When seconds count, police are (usually) just minutes away. So imagine waiting fifteen minutes for a police response after a self-defense shooting. According to police, that’s exactly happened in rural Lampasas County, Texas on Thursday. The evidence shows that a 28-year-old man shot and killed his step-father after the older man showed up with a pair of handguns threatening to kill his step-son and the step-son’s mother as well as himself.
When William Crain, 57, dropped one of his pistols, the step-son saw his opportunity and grabbed his own gun out of a nightstand. He fired twice at Crain, hitting him with both rounds.
He then called 911, rendered aid, and waited 15 minutes in the middle of the day for the Lampasas County Sheriff’s deputies to show up and take control of the scene.
From KCEN-TV . . .
The Lampasas County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting that left 57-year-old William Darrell Crain dead on Thursday, Jan. 18.
The sheriff’s office says it received a call at about 1:34 p.m. from 28-year-old Alex Shahan Hyatt, explaining the events that led of to the shooting.
According to the sheriff’s office, Hyatt’s stepfather, Crain, showed up to his home located in the 2100 block of Country Road 3790 with a nine-millimeter and a .40-caliber pistol holstered on his hip.
Hyatt told the sheriff’s office that Crain had allegedly began making threats against him and his mother, who was not home at the time. Crain allegedly threatened to shoot himself and Hyatt.According to the sheriff’s office, Hyatt said he tried to deescalate the situation as he feared for his life and his mother’s. Hyatt told authorities that Crain turned to the doorway and accidentally dropped the nine-millimeter pistol he had in his hand. This is when Hyatt reached into his nightstand to grab his personal handgun and fired twice at Crain, striking him in the back and armpit area.
Hyatt told the sheriff’s office he then secured all of the weapons and attempted to perform life-saving measures on Crain, but he died.
According to the sheriff’s office, around 1:49 p.m., deputies arrived to the scene and found Hyatt unarmed, sitting on his porch. Texas Rangers and Hamilton EMS also responded to the scene.
Responding deputies made some interesting finds inside Mr. Crain’s truck . . .
Sheriff’s Office says Texas Rangers collected evidence at the scene and found an AR-15, shotgun rifle, 45. caliber pistol, nine-millimeter pistol, leg irons, handcuffs and enough food for a couple of weeks inside Crain’s truck.
Hyatt was taken to the sheriff’s office, interviewed and then released pending further investigation…
All preliminary findings are consistent with the events that Hyatt explained to authorities.
Fortunately the step-son had a firearm and had it readily available for home defense. If he had locked up his safety device with a trigger lock or in a safe, he might not have survived. Let that be a lesson for all of us.