Craig County ADA Who Shot Burglar Hopes Others Learn From Story

Two weeks ago, a Craig County assistant district attorney shot a man who broke into her house.

Erin Oquin has faced a lot of violent criminals - first as a judge and now as a prosecutor - but she never dreamed she'd have to face one inside her own home.

"I came down these stairs here, about half-way down the stairs and I could see him trying to kick in the front door. He tried several times but the door would not give," she said.

Oquin was home sick from work and the noise woke her out of a sound sleep. She grabbed her gun and was prepared to use it.

"You're trained, if you pull the weapon be prepared to pull the trigger. It's not a toy, it's not something you swing around like a pompom, it definitely can hurt somebody," Oquin said.

She called for help as the man gave up on the front door and went around to her backdoor and started kicking on it.

"I will tell you, the sound of him kicking the door was far worse than the gunshot," she said.

It finally splintered and slammed open so hard that the doorknob left a hole in her wall.

He was less than 15 feet away from her when he stepped inside her home.

Oquin said, "I've never been so scared in all my life. It does seem like everything slows down, but it's only a matter of seconds you have to make a decision."

12/10/2015 Related Story: Craig County Prosecutor Shoots Burglar Inside Her Home, Police Say

She believes she stayed calm the entire time because she's been around law enforcement for years and heard their stories.

She also practices shooting at the range and said she's always had a plan, just in case.

Oquin does feel sorry for the man's family - not because of her choice that day, but because of what he chose to do that day.

"As soon as I fired the round, it was in God's hands of what happened. I knew I was in the right and there's no guilt. He chose me, made the decision that day," she said.

Oquin's been overwhelmed by the support and is thankful he didn't break into a home of an elderly person or with kids home.

Police arrested Bryan Starkey and said he'd already broken into two other homes that morning.

While Oquin believes Starkey needs to go to prison, she doesn't hate him; she said it's simply not in her character to do so.

"I forgave him even before he got off the property," she said.

Oquin hopes her story will help other victims so that if they ever are in a situation where they have to defend themselves, they'll be prepared.