(Missouri) Pizza deliveryman who shot robber had gun permit
A Domino’s pizza deliveryman who shot and killed a would-be robber in Pagedale has a valid permit to carry a weapon and appears to have acted in self-defense, according to St. Louis County police.
The driver, who works for the Domino’s franchise nearby in University City, delivered an order at 7 p.m. Thursday to a phony address in the 6500 block of Julian Avenue, where two armed men announced a robbery. The driver pulled his own pistol and fired shots, striking one of the robbers.
Brian Smith, 19, of the 600 block of Ferguson Avenue in Ferguson, was pronounced dead at the scene, said officer Tracy Panus, the department spokeswoman. The other gunman fled. Police arrested a suspect this afternoon and booked him pending application of warrants, she said.
Panus said the driver may have been fired upon, but was not wounded. She said officers found a pistol at the scene that hadn’t been fired.The driver surrendered his own weapon and showed officers a concealed-carry permit from Florida. Panus said officers verified the permit this afternoon.
Panus said Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch’s office will review the police reports but added, "It doesn’t appear to us that (the driver) did anything wrong."
Sunday, December 30, 2007
December 28th
December 27th
(Alabama) Tallassee home invasion turns deadly
A man apparently was fatally wounded by shots from his own firearm when it was taken away from him during a Christmas morning home invasion in Tallassee, authorities said.
Investigators said two men had forced their way into the residence shortly after 2:30 a.m. Tuesday while the occupants were asleep. Once inside, one of the intruders held an occupant at gunpoint, but at some point had the handgun wrestled away and several rounds were fired at him.
Both suspects fled the scene, and Tallapoosa County sheriff's officers said Lee Antion Donaldson, 29, of Montgomery was admitted to Baptist South in Montgomery at 5 a.m. Wednesday with gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead a short time later.
Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett told The Alexander City Outlook his department is working with the Montgomery Police Department to determine if Donaldson was at the scene of the Tallassee home invasion.
The sheriff said Thursday that Donaldson's possible connection to the home invasion was still under investigation.
December 24th
(Connecticut) EW man fires shot to scare off burglar, both arrested
Two men were arrested on numerous charges Saturday, police said, after a homeowner fired his shotgun out his window to drive away a would-be burglar.
Alan Pelletier, 45, of 95A Main St. in the Broad Brook section was charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, unlawful discharge of firearms, and second-degree breach of peace by threat, police said.
Delroy A. Martin, 24, of 794 South St. Suffield, was charged with second-degree assault, criminal mischief, breach of peace, and criminal attempt to commit burglary, police said.
Officers responded to a call about 8:15 p.m. Saturday, police said. "It appears Martin was attempting to break into 93 Main St. when shots were fired," Capt. Roger T. Hart said. "It appears Pelletier shot a 12-gauge shotgun out the rear window of 95A Main St., presumably in an attempt to scare away the suspect," according to Hart.
No one was injured from the shooting, police said. "When we arrived several people were holding a black male down," Hart said. That man, Martin, was "attempting to break into a residence, using a garden tool to break down the door," according to Hart. Martin appeared to have been intoxicated, and damaged multiple unit doors, Hart said.
Martin was held in lieu of $100,000 bond and was scheduled to appear at Enfield Superior Court today.
Pelletier was released on $10,000 nonsurety bond and is to appear on Jan. 22 at Enfield Superior Court, Hart said.
I find this outrageous! If the story happened as it is written then this guy should get a medal not prison time.
December 26th
(California) Man Shoots Another in Self Defense
No charges will be filed against a man who shot and killed another man in southeast Fresno on Christmas. Police say it was self defense.
Investigators say a 26-year old man showed up at his ex-girlfriend's home on east Belgravia, around 4 a.m. to demand to see their baby. Police say he hit the woman, pulled out a gun and threatened to shoot her. The woman's cousin was in the home and shot the ex-boyfriend. Police say he saved both mother and baby.
Police say the suspect had just been released from prison was deported to Mexico, but returned to the U.S.
December 25th
(Pennsylvania) Ingram convenience store clerk shoots would-be robber
A convenience store clerk in Ingram shot and seriously wounded a knife-carrying robber this morning. Ingram police Chief John Doherty said the clerk may have fired at the would-be thief inside and then outside the 7-Eleven store at 10 W. Prospect Ave. "He shot the robber several times. I'm not sure how many," Chief Doherty said this afternoon in a telephone interview. But the gunfire began in the store about 4:30 a.m. and then apparently continued outside, Chief Doherty said.
He declined to identify either the clerk or the robber. Chief Doherty said the would-be thief is 20 years old and the clerk is in his mid-20s.
Emergency crews transported the robber to Allegheny General Hospital, where he underwent surgery, Chief Doherty said. He said the clerk may have had a less serious injury."I believe the clerk was cut," Chief Doherty said.
Chief Doherty said the preliminary investigation showed that the clerk had a permit to carry a firearm. He said he knew this particular clerk because he had been robbed previously and Ingram police investigated the case.
Allegheny County police will be the lead agency in the case and file any charges, Chief Doherty said.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
December 17th - 23rd
Part of the purpose of me keeping this blog is to make people aware that defensive gun uses happen frequently. While reading these stories I hope you keep in mind that there are many, many other stories that haven't made it to me or that I just haven't deemed "interesting" enough to take the time to put on here.
I have compiled a short list of some more stories. These are just a few of the many stories that you all don't even hear about. Also, keep in mind that these are just some of the DEFENSIVE GUN USES, which means that hundreds of people are attacked every week whom are not able to defend themselves.
Keep an eye out and be prepared!
-David
December 22nd
Conroe, Texas
A disagreement between two men in a local bartransitioned to angry text messages after the bar closed, then escalated to a physical confrontation that resulted in gunfire at an apartment. The attacker was killed.
December 21st
Coachella, California
A convenience store robbery-gone-wrong ended with one suspect dead. After being confronted by two armed robbers a clerk of the store grabbed his own gun and killed one of the attackers.
December 21st
Tulsa, Oklahoma
A man was shot in the leg Thursday after exchanging gunfire with someone who apparently was trying to rob his brother. The attacker fled unhurt.
December 20th
Greensboro, North Carolina
A man entered and attempted to hold up a store. The clerk got his own gun and tried to shoot the thief. His gun malfunctioned, and the attacker fled.
December 19th
Niceville Florida
A man was attacked in his home by two intruders. After a struggle he was able to get his pistol from a shelf and shoot twice. One of the shots wounded one of the intruders. Both fled.
December 18th
Burton, Michigan
An armed security guard on patrol at Kings Lane apartments shot and critically wounded a man who allegedly attempted to carjack the guard's personal car.
December 17th
Newbury, New Hampshire
Husband and wife get into an argument and the wife shoots at the husband. The husband gets his own gun and shoots and kills his wife.
December 17th
Phoenix, Arizona
A man turned the tables on a gunman Saturday by wrestling a rifle from him, turning it around and firing.
December 19th
December 19th
(Georgia) Robber Killed by Home Owner's Son
Authorities in Baldwin County are investigating an attempted home invasion and robbery today, after a man was shot and killed while trying to rob a family.
It happened at a home on Lakemere Lane in the Oaks at Willow Lake subdivision. According to Baldwin County Sheriff Bill Massee, a homeowner went outside last night around 8:30pm and was attacked by two men. The homeowner was shot in the hand and pushed inside his home; he was held at gunpoint, and his wife was held at knife point.
Another relative was able to get out of the home and alerted the homeonwner's son, his parents were being attacked and robbed. The son arrived at the home with a gun, and shot and killed 27-year old Alonzo Mosley of Milledgeville. Mosley was pronounced dead at the scene.
This remains an ongoing investigation. Sheriff Massee says he does not believe this was a random robbery.
No charges will be brought against the victim's son for shooting Mosley. The sheriff says he feels like his actions were justified and necessary, adding "he did exactly what he should have done to protect his family".
December 18th
(Florida) Police: Armed intruder killed by armed resident
A man was shot to death Tuesday night outside a home on Pheasant Drive after a gun battle with a resident of the home, authorities said. Flagler County sheriff's officials are withholding the name of the slain man, who appears to be in his 20s, until family members can be notified.
Deputies were called to the home at 43 Pheasant Drive shortly before 7 p.m., Chief Deputy Rick Look said. They found what appeared to be a case of self-defense initiated after the man entered the home "uninvited," Look said.
The two residents, a man and woman whose names were not released, told investigators the man entered their home through the unlocked front door. The male resident "grabbed a gun and fired it at the intruder," Look said.
The intruder ran out the front door, turned around and fired a gun at the residents, Look said they told investigators. The male resident returned fire, Look said. Investigators aren't sure which shot was the one that killed the man, causing him to fall outside the home.
Look said they can't be certain until further investigation but investigators don't think the event was random. "We're trying to determine if there's a relationship between the victims and the suspect," Look said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement was called in to assist the Sheriff's Office and process the scene, Look said. And even though the shooting ended outside in plain view of neighboring homes, "neighbors didn't see anything," Look said. "I heard something," a woman who lives across the street from the home said. "I just thought it was firecrackers, though." The resident declined to give her name but said the experience was "pretty freaky" for her.
She moved to Palm Coast from Miami, and although there's more crime in South Florida, "it was never this close to home," she said.
Investigators are also looking into what a neighbor called a "suspicious silver Hyundai" that was parked across the street from the home for three days. "It didn't move, and now suddenly it's gone," the woman said.
December 18th
Sunday, December 16, 2007
December 16th
December 14th
December 14th
(Kentucky) Police Investigate Bizarre Shooting
Lexington Police are investigating a bizarre shooting on the city's North side of town. It happened just after 10 p.m. Thursday on Maddie Lane in the Masterson Station neighborhood.
Police said two women were inside their home, when they heard a noise downstairs and realized a man was trying to break through their window. The roommates called 911, keeping dispatchers on the phone while they warned the man to leave, but when he continued to try to pry the window open anyway, that's when police say one of the women shot him. The intruder was taken to UK hospital with non life-threatening injuries.
Police are questioning the man, but so far, no charges have been filed. Investigators said the woman who shot him acted in self-defense and will not face any charges.
(GREAT STORY) December 13th
December 12th
December 11th
December 11th
(Ohio) Man arrested after home invasion
A Newark man was arrested in a home invasion shortly after midnight Saturday during which a gun was pulled on the intruder.
Josef L. Franklin, 25, last known address 551 Seneca Drive, was charged with aggravated burglary, a first-degree felony.
A man stormed into a home on the 200 block of Day Avenue at about 12:30 a.m. and confronted a couple in their bedroom, according to a Newark police report. While the intruder was throwing punches at her boyfriend, the 19-year-old female victim told police she pulled an unloaded handgun on the intruder.
The intruder then charged her and tried to wrestle the weapon away before the 23-year-old boyfriend pulled him off, the report said. The intruder, who was joined by two women, then left, threatening to come back and harm both victims, witness statements claim.
He returned about five minutes later, trying to kick down the door, which was locked. He was unsuccessful. The two victims and their infant child left their home. When they returned, the door was broken open and several electronic items and a safe were missing, the police report states.
Franklin was arrested on misdemeanor criminal damaging and felony burglary charges less than three hours after the report was filed. He is incarcerated at the Licking County Justice Center, and Licking County Municipal Court Judge David Branstool set his bond at $25,000 Monday.
Monday, December 10, 2007
December 10th
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A gunman shot four staff members at a missionary training center near Denver early Sunday, killing two, after being told he could not spend the night. About 12 hours later and 65 miles away in Colorado Springs, a gunman fatally shot a parishioner at a megachurch and wounded four other people before a guard killed him, police said.
One of the hospitalized victims from the second attack died Sunday night, said Amy Sufak, a spokeswoman for Penrose Community Hospital in Colorado Springs.
The police chief in Arvada, a suburb about 15 miles west of Denver where the mission workers were shot, said the shootings may be related to those in Colorado Springs but declined to elaborate. No one had been captured in the Arvada shootings, authorities said.
Early Monday, authorities were searching a home in suburban Englewood, about 15 miles south of Denver, that they said could be related to the Colorado Springs shooting case. Results of that search were not immediately known.
"Colorado Springs has identified its suspect, and we're there to see whether their suspect and ours are the same," said Arvada Deputy Police Chief Gary Creagor.
Witness descriptions differed in each incident. A handgun was used in the shootings at the Youth With a Mission center in Arvada, while a rifle was used at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, police said.
The gunman at the New Life Church was shot and killed by a church security guard after entering the church's main foyer with high-powered rifle shortly before 1 p.m. and opening fire, Colorado Springs Police Chief Richard Myers said. Four others were wounded, and one later died.
The church's 11 a.m. service had recently ended, and hundreds of people were milling about when the gunman opened fire. Nearby were parents picking up their children from the nursery.
Police arrived to find that the gunman had been killed by a member of the church's armed security staff, Myers said.
"There was a courageous staff member who probably saved many lives here today," Myers said.
Gov. Bill Ritter ordered state authorities to help investigate. The FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were assisting. Officers found several smoke-generating devices on the church campus, Myers said. Their intended purpose was not clear.
New Life was founded by the Rev. Ted Haggard, who was fired last year after a former male prostitute alleged he had a three-year cash-for-sex relationship with him. Haggard, then the president of the National Association of Evangelicals, admitted committing undisclosed "sexual immorality."
The New Life church is one of Colorado's largest with about 10,000 members. The mission training program in Arvada does have a small office on the Colorado Springs church campus.
About 7,000 people were on the Colorado Springs campus at the time of the shooting, Senior Pastor Brady Boyd said. Security at the church had been beefed up after the early morning shootings in Arvada, he said.
That shooting happened at about 12:30 a.m. at the Youth With a Mission center in Arvada, a Denver suburb, police spokeswoman Susan Medina said.
A man and a woman were killed and two men were wounded, Medina said. All four were staff members of the center, said Paul Filidis, a Colorado Springs-based spokesman with Youth With a Mission.
Arvada Police Chief Don Wick, asked whether he believed there was reason to think the shootings are related, responded, "Yes, there is reason to believe that."
Wick said the suspect spent several minutes speaking with people inside the dorm. Peter Warren, director of Youth With a Mission Denver, said the man asked whether he could spend the night. Several youths called on Tiffany Johnson, the center's director of hospitality.
"The director of hospitality was called. That's when he opened fire," Warren said. Johnson, 26, was killed.
Warren said he did not know whether any of the students or staff knew the gunman. "We don't know why" he came to the dormitory, Warren said.
Witnesses told police that the gunman was a 20-year-old white male, wearing a dark jacket and skull cap, who had a handgun and left on foot. He may have glasses or a beard.
Police with dogs searched the area through the night, and residents of nearby homes were notified by reverse 911 to be on the lookout. Medina said residents were asked to look out their windows for any tracks left in the snow during the night. About 4 inches (10 centimeters) of snow had fallen in the area in the past day.
In addition to Johnson, killed in Arvada was Philip Crouse, 24. Youth With a Mission said Johnson was from Minnesota and Crouse was from Alaska.
The missionary center identified the wounded as Dan Griebenow, 24, of South Dakota, and Charlie Blanch, 22, whose hometown was not immediately known. One of the men was in critical condition, and the other was stable, police said.
The missionary center is on the grounds of the Faith Bible Chapel. Cheril Morrison, wife of chapel pastor George Morrison, said Crouse had just hung up Christmas lights at her home and that Johnson was "an amazingly beautiful person."
Mimi Martin, who lives near the center, said she received the warning call at about 9 a.m. warning neighbors to keep their doors and windows locked.
"Why would anybody want to hurt those kids?" Martin said.
Darv Smith, director of a Youth With a Mission center in Boulder, said people ranging from their late teens to their 70s undergo a 12-week course that prepares them to be missionaries. He said the center trains about 300 people a year.
Filidis said staffers are usually former missionaries themselves and that the "mercy ministries" performed by trainees include orphanage work. He said he did not know where the group being trained in Arvada was going to be sent.
Youth With a Mission was started in 1960 and now has 1,100 locations with 16,000 full-time staff, Smith said. The Arvada center was founded in 1984.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
December 7th
December 5th
(Pennsylvania) DA: Easton shooting self-defense
Rob Pierce Jr.'s walk through Easton's West Ward for dinner at his fiancee's mother's house Tuesday almost cost him his life.He was mugged by two men, one a self-proclaimed Crips gang member, the other wearing a hooded jacket and carrying a handgun, police said.
''It was like hell,'' Pierce, 27, of Easton said Wednesday night in a brief phone interview. While being told to be quiet and cooperate, he was dragged across the street in the darkness and told he was going to be shot. But in an instant, the hunted became the hunter.
Pierce, who carries a handgun for protection, pulled out a .357 revolver and shot Maurice Cook of Easton, who had thrust a .45 handgun into Pierce's back and the side of his head.Cook, 22, who was shot in the abdomen, was taken to St. Luke's Hospital-Fountain Hill, where he underwent surgery and was expected to survive, police said.
He and the other mugging suspect, Tyrone Wright, 22, of Newark, N.J., were charged Wednesday with robbery, aggravated assault and conspiracy. Wright told a district judge he was recently freed from a New Jersey prison, where he had been held on a drug charge.
Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli said the good guy won in a botched armed robbery. But at a news conference Wednesday, he also cautioned against a return to the vigilante days of the Wild West. He said Pierce violated no law by protecting himself and will face no charges. ''Luckily, this time, the citizen won. I think Mr. Pierce acted responsibly.''
Morganelli said he supports laws that allow people to carry concealed weapons and hopes this latest shooting in the West Ward, the second in less than a week, sends a message to ''these young thugs'' that their victims might fight back.
December 4th
(Tennessee) Shootout During North Memphis Convenience Store Robbery
Police say a man who was dropped off at the Med with a critical gunshot wound may be the same man who was shot while robbing a convenience store in North Memphis.
According to investigators, a man and woman busted into the store in the 2000 block of North Chelsea armed with guns and robbed the place. Store surveillance video obtained by Eyewitness News Everywhere shows the robbers wearing masks or bandannas to cover their faces as they point the guns at an unarmed clerk behind the counter.
The store owner says the robbers were surprised by another employee who was outside locking up a laundromat on the other side of the building. That employee happened to be carrying a gun (surprise surprise!) in his coat pocket to protect himself while working outside at night.
Police said the employee and at least one of the robbers traded gunfire. It was unclear who shot first, but investigators believe the man involved in the robbery was hit. The woman got away.
For news report and surveillance video click here.
December 3rd
(Michigan) Burglar Shot In Clinton Township
CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- A Clinton Township man woke up Monday to the sound of a burglar in his condo and chased him away with a gun. He thought that would be the end of it, until the man came out of nowhere and charged at him. That's when the gun fired.
According to police, the man had returned home after a 10-day hunting trip. He heard a noise and chased the burglar away with a gun. The condo owner then knocked on his neighbor's door and asked them to call police. That's when the suspect came back and charged at him. The condo owner shouted that he had a gun, police said, but the suspect tried to grab it away.
The two wrestled for the weapon and the gun discharged twice -- the first shot hitting the ground and the second struck the suspect in the leg.
Police arrived shortly afterward and took the suspect into custody. Police expect the burglar to be arraigned Tuesday.
For news clip with more info click here.
December 3rd
(California) Home-invasion robbery suspect arrested
An Adelanto man has been arrested after an intruder broke into a home and narrowly escaped being shot by the homeowner Saturday.
Lawrence McGirt, 29, was arrested Saturday on suspicion of residential robbery, according to a sheriff's news release. About 1:45 a.m., deputies got a call about a robbery in the 15000 block of Barranca Way. Some of the neighbors came to realize the suspect was a relative of theirs who had earlier been to their home demanding money, officials said.
Investigators say McGirt later walked across the street and kicked down the front door of a neighbor's house. Upon hearing the ruckus, investigators said the homeowner grabbed his .38-caliber handgun and went into the hallway, where he saw McGirt getting up off the floor. As McGirt stood up, he pulled something from his waistband and pointed it at the homeowner and instructed him to get down, officials said. The man shot at the intruder four times but did not hit him, officials said. The owner ran from the house.
Investigators were able to track down McGirt at about 6 a.m. in 10900 block of Aztec Lane in Adelanto and arrested him. He was booked at the Victor Valley jail on suspicion of robbery with gang enhancements, as well as a parole-warrant hold with no bail.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
December 1st
November 28th
After several restless nights, Manfreda and his partner's patience was rewarded.
As it was his partner pulled a gun on the intruder and yelled; ''Freeze APD,'' Manfreda said.
This immediately got Polen's attention, Manfreda said. The homeless man dropped to the ground.
Manfreda said Polen had come equipped with a crowbar, a large wrench, a hammer and a razor.
Manfreda said he was surprised when Polen, with a gun pointed at him, grabbed the crowbar and got to his feet. ''I thought he was going to run, but he didn't. He just said ''shoot me'' and start coming at us. It was like he didn't care about life.
''At this time, Kevin Polen is charged with breaking and entering and possession of criminal tools,'' Edwards said.
In spite of yelling "APD" (for Akron Police Department), this was not an officer.
November 28th
(Ohio) Apartment dweller shoots burglary suspect running away
A man accused of trying to burglarize an apartment building at 11:30 Monday night in Cleveland got a bullet in the left leg. A resident shot him as he tried to run away.
Lawrence D. Cooke, 53, shot the suspect at 11:45 p.m. at East 133rd Street and Woodworth Road.Police said Daryle R. Mitchell, 41, of Soika Avenue, was treated at Huron Hospital and arrested. Mitchell is charged with aggravated burglary.
An incident report says that the suspect tried to break down a rear door. Cooke heard pounding and went outside to check on it, while his wife called 911. Cooke found the suspect and told him to "stay put." The suspect heard sirens approaching and "started reaching into his pockets and running in the field. As I got about twenty feet from him, I told him to stop reaching around. I then shot my gun near his feet to scare him, and I ended up shooting him in the leg. "Officers found a green flashlight in the field near Mitchell. The report quotes Mitchell; "I was going to buy weed at Coit and Woodworth. I didn't get any. As I cut across the field near St. Clair Avenue, I used my green flashlight to look out for skunks. Then I got shot. I didn't see who did it. I was going to catch the bus on St. Clair."
Police confiscated Cooke's .357 Magnum revolver.
November 28th
November 27th
(Missouri) Granny got her gun: Woman thwarts burglary attempt; two face charges
A 39-year-old woman and a male juvenile remained in custody Monday in Jasper County after being foiled in an alleged burglary attempt by a grandmother with a gun.
Lt. Aaron Richardson of the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department said a 63-year-old woman, who lives on South Baker Boulevard west of Carthage, was eating lunch inside her home with a grandchild about 12:30 p.m. Friday when they spotted a woman outside.
“They saw a female walking around the house in a suspicious manner,” Richardson said.
The grandmother reportedly saw the woman signal to a male companion inside a car in the driveway, and the young man got out with a crowbar and approached the house. When he started prying open her back door, the grandmother decided to take matters into her own hands, Richardson said.
“Fearing for her life and the life of her grandchild, she withdrew into another room and retrieved a pistol,” he said.
As the boy came in the back door, the grandmother confronted him with the gun and ordered him onto the floor of the porch, Richardson said. The boy complied, he said. She ordered him to call for his accomplice, and he did, drawing the woman onto the porch, where the grandmother made her sit down while she tried to call for help, Richardson said.
When the grandmother went inside the house to get to her telephone, the would-be burglars slammed a door shut and fled, Richardson said. But the woman called 911, and provided the Sheriff’s Department with descriptions of the would-be burglars and their vehicle.
“They were taken into custody about three hours after that,” Richardson said.
Cpl. Chris Hargis and Deputy Ernest Soole located the two in a parking lot of a Carthage car dealership, where they were questioned and taken into custody.
Faith Barrick, of Carthage, and a 16-year-old boy were charged with first-degree burglary. Barrick remained in custody Monday at the Jasper County Jail, with bond set at $25,000. The juvenile was taken to the Juvenile Detention Center in Joplin.
Richardson said Barrick had contacted the Sheriff’s Department before being arrested and claimed that the two had experienced car trouble and had gone to the grandmother’s house for help. The woman confronted them with a gun, Barrick tried to tell the Sheriff’s Department.
Richardson said investigators believe Barrick thought she had to cook up a cover story because the grandmother may have gotten their license plate number and reported it. He said deputies recovered a crowbar from the defendants’ vehicle, along with some two-way radios and a pair of binoculars.
November 26th
No charges filed against 15-year-old
No charges have been filed against a 15-year-old boy who police say was trying to protect his mother when he shot and killed his stepfather Saturday.
Deputies had been dispatched to the Fairforest Drive apartment previously for domestic-related calls, said Richland County Sheriff’s department spokesman Lt. Chris Cowan.Roosevelt Carter, 42, of 100 Fairforest Drive, Apt. No. 7 died at 9:32 a.m. Saturday at Palmetto Health Richland. He had been shot in the upper body.
The preliminary investigation indicates a domestic disturbance occurred inside the home. The boy’s name and age have not been released because of his age.
November 27th
(Mississippi) Store clerk shoots armed robber
A convenience store clerk surprised an armed robber Monday when he shot the man in the arm, leading to his surrender a short time later, Pascagoula Police Lt. Paul Leonard said.
The clerk at the K&B store on Telephone Road told authorities that a robber, identified as 21-year-old Jason Fairley of Moss Point, walked into the store with a handgun at about 6:25 a.m. Monday, fired a round in the air and demanded cash. The clerk handed the money over to the robber, who walked out in the store's parking lot and raised his gun once again, police said, as if he planned to fire again. That's when the store clerk pulled out his own gun and fired at the robber, hitting him once in the left shoulder. The robber ran to his car to escape, but the clerk took down a description of his getaway car and the tag number.
Two hours later, Leonard said, the wounded Fairley walked into the Police Department and surrendered. From there, he was taken to Singing River Hospital, where he was treated and released. By late Monday, Fairley was back in custody at the Pascagoula City jail, charged with armed robbery. He was awaiting bond.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
November 23rd
(Tennessee) Store Video Shows Bold Robbers In Action
A violent robbery caught on tape. Cops say the bad guys were bold and were ready to shoot and kill to get what they wanted. But a store worker was able to turn the tables on the thugs. And the clerks were saved by sheer luck.
It happened at the Fast Check Convenience Store off Winchester Thursday around 9:30pm. Two robbers busted in, one got away with cash, the other took a few bullets after one clerk chased the robbers out of his store. "One of the victims inside the store heard click click," says Lt. Darren Goods with the Memphis Police Department. The click was the gun... jamming. Both clerks know are lucky to be alive. It lasted just a few seconds -- a few seconds that could have ended someone's life.
Lt. Goods calls them robbers with a sinister motive, "Their purpose was to take-over style robbery. Lets take any and everything we can, lets get as much money as we can. Both armed with guns. And lets get out of here as fast as we can." What's worse say police, several customers - including young teenagers - were inside the whole time. One lady walked into the middle of it. Police say somebody has to know these brazen robbers. The one robber hasn't been charged yet. He's still critical but stable at The MED.
November 21st
(Florida) Guns fired in attack on Delray coin and jewelry store
Three men and a woman were arrested Tuesday after police said they burst into a coin and jewelry store on Federal Highway and fired shots at employees. No one was hurt and nothing was stolen, but a chase ensued that led police through three cities after the getaway car.
Brittney Hinners, 18, of Delray Beach, Blake Lauseng, 20, of Boynton Beach, and Horace Brown, 23, and Thomas Coates, 24, no addresses given, were charged with armed robbery with a firearm, said Jeff Messer, police spokesman. It started as a ruse when a young woman entered Andrew's jewelry shop shortly after 3 p.m pretending to look at engagement rings. She managed to prop open the front door to bypass its automatic locking system as she left. Two men with handguns then stormed into the shop and yelled, "Hey you!" At least one of the men fired four rounds at the owner and two employees, Messer said. "When I heard the shots I thought Andrew [the owner] was just nailing something to the wall," sand Lee Pickens, owner of the Scuba Center shop next door.
The store owner reached for his gun from behind the counter and was going to return fire, Messer said, but the men fled the store, tucked in the corner of the small Mayfair Plaza in the 800 block of northbound Federal Highway. They jumped over a cream-colored stucco wall that separates the plaza from a quiet neighborhood street where the getaway car, a black Mitsubishi Galant, was waiting.
Police picked up the woman and a man thought to be the driver near the store. They pursued the two other men in a zigzagging, 16-mile car chase that finally ended a half-mile south of the Forest Hill Boulevard exit on Interstate 95 when police blew out the car's tires. One of the men tossed a gun over the median, and police recovered the other inside the car. No one was hurt in the car chase, Messer said. "South Florida has been hit like a plague with these violent robberies recently," he said. "Who are all these people?"The four were being booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on Tuesday, and most of them confessed to their part in the robbery, Messer said. Brown also had a warrant and was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, he said.
Initially police were treating the incident as an attempted murder since the men did not demand anything and instead started shooting. However, further investigation revealed that their intent was robbery, Messer said. By 5 p.m. crime scene investigators were dusting the store's door for prints and making molds of footprints left near the wall. Meanwhile, customers and employees came out of their stores to see what the commotion was about. Most did not even hear the gunshots. When Pickens went to see what was going on she saw the owner standing outside the shop with a shotgun in hand, she said.
The Delray Beach resident said she's known the owner since she opened her shop eight years ago. "He's a nice guy," she said. "I've always felt good about Andrew being next door because he has a gun."
November 20th
November 19th
Sunday, November 11, 2007
November 11th
(Florida) Angry hog meets fate on Youngstown property
A Youngstown man with a .22 rifle was the last line of defense between his family and an angry porker. The 300-pound swine terrorized a home along County 2301 on Saturday morning, but ultimately, the hog was killed and taken away to become bacon, ribs and other meats.
“It charged my mom. She was getting very upset,” said the 47-year-old who shot the hog. The man’s name is being withheld at the family’s request because of fear of retribution. “It even came after me one time and nipped me on the leg.”
Officials with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said the family contacted their neighbors to see if the hog belonged to anyone, but no one claimed the curly-tailed creature. After the family called for help, two officers from Bay County Animal Control arrived, but they could not catch the hog either. “We chased the pig all over the place,” the man said. “The pig was street-wise.” The animal control officers then called for backup, and an unnamed Bay County Sheriff’s deputy showed up. But the pig eluded him, too. “Two animal control officers were able to get a noose around the animal but could not hold onto it,” said Sgt. John Sumerall of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office. “Three hundred pounds of pig will pull you pretty good.”
The officers told the deputy to shoot the hog, but the deputy refused, Sumerall said. The officers then requested the deputy contact Sumerall, who concurred with the deputy’s decision. “We’re not shooting an animal that is not a threat to anyone,” Sumerall said. However, Sumerall told the officials the homeowner could shoot the pig. Homeowners have a right to safely kill game on their property, and hogs always are in season, Sumerall said.“When an animal is being aggressive and going after people and we’re not able to catch it, the complainant is allowed to protect themselves and their property,” said Debbie Evernham, interim manager of Bay County Animal Control. Sumerall added the shooting was acceptable because it did not take place in city limits, and the shooter was clear of other houses and traffic. “The property owner went inside, found a rifle and shot the pig in the head, I guess,” Summerall said.
The Youngstown man said he never has killed an animal before and did not want to do it. “I don’t like killing nothing,” he said.
Animal control officials had the hog harvested later Saturday.
November 5th
November 7th
(New York) Fired upon in her Winspear home, woman shoots back
A gunman fired a shot Tuesday night into a Winspear Avenue house, and the occupant retaliated by firing a shot back, police reported. No injuries were reported. The incident happened in the 400 block of Winspear in the city's University Heights neighborhood at about 6:10 p.m.
Northeast District Police said three men dressed in black hooded shirts repeatedly pounded and kicked on the door, and demanded that the woman inside open it, police said. One of the men then fired a shotgun through the door, near the peep hole. When the woman used her own shotgun to return fire, the three men drove away, police reported. The woman's shot struck a neighboring house at 494 Winspear. Police believe two of the men had shotguns, while the third man had a handgun.
November 7th
(Florida) Orlando victims scare off armed robbers with own guns
They draw permitted concealed weapons when suspect shoots
Two holders of concealed-weapons permits surprised armed thugs who approached them in west Orlando this week. Both men opened fire rather than surrender their wallets. The robbers beat it. "They left with broken egos. They didn't get nothing from us," Juan Amezaga said Tuesday. "If more people stood up for themselves, a lot of crime could be prevented. And the concealed-weapons permit, that's great."
The men say they exercised their constitutional right to own guns, carried them legally and defended themselves within the state's deadly force law. "If it's appropriate, people have to defend themselves," said Sgt. Barbara Jones, Orlando police spokeswoman. "It's no different from us using a gun. It has to be justified, and we will, of course, investigate what happened."
The gunfight erupted at 6:10 p.m. Monday near Clear Lake, according to a police report on the incident.
Amezaga, 25, and Stephen Soto, 23, were enjoying the fall weather outside Soto's apartment on South Wilts Circle when two strangers walked by them two or three times. Thinking that was suspicious behavior, Amezaga and Soto took notice when both strangers walked up to Amezaga's parked car, where the men were standing."What time is it?" one of the strangers asked. Soto looked down at his watch and said, "It is 6:10." Raising his head, Soto heard the stranger say, "Hey, run them," as the man drew a black snub-nose revolver from the pouch in his sweat shirt. As Soto pulled a 9 mm Keltec pistol from his right front pants pocket, he heard the robber's gunfire and felt a bullet graze his left shin, breaking the skin. Still standing, Soto fired two or three times before both robbers turned and ran, the report states. "They tried to rob me and my homeboy," Soto said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "Man, put it like this: If I didn't have a concealed-weapons permit, it would have been a lot worse."
When the robbers fled, one stopped, turned and fired an unknown number of shots.Soto shot back and fired two to three more times, and Amezaga drew his .357 Magnum Sig Sauer pistol and fired eight or nine times at the robbers.
Crime-scene technicians later collected 15 shell casings ejected by both of the men's handguns, the report said.Both men were unsure whether they hit either robber. Police did not determine where the 15 bullets fired by the men struck in the neighborhood.
November 6th
Sunday, October 28, 2007
October 27th
(Florida) Blind Man Shoots Home Intruder In Neck
According to police, Cevaughn Curtis Jr., 28, broke into Arthur Williams' house in Gainesville at around 3 a.m.Curtis, police said, knocked on the door, asked to be let inside but Williams refused. Curtis then tried to force his way into the home.The 75-year-old retired taxi dispatcher, who's been legally blind for the past 61 years, opened fire on the would-be-thief who kicked down his door, police said.
Police said Williams shot Curtis, who tried to flee but collapsed on the front porch, in the left side of the neck. He was taken to a hospital in stable condition.Police said Curtis was charged with burglary of an occupied residence and battery on a person over the age of 65.Officials are praising Williams for protecting himself.
October 25th
October 23rd
(Washington) No charges in fatal dispute at Puyallup, WA, gas station
TACOMA, Wash. -- Pierce County prosecutors have declined to file charges against a 21-year-old man who fatally shot another man at a Puyallup gas station.
The prosecutors say the shooter was justified when he shot 23-year-old Nicholas Cruz, of Eatonville, on October 7 at a Shell station.
The shooter told investigators he was sitting in his car at the gas station when Cruz approached and punched him several times, reportedly after breaking the driver's side window.
Police say the driver has a valid concealed weapons permit. They say he pulled out his .357-caliber handgun and shot Cruz twice.
Police say the men apparently were involved in an altercation of some sort before the shooting.
October 23rd
(Georgia) Man shot dead attempting to rob nonprofit
An employee of a Stone Mountain nonprofit association that helps war-torn refugees shot and killed a robber who forced his way into the office Tuesday evening around closing time, authorities said.
The robber collapsed and died near a rear door of the World Relief, an immigrant resettlement agency at 655 Village Square Drive, according to DeKalb County police spokesman Marcus Hodge.
Hodge said around 6:30 p.m. the two robbers entered through the rear door as two male employees, described as older men, were preparing to leave and lock the front door.
Both robbers were armed with handguns, and one of them acted as a lookout, Hodge said. The other demanded the victims' wallets, then put his gun to one employee's head and ordered him to open a safe, Hodge said.When the robber turned his back, the other employee grabbed a gun from his desk and fired several shots at the robber, Hodge said.
Hodge said he did not know how many times the robber was struck, or where he was wounded. Both robbers ran, though the wounded robber did not make it far.
Police were still searching for the second robber late Tuesday.The name of the employee who shot the robber was not immediately released Tuesday. He had not been charged late Tuesday, Hodge said, because the shooting appears to have been in self-defense.
October 23rd
October 22nd
(Pennsylvania) Man killed in E. Liberty home invasion
An armed man was shot and killed early this morning after he and another man broke into a residence in East Liberty, police said. Shawn Davis, 18, of Duquesne, died of a shotgun blast to the head inside an apartment at 300 North Negley Avenue. He was shot at 3:15 a.m. and pronounced dead at the scene 10 minutes later.
Police said he and his accomplice, Rashawn Gibson, 20, of Garfield, tried to rob the occupants of the apartment."It was definitely a home invasion," said Cmdr. Thomas Stangrecki, head of Major Crimes. "We're still sorting it out." Detectives said Mr. Davis pointed his gun at the occupants and ordered them onto the floor. He and Mr. Gibson walked one victim to the rear of the apartment at gunpoint, then returned to the living room and approached the other victims who were hiding in the kitchen. When Mr. Davis pointed a gun at one of them, the man shot him in the head with a shotgun. Mr. Gibson jumped through a window to get away, but police caught him.
He is charged with burglary, robbery and criminal conspiracy.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
October 18th
After a robber cleaned out a Montgomery couple's home, the couple made him clean up -- at gunpoint.
October 17th
October 15th
October 15th
Mobile police said an 81-year-old woman shot a homeless man this morning after finding him washing his clothes in her laundry room. Police spokesman Officer Eric Gallichant told the Press-Register that Ethel Sanders told people she heard noises in her laundry room. When she went to investigate, she found a man standing in his underwear near the washing machine. Gallichant said Sanders was carrying a handgun and shot the man when he came at her. He said Sanders fell to the ground and dropped the gun after firing. Gallichant said the man grabbed the gun, pointed it at Sanders and took his clothes from the washing machine. The man fled and Sanders called police just before 8 a.m. Officers caught the man at the nearby Plateau Community Center.James Penn, who is 25, was taken to University of South Alabama Medical Center. Gallichant said he is expected to survive. Upon release from the hospital, Gallichant said, Penn will be charged with first-degree burglary.
