It would seem like the perfect situation for a convicted sex offender on the prowl.
A woman home alone in the middle of the afternoon. And a suspect with a residence on the same block, an extensive criminal record and no respect for the law.
Unfortunately, Jayson Magrum hadn’t counted on one thing: a modern descendant of Samuel Colt’s legendary equalizer.
According to the Arizona Daily Star, the 42-year-old Magrum was shot and killed on Aug. 11 after he attempted to break into a home in a rural area 30 miles outside of Tucson, Arizona.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Office said the man had attempted to break into the Three Points house where 54-year-old Sandra Tracy was at home alone.
KSAZ-TV reported that Tracy yelled at Magrum, telling him to leave.
That didn’t work, however — so she grabbed her handgun and fired a warning shot out of a window, deputies said.
That didn’t work, either — and Magrum reportedly tried to reach inside the window and grab the gun.
The next round wasn’t a warning shot. Instead, it hit and ended up killing Magrum.
Police say the suspect collapsed in the driveway and, while authorities tried to revive him, he died at the scene.
As for why Magrum picked Tracy’s house, no motive was given, but he did have a listed address on the same block.
Nor, indeed, was the man unknown to local police.
“Magrum had a lengthy criminal record within Pima County, including at least eight charges dating back to 2006,” the Daily Star reported.
“Among them: multiple charges of threatening or intimidating, disorderly conduct as well as assault. Most recently, a case filed in Pima County Justice Court in January says Magrum was accused [of] threatening to cause damage to the property of another.”
He was also a registered sex offender due to a conviction in Utah on charges of attempted forcible sexual abuse, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department website.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said 42-year-old Jayson Magrum died in the Aug. 11 shooting at the home in Three Points, just outside of Tucson. https://t.co/YBKGx9UAH9
— KMOT (@KMOT_TV) August 19, 2023
Among the identifying marks listed on Magrum’s sex offender profile was a neck tattoo that read “F*** the World.” During his 42 years on it, that certainly seemed to be his motto.
Without a lawful firearm owner involved, this could have ended very differently. We have no idea what Magrum’s intentions were, only that they were malevolent.
What’s more, if Tracy didn’t stop him, who knows how many other people would have fallen victim to his predation?
There’s a reason why Samuel Colt’s pistol got the nickname “the great equalizer.” Last week, it managed to even the odds between a hardened criminal and a law-abiding woman home alone.
If you ever needed an example of why patriotic Americans won’t easily give up their Second Amendment rights to gun-grabbing bureaucrats, look no further.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
