On the night of July 4, 2018, a mom in Dallas stepped inside a Shell station on West Camp Wisdom Road to pay. While she was inside, a man climbed into the driver’s seat of her SUV and started to drive off. Her 2-year-old and 4-year-old were still in the back seat.
She ran back and jumped in. “I’m asking the man, ‘hey, my kids are back here. Stop! Pull over! Pull over!'” she told NBC 5. “He’s not even acknowledging anything about my kids.” She tried to push the shifter into park while the SUV rolled across the lot. When he kept hitting the gas, she grabbed the gun from her glove box and fired. The SUV ran into a utility pole.
She and both kids were unhurt. Police identified the man as Ricky Wright, 36. He was charged with two counts of unlawful restraint and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. NBC 5 said his injuries weren’t considered life-threatening, and FOX 4 reported he was shot in the face just under his right eye and was in serious but stable condition. Police said the mom wasn’t facing charges.
“Just to see him slumped over like I was just like, Lord, my kids [are] in the car. They done seen me shoot somebody,” she told NBC 5.
One more detail from FOX 4. She told them she didn’t have a license to carry, and police said Texas law let her keep a gun in her car without one.
What this means in Minnesota
That last part would be a problem here. In Minnesota, if you don’t have a Permit to Carry, a pistol in your vehicle has to be unloaded and in a closed and fastened case, gunbox or securely tied package (Minn. Stat. § 624.714, subd. 9). A loaded gun in the glove box without a permit is a gross misdemeanor (subd. 1a). If you want a gun in the car that you can actually use, get your permit.
Second, your car isn’t your home. Minnesota’s no-retreat rule is about your home, and I’m not aware of a Minnesota appellate case that extends it to a vehicle. Outside the home you have a duty to retreat if you reasonably can. But when you’re defending someone else, the Minnesota Supreme Court said in State v. Valdez (2024) that the question is whether the person in danger had a reasonable possibility of safe retreat. A 2-year-old and a 4-year-old in the back of a car that a stranger is driving away can’t go anywhere.
Deadly force still has to be necessary to resist an offense you reasonably believe exposes you or someone else to great bodily harm or death (Minn. Stat. § 609.065). A stranger driving off with your toddlers is a fear most people would understand. That isn’t automatic, though. A prosecutor, and maybe a jury, will look at what you knew and saw when you pulled the trigger.
And think about the shot itself. She was shooting the driver of a moving vehicle with her kids in it, and it ended against a pole. It worked out. It could have gone a lot worse. The easiest fix is the boring one. Take your keys and lock the doors, even for a quick run inside.
My Permit to Carry class covers vehicle carry and defense of others. Sign up for a Permit to Carry class at mnselfdefense.com. Questions? Text me at 507-533-5774 or email chris@mnselfdefense.com.
Chris Marquette, Precision Plus Firearms Training
Disclaimer
This post is general education, not legal advice. I’m a firearms instructor, not your attorney. Laws and court decisions change, and every situation is different. If you have questions about a specific situation, talk to a Minnesota attorney.
Sources
News
“Mom Shoots Man Trying to Steal SUV With Her Kids Inside: Police,” NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, July 2018
“Dallas mom shoots man who took her car with kids inside,” FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, July 2018
“Dallas mother shoots man in head after he attempts to steal her car with toddlers inside,” WFAA, July 2018
Minnesota law
Minn. Stat. § 624.714, Carrying of Weapons Without Permit; Penalties
Minn. Stat. § 609.065, Justifiable Taking of Life
State v. Valdez, No. A22-1424 (Minn. Oct. 9, 2024)