A Mississippi woman used a firearm to protect her children from a knife-wielding intruder who broke into their home last month, WLBT reported.
The Carroll County Sheriff’s Department received a call on Monday, January 22, from a man who said his wife and their three children were hiding a closet in their Gravel Hill home because a man drove his pickup truck into the dining room and was attempting to kick down the front door.
The caller, who was at work at the time, gave deputies a description of both the intruder and his vehicle.
According to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect eventually got inside the house where he found the family hiding in the closet. The mom, who had been leading the children in prayer, shot the suspect who then fled.
According to the sheriff’s office, when deputies arrived at the residence, the intruder, later identified as 44-year-old Steve Lamar Gross Jr., had already driven away from the scene.
Deputies later found a pickup truck matching the description provided by the husband. They attempted to pull Goss over in a hardware store parking lot but Goss ran inside the store. Deputies followed him inside and arrested him.
Goss was taken to a hospital in nearby Greenwood suffering from a gunshot wound to his arm.
He was released and taken to Carroll Montgomery Regional Correctional Facility where he was charged with four counts of attempted murder and burglary.
According to the Clarion Ledger, Sheriff Clint Walker praised the father for having an emergency plan in place and preparing his family in case of such an incident. Walker also praised the bravery shown by the mother in protecting her children. He said her courage transformed what could have been a tragedy “into a testimony of their faith in God.”
At the time of his arrest, Goss was out on bond for felony possession of a weapon.
