Pampa Resident Grabs Handgun and Shoots 33-Year-Old Man Who Forced His Way Into Home at 11:30 P.M.
Key Takeaways
- A man named Kamron Hassler was shot after forcing his way into a Pampa home on September 25, 2026.
- The resident, fearing for their safety, obtained a handgun from another location in the house before shooting Hassler.
- Preliminary investigations indicate that Hassler was known to the residents, prompting hesitance in their response.
- Texas law presumes that the use of deadly force is reasonable when someone unlawfully enters an occupied home.
- The investigation is ongoing, and the district attorney will review the case for any potential charges.
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PAMPA, TX — A man who showed up uninvited at a Pampa home late Friday night and forced his way inside was shot by one of the people living there and later died, according to the Pampa Police Department.
Officers were called to the 1300 block of North Duncan at about 11:30 p.m. on Friday, September 25, 2026, for a shooting, police said. Inside the home they found several people, including a man who had been shot. Officers and other emergency personnel began treating him before EMS took him to Pampa Regional Medical Center. He was then transferred to an Amarillo hospital in critical condition, where he died.
On September 27, police identified him as 33-year-old Kamron Hassler.
According to PPD, the preliminary investigation indicates Hassler was known to the residents of the home. He arrived uninvited. He forced his way inside. Fearing for their safety, police say, one of the occupants obtained a handgun and fired at him.
That one word, obtained, is the detail I would underline for anyone who keeps a gun for home defense. The occupant did not have the handgun on them when the door came open. They had to go get it. Police have not said how far away it was or how long that took, and this time it worked out. It does not always. A firearm you have to run to is one you may never reach, and a man who has just forced his way through your front door is not going to wait while you look for it. Carrying at home, or staging a handgun where you can put your hand on it from where you actually spend your evenings, closes that gap.
The other detail is that Hassler was known to the people inside. That is the norm in these stories, not the exception, and it is where mindset matters most. A familiar face at the door makes people hesitate, open up, talk, and give ground they would never give a stranger. Police have not said what the relationship was or what led up to the entry, and I am not going to guess. What they have said is that he was not invited and that he forced the door anyway. Once that happens, who he is matters far less than what he is doing.
Texas law reflects that. Under Texas Penal Code Section 9.32, a person who uses deadly force is presumed to have acted reasonably when the other party was unlawfully and with force entering their occupied home. Whether that presumption applies here is not for police to decide, and they have not claimed to decide it. PPD says only that the occupant feared for their safety and fired.
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The Criminal Investigations Division was called to the scene and is still working the case. Police say that when the investigation is finished, all findings will go to the 31st/223rd District Attorney’s Office for review and consideration of any criminal charges. The person who fired has not been publicly identified, no charging decision has been announced, and PPD says no further information is being released while the investigation is ongoing.
A man forced his way into a home at half past eleven on a Friday night. Someone inside got to a handgun and used it. He is dead, and the district attorney will decide what comes next.
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