Newly Widowed Mother Attacked in Home Invasion

by Cletus Jackson
San Antonio Gazette Staff Writer
BEXAR COUNTY- Earlier this week, Susan Gates had to bury her husband who died at the young age of twenty overseas in Afghanistan while serving in the Army. The following day, Susan was approached by Bob Johnson. Bob pretended to be very good friends with her late husband and requested to come inside and talk with her about him. Susan remembers something being off about the man. She politely declined the man’s invitation and asked him to leave her property. Later that night, after convincing his friend David Ramirez to accompany him, the man tried to force his way into Susan’s home off of Highway 90. He was wielding a knife and was attempting to force his way into the house. Luckily, Susan had been well trained by her late husband and had all of the windows and doors locked tight. She called 911 and was on the line for 23 minutes before local state troopers would arrive to help. While she was on hold, she calmly took her 4 month old son to her bedroom and laid him in his crib. She then grabbed her late husband’s 12 gauge shotgun from the closet and asked 911 operator Judy if it was okay to shoot and kill the men if they forced their way into the house. Judy told Susan, “I can’t tell you it’s okay to shoot those men, but you do what you have do to protect yourself and child.” After several minutes of breaking down the front door, Bob and David gained entry to the house and found Susan locked in her bedroom.

They were able to force open the bedroom door. Susan stated that, “Those men were breaking down my bedroom door and all I could think about was protecting my son. I took a defensive stance in front of his crib and aimed the shotgun towards the door. It was ripped off it’s hinges and the man the police call David was first one through. I shot him in the chest and he collapsed. The original man who tried to get me to let him in then fled my house. I stayed in my room just in case until police arrived.” Police would arrive about 5 minutes later. The sheriff’s department apologized for the long response time, but apparently Susan’s house is well away from main roads and takes some time to access.

Police are calling the shooting justified. “You’re allowed to shoot an unauthorized person that is in your home. The law provides you the remedy, and sanctions the use of deadly force, “ Det. Dan Huff of the Texas State Troopers said. Bob Johnson later turned himself in to a local SAPD station.

Ms. Gates said, “I wouldn’t have done it, but it was my son. It’s not an easy decision to make, but it was either going to be him or my son. It wasn’t going to by my son. There’s nothing more dangerous then a woman with a child, its like a mother bear and her cub.”

I was deeply disturbed to hear something like this could happen in my beloved San Antonio. Detective Dan Huff told me that San Antonio was the number one city in the nation for violent break ins and that they are increasing each month. I beg people to be careful and keep their doors locked tight! With the end times so near, only more danger and bloodshed is certain!