Drew for the first time

I was involved in an incident over the weekend that necessitated intervention with a firearm.New neighbors moved in a few months ago. My wife and I invited them over for a front yard happy hour and we got to know them. The husband had a bit too much to drink and wandered off. The wife returned the next day and was very concerned. She told us that her husband had been verbally abusive and had destroyed part of their home. We advised her to go to the police but she elected not to. She told me that she feared for her safety.Fast forward a few weeks. The husband has been verbally abusive on multiple evenings. Law enforcement has been called, but "they don't handle verbal fights".Over the last weekend, the verbal abuse escalated even further. The husband had trapped the wife in the garage and was physically barring her from leaving while he hurled insults at her. I called law enforcement. 20 minutes pass, no response. During this time, the wife's three kids came out to the garage and witnessed the entire encounter.I witnessed the husband strike his wife in the face, and she screamed for help. This call for help was captured on my doorbell cam. I went into my house, retrieved my 870 12 gauge, and confronted the husband.I did not point the weapon at the husband.I did not leave my property.I told the husband to get away from his wife and to let her and her children go.Open carry is legal in my state.In my state, self-defense applies if you intercede on behalf of another and there is a reasonable belief that bodily harm has/will occur.It wasn't necessary to do much other than a "Hollywood rack" to get his attention. The wife and her children came to my house and stayed with my wife. Once she was safely inside I went back inside.Over a dozen law enforcement officers arrived within 90 seconds of this happening. During this time, the husband drove drunk to leave the scene. He was detained a few hours later.One officer told me I could be charged with felony menacing and that I should have just talked to the gentlemen. I didn't respond to his statement. My thought: I'm not looking for a fight, and I'm sure as hell not looking for a fair fight. I had witnessed bodily harm and I had a reasonable belief that he would harm her further.The wife thanked me. She and her children provided statements about his abuse. She filed for protective orders and he can't come back to the house. He was released on personal recognizance last night, with an arraignment on 07 October. He is only charged with misdemeanor criminal mischief and third-degree assault. He also had a few misdemeanor child abuse charges thrown in because the kids were there. He has at least 3 prior felonies, 2 of which were violent or sexual in nature. I will be testifying. They didn't get him on DUI charges because he wasn't driving when they found him (odd).I never thought I would need to use one of my guns. Before this, I didn't carry outside of my home or hunting trips. Today I started the process for CCW. I'm also waiting on my background check to clear on my new Glock 43X. I've also signed up for some range time to refresh my handgun skills.I'm concerned about potential retaliation. He hasn't made a specific threat against me, but it's the implication. I installed a full security system for the house (cameras, floodlights, motion sensors, upgraded locks/door), and I'll be carrying when/where it's legal for me to do so.I thought most of you guys were paranoid (and maybe you are). Turns out, being adequately prepared can make a difference. The kids called me Captain America (I was wearing a Captain America shirt lol). My wife picked up on how much I hated that and has exclusively called me Cap, Cap'n, or Captain all weekend. via /r/CCW https://ift.tt/2HfZJbs