Woman Shoots Door-Kicking Intruder at NC Airbnb, Sheriff Backs Her

A woman renting an Airbnb in West Jefferson, North Carolina shot a man who allegedly kicked down the door around 3 a.m. and came inside, and the Ashe County Sheriff's Office is backing her decision to defend herself.

Key points

• The incident: Deputies responded to a 911 call on October 13 from a woman on Sunset Ridge Road who said a man had kicked down the door and she shot him when he entered.
• The suspect: Authorities identified him as 33-year-old Icon Christen of Long Branch, New Jersey; he was hospitalized, including a flight to Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, survived, and was later arrested on felony burglary and assault charges.
• Prior incident: Bearing Arms reports Christen was already wanted in connection with a domestic disturbance call from the night before the shooting.
• Official response: Sheriff B. Phil Howell publicly voiced support for residents' right to defend themselves, according to an October 26 press release from the sheriff's office.

Quick take

Staying somewhere unfamiliar doesn't make you less entitled to defend yourself, and this case is a straightforward reminder of that. Bearing Arms frames it as a solid argument for women learning to shoot, since some threats are dangerous enough that hand-to-hand odds aren't worth gambling on. Whether Christen targeted this woman specifically or just picked the wrong door, he ended up shot and facing felony charges, and the sheriff isn't shy about calling that outcome justified.

Read the full story: bearingarms.com