Local Features
(2010-07-23)
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MURRAY, KY
(wkms) -
A July 12th home invasion left Murray homeowner and businessman Chuck Wynn and one of his alleged assailants injured after an exchange of gunfire. Murray police have charged two men with attempted murder in the incident and four others in connection with the break-in. Chris Taylor sits down with Wynn to talk about what happened that night and looks into the impact something like this has on a community and its gun sales.
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The first thing Chuck Wynn remembers from the attack that night is a rude awakening.
Wynn- I woke up with the lights on and two men standing there with handguns pointed at me. One of them jumped into the bed immediately and put a gun to my forehead. The other one came over to my side of the bed and started beating me with his pistol.
Wynn says he fought his two assailants off, managing to grab a pistol under his mattress but was overpowered.
Wynn- All the sudden I just stiffened and I realized where we were going with this and it was pretty obvious that they were going to rob me and shoot me.
Wynn says the two kept ordering him to get facedown on the ground, shouting and demanding Wynn take them to his money. So, he took them to his truck in his garage where the money was...and a second pistol. Wynn says the shorter of the two assailants got in the passenger side of the truck, while both men trained their guns on him.
Wynn- I threw my wallet to the guy in the truck and I watched him tuck his gun into his belt and then I watched him tear into my wallet with both hands. Hit the guy that had the gun to my head with the door, and from what I can recollect he shot me immediately. I got around the door and was able to start shooting.
Wynn says he hit the man in the shoulder with two hollow point rounds and both of his attackers then scrambled to get away. Police later arrested two alleged assailants. One was being treated for a gunshot wound in Marshall County. Four other people have since been indicted on various charges connected to the break-in.
Now, a week later Wynn is back at work and recovering well from his gunshot wound. He knows what happened to him was both extremely rare for Murray and he's lucky to be alive.
The extensive media coverage of the break-in and word of mouth has some locals flocking to the gun store. Benson's Sporting Goods owner Eric Benson says he's noticed business has picked up since early last week.
Benson- We've seen several people that didn't have any handguns come in and purchase handguns. We've seen a lot of people who already had handguns that come in and buy ammunition for the guns they already own.
Benson says many of his customers tell him what happened to Chuck Wynn makes them feel less safe than they used to.
Benson- It goes to show you when something like that happens how vulnerable you are.
Benson advises his customers shotguns are good for home protection because of their lethal stopping force and wide pattern which doesn't require skillful aim.
But,protecting a home with a firearm comes with added risk. Murray Police Detective Dave Howe says the best advice he can give residents to protect themselves is to take simple precautions like locking doors and having an alarm system.
Howe- A lot of people in Murray think that because Murray's a small town and not a lot goes on, that they don't have to lock their doors at night. So we have crimes of opportunity and not necessarily violent crimes but also property crimes because people just don't lock their doors.
Howe says law enforcement generally advises residents to call 911 and stay on the line. He says all cases are different and using firearms is a very serious decision. He says in most cases it should be a last resort, but hesitates to say that advice should be absolute.
Howe- If someone invades your home and you have a fear for your life, you have the right to defend yourself.
Chuck Wynn locks his doors and despite being armed, admits he wasn't as prepared as he should have been.
Wynn- Really I don't know if a gun is as important as a security system or a dog. But I tell you a security system would have helped me a lot and I had a security system for 15 years living out at the lake and when I bought this house I just never put one in I just felt safe.
Wynn plans to install a system immediately and hopes his experience will help others take a second look at how they protect their homes. © Copyright 2012, wkms
