Home invasion

UbiqueContributor - April 11, 2021

AdviceScenariosSkills

*Warning – the following scenario deals with scenes of extreme violence. If you are sensitive to such scenes, please do not read further. Thank you.*

Come with me for a moment. There. Stand right there. Now look and observe the scene in front of you:

It’s 4:00 p.m. on a quiet Sunday afternoon and you are lounging in your favorite chair, feet up, and softly snoring.

Both children are in their rooms upstairs. The oldest, your fourteen year old daughter, is listening to music on her headphones and sketching. Your ten year old son is immersed in his gaming world.

The smell and sounds of this evening’s dinner preparation mingle with the late afternoon rays of sunlight streaming in through the kitchen window.

The family German Shepherd is stretched out on his side in the kitchen, his space at this evening’s dinner table reserved. His soft snoring blends with yours in a counter point rhythm.

It is a typical lazy Sunday afternoon at home in a quiet family-oriented neighborhood.

Suddenly, the front door jamb and door are breached, while the back door is opened at the same time and in the same way.

Two men enter through each door. You now have four unmasked men in your home. They have not concealed their identity and they have just invaded your home with the full knowledge that you and your family were at home.

Your dog jumps to his feet and runs toward the two men in the kitchen. One of the men grabs your dog by his front legs and splits his chest cavity as he lunges to attack him. He falls dead.

In the living room, you awaken to the sound of the breached front door.

Your drowsiness and weak core muscles prevent you from rapidly rising to deal with the intruders. It happens so fast that you can’t react quick enough to draw your side arm. You are further subdued with a knife to your throat while your hands are zip tied with both hands in front of your body. You are gagged and thrown onto the sofa.

Your wife is dragged from the kitchen into the living room and thrown onto a chair behind you. As she passes by, you can see that she is also zip tied, gagged and her head is bleeding. You are unable to communicate with her non-verbally, nor her with you, because you are no longer able to see each other.

Three of the men go upstairs to your children’s rooms while one remains behind to watch you and your wife. 

The children have not reacted because they were both on noise cancelling headphones at the time of the invasion. They never heard or saw the three men coming until they were each attacked.

You ten year old son dies first, zip tied, gagged and his jugular vein cut.

Your fourteen year old daughter doesn’t die immediately. She is gagged and gang raped by the three men. Her face is almost unrecognizable from the beating they have inflicted upon her. After they decide that they have had enough, she dies the same way as her brother did, zip tied, gagged and jugular vein slashed.

Then the three men come downstairs and join the fourth man who is watching you and your wife. You don’t see your children with them.

They have your wallet and your wife’s purse, both of which were taken from your bedroom upstairs. Your hands were deliberately zip tied in front of your body so that you could write down your passwords for them. Within minutes they have emptied your bank accounts and all your available credit.

Your wife is then dragged upstairs where she meets the same fate as your daughter did. As she is moved to the master bedroom, your wife desperately looks toward your children’s rooms, only to see glimpses of their bloodied bodies as she is dragged past each room.

When they have finished beating and raping your wife, and ensured that your wife and two children are dead, the three men descend the stairs to kill you.

As you bleed out, you think, “they never said one word, never fired a shot.”

You realize that no one saw anything because of the privacy hedges around your home. You think of your wife and children.

You think “I should have”…then you lose consciousness and die.

Now, let’s rewind the scene and take a step back.

What could have been done to prevent or change the outcome of this scene?

Were there things that the family could have done once the invasion began?

 

   

6  

Is this a scenario you or someone you know has experienced?

 

Lowell, This is a scenario based on compilation, some of it on my own experience of violent crime and other parts drawn from other crimes.

I have posted this for to examine the situation and answer the questions posed in the topic.

Many people prepare for a finite group of risks and never believe that violence will happen to them or happen in their home.

I have placed clues throughout the scenario that a person who preps for security issues should pick up on.

I’ll wait and see what the responses are before posting the answers.

Hope this helps.

 

Good afternoon Ubique,

Preface:  I am sensitive to scenes of extensive violence. Although sensitive, the scenes described can be tolerated and have dealt with some related type of events.

In less than 3 hours when it is ~ 5 PM local here on a quiet Sunday afternoon, the area is not closed down.  More than one in our neighborhood watch program are monitoring the area. Hedges help when knowing how to “read” any disturbance to the botany. 

Passwords to financial accounts are established with “trigger mechanisms”.  Any transaction(s) out of the routine are not completed concurrent with sometimes authorities alerted.

In specific reply: Establish a security program. Our Neighborhood Watch program has dedicated and diligent members.  We keep a close liaison with the Sheriff’s Office.

There are both active and passive measures for a security program. insurance agents, Sheriff’s Offices, State Police, banks/financial institutions have much info on subject-matter security just for the asking.

It’s past 5:15 PM local and German Shepard will be served a premium meal – no moose, no venison; just best steak Aldi discount grocery sells.

SCUBA diving in a shark-infested lagoon provides predictable results.  Insurance company actuaries have the reports. Relaxing on a slow Sunday afternoon without a care in the world, whether in Middle America, the Gaza Strip or Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas, requires the same home invasion preventive measures. There are plenty of reports about those who vacate the planet and those who thrive. 

 

Good afternoon, Bob,

Still not quite there. As I told Lowell above, I placed hints throughout the scenario re both questions.

As I wrote to him also, many people only prepare for a finite group of risks. The issue of violence happening to them, or happening in their home is too upsetting or difficult to strategize for and they don’t include it in their preps.

The answers I get or people who understand the clues, will demonstrate how many preppers here have considered these kinds of risks.

Right now, I’m thinking Bill Masen, if he sees this post will zero in on all or most of them, especially the prevention aspect of this scenario.

In this scenario a security program wouldn’t have made a difference – tall privacy hedges surround their home.

The assailants killed before acquiring the money. Their survival wasn’t based on money changing hands. Had the bank stopped the transaction, they would have been dead anyway.

There are many clues contained in the story.

 

Good afternoon Ubique,

It’s still basic preventive measures.

The privacy hedges here are threaded with razor ribbon and electrified fencing all over the place. Electricity could go out but that sends alerts to us for other measures to augment just the steel fencing.

Many have dogs but for pets and not security.  The poor creatures succumb to poisonous gas. 

 

Good afternoon, Bob,

Now I understand – thank you for clarifying that point.

I haven’t seen hedges threaded with razor ribbon. Electrified fencing is used in agricultural areas, but not allowed in town. You’re lucky that you can use either method. And, yes, that would help.

Also, have never heard of dogs gassed either. Wow. I don’t rely on my dog for actual physical defence, although border collies are closer to a wolf than any other dog in behavior.