Ohio homeowner and Vietnam vet defends self during daylight home invasion

WSAZ (NBC Huntington, WV) is reporting that a Ohio homeowner and Vietnam veteran was able to use a gun to protect himself when a man broke a window to force entry into his home.

From the article:

[The homeowner, Charles] Day says the suspect knocked on his door a little after noon. He says before he could get to the door to answer it, the suspect broke in through the window.

Day says he shot the suspect in the knee as he was climbing onto the couch through the window.

"I said 'You better get the heck out of here. I never want to catch you back here again,'" Day said. "It's a sad thing, but what're you going to do?"

Day tells WSAZ that the suspect ran out of the house while pleading not to be shot again.

Mr. Day told WSAZ his family has dealt with repeated theft on his property, most recently just two days before the home invasion.

According to the Gallia County Sheriff's Department, the suspect, Nick Jones, was flown to a hospital in Huntington.

The Days told WSAZ the suspect grew up as friends with their son and lives in the next home up the road.

"He's 31 years old, old enough to know better than to do this kind of stuff," [Day's wife] Monica said.

The sheriff is quoted as saying the case will be referred to the county prosecutor for review.

Under Ohio's Castle Doctrine law, if someone unlawfully enters or attempts to enter an occupied home or temporary habitation, or occupied car, citizens have an initial presumption that they may act in self defense, and will not be second-guessed by the State.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary, BFA PAC Vice Chairman, and an NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website.