Weird situation, need tactics advice.

[Signmaker]

I like war-gaming odd scenarios as its good mental exercise, because the "real deal" doesn't ever seem to follow a pre-existing script. Just went through a unique situation, and I'd like to share it with PAFOA's finest monday morning quarterbacks (j/k, )

Around midnight, I'm at the computer when my dog starts barking at the front of the house. I walk out to see whats up, even though I'm pretty sure it's just the wind, because we're having a nice little storm. As I enter the room, I look out through the front bay windows, and I swear I catch the driver's door of my pickup closing.

I hang back out of sight around the corner, get my cell phone ready to dial nine-eleven, and watch the truck for movement. The snow has the windshield pretty covered up, so I cant see inside. I move across the room to get a look at the driveway, and I cant see any footprints in the snow near the driver door.

After about five minutes of debating, I just cant bring myself to call the cops out on a shitty night like this without more to go on. I killed all the exterior lights, and moved out the front door with pistol drawn. My drive way is pretty much open between where I park and the front door, so I had zilch for cover/concealment. Once I got within 15 feet of the truck, I hit the weapon mounted light, and was able to light up the inside of the truck through a gap in the snow.

Light was good enough that I could tell there was no one in the truck right away, unless they were able to wad up under the steering column somehow. Looking closer at the snow, there were no disturbances for a good 20 feet, and the snow crusting around the door was undisturbed. Turns out it was my imagination seeing the door move, and the dog was barking at the wind.

So weigh in friends, where did I blunder? I did not like the feeling of being out in the open approaching the truck, but I couldn't come up with a better way to get closer. I do feel pretty smart for killing the lights, as it would have left the phantom bad guy with a dark shadow for a target, and made my weapon light pay for itself. I did check out the background of any possible shot, and I was clear of the neighbor's houses. What else?

[Breadman03]

I look at it this way. Nobody was in danger. Insurance will pay for your truck, minus about $500. If anything had happened that resulted in your weapon being discharged, your legal fees and time lost from work would cost much more.

I would just stay inside and observe for a few minutes. Any thief would be in and out pretty quickly, either grabbing loose stuff or yanking the radio.

[WVneighbor]

I move across the room to get a look at the driveway, and I cant see any footprints in the snow near the driver door.

At this point I would have thanked my dog for letting me know the wind was blowing and gone back to playing bubble witch.

No foot prints, no feet, no feet, no people.

Unless they were ninjas, in which case you would have been screwed either way.

[NuclearSociety]

I look at it this way. Nobody was in danger. Insurance will pay for your truck, minus about $500. If anything had happened that resulted in your weapon being discharged, your legal fees and time lost from work would cost much more.

I would just stay inside and observe for a few minutes. Any thief would be in and out pretty quickly, either grabbing loose stuff or yanking the radio.

This whole situation makes me pissed, why should I just allow the behavior? I will not submit to scumbags.

[IronButt]

This whole situation makes me pissed, why should I just allow the behavior? I will not submit to scumbags.

I agree with you wholeheartedly, and would have probably done the same as you.

Breadman makes a good point, though. Nowdays every bullet will likely have a damn lawyer attached to it. Something to think about.

[kel ruger man]

as soon as i see no footprints in the snow, no need to look any further. foot prints in the snow, let the dogs loose first, why even walk up to the truck, if i was inside the truck i could have shot you way before you even knew what was going on. next time let the dog out, if anyone was out there they would have been gone. if someone was in the truck, the dog would know that too. then you call the cops. going outside with your tac light on did nothing but show the bad guy where you were.

[Shawn.L]

think about "clearing" the outside of the house before leaving the front door.

Had there been someone with ill intent at your truck, possibly trying to lure you from your home, they could easily have you set for an ambush as you concentrate on the truck by waiting along the outside walls of your home, around a bend, behind a tree or other obstacle while you are tunneled in on the truck. What kind of exposures to uncleared areas do you have along the path from your door to the truck ?

Are there areas where one could get behind you part way out had they waited around a bend/corner/obstacle ?

What about them entering your home as you leave it unsecured ?

Also I would think about using a handheld light to search, and WML only for shooting with the light on. A high and bright beam offset from the body and/or moving can mask your location, but you will always be an wasy target standing right behind the light. OTOH WML's make the actual shooting part super easy.

[Signmaker]

No foot prints, no feet, no feet, no people.

At night in blowing snow at a good 30 feet or so from the house I was thinking I might just not be seeing the footprints, as there were previous depressions in the snow from when I got out of the truck last. Knew I wouldn't be able to get to sleep if I didn't know 100%.

foot prints in the snow, let the dogs loose first,

I need to get some of them dogs. My airbrained golden retriever would have lit off the other direction in search of a tennis ball or rabbit tracks.

why even walk up to the truck, if i was inside the truck i could have shot you way before you even knew what was going on.

You could have shot at me, sure, but it would have been a 20' shot, in the dark, through a car windshield angled about 45 degrees 6" in front of the muzzle, through which you were peeking out a 5"x3" gap in the snow. While any bullets heading my general direction are a bad thing, those aren't circumstances that will make you Annie Oakley. About the only thing a shooter in the car would have is surprise and cover, which they would need because lead would immediately start flying back through any holes in the windshield.

think about "clearing" the outside of the house before leaving the front door...Are there areas where one could get behind you part way out had they waited around a bend/corner/obstacle ?

Now that I overlooked, and yes, there is a corner near the front door someone could have waited behind and gotten the drop on me as I exited. Clearing it from the outside would mean turning my back to the truck. It has a window looking out around it, so I'll have to remember to check that area before going outside.

What about them entering your home as you leave it unsecured ?

One of the reasons I still haven't fixed the doorknob (that and I'm lazy), is that it's kind of tricky to get it to open. It's become second nature to me and doesn't slow me down, but everyone else assumes the door is locked.

On the other hand, actually locking the door behind me would have cut off my primary route of escape and source of cover. Will have to think on this one. Ideally I'd have another person providing "overwatch" from inside the house, armed and ready to call 911, but it seems everyone has learned to keep their daughters locked up around me .

Also I would think about using a handheld light to search, and WML only for shooting with the light on. A high and bright beam offset from the body and/or moving can mask your location, but you will always be an wasy target standing right behind the light. OTOH WML's make the actual shooting part super easy.

Weapon light or handheld wasn't going to make much of a difference with the BG knowing where I was. It isn't like I had the light on when I walked out and was using it to light my way to the truck. I know my way around my own driveway in the dark, so the light only came on when I wanted to light up the interior of the truck. If I had a handheld light, and it showed some ski-mask clad bad guy with a Lorcin pointed my way, I would sure as hell have been wishing it was my weapon light. So far I've never hit a threat scenario where I wished my weapon light was a handheld (though I do carry both).

[mrnyman]

Next time let the Dog do his Job, Dogs have a much lower profile and can conceal themselves better than any human can , plus their smelling and hearing is about 300 % better than yours is.

Tac-lights can get you killed, it shows the bad guys exactly where you are and simplify his aiming for him.

[priell3]

I think I would have just hitting the buttons on my Jeep's remote fob. Scare the crap out of any potential intruder. Panic button surely would make 'em soil themselves.

Of course not everyone has remote entry.