They might have never thought the house owner, a Chinese woman who was wearing a nightgown, would furiously open fire on them when they invaded her house with guns, and one of them - Antonio Leeks - might also have never thought he would lose his life.
This is not a scene from a US film. This is what really happened in Gwinnett county, Georgia, last week, according to a surveillance video released by police.
The video from inside the home shows the Chinese woman, Chen Fengzhu, originally from Fujian Province, South China, rush from her bedroom and then unload all her bullets on the three men.
As they exchange fire, with drywall debris clouding the dark home, the video shows one man run through a glass door. Another man died of his injuries in the driveway.
This video has gone viral on different Web platforms, such as YouTube and WeChat, and generated millions of views and hot discussion.
One topic is whether the owner should have fought against the invaders in that dangerous situation. Other is an old debate - whether the US government should put stricter measures on gun ownership.
Most of the comments praise her bravery. Gavin Smith, a You Tube user, said, "Well done! Brave lady! People, stand up and use your constitutional rights to fight and protect yourself."
Joey Chen, a real estate manager in Los Angeles, told the Global Times that "Chen [the house owner] has done what she should do to protect her property, and I would do the same thing if I was in the same situation."
Joey , who had experienced two burglaries in September, said, "You cannot image how slow the American police are, especially when it is a burglary report, so having a gun can at least overawe the thieves."
However, considering the danger of the situation, some people had opposite views.
"I admire her action, but I might not have done that if I was her," Joyce Zhang, who runs an educational institution in Chicago, told the Global Times.
Zhang said to avoid getting shot or killed herself, she would have called the police.
"Whether I would do the same thing or not, I believe it would be safer if there were less guns in society," Joyce added.
Taking the opposite view, YouTube user "ASP1RE Official" said, "Do you think she could have won against three men if she didn't have her weapon?"
Gun culture
Owning guns has been an America tradition, which made the US the first and the only country to constitutionally allow the public to own guns. Forty-four out of 50 states have clear provisions to protect people's gun rights in their state constitutions.
Joey, an American citizen, said having a gun is very important for protection, "Not only from gangsters, but also from wild animals such as bears and wild dogs."
However, frequent gun violence, such as the Orlando bar shooting in July, has made the old debate fresh again.
According reports, most Americans like guns, especially men, but the need for more measures on gun control is also demanded by some people.
According to Zhao Jianqi, a gun-loving Chinese international student studying in the University of Illinois in Chicago, the control of guns in some states is not very adequate.
From Zhao's experience in a gun range in the state of Wisconsin, to get a gun in a shooting range is very easy, even for foreigners such as international students and tourists.
"It was kind of surprising to me when I first get into a gun range in Wisconsin. They just checked my student ID without asking for a shooting license and any background or passport check," Zhao said.
"Furthermore, when I walked into the shooting zone, I found that people can freely take the guns out of the range, which could be very dangerous if someone was out of his mind," adding that he felt very at risk, despite having fun.
Appeals for gun control
If his cousin hasn't died, Morris Victor, an actor based in Chicago, "might be a gun lover," but since his cousin's suicide using a firearm, Victor wants to keep away from guns.
"Every time when I see a gun, my cousin's image comes to mind. He suffered depression. If he did not own a gun, he might be well, at least alive," Victor told the Global Times through a video interview.
Smith commented under the Chen video on YouTube, "If anything, greater gun control would have made it harder or prevented the three intruders from obtaining guns rather than prohibiting the defender from obtaining one."
Despite the different views of whether the owner should fight with the invaders or society needs more guns, all of the people interviewed for this article agreed that more gun control is needed.
"Despite my supportive opinion on having guns, adequate measures on gun control are necessary. It is like medicine that could save you or kill you," Joey Chen noted.
"I absolutely support gun control, I understand the benefit of having a gun for safety, but if everybody has a gun, it is already not safe," Zhang concluded.
