Exercising the Right
The “Desperate Woman” Ploy
The Exponent Telegram reported on April 19 out of Fairmont, West Virginia, about three burglars who employed an age-old trick to take advantage of an unsuspecting victim. Fairmont Police Chief Steve Shine told The Exponent Telegram that an 80-year-old man was home alone when he heard loud knocking on his door in the middle of the night. The older gentleman thought it was suspicious, so he retrieved his loaded five-shot revolver from his coffee table, placed it in his back pocket, and then went to answer the door. A woman who was knocking on the door, later identified as 23-year-old Whitney Kabiru, told the homeowner that she needed to use the elderly man’s phone for an emergency. When the man opened the door to let her in, he was suddenly bum-rushed by two male burglars who were waiting outside. The two male suspects forced the homeowner further into his home, and one of them pulled out what police later determined was either a pellet or BB gun. The burglars demanded the man’s personal items, but the homeowner pulled out his own revolver and shot both suspects. The two injured suspects fled the scene, as the burglary victim called the police.
Authorities arrived and found the body of one of the male suspects, identified as 28-year-old Larry Shaver, who was shot in both the neck and the head, lying in the driveway. Twenty-eight-year-old John Grossklaus was located nearby, with a gunshot wound to his lower abdomen, and he was taken to a local medical facility for treatment. Kabiru reportedly ran off before the shooting occurred, but was later apprehended by police and is being charged with robbery and conspiracy.
Police Chief Steve Shine told The Exponent Telegram that the shooting was in self-defense. “I can tell you that we are investigating it, and all the evidence that we have collected and information we gathered and statements we’ve taken have led us to the belief that this was a shooting in self-defense.” Shine also explained that the tactic used by the burglars is a common one. “The female knocked on the door as a ruse to try and get the other males in.”
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