South Carolina woman fatally shot an inmate who escaped from prison and broke into her house

A woman shot dead an escaped convict who broke into her home. Authorities hailed her as a "shining example" of having a concealed weapons permit.

According to WYFF 4, the South Carolina woman did not wait for police to arrive by calling 911. Instead, she took matters into her own hands. By the end of it, Bruce Webb McLaughlin Jr. had lost his life.

He and Timothy Cleveland Dill broke out of Pickets County Prison on Tuesday at about 2:30 a.m. They first assaulted a male and a female detention officer and locked them in a secure room in the prison.

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They then exited the detention area and made their way out and over the outside fence. Pickens County Sheriff Rick Clark explained that the escape likely took days or weeks of planning.

The prison currently houses 76 male inmates. The two guards who were working at the time have a combined total of 25 years of employment at the facility. Neither were seriously injured.

The two prisoners took to Concord Church Road where they broke into the woman's home through her backdoor. The homeowner then shot McLaughlin Jr in the head and called 911.

McLaughlin, still wearing his orange prisoner, had equipped himself with a knife-sharpening tool from the woman's kitchen. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The deceased had a lengthy background of petty crimes like burglary and grand larceny. He also had one conviction of assault against an officer in 2007. His partner Dill also committed petty crimes.

At the time, though, Dill was jailed for committing sexual misconduct with a minor. He was caught soon after his failed attack on the homeowner. The woman wasn't harmed.

In a news conference following the incident, Clark praised the woman for having a concealed weapons permit. He credited her ownership and use of the gun with her security during the attack.

Clark said:

“This is the shining example of what this lady did. She took the time to get her CWP and set herself up to be able to protect herself and not be harmed, killed or raped or whatever. She came out on the good on this end and the bad guy didn’t.”

The police charged Dill with assault, robbery and escape, and kidnapping on Tuesday.

In another instance of a break-in, the homeowner ended up getting arrested after killing one of two burglars who broke into his home.

Richard Osborn-Brooks, 78 ended up stabbing Henry Vincent during the attack. Vincent's partner then left him for dead next to a van outside before escaping himself.

Osborn-Brooks' neighbors were shocked to learn that the old man was arrested. He ended up with bruises after what was most likely a similar case of self-defense.