this case was black, we are sure to hear the usual suspects bring up race. But, the more obvious lesson has nothing to do with race and everything to do with being at the scene of a high risk call with officers responding to a “shots fired” call.

If you find yourself in a home invasion and gain the upper hand, remember that continuing to chase them once they disengage and leave your home is fraught with exponentially greater risk. If you can, stay on the line with the operator/dispatcher. Give a clear description of who you are and what you look like (race, gender, height, build, clothing). If and only if it is safe to do so, leave the house and tell the dispatcher/operator to have officers meet you at a safe location rather than waiting for them to enter your home. If they ask why you want to do this, the simple answer is that you do not want to risk your family or yourself getting shot by responding officers. If officers are already there, put your gun down, and I cannot stress this enough, comply with their commands immediately.

-GM