What Happened When the Police Got Here

Amanda slept in our RV in the day time.
Because she works at night, she was not here when it happened.

Things happened simultaneously and very quickly. Again, one of my strengths is being able to think and react quickly.

I kept inwardly praying the whole time. I called Clint as I moved to grab a firearm. I asked him to call 911 for me and to get home as fast as he could. The children at home were gathered into an interior room. I warned the children on the way home not to come home because I didn't know if there was a threat on the property. I locked our doors. I gave consideration to possible hiding spots and exit points I would use if I was on our farm surreptitiously and tried to keep an eye on those areas. I didn't recall hearing gunfire that morning, but I wasn't banking our safety on my feeling that no one was here. I was the only person at the time to look out for my children's well being, and I took it very seriously. I am a good shot, and I will stop someone from harming my family.

After Clint called 911, they had officers on the way, and then the dispatcher called me. I don't know how they got my number because Clint did not give it to them. The phone is not even registered in my name.

I told her I let my husband call because that one call got them and him on the way to help me. I politely but firmly told them I had my children here and while we did not see anything active I needed to go because I needed both hands to finish securing our premises and observe the situation not only for our safety but also for the officers on the way. I made sure they had officers on the way, and she let me go.

Brandon did not heed my warning to stay away. He grabbed his firearm, came home, unlocked the gate so the officers could get to the house quickly, and helped me observe things.

Two officers arrived very quickly. They were younger. Upon the initial examination of the upstairs bathroom window, they concluded, 

much to my shock and horror, 

that a gun was fired in the bathroom to the outside. 

Then they glanced at my children. 

Lord, have mercy! 

I knew they were wrong, but I also became very concerned for what might develop. I sat down and was mute due to the fervent prayers I was inwardly lifting. When I am praying in the moment like that, I don't speak because all of my energy is going to pleading with the only One who can help. 

Bethany, 14, bless her heart, with a quiet, gentle voice spoke up and politely informed the officers that the shot had to have originated from outside because the hole in the first pane was smaller than the hole in the second pane of glass and "bullets flatten as they travel through things." They replied that there should be a hole in the walls in the hallway and the master bedroom. She answered and said she felt the bullet was in the shower frame because there was a dent/hole we did not have before. They did not acknowledge her on this.

Brandon spoke his agreement with his little sister. 

When they went back upstairs at Brandon's insistence, I texted Clint to alert him to what they were thinking to prepare him. 

The men felt the bullet should have gone into the master bedroom if it had gone into the shower frame, so they looked in the hall and bathroom. No holes were found, so they again insisted the bullet was fired from inside to the outside. 

Clint arrived about the same time as an older, higher ranking officer. They went upstairs to look. The senior officer immediately said someone fired from the driveway, and pointed right to the spot he thought they had been standing. A laser pointer through the hole later proved him 100% accurate. He was curious as to where the bullet was and checked the hallway and the master bedroom. Again, nothing was found.

Clint pointed him to the bent shower frame and offered to dismantle it. The officer agreed that would be helpful, so he and Clint took it apart. They recovered a .22. The police kept it.

The LEOs looked long and hard outside for any thing they could find to help us. Nothing. There was no shell casing, so it was assumed it came from a revolver. This later gave us a clue as to who.

The officer told us that there really wasn't anything to do or go on, but if we learned something to help open an investigation, to let them know. 

After they left, and I knew there wasn't an immediate threat, I started thinking things through. It was then I remembered the sound I heard in the shower. Then I remembered the movement and the motion sensing lights going off. And, I remembered that I did not see the geese which is what usually happens. 

Then, I remembered another weekend a couple of weeks earlier where I was here alone. I had turned off the lights downstairs early and headed upstairs to watch a movie. I heard a trash can get knocked over followed immediately with a thump and what I thought was a voice exclaiming something. I dismissed it as my imagination and figured it was only a cat or raccoon knocking over a trashcan and landing hard. The next morning, we learned some items were missing. At the time, I thought it was weird, but assumed they had been misplaced due to busy family living. 

more soon..