An Akron couple who held a burglar at gunpoint Sunday morning until police arrived credits the Second Amendment for keeping them safe.
Police reported the couple, a 61-year-old man and a 43-year-old woman, woke to find 38-year-old DeJuan McCraney in their home. McCraney, who was convicted in 2001 of attempted aggravated murder and released from prison in 2010, faces charges of aggravated burglary and having weapons illegally.
The couple could not be reached for comment, but the woman took to Facebook following the incident to express appreciation for the Second Amendment, which gives Americans the right to bear arms.
“This is why gun control is a bad idea,” she wrote. “We held him at bay until police arrived about 10 after 7. Did anyone die? No. Could anyone have died? Most certainly. Our guns saved our lives today. Responsible gun ownership should never be revoked. If it was, our situation today could have cost both of us our lives.”
No shots were fired in the incident, which occurred at the couple’s West Akron home in the 800 block of Cordova Avenue.
In social media posts, the woman described the incident for her friends. She said her dogs were in the bedroom that morning and started reacting to something in the house.
She said she assumed one of their adult children had come to make a surprise visit, until the door opened and a 6-foot-5 stranger appeared in the doorway.
“As I tried to study the image of the person in the dark, I realized a horrible truth,” she wrote. “That wasn’t one of my kids. I didn’t know who that was.”
Her husband retrieved a gun and pointed it at the man while she called police. She then retrieved her own gun and pointed it at the man from his other side. McCraney was not armed, but police said they found a loaded 9 mm handgun in his jacket, which he allegedly placed on a couch before approaching the couple’s bedroom.
“We have no idea what he wanted,” the woman wrote. “He was just staring at us.”
She wrote the man was lucky the couple didn’t shoot him.
“You know though, I am constantly second-guessing myself,” she wrote. “Should I have shot him, was I too lenient? Did I make a mistake by letting him walk out of my house?”
She said the incident left her shaken.
“It’s just crazy. I can’t stop all the replays in my head. It’s overwhelming and very uncomfortable,” she said. “I’m a mess.”
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ngfalcon.