Armed Woman Shoots Intruder Who Kicked Down Airbnb Door at 3 A.M. in North Carolina
WEST JEFFERSON, N.C. — A North Carolina woman refused to become a helpless victim when a man allegedly kicked down the door of her Airbnb rental in the middle of the night. Instead, she exercised her right to armed self-defense, shooting the intruder as he entered the occupied home.
The October 13 defensive shooting in West Jefferson left the suspected intruder hospitalized and later facing felony burglary and assault charges. Now, Ashe County Sheriff B. Phil Howell is publicly standing behind the right of Americans to defend themselves and their families.
According to an October 26 press release from the Ashe County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a 911 call at approximately 3 a.m. from a woman staying at an Airbnb on Sunset Ridge Road. The caller reported that a man had kicked down the door and that she shot him when he entered the residence.
Deputies and emergency medical personnel arrived alongside officers from the West Jefferson and Jefferson police departments. Authorities identified the wounded man as 33-year-old Icon Christen of Long Branch, New Jersey.
Christen was initially transported to Ashe Memorial Hospital before being flown to Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem for further treatment. He survived his injuries and was subsequently released from the hospital.
Suspect Arrested on Burglary and Assault Charges
Investigators determined that Christen had been involved in a domestic dispute the previous evening.
According to the sheriff’s office, the incident began around 7:45 p.m. on October 12, when an out-of-town woman contacted dispatchers to report a dispute involving her husband. Deputies located the woman in a wooded area behind a residence and helped arrange transportation out of the county with family members.
Several hours later, authorities responded to the shooting at the Airbnb, where they identified Christen as the same man involved in the earlier domestic dispute. The sheriff’s office did not clarify the relationship between the woman who fired the defensive shot and the woman involved in the earlier dispute.
Following an investigation, deputies obtained arrest warrants for Christen. He was arrested on October 21 and transported to the Ashe County Detention Center.
Christen faces charges of felony first-degree burglary and assault on a female. Authorities reported that he was being held without bond.
Sheriff Defends Second Amendment and Right to Self-Defense
Ashe County Sheriff Howell did not hesitate to defend the right of an armed citizen to protect herself when someone forces entry into an occupied residence.
In the department’s public statement, Howell declared:
“I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and the right to protect yourself and your family. No one should have to fear for their safety inside their own home.”
The sheriff added that forcibly entering an occupied residence creates a dangerous situation and reaffirmed his commitment to lawful self-defense.
His statement reflects a fundamental principle of the right to keep and bear arms: Americans have the right to protect themselves against violent criminal threats.
The right to armed self-defense does not disappear simply because someone is staying in a temporary rental rather than their permanent residence. Criminals do not get to decide when or where their intended victims may defend themselves.
An Armed Citizen Stops a Dangerous Home Invasion
There is a reason home invasions are especially dangerous. Someone willing to kick down the door of an occupied residence at 3 a.m. has already crossed a serious line, leaving those inside with little time to determine what the intruder intends to do next.
In this case, the woman had a firearm available when the suspect allegedly forced his way inside. Rather than being left defenseless against an intruder who had already breached the home’s physical security, she was able to respond immediately.
This incident also follows another defensive shooting involving an Airbnb guest that AmmoLand reported in September. In that case, an armed guest in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, shot an alleged intruder during an attempted robbery at a short-term rental property.
Likewise, in July, AmmoLand reported on a 74-year-old North Carolina homeowner who shot a suspected burglar attempting to enter his residence through a window.
These incidents illustrate why armed self-defense remains an essential part of personal security. Locks, doors, and other precautions may help deter criminals, but they cannot guarantee that someone determined to force entry will be stopped.
The West Jefferson case is another example of an armed citizen refusing to surrender her safety to a criminal who allegedly decided to break through an occupied home’s front door.
The suspect survived and now faces criminal charges. The woman who fired the shot was not identified in the sheriff’s October 26 announcement, and no charges against her were reported.
Americans should not have to live in fear inside their own homes. The ability to defend yourself when a violent intruder comes through the door is precisely why the Second Amendment matters.
About Duncan Johnson:
Duncan Johnson is a lifelong firearms enthusiast and unwavering defender of the Second Amendment—where “shall not be infringed” means exactly what it says. A graduate of George Mason University, he enjoys competing in local USPSA and multi-gun competitions whenever he’s not covering the latest in gun rights and firearm policy. Duncan is a regular contributor and editor-in-chief for AmmoLand News and is responsible for AmmoLand’s daily gun-rights reporting and industry coverage.