Michael Votruba had just arrived home from a long day at work when he spotted an animal scurrying across the yard as he exited his vehicle. Votruba was clearly able to identify the animal as a bobcat when it approached him growling. He drew the pistol he was carrying and took a few steps back. The bobcat lunged at him, attacking his leg. Votruba shook free and ran only a few steps before the bobcat jumped on his chest. Again, Votruba fought back throwing the cat to the ground and shooting twice. When the bobcat lunged at his chest yet again, Votruba fired several more shots, killing the animal. Votruba was not seriously injured during the attack, and immediately received the necessary rabies shots and an updated tetanus shot. (Telegram & Gazzette, Holden, MA, 6/20/13)
A Mississippi man was awoken by the sounds of his small dog alerting him to the presence of an intruder on the back porch. The homeowner grabbed his shotgun and stepped from his bedroom into the kitchen, according to the Lawrence County Sheriff. The intruder entered the back door only to meet a fatal shotgun blast that sent him back outside, still clutching his burglary tools. A pickup truck fled the scene, and deputies are seeking information that will lead to an arrest of the accomplice. (Lawrence County Press, Monticello, Miss., 9/25/13)
From The Armed Citizen Archives
December 1967: Alone in her Phoenix, Ariz. home, Ethel Juniel heard someone trying to break in. On his second attempt, the intruder smashed a rear windows with a bumper jack. When he reached in to undo a door latch, Miss Juniel shot him dead with a .22 pistol. (Arizona Republic)
