A real estate agent fired a gun at a man who attempted to rob her at knifepoint during an open house.
The agent, who was not identified by police, was hosting an open house in the 14700 block of E. 104th Avenue in Colorado’s Commerce City when a man burst through the door at around 11:30 Sunday morning, according to authorities. Holding a knife toward the agent, the suspect ordered her to hand over her possessions when she pulled out a handgun and fired one round at him.
Many of the details surrounding the incident are not being released due to an ongoing investigation by the police. It is not clear whether the suspect, who ran away after the agent fired the gun, has been struck by the shot. Described by police as a white male in his late 20s to early 30s, he has also not been found since.
According to Colorado firearm law, any firearm that a person takes outside of a home or car must be in plain view unless the person carrying it has a permit.
The agent who fired the gun has been taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. Over the years, the risks that come with open houses routinely come up in conversation. In April, a man shot an agent with a stun gun during an open house while another agent was robbed at gunpoint during a showing in 2018.
While whether agents would benefit from being armed is one of the most widely-debated topics in the industry, most safety experts advise agents to always have access to a phone, keep constant view of exits and never host open houses alone.
“There are self-defense classes, the buddy system, verifying identity,” former brokerage owner and Zillow director of industry outreach Jay Thompson once wrote for Inman. “Lots of things can be done to improve safety, but they have to actually be done, not just talked about because this incident happened.”
