A South Shore mother took action when a man allegedly attempted to break into her daughter's bedroom through a window. Christopher Grady, 36, has been charged with attempted burglary following the incident. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, police responded to the scene on the 2300 block of East 69th Street late Saturday night, finding Grady with a gunshot wound to the leg.
The 911 caller, a woman who holds a Concealed Carry License and FOID card, reported that she warned Grady to desist and told him she had a firearm. When he continued to try to crawl through the window, she fired her weapon. Grady, now scheduled to appear in court, was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in fair condition. According to the police report obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, the mother went outside to confront the intruder on her rear porch shortly before the shooting.
The mother and her family spoke with ABC7 Chicago about the harrowing experience, requesting anonymity. The mother described acting on instinct, the so-called "fight or flight" response, when she realized an intruder was attempting entry into her home where her 18-year-old daughter had just finished bathing. The daughter recounted alerting her mother to the danger, prompting immediate action.
"I just told him that, 'I have a gun. I'm going to shoot.' And he just didn't stop. I fired a warning shot. I didn't even know that he got hit," the mother told ABC7 Chicago. Grady's life was spared but the family hopes the incident imparts a severe lesson on the consequences of criminal behavior. Owing to the incident, the mother expressed a hope to move, especially as police have confiscated her gun for the time being.
This case illustrates the stark realities that confront an individual when their personal safety is perceived to be under direct threat. The family hopes that the experience serves as a deterrent to future potential intruders. "Try not to be out here committing crimes, especially trying to come into somebody's house, because you never know what's on the other side of that window," the mother said in the interview with ABC7 Chicago.
