In a true-life example of life imitating art, an Indianapolis homeowner went into full on John Wick-mode Tuesday (Jan. 2) when an intruder forced his way into his home in an attempted robbery gone wrong—at least for the intruder and his accomplices. A short while after being released without charges, the homeowner spoke to Fox59 in Indy and told them how events played out, explaining it was his only option to survive.

“He smacked me in the head with a gun and told me I knew what it was and then I yelled out he’s trying to rob me,” said Brent Smith.

Smith claims he then quickly began to fight with the would-be thief and the pair crashed through a glass table inside his home.

“It was like a movie, me and him wrestling over the gun,” said Smith.

During that struggle, Smith admits he shot the intruder with the suspect’s own gun.

Damon Swanigan Junior, 22, died on the front step of the home, which was then hit by a barrage of bullets from outside. That gunfire damaged the siding, the front door and shattered the windows of a car parked in the street.

“When the gun went off I heard thousands of gunshots,” said Smith. “It was a lot of gunfire man, a lot of gunfire.”

Smith said during that shootout, he grabbed his own gun and returned fire before the suspects in the street drove away leaving behind a pile of broken car glass.

“I didn’t even think them or me. I was just basically trying to survive myself man,” said Smith.

Smith was emotional the news station reported detailing the events and his role in taking a person’s life, even if that person left him any choice.

“That doesn’t make no sense man. I didn’t want to do that,” said Smith. “I don’t know his intention, but I didn’t want to be shot. That’s just all there is to it.”

Sometimes life really is like the movies.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

40 COMMENTS

  2. “That doesn’t make no sense man. I didn’t want to do that,” said Smith. “I don’t know his intention, but I didn’t want to be shot. That’s just all there is to it.”

    And that segues perfectly with Grand Jury: No Charges For Defensive Shooting In Houston Taqueria and my comments. In a situation like this your brain is no longer in charge. I think of it like temporary insanity; one cause by the bad guys’ actions and not yours. How, as a society, we could even contemplate holding people accountable for what they do in a defensive gun shoot is unconscionable.

  3. Just like untidy perps to drive off and leave garbage on the steps…They should be charged with littering.

    • At least the perp made it out of the house before he died. I wouldn’t want a dead body in my house.

      • Check your homeowners policy to see if it includes clean up $$$ in such cases. I did mine and found out it would. Both inside and outside the residence.

      • I would, keeps the cops from hauling off my dead guy.
        I’m serious, If a person was to have a bunch of human heads mounted on a wall criminals wouldn’t be so happy about busting into your house.
        Can you imagine peeking into that window?
        Along with the bubbling cauldron.
        Once these criminals know they may be eaten and their heads hanging on a wall they wont be so happy to bust down doors.

        • Long Pig is supposedly very tasty.
          Alferd Packer liked it, as did some members of The Donner party.

    • It would be perfect if authorities left the thug lying there for a few hours after his bladder/colon emptied and until his fambly was brought to ID him just like “Gentle Giant” (lol) Mike Brown.

  5. Do you have a peep hole in your front door? Do you have a glass lockable storm door like I do? I’ve spoken to the police without opening my glass door.

    I carry at home. I don’t need to go get a gun. And as an older man, I’m not going to wrestle with a teenage criminal. They get shot. Several times until the threat stops.

    • Does your peephole have a cover on the inside? Anyone can buy a “reverse peephole viewer” online for well under $50 which allows someone who has one to see a HUGE part of the inside your home visible from the door. It’s simple to install a little gravity door the flips up or rotates up when you want to look out but drops back automatically when you are done. Carry blue tape when you travel so you can cover a peephole at a hotel or Airbnb rental.

      if you can see out they can see in with the most basic of lenses.

      Or you can install a doorbell camera but I wouldn’t trust on from google or any of the tech companies. That video will be used against you in court more than it will help in even the best of shoots. I wouldn’t even want a camera that records and stays on the device. Maybe one that is just a feed that doesn’t record just to see outside.

    • Hooray!! Although he probably has a contract that gives him a presidential grade pension, at least the organization is free of the dead weight.

    • Same old Negotiating Rights Away organization that has had its fingers in every single gun law all the way back to the NFA first being written. Same old board that kept Wayne in.

      I hope the NRA sinks to the bottom with the Titanic. Get out of the way of real 2A groups trying to remove laws instead of “enforcing the ones we got.”

  10. Counties should be required to pay a bonus for removing trash from the streets. This guy will have 1000’s of damage, and he will either have a $500 or $1000 deductible policy. I just replaced a bad frameless front window and that cost $1200. If the 13% perp had been under 18 the parents (if they can be identified) should pay. The organs from the perp cannot be recovered and sold likely due to drug abuse. And holes. Hmm, could be adverted as “holey organs”, cheap!

    • just fill the bullet holes with putty and caulk. That’s what they do in the hood. A little bit of bleach water and a scrub brush gets the blood out.

  11. I have a feeling that Damon Swanigan Senior didn’t have much of a role in Junior’s short life.

  12. I always like to see the bad guys die when these types of things happen because not only is it justice at its best but doesn’t give the Lefties a chance to let them go. It also should send a message to the other bad guys out there that robbery is a risky business as long as we have 2nd Amendment Rights (something many Lefties Ignore).

  14. So, let me get this straight: Damon pulls up with his fellow thugs, and they decide (by what, drawing straws? Rock-paper-scissors?) that our boy goes to the door by himself and the rest are gonna cover him – from the car? When your homies tell you they’ve got your back, you’d better ask how far back.

  15. John Wick would have jumped in his shot up four-wheeler, chased the other perps down and finished the job… Points for using two different guns… Bonus if they were different types or at least different calibers…

  16. It seemed like it skipped the part of the story just before they get to the porch scene under a hail of gunfire

  17. I’m originally from Indy. 38th and Post is a pretty rough part of town. There are worse areas in Indianapolis, but it’s up there for sure.

    Hope the homeowner doesn’t face retaliation from the deceased’s running mates.

Comments are closed.