Martin returned on New Year’s Eve, this time in the middle of the day and armed with a hunting knife and an accomplice – a man identified as Dustin Stewart.
The new mother told KOCO News that the men started knocking aggressively on her door.
Tragic loss: She lost her husband (pictured) to lung cancer on Christmas
She described to the Oklahoma station what she did: ‘I walked over and got the 12-gague, went in the bedroom and got the pistol, put the bottle in his mouth, and then I called 911.’
'I’ve got two guns in my hand – is it okay to shoot him if he comes in the door?'
-Sarah McKinley to 911 Dispatcher
Ms McKinley asked the 911 dispatcher what to do should the two men break in.
‘I’ve got two guns in my hand – is it okay to shoot him if he comes in the door?’ she said.
‘I’m in here by myself with my infant baby, can I please get a dispatcher out here immediately?’
Once the 911 dispatcher confirmed with the young mother that her doors were indeed locked, Ms McKinley asked again if she could shoot the intruders.
Smaller family: Sarah McKinley proved that she could still manager herself, her family, and her home
‘I can’t tell you that you can do that but you do what you have to do to protect your baby,’ the dispatcher told her.
Ms McKinley was on the phone with the dispatcher for a total of 21 minutes.
Around 2pm, Martin kicked in the door and Ms McKinley shot him. Since police said the shooting was in self-defence, she will not be charged.
Bloodied: Police found Justin Martin, 24, slumped over this couch. He was pronounced dead at the scene. McKinley said he was brandishing a hunting knife
Police found Martin, 24, slumped over a floral-print sofa with a single gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
His accomplice, Stewart, told police he fled after he heard the gunshot and later turned himself into police, the Oklahoman reports.
He’s being held in Grady County jail on first-degree burglary.
Guilty conscience: Martin's accomplice Dustin Stewart (pictured) turned himself in after Martin was shot
‘You’re allowed to shoot an unauthorised person that is in your home,’ Detective Dan Huff told KOCO. ‘The law provides you the remedy, and sanctions the use of deadly force.
Ms McKinley said that though the shooting was justified, it was by no means an easy decision to make.
‘It was either going to be him or my son. And it wasn’t going to be my son,’ she said.
She added: ‘There’s nothing more dangerous than a woman with a child.’