Editorial

Texas mom doesn't mince words with man who broke in

Thursday, May 11, 2017

A McKinney, Texas, woman is being blasted on social media for her post, warning a young burglar that he risked being shot should he break into her family’s home again.

After she encountered a young masked man in her home, and he ran off, Maria Luce posted a photo of herself and a shotgun on Facebook.

“I’m not sure if you know what this is, but I am locked and loaded,” the caption read.

Luce is no stranger to home invasion. She’s a former reporter and news anchor who reported on many home invasions during her career.

She’s also a speaker and owner of “The empowered Mom” business.

But that probably didn’t matter during the encounter last Thursday, when she was more worried about the safety of her 12-year-old twins upstairs during the break-in.

Luce thinks the burglar may have been after the high-dollar “Yeezys” tennis shoes her 14-year-old son posted on social media only a short time earlier.

Her critics say she is out of line threatening to shoot someone over a pair of tennis shoes.

But the same logic could be applied to the burglar’s action — he’s foolish to risk his life, not to mention freedom, for a pair of shoes.

Luce’s Facebook account includes photos of the McKinney police collecting fingerprints in her home, and an arrest has been made, but no word yet on whether there was a connection to the Yeezys.

Whether or not there was, Luce had no idea in her short encounter with the burglar — he might just as well have been a serial killer.

Home invasions are rare in our rural area, and while they rarely result in shootings, we hope they never do. Vehicle break-ins are more common, and unfortunately, it’s probably only a matter of time before one of the owners decides to administer justice without involving law enforcement. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen as well.

Luce’s case is also a reminder that criminals are not hesitant to use social media to rob unsuspecting citizens.

Many Americans who don’t feel secure in their homes are turning to firearms to try to find that safety.

But they need to know how to use them correctly and keep them out of the hands of children.

And, they should be aware that should they ever have to use one in self-defense, their own lives will be changed forever as well, regardless of whatever happens to their target.

You can check out Maria Luce’s Facebook post here.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: