Retired cop: Demand for self defense on the rise

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- With property crimes on the rise, are more Texans preparing to fight back if they become the next target? That's the question following three incidents in just 36 hours-time during which victims fought back.

The latest happened Tuesday morning in northwest Harris County. Investigators says a homeowner begged 911 for help before shooting an intruder.

"I'm telling him get down get, down, stop and everything went bad," said Quinton Wood.

He is among three people who have shot suspected criminals since Monday morning. The most extreme case was Monday night when a cell phone store owner tracked two suspected robbers to a Fiesta store parking lot on Veterans Memorial, shot one of them and then forced the injured man into his Hummer, to bring him back to his store.

"He was just being a hero," Hasmin Flores told Eyewitness News Monday night.

KTRK Legal Analyst Joel Androphy says fighting back in the eyes of the law has become more acceptable even in cases with gray areas.

"Grand juries look at people in shootings and say this could have been me. The threshold is dramatically different today. If you shoot someone, you're going to get away with it more than you would have 5 to 10 years ago," said Androphy.