Texas mom shoots and wounds burglar who broke into her home while she was there with her children

A mother who was home with her children when a burglar broke shot at the man, wounding him and forcing him to flee. 

The woman was holed up in a bedroom in her home with her children when she took aim at the would-be intruder, according to law enforcement in Texas.

In a statement, the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office said that the mother warned the intruder that she was armed and that she had dialed 911. 

The incident occurred on October 25 in Edinburg, Texas, around 9 p.m. close to the southern border. The town is part of the Rio Grande Valley region. 

The press release said that the suspect, later named as 36-year-old Carlos Garcia, ‘Refused to leave and continued to try and get into the bedroom.’ He had entered the house through the garage. 

The mother pulled the trigger once through the door, causing Garcia to flee, police said. He was hit once in the left arm. 

Carlos Garcia was taken to a local hospital for treatment before he was charged with ‘burglary of habitation with intent.’ His bond has been set at $750,000

Shortly after authorities got to the home, they located Garcia in a field around 100 yards from the house.  

Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra told KRGV: ‘You have the right to defend yourself in your own home against an intruder. I imagine she was in fear of her life … so she did what she had to do, and we support her.’

He went on: ‘You don’t have to give notice, if someone’s breaking into your home you have the right to protect yourself and use deadly force, and you’re not going to have any problem with the sheriff of Hidalgo County.’ 

Homeowners in the Lone Star State have the right to use deadly force under a Texas law known as the Castle Doctrine. 

The law is similar to ‘stand your ground’ measures across the U.S. that state a person has no duty to retreat from an intruder. 

Followers of the sheriff’s office’s Facebook page praised the mom’s actions.

One person wrote: ‘Great job protecting your kids. Glad to hear all is well. Your children will remember this and be proud of your courage to protect them and your home.’

Another wrote: ‘Great job by the homeowner in protecting her family. I’m only sorry she didn’t finish him.’

Homeowners in the Lone Star State have the right to use deadly force under a Texas law known as the Castle Doctrine

The Hidalgo County Sheriff said: ‘You don’t have to give notice, if someone’s breaking into your home you have the right to protect yourself and use deadly force, and you’re not going to have any problem with the sheriff of Hidalgo County’

While another had a message for Texas Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Beto O’Rourke saying: ‘So you going to try and convince this woman to do the buy back program and try to tell her that she shouldn’t own the very gun that protected not only herself but her kids?

In 2019, O’Rourke proposed confiscating assault-type weapons, not all guns, in a mandatory buyback program. 

During a presidential debate in the same year, the former congressman said: ‘Hell, yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47, and we’re not going to allow it to be used against your fellow Americans anymore.’ 

Most recent polling shows incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott holding a comfortable 10-point lead over O’Rourke. 

Garcia was taken to a local hospital for treatment before he was charged with ‘burglary of habitation with intent.’ He is being held at the Hidalgo Adult Detention Center. His bond has been set at $750,000. 

Anybody with any further information on the shooting is asked to call the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office at 956-383-8114.