Man survives burglary shootout

By Jacqueline Sit, NEWS 9

TUTTLE, Okla. - A Tuttle man survived a shootout earlier this week after his business was almost robbed.

This isn't the first time Ricky Sower's business has been robbed. Thieves siphoned fuel from his business months ago. Thursday morning, burglars tried to take Sower's SUV.

Sower refused to let this type of incident happen again, so he confronted the suspects.

"God had his hand on me. Feel pretty lucky that I didn't get killed," Sower said.

Although Sower survived the incident unscathed, his car didn't fare too well.

"It became a pretty big shootout between the two of us," Sower said. "I fired about 20 rounds."

Bullets puncture the front and back windshields and side doors of the SUV.

"I just kind of ran around this vehicle and used it as a shield, and that's why it got all shot up," Sower said.

His ‘No Trespassing' sign spells it out: violators will be shot, and survivors will be shot again.

"One of them fell down two different times," Sower said. "I don't know how bad, but one of them definitely was shot."

The bullet holes only emphasize how far he went to protect his property.

"I've worked too hard for what I've got, and I'm not going to give it up without a fight," Sower said. "It could've been a lot worse in both instances. I could've been dead."

Sower said he'll be putting in security cameras around his business. He is also offering a $5,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the suspects.

The two suspects involved could be driving a red Ford Chevy pickup with bullet holes in the back window and tailgate.