This isn’t your typical Armed Citizen story. Sure, lives were in danger as a predator roamed the neighborhood. But the suspect in question here wasn’t armed and dangerous—it was large and carnivorous.
It was a terrifying few days in Warren County, Mo., as a nearly 15-foot-long, 160-pound Burmese python was on the loose. These massive snakes kill their prey by constriction and have been known to swallow small animals whole. Town residents had seen dogs go missing, chickens vanish and were frightened for their small children.
So when Pauline Horstdaniel woke up and heard her dog barking in the backyard, she awakened her husband. Sure enough, the Python had slithered into their yard. Thinking his handgun wouldn’t be enough to stop the snake, she called her father-in-law. Two blasts from his shotgun put their fears—and the rest of the neighborhood’s—to rest.
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