We grow up learning to lock our doors and watch for threats as we walk to our cars in dark parking lots.
We're warned about strangers, criminals and the unknown threats that lurk outside our homes. But sometimes, the deadliest menace doesn’t come from out there—it comes from the person sitting next to us on the couch or lying with us in our own bed.
That’s exactly what unfolded for a pregnant Crockett County, Tennessee, mother of two on April 17 when she was viciously attacked by her husband in their home. According to the Crockett County Sheriff’s Department, 32-year-old John King III came at his wife in a violent rage—armed with a knife, a pistol and his bare fists. He reportedly tried to strangle her while their two children watched in helpless terror. Kylie King was six months pregnant with King’s child. But she wasn’t helpless.
The woman was able to get her hands on a gun the couple had in the home and fire a deadly shot, ending the attack. After reviewing the evidence, District Attorney Frederick Agee ruled the shooting justified. “She had no other choice but to defend herself,” he said. “That is why people have guns. In this case, she used her firearm appropriately to defend not only herself but her children.”
FAST FACT: More than 12 million women and men are the victim of some form of domestic violence each year. (Source: National Domestic Violence Hotline)
