Civilian Gun Self-Defense Blog

Man Shot, Killed Would-Be Robber

No charges have been filed against a Boca Raton jeweler who shot and killed a would-be robber Wednesday afternoon.

Boca Raton police said four men smashed the windows of H&L Wholesale Jewelry storeowner Leon Rozio's sport utility vehicle at the Town Square Plaza. The SUV had more than $100,000 worth of jewelry in it.

Witnesses said Rozio shot and killed one of the men. The other three got away in a silver van.

Police said Rozio had a concealed weapons permit.

Anyone with information is asked to call police.

Robber fatally shot in Boca Raton jewelry heist

After Leon Rozio got robbed, he vowed never to let it happen again.

Three or four years ago, the 64-year-old owner of Miami-based H&L Wholesale Jewelry Inc. lost some $300,000 in gold and jewelry in a holdup, said his half-brother, Fernando Mirabal.

Soon after, Rozio started bringing a gun on his sales runs, which took him and his priceless jewelry to shops across South Florida.

About 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, not long after Rozio parked his red Ford Explorer outside St. Moritz Jewelers on Boca Raton's west side, four men screamed up behind him in a silver car, boxing him in. They surrounded the Explorer, smashing out all four windows to get at the jewelry inside, witnesses said.

''He opened up like I have never seen,'' said Greg Sanderson, manager of a nearby Omaha Steaks shop, who watched the shooting through the store's plate-glass windows. ``I couldn't believe it. It sounded like the Wild West out there.''

One of the men staggered from the car and ran west through the parking lot toward St. Andrew's Boulevard, Winter said.

Paramedics found the wounded robber bleeding in the car, said Fire Rescue spokesman Frank Correggio. The man was taken to Delray Medical Center, where he died soon after, officials said.

The three other men escaped in a silver van, triggering a manhunt. It wasn't clear whether any of them were wounded, or whether they made off with any gold or jewels, police said.

Investigators still were quizzing Rozio at the police station until about 7 p.m. Rozio's attorney, Bill Mathewman, said his client will not face charges.

Labels: concealed carry permit, FL, street robbery

The robbery happened about 10:45 a.m. at Emily's Jewelry in the 14400 block of Miramar Parkway, police spokesman Bill Robertson said.

The men, one of whom had a gun, barged into the store while owners Rafael and Idia Esquivel were inside.

The armed man pointed the gun at the couple, and the other grabbed a bag of jewelry on the counter, Robertson said.

As the robbers fled into a waiting car, Rafael Esquivel chased them and fired three shots, Robertson said.

Detectives do not know if Esquivel, 61, struck either robber, the spokesman said.

Labels: business robbery, FL

Guard Shoots Man In Run Over Attempt

A security guard at an apartment complex parking lot shot and injured the driver of a vehicle who attempted to run him over, according to police.

Investigators said a Security Staffing Solutions guard became involved in the dispute with three men at the Lake Weston Pointe Apartments located at 2201 Lake Weston Drive on Monday night.

After the argument escalated, one of the men tried to back over the guard, a police report said.

The guard fired several shots into the vehicle, striking the driver in the arm and back.

The driver was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center. He was expected to recover from the injuries.

The two other men with the driver were detained and questioned by police.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office is investigating the shooting.

Labels: FL, private security

Store Owner Shoots Would-Be Robber

A robbery suspect remained in critical condition after being shot Saturday night by the owner of a grocery store on Old Cheney Highway.

Deputies said three suspects entered the store with weapons, with the intention of robbing the store.

The store owner also pulled out a gun, and shot one of the suspects.

The other two suspects left the store, and got away in dark SUV before deputies arrived.

The investigation, and the search for the other two suspects, continued Sunday.

Labels: business robbery, FL

Man Shoots Self In Leg Defending SUV

A man shot himself in the leg about 6 a.m. today as he wrestled with someone trying to break into his SUV in St. Petersburg, said George Kajtsa of the St. Petersburg Police Department.

Police found Richard X. Summers,39, wounded in the upper leg and holding down 18-year-old Marlos M. Conrad.

Kajtsa said Conrad, of 3801 W. Wallace Ave., Tampa, followed Summers' fiancé into their housing complex at 10265 Gandy Boulevard while she was driving a GMC Yukon Denali. She exited the SUV, someone tripped the alarm and she yelled for Summers.

Police say Summers, armed with a handgun, confronted Conrad inside the SUV. They struggled and the gun went off.

Conrad is being held at Pinellas County Jail on charges of strong-arm robbery and auto burglary.

Labels: defender shot, FL, street property theft

A shooting outside a North Miami-Dade shopping plaza Sunday morning left a security guard wounded, a man dead and another on the run, Miami-Dade police said.

The wild scene played out at around 9 a.m. as early-morning shoppers began arriving at the center anchored by a Winn-Dixie supermarket at Northwest Seventh Avenue and 111th Street.

It's unclear yet what sparked the incident, but it may have been a confrontation between two young men and the guard, and not an attempted robbery.

''There are a lot of customers who did see what happened and we are interviewing them as well,'' said Robert Williams, a spokesman for the Miami-Dade Police Department.

An aunt of the dead man said the victim was 19 years old, according to Miami Herald news partner CBS4. She said she did not believe her nephew was involved in a crime.

''I don't know what happened in the parking lot, what went on,'' said Antoinette Cobb, who told the station she was the dead man's aunt. ``I want to know what happened. . . . The police are not giving me any information.''

Witnesses said the security guard appeared to be making his rounds at the center in a golf cart when he was approached by the men.

There was a confrontation that escalated. Investigators said one of the men pulled a gun and shot the guard in the upper chest. The guard returned fire, hitting one of the men, who fell in the parking lot.

The second man took off into a neighborhood just northeast of the shopping center.

The security guard along with the other man were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Hospital, Williams said. The wounded man was declared dead at the hospital. His name has not been released.

SHOT IN TORSO

The security guard, who was shot in the upper torso, was undergoing surgery. He also had not been identified Sunday night.

''Right now we do not have a motive,'' Williams said, adding that homicide investigators are still conducting interviews.

Detectives need to talk to the hospitalized security guard for a clear picture of what sparked the violence.

''We do not know yet if robbery was the motive. We want to make absolutely sure that that was the motive for this so we need to talk to that security guard to get a statement from him,'' Williams said.

Labels: altercation, defender shot, FL, private security

Security Guard Fires Shots At Attempted Robber

Shots ring out outside a Miramar Foot Locker when a security guard strikes a would-be robber.

Police said a Marion security guard was having lunch in front of the Foot Locker at 3194 South University Drive Friday afternoon, when he saw a man covering his face with a bandana and taking out a gun.

That's when the guard fired his gun striking the suspect four times, said police.

Investigators said the injured suspect fled in a wafting white Nissan, but was later found in Miami Gardens at 889 NW 214th Street. The suspect was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Detectives are still looking for the Nissan driven and another passenger they believe was in the car.

Labels: FL, private security

Police: Intruder Shot, Killed In Break-In

A resident might have shot and killed one of two intruders who tried to break into his southwest Miami-Dade County home early Tuesday morning, police said.

The fatal shooting occurred at about 2 a.m. outside 5851 SW 118th Ave.

Miami-Dade police said it appeared two men tried to burglarize the home when the resident fought with them outside and fatally shot one of them. The second intruder fled the scene but was later found west of 118th Avenue, police said. He was detained and is being questioned by police.

Police were also questioning the resident of the home, but it was too early to determine exactly what happened, Miami-Dade police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said.

The resident's family said he was OK and that there had been intruders at the home before.

Labels: FL, residence burglary

Altamonte Springs Homeowner Shoots, Kills Intruder

Seminole County deputies said a homeowner shot and killed a teen who was trying to break into his home overnight.

Deputies said Ryan Realford, 17, approached an undercover deputy's car in the East Altamonte Springs community with an unidentified substance in his hand.

They said when the teen recognized the person in a car was a deputy, he ran into a nearby backyard and tried to break into a home.

A homeowner said Realford removed a locked screen door and was trying to enter his house through a sliding glass door.

The homeowner said he asked Realford to leave. When he would not, the homeowner told deputies he shot him.

Realford was taken to the hospital where he died.

Deputies said it's not likely that the homeowner will face charges.

Labels: FL, home invasion, minor offender

– A suspected burglar who was shot in the hand Tuesday was arrested on Wednesday. Police said a man broke into an apartment in the 700 block of Shearer Avenue, near Interstate 10 and Roosevelt Boulevard. The victim, a 65-year-old man, said he grabbed a revolver near him and fired once at the man. Police said 31-year-old Joseph Brown, who matched the suspect description, was found at Baptist Medical Center being treated for a gunshot wound and was arrested.

Labels: FL, residence burglary

Victim Shoots Getaway Vehicle

A man fired a gun Wednesday at the getaway vehicle of a burglar who had just broken into his home, and he managed to hit a tire, police said. Authorities say they identified and charged the burglar.

Now they are looking for the vehicle, described as a dark blue GMC Envoy, Lt. Mike Loux said.

The burglary victim and his wife arrived home in the 1500 block of North Peaceful Lane and spotted a sport utility vehicle in their driveway, Loux said.

The wife looked into the unfamiliar vehicle to see whether anyone was inside, Loux said. Nobody was.

The husband thought something was wrong and retrieved a .357-caliber firearm from his glove box, Loux said. The man is licensed to carry a concealed firearm.

The husband opened the garage door and at about the same time noticed someone coming from a side yard toward the driveway, Loux said.

The person hopped into the Envoy and began to back out of the driveway, Loux said. The couple's car was behind the Envoy, and the husband thought the Envoy was going to hit him, his wife or their car, Loux said.

The husband shot twice at the driver's side front tire as the Envoy sped away. Investigators determined the driver of the Envoy had burglarized the couple's home, Loux said.

On Thursday, Largo authorities learned of an arrest by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. The man, identified by Largo police as Robert Jacobs, 48, told authorities he burglarized the home and was unaware anyone had fired at the Envoy, Loux said.

Authorities, who did not identify the couple, are still looking for the Envoy. Its Florida license plate number is X835WY.

Detectives also are trying to determine whether Jacobs committed any other burglaries, Loux said.

Labels: concealed carry permit, FL, residence burglary

Thonotosassa Man Wounded In Gunfight At His Home

A Thonotosassa man was shot twice early today during a home invasion, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Debbie Carter said.

The gunman has not been caught.

Shortly after 12:30 a.m., a man pushed open a sliding glass door at 3408 Cooper Road and fired a gun, Carter said.

A resident, Grover Cochrane, 59, was shot twice in the arm and pulled out his own gun and fired at the intruder, who escaped, Carter said.

Cochrane's girlfriend saw the shootout, and her name is being withheld by the sheriff's office as a witness.

The victim has been "very uncooperative" with investigators and has not given a description of the attacker, Carter said.

Labels: defender shot, FL

'Sweetest, kindest gentleman' shoots suspect

A white-haired 85-year-old man, rushing to his son's defense, shot and wounded a would-be car thief Monday morning in Little Havana, Miami police said.

The suspect, Norberto Fernandez, 29, had been trying to steal Jorge Jauregui's white Honda Accord in front of his house, 1368 SW 14th St.

Jorge Jauregui, 50, armed with a handgun, ordered Fernandez out of the car, police said.

''I don't care,'' responded the alleged thief, according to Miami police spokesman William Moreno.

The two engaged in a ''vicious fight,'' Moreno said.

Then his father, Florentino Jauregui, also armed, rushed out of the house and ''fearing his grandson was being overpowered,'' shot and wounded Fernandez, Moreno said.

The shooting could be ruled justified under Florida's self-defense law.

''He was not protecting property but was protecting bodily injury to his own grandson. The investigation is preliminary but it appears he might be covered under that law,'' Moreno said.

Fernandez, a felon with a long criminal history, was charged later Monday with burglary to a motor vehicle, aggravated assault and battery, police said.

He was also fingered as the man who robbed a woman of her purse a few blocks away earlier in the morning, police said. In that case, he was charged with strong-armed robbery.

Investigators believe he had escaped in a stolen white Toyota, which was later found nearby with a nail in the tire. He may have been trying to steal another car when confronted by the Jauregui family.

Fernandez was taken to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital in stable condition, Moreno said.

A neighbor, Laura George, called grandfather Florentino Jauregui ``the sweetest, kindest gentleman in the neighborhood.''

The shooting happened about 9 a.m. in the 1300 block of Southwest 14th Street, only blocks from where another elderly resident, former 1930s Cuban track star Marta Suarez, helped police nab a purse snatcher in September.

Wearing designer sneakers, the 85-year-old Suarez chased the man into the path of a police cruiser. She got her purse back. He went to jail.

Suarez, still wearing the same Coach sneakers, wandered by the crime scene Monday after the latest confrontation between age and youth.

Labels: altercation, carjacking, FL

Bartow Homeowner Shoots Burglary Suspect

A homeowner shot a burglary suspect who was trying to break into his early today, home, the Bartow Police Department said.

Police said their preliminary investigation indicates the suspect, 37-year-old Shaun Lynn Hause, had reached into the victim’s residence via a broken window in the door. The homeowner saw Hause’s hand on the door knob and fired a shotgun.

Hause was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center for gunshot injuries and has been charged with burglary to an occupied structure.

The incident happened about 2:40 a.m..

Labels: FL, home invasion

Orlando victim turns gun on 4 robbers

An armed citizen surprised four men who robbed him at gunpoint last week.

After being ordered to his knees, Russel Olofson warned the men that "they should think about it," according to an Orlando police report released this week.

A private investigator with military training, Olofson, 24, told police the robbers snatched his cell phone and a wallet containing his concealed-weapon permit shortly before 10 p.m. Friday outside Ridge Club Apartments.

After the robbers took his items, Olofson stood up, drew his Springfield XD sub-compact 9 mm handgun "and fired two rounds toward male #1 with the silver handgun, possibly striking him," the report states. "Males #2, #3, and #4 then ran southeast . . . and male #1 ran northeast . . ."

A search by police quickly turned up a pistol likely used in the holdup, the report said.

The .45-caliber Ruger pistol and clothing believed to have been worn by male 1 were found in the backyard of a home on Alrix Drive, reports state. The serial numbers on the pistol had been scratched off, a common sign the weapon may have been stolen.

The cell phone and wallet were not recovered. The wallet contained an Iraq Embassy badge, an Army contractor's ID card, Olofson's drivers license and a credit card. Anyone who finds the wallet or knows the identities of the robbers is asked to call Crimeline at 407-423-8477.

Olofson, who had been conducting an investigation for Briggs Corp. Solutions, was not injured. A check by police of area hospitals did not find any reports of patients treated for gunshot wounds.

Labels: concealed carry permit, FL, street robbery

Intruder Shot Dead on the Southside

Police are investigating a shooting on the Southside that left one man dead.

Jacksonville Sheriff's Officers say the shooting happened at a home on Ivey Road Sunday night.

Authorities say Gary Gene Wright, 25, called 911 and told them he'd shot someone.

Wright told police he believed the man tried to break into his house.

Police found 21-year-old Cordero Duran Jones dead at the scene.

Detectives say there's no sign of forced entry.

Investigators interviewed and released Wright Sunday night. They also questioned his girlfriend, who lives with him.

Wright told First Coast News that he knew the man he shot but he wouldn't elaborate on their relationship.

In a prior police report filed Thursday, Wright told police that someone broke into his home and stole several pistols and a plasma television.

Richard Polke lives a few doors away from Wright. He said that police have been at Wright's home several times and this latest incident makes him feel unsafe.

"It is kind of frightening to see that happen. It surprised me. It took me by surprise," Polke said.

Labels: FL, home invasion

Man kills attacking pit bull

A Tamarac man shot and killed a pit bull named Trouble after the dog escaped from its nearby home and attacked him on Thursday.

Here is what happened, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office:

Around 5:20 p.m. Trouble broke through a screen on the rear patio at a home on the 4500 block of Northwest 16th Way. Children playing nearby screamed, ``Trouble is out.''

Hearing the commotion, Paulo Jean, 35, stepped outside his home next door. Trouble attacked him, biting his buttocks and both arms. Jean pulled a .380 semiautomatic handgun from his pants pocket and fired three shots.

Trouble died at the scene.

Jean was taken to Broward General Medical Center with serious injuries.

Broward County Animal Care and Regulation removed the dead dog and took another dog that also got loose from the same residence. The dogs' owner was not at home when the attack occurred.

Jean had a valid concealed weapons permit.

Further links: Man shoots, kills attacking pit bull named Trouble

Labels: animal, concealed carry permit, FL

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A 52-year-old man fired shots at three men after he was robbed at gunpoint in the driveway of his Orlando home, police said.

The armed robbery took place Monday on Gumwood Court in Orlando.

According to an Orlando police report, the victim pulled into his driveway after cashing a check at a local check-cashing store. Three men approached the man and stole his cash before fleeing in a car, Orlando police said.

The victim fired shots at the getaway car, but it is not known if any of the assailants were struck.

Two of the culprits were described only as in their 20s and the other man was in his 30s, according to the police report.

Orlando police detectives recovered shell casings and confiscated the victim's gun.

Labels: FL, street robbery

Police: Victim Fired AK-47 At Home Invader

A man fired shots from his AK-47 at an armed man who stormed into his house through the garage, interrupted a group of friends playing cards, shot into the ceiling of the home and demanded money.

The incident happened Tuesday morning at 3085 SE 159th Lane Road in Summerfield.

According to Marion County sheriff's deputies, three men, one of whom was armed with a silver revolver, stormed into the home and fired shots into the ceiling while searching for money and weapons.

One of the invaders entered a bedroom where the father of one of the victims playing cards was sleeping, deputies said. The father, who had been awakened by the commotion and gunfire, retrieved his AK-47 from behind his bed, causing two of the assailants to run out of the front door of the house, deputies said.

The invader with the revolver fired shots at the father, who returned fire, according to a Marion County sheriff's report. The culprit ran into a bedroom, broke a window and fled, deputies said. It is not known if he was struck.

The armed assailant was described as a white man wearing blue jeans, a flannel shirt and a blue jean jacket. Deputies said he may be injured and seeking medical treatment. A second culprit had blonde hair and was wearing all dark clothing. The third invader was only described as a Hispanic man.

Anyone with information about the incident is urged to call Crime Stoppers. The Marion County Sheriff's Office is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Further links:
Homeowner shoots back at intruders

Labels: FL, home invasion, residence robbery

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A Central Florida man who collects cash for parking at a church fought off five armed men who had ambushed him and demanded cash.

The 65-year-old victim, who did not want to be identified, said he was collecting cash in the Parramore area before an Orlando Magic basketball game when someone put a gun to his head.

He noticed that that he was surrounded by four other men as well.

The man said he pretended to reach into his jacket for cash but instead pulled out his hidden gun and opened fire.

The men fled during the shooting and it was not known if any of them were hit by bullets.

The victim said he had a permit for the concealed weapon.

He said he has been a victim of crime before.

"A couple of years ago, eight teens attacked me with a pipe trying to rob me," the man said.

Labels: concealed carry permit, FL, street robbery

Panther kills farm animal, threatens ten year old boy

A Florida Panther is causing trouble for one Golden Gate neighborhood. A Collier County man claims that a panther jumped over his fence, killed a farm animal, and almost attacked a ten year old boy.

Homeowner and Golden Gate resident John Edgar is no stranger to wild animals.

Edgar raises goats, peacocks, and roosters, but Sunday night, he captured pictures of a new, unwelcome gust - a Florida Panther.

Edgar said that he had taken a few kids out for target shooting practice Saturday afternoon and was unaware that a wild animal was following closely behind.

When all of a sudden, Edgar said that a panther jumped over a fence and stood just 50 yards away while crouching down as if it were ready to attack one of the boys that was with the group.

"What I would like to put forth is the fact that it stalked a kid, " Edgar said.

"I thought he was ready to jump so we both shoot, 'pow-pow,' not at the panther, just in the air."

After firing several rounds, the panther then ran away, and so did the little boy and his family.

(More)

Labels: animal, FL

Black driver shot 2 whites in self-defense

With one wielding a knife, two men pounded on Hygens Labidou's roofing truck and shouted racial epithets, authorities said.

''N-----, get out of the truck!'' they allegedly snarled, according to a copy of a 911 tape released Tuesday. One of the men, six feet tall and 350 pounds, tried to pull Labidou from the truck.

Moments later, Labidou, fearing for his life, pulled out his 9mm semiautomatic gun and fired, wounding the two Cooper City men -- one fatally -- in the middle of a busy Deerfield Beach intersection.

Labidou, 49, of Wellington, will not be charged because he acted in self-defense, the Broward Sheriff's Office said.

''These two men approached him with a deadly weapon in an aggressive manner,'' BSO spokesman Mike Jachles said. ``Clearly, he was inside his vehicle, and he was clearly within his right to defend himself.''

Edward Borowsky, 28, died Monday, four days after the shooting. The other man, Steven V. Lonzisero, 43, is under arrest, charged with murder during the commission of a crime. Even though he didn't pull the trigger, under Florida law, a person can be charged with murder if someone dies while the accused is committing a felony.

Lonzisero also will be charged with a hate crime, the BSO said.

Labidou has a concealed weapons permit, officials said.

The 911 tape reveals a hysterical Labidou, screaming to the dispatcher that he had been attacked.

''I shot them! I shot them!'' he yelled during the call, made just after 1 p.m. Thursday.

Labidou apologized to the dispatcher for shouting and then answered her questions.

``Both of them down, both of them are down . . . I knocked 'em both. I'm sorry, ma'am. I was trying to defend myself.''

''They said, n-----, get out of the truck. Both of them,'' Labidou said.

Asked by the dispatcher what he did, he replied: ``I shot 'em! I wanted to defend myself.''

The BSO is considering the case a hate crime because the attackers, who were white, shouted racial epithets at Labidou, who is black.

The BSO originally charged Lonzisero with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a felony. But just as Lonzisero was set to be released on bond, Borowsky died, escalating the charge to murder.

The incident happened in the middle of the afternoon as the vehicles were driving north on Powerline Road in Deerfield Beach. Lonzisero and Borowsky were in a white Ford pickup truck, along with Lonzisero's 15-year-old daughter. Labidou, who runs a family-owned roofing company, was driving a flatbed truck.

The BSO said Lonzisero and Borowsky were upset with Labidou's driving and began arguing with him. It's not clear where the vehicles were as the drivers were arguing.

But the BSO said the verbal sparring turned violent when Lonzisero stopped his truck at the intersection of Green Road and Powerline in front of Labidou's flatbed truck.

Lonzisero and Borowsky, who was armed with a knife, got out of the pickup, the BSO said.

Borowsky and Lonzisero pounded on Labidou's truck, yelling racial epithets at Labidou and trying to open his door, the BSO said. It's not clear whether Labidou fired from inside his vehicle, but the BSO said he fired several shots, striking both men twice.

The men fell to the pavement, and Labidou and several witnesses called 911.

One caller describes the scene to the 911 dispatcher: ``Two guys on the ground. One guy with the gun. He's on the phone. I don't know what happened. I didn't see what happened, but the guy is very calm.''

The caller pauses to yell, ``Put the gun down.''

''Stay away from him,'' the operator advises.

To which the caller replies: ``I am.''

Tuesday night, the upstairs lights were on in Lonzisero's home in Flamingo Townhomes Phase V. No one answered the door outside the townhome, which had Christmas bells on the door. Neighbors, who asked that their names not be used, said Lonzisero rented the unit and lived there with his three children and their mother, while Borowsky lived downstairs.

Lonzisero was in and out of the family's lives, they said. The few that knew the two men said they were confrontational.

Another said Lonzisero screamed obscenities at her one day when they were both trying to move their cars.

Labidou runs Impact Roofing in Riviera Beach, according to the company's website. It's been around since March 1999.

Further links:
Broward man charged with murder after road rage shooting

Labels: concealed carry permit, FL, hate crime

Not long after Niceville resident Harold Crown fired a handgun at three would-be burglars, a teenager turned up at Twin Cities Hospital with a bullet wound to his torso.

Coincidence?

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office thinks not.

Crown, 64, told authorities someone knocked on his door at about 10 p.m., Tuesday and when he opened it two men wearing hooded sweatshirts and ski masks “rushed in and knocked him down,” a Sheriff’s Office news release said.

The 23rd Street resident said a third man followed the first two into the house and began beating and kicking him.

“Crown grabbed a .45 caliber handgun from a shelf of a bookcase and a struggle ensued over the gun,” the news release said.

The homeowner told deputies he fired once and didn’t hit anything. He fired a second time, the release said, “but wasn’t sure if anyone was struck.”

Crown’s assailants fled the scene after the second shot was fired. He went to a neighbor’s house and called 911, the release said.

“A short time” after the incident a 19-year-old arrived at Niceville’s Twin Cities Hospital wounded from a gunshot to the torso, the release said. He was treated and transferred to West Florida Hospital.

Labels: FL, home invasion

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.

Further links:
Man Fatally Shoots Home Intruder

Labels: FL, home invasion

Nursing Home Security Guard Shoots Armed Man

A security guard shot a man in the parking lot of a St. Petersburg nursing home after the man retrieved a gun from his vehicle.

Jacob Michaels, 33, drove his girlfriend and friend to their workplace, Bons Secours Maria Manor Nursing Home, 10300 4th St. N., around 11:30 p.m. Saturday so the friend could retrieve her car. Michaels waited in the car, according to a St. Petersburg Police press release.

While he waited, he was approached by Richard Dunn, 41, the nursing home security guard. Michaels, who isn't an employee of the home, became angry and the pair argued. That's when Michaels retrieved a gun from his car and Dunn shot him, twice.

The wounds are not life threatening, according to police.

Charges haven't been filed since the shooting appears justified, the press release stated. The case is being reviewed by homicide detectives.

Labels: altercation, FL, private security

Police: Victim Shoots, Kills Home Invader

A man in Orange County grabbed a shotgun and shot and killed one of three home invaders inside his apartment late Sunday, according to police.

Investigators said three men burst into a home at the Pine Harbor apartments located near state Road 408 and Rouse Road just after 11:30 p.m. Monday.

During the incident, the homeowner fired a shotgun at the men, causing the three men to flee, police said.

A man believed to be involved in the incident later arrived at a hospital and died from a gunshot injury, according to investigators.

Authorities said it did not appear the victim would face criminal charges for the shooting, Local 6 reported.

"Based on the preliminary investigation at this time in reference to trying to break into somebody's house, probably (no charges) but that is all subject to change depending on where the investigation takes us," Orange County sheriff's Cmdr. Rick Luckey said.

Police are trying to determine if the alleged break-in was a random attack.

Two persons of interest were also taken into custody early Monday was it was not determined if they were involved in the incident.

Labels: FL, home invasion

Man Turns On Would-Be Robbers, Kills One

Four robbers get more than they bargain for when they target an elderly Hialeah Gardens man. Police said he shot and killed one of them while he was being attacked.

Police said 74-year-old, Jorge Leonton was not aware he was being followed from the bank to his home along Northwest 91st Avenue and 119th Street.

"I feel horrible, my body is still shaking," said Margarita Leonton, who is still shaken up on Saturday, after police said 4 armed men attacked her husband. "I never thought that this could happen especially at 10:30 in the morning."

Jorge Leonton was questioned by police after they said he drove to a nearby bank, withdrew cash, and began driving back home. On Saturday night he is back at home with his wife.

Little did he know, four men were following from behind, when he arrived home, and got out of his car police said one of the thugs put him in a chokehold position and demanded money he had just withdrawn from the ATM.

"He came to me with such great force, he was so violent and started to choke me," said Jorge Leonton. He said he told the robber to let go, Leonton has a conceal weapon permit.

"I took out my gun and told him, let me go or I'm going to shoot you, because I have a heart condition," said Leonton. "I can't breath, you can't grab me by the neck, because I'll die, I told him that 3 times."

The alleged robber refused to let go and Leonton shot him in a torso. "My vision became blurry and that's when I shot him," said Leonton.

The other three crooks drove away. Jorge told CBS4's Shomari Stone he didn't want to shoot him, but he had to because his life was in jeopardy. "It's bad I didn't want to shoot a human being, he is a human being regardless."

Paramedics lifted the wounded suspect to Ryder Trauma Center where he later died.

Margarita said her husband's gun saved his life. "If he wouldn't been armed, I think he would have been killed," she said.

They are searching for the other 3 suspects who got away.

Labels: concealed carry permit, FL, street robbery

Suspect's case closed after owner held him at gunpoint

The state attorney's office will not pursue charges brought by Michael Joseph McCreary

An 18-year-old arrested in October for trespassing on another man’s property and breaking into his vehicles won’t get to press charges against the owner, who held him at gunpoint until lawmen arrived.

The teen, Michael Joseph McCreary, had his case closed last week by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.

He had approached deputies on Nov. 14 with his mother to file a complaint for aggravated assault and battery against the owner of the property on Reinke Drive — Victor E. Mikell — for using excessive force in detaining him in an Oct. 28 incident.

McCreary said Mikell hit him with the butt of a rifle, held the barrel at his head, drug him into a driveway and threatened to kill him while he waited for law enforcement to arrive.

But Mikell told investigators he had “heard shots” coming from the back of his property and went to investigate. That’s when he found McCreary and two other men fleeing after allegedly breaking into vehicles and stealing property from Mikell’s wooded land.

Mikell said he raised his rifle to his shoulder and yelled at McCreary to stop or he would shoot, and McCreary stopped.

But he soon became belligerent and acted like he might take off again, Mikell said, so he hit McCreary in the stomach with the butt of the rifle and marched him to the driveway, where he kept him face-down on the ground until lawmen arrived.

Mikell said this all took place while he was hearing gunfire from the woods on his property.

Sheriff’s deputy Jennifer Bellamy contacted assistant state attorney Bobby Elmore and gave both accounts of the incident, according to the report. But Elmore said his office would not file criminal charges against Mikell.

The case was approved closed on Nov. 15.

Labels: FL, residence burglary, trespassing

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."

Labels: business robbery, FL

Security Guard Fights Back During Robbery

Guard Kicks Gun From Man's Hand, Chases Attempted Robbers Away

A security guard fought back during an attempted robbery at a Hialeah cafeteria early Monday morning.

Around 3 a.m., two men -- one of them armed and wearing a mask -- approached El Palacio de los Jugos, located at 2393 W. 78th St., police said.

One of the men pulled a gun on the security guard, who was sitting on a chair in the parking lot. Surveillance videos shows the guard kick the gun out of the man's hand and draw his own gun. The guard can then be seen firing two shots as the men ran away.

The guard was not injured and it didn't appear either man was shot.

Labels: business robbery, FL, private security

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.

Labels: animal, FL

Boy, 15, shot dead during burglary in North Miami

A 15-year-old boy died from a gunshot wound early Saturday morning after he and another suspect tried to burglarize a home in North Miami, police said.

The owner of the home, described as a business, apparently confronted the two burglary suspects after they were spotted on the property.

Details of the shooting were unclear, but police arrived to find the boy lying in front of the residence with a gunshot wound.

Police notified emergency rescue workers, who were unable to save the teen, according to a statement released by the North Miami Police Department.

The dead teen was identified as Paul-Marc Petit.

The other suspect, who was not identified by North Miami police, was apprehended and charged with felony murder, burglary and theft.

Labels: FL, minor offender, residence burglary

Police: Orlando Cricket Player Shoots Opponent During Match

An argument between several Indian men during a cricket match in Orlando led to an on-the-field shooting that seriously injured one of the players, according to police.

Orange County sheriff's deputies said they responded to a 911 call at 4:20 p.m. Saturday from a cricket match at Cyprus Grove Park and found Francis Singh, 36, shot in the abdomen.
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Officers said Singh apparently became involved in a fight and threatened Devan Bascom, 37, with a cricket bat.

Police said Bascom then pulled a small semi-automatic gun and fired at Singh, hitting him at least once.

"The shooter was defending himself from an attack with a cricket bat which is simlar to a baseball bat but it's flat," Orange County sheriff's Sgt. Spike Hopkins said. "For this man to bring a firearm to a sporting event is odd but then again, he has the right to do so. He has a concealed weapons permit and if, in fact, he was protecting himself, he was authorized by law to do so."

Singh was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center and was undergoing surgery late Saturday.

There have been no arrests made in the case as the investigation continues.

Labels: assault, concealed carry permit, FL

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.

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Labels: concealed carry permit, FL, street robbery

Attempted-robbery suspect shot dead near Lake Worth

One of three men who allegedly tried to rob the El Rancho night club early Sunday morning died after being shot in an altercation with the owners. The would-be robbers were patrons at the club on Lake Worth Road earlier Saturday night, according to Palm Beach County sheriff's officials. They returned at around 2:30 a.m.

The men fled the gunfire inside and one man, who has not been identified, died on the sidewalk a few storefronts away, officials said. The other two men could not be found.

Labels: business robbery, FL

Man shoots cricket bat-wielding attacker

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting which happened around 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at Cypress Grove Park in Orlando.

The victim, Francis Singh, 36, is recovering at Orlando Regional Medical Center and is currently in stable condition.

Deputies say Singh and another man, identified as Devan Bascom, 37, began arguing with each other. During the argument, Singh produced a cricket bat and assaulted Bascom. Upon feeling threatened, Bascom defended himself with a small caliber semi-automatic handgun and shot Singh once in the abdomen.

No arrests have been made in the case, which has been filed with the State Attorney's Office. The investigation reveals that the shooting was in self defense.

Labels: altercation, assault, FL

Police: Man Shoots, Kills Girlfriend's Ex

Police Trying To Determine If Shooting Was Act Of Self-Defense

Police said a man shot and killed another man who showed up Thursday night at a Sunrise apartment where his ex-girlfriend and her current boyfriend live.

According to Sunrise police, a man showed up at his ex-girlfriend's apartment and got into an altercation with her and her live-in boyfriend. At some point, police said, the boyfriend fatally shot the man.
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Police are trying to determine whether the shooting was an act of self-defense. No one has yet been charged.

Labels: domestic dispute, FL

Victim pulls own gun, kills would-be robber

For the second time in two days in South Florida, victims have opened fire on armed robbers. And both gunmen ended up dead.

In the latest incident overnight, a man sitting in a car alongside a woman was confronted by a man dressed all in black, wearing a ski mask and carrying a gun. He demanded money -- and to see the woman strip naked, Miami police said.

The man in the car, a security guard from a nearby Food Giant, pulled his own gun and exchanged gunfire with the man in the mask. The robber ran, threw his gun down in the mud and collapsed.

The intended victims were unharmed.

The would-be robber was dead.

The location of the shooting, 115 NE 78th St., is just outside a two-story brown apartment complex in the shadow of a 15-story condo rising at the northern edge of Little Haiti.

Just over a day earlier, a ski-masked man trying to rob Diaz Groceries in Naranja was shot dead by the owner.

Labels: FL, street robbery

Police: Woman Shoots Suspect With His Gun

A woman confronted by two home invasion suspects in Westside apartment on Wednesday morning wrestled a gun away from one of them and shot him, police said.

According to the Jacksonville Sheriff's office, two suspects posing as maintenance men entered the woman's apartment in the 4400 block of Confederate Park Road.

When one of the men pulled a gun, the woman got it away from him and shot him. The man was rushed to Shands-Jacksonville Medical Center in serious condition. His name has not been released.

The other suspect ran away and is being sought by police.

The woman was not hurt.

Labels: criminal's gun taken away and used against him, female, FL, home invasion, residence robbery

Ex-boyfriend shot while breaking into woman's home

A man is in critical condition after he was shot while allegedly trespassing at 4225 Reinsma Road in Milton late Tuesday night.

The resident, a woman, told deputies that she shot the man, 32-year-old Matthew Scott Strickland, in the chest because he was attempting to break into her residence, according to a release from the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.

The woman, whose name has not been released, told dispatchers that the intruder was her ex-boyfriend.

When deputies arrived, they found Strickland unconscious in the backyard. He was taken to West Florida Hospital in Pensacola, where he remains in critical condition.

“Investigators are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident,” according to the release.

Labels: domestic dispute, female, FL, home invasion

Police: Grocery Store Owner Shot Would-Be Robber

The tables were turned on a would-be robbery suspect after police say a store owner shot him as he tried to rob a grocery store.

Miami-Dade Police say an armed and masked robber walked in to the Diaz Groceries located at 13501 SW 268 Street in Homestead and tried holding up the clerk. The store owner, who was nearby, witnessed the commotion and grabbed the gun and shot at the suspect.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue transported the shooting victim to Jackson Memorial Hospital via air rescue, but he died on the way.

Police have not released the names of any of the parties involved, and they say they are determining if the owner was acting in self defense.

Labels: business robbery, FL

3 Men Sought In Home Invasions In Hillsborough

Hillsborough County deputies are searching for three men suspected in a string of armed home invasions and the shooting of a resident who defended himself and nearly caught one of the suspects.

Arrest warrants on charges of armed home robbery were issued today for Cedric Stephens, 20, Derrick Grady, 19, and Ronnie Bolden, 18. Stephens also faces one count of attempted murder.

On Friday morning, the suspects forced their way into an apartment at 15101 Buckhorn Court in Lutz, sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said. They demanded money and threatened to shoot the four victims. The men left in a newer model red vehicle after taking cash and personal property.

On Sunday morning, the same suspects knocked on an apartment door at 5427 Ginger Cove in Tampa, Carter said. After a victim opened the door, the suspects produced a gun and left with various items of personal property.

Four hours later, the suspects forced open a door at 2608 Rustic Ridge Loop in Lutz, Carter said. They pointed a handgun at a 34-year-old man and took his cash and a video game player, also leaving in a red car.

As they left, the robbers doused the victim's face with pepper spray, Carter said. The victim grabbed a rifle from in the apartment and chased after them. He caught up to one of the men and began to escort him back to the apartment when one of the other suspects came up behind him and fired a shot in the back of his neck, Carter said.

The suspects drove away in a red 2008 Chevrolet, Carter said. The victim chased after the vehicle on foot and then fired one shot at the vehicle.

The suspects abandoned the car and ran west out of the complex, she said. The victim was rushed to Tampa General Hospital with injuries that weren't life-threatening and was released.

Labels: FL, residence robbery

Restaurant employees 'Wok N Roll' on robber

Employees at a Jacksonville Wok N Roll restaurant not only disarmed a robber Saturday night but also got his sweatshirt.

Police responded to the robbery call about 10:40 p.m. at the 8011 Merrill Road restaurant where employees said they had left the front door propped open because of the heat. That's when a gunman walked in and pointed his weapon at two of the employees behind the counter, the Sheriff's Office report said.

One of the employees opened the register and handed the cash to the gunman. As the man grabbed the money, the 5-foot-8, 150-pound employee grabbed the handgun and he and his co-worker chased the robber out the store. The victim threw the gun at the assailant's head but missed, according to the Sheriff's Office report.

The other employee grabbed the robber's hooded sweatshirt and pulled it off, the report said. But the man ran through the parking lot into the Paddock Club Apartments and jumped a wooden fence into the Sandy Beach Lane neighborhood. He got away with about $480, the report said.

The victims gave police the sweatshirt and gun, which turned out to be a BB gun.

The robber was described as a black man with a goatee, about 35 years old, 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds. He was wearing a white, hooded sweatshirt, dark shorts and red shoes.

Labels: business robbery, criminal's gun taken away and used against him, FL

Burglary Suspect Caught

A suspected burglar who was shot twice on his way out the door has been captured, authorities announced today.

Deputies cordoned off streets in the area of Sunshine Grove Road for hours Oct. 17 as they unsuccessfully searched for the suspect, now identified as 23-year-old Nigel Fleming.

An affidavit shows Fleming was arrested at his home, 21348 Canal St., Brooksville, on Friday, but a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office couldn't say what led investigators to Fleming because the case is still open.

An arrest affidavit states the victim, Mark Hartley, arrived at his home on Sunshine Grove Road that morning to find an unfamiliar red pickup in his driveway.

Hartley armed himself with a .22 caliber handgun from his pickup and went to investigate. When he stepped inside the open back door, Fleming allegedly charged him and pushed Hartley against a washing machine.

At one point in the struggle, Hartley shot Fleming in the gut with small pellets called rat shot. Fleming was also shot in the buttocks as he fled.

Detective Randy Williamson reported that the suspect left behind a pair of size 10 1/2 shoes and escaped capture barefoot.

Fleming is charged with burglary of a dwelling with battery and has been placed on a no bond status.

Labels: FL, residence burglary

Robed man chases robbers with rifle

A resident of Campus Lodge wearing a bathrobe and armed with a rifle chased three would-be robbers from his apartment Sunday afternoon.

The man, whose name was not released by deputies, was shot in the neck by one of the robbery suspects before a deputy patrolling the area spotted him running in a parking lot, said J.D. Calloway, spokesman for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Witnesses said he fired a round into the air, Calloway said.

The three men, one carrying a handgun, allegedly barged into the victim's apartment, located at 2608 Rusty Ridge Loop, around 3:41 p.m., but were chased out by the victim.

Frank Prather, a resident of Campus Lodge, said he was drawn outside his apartment by the sound of people arguing. He thought it came from the floor under his.

He heard a man pleading not to be shot before a gun was fired. Prather said he ducked into his house to grab his phone, and when he went outside a second time, he heard another shot.

The victim was shot from behind in the base of the neck outside his apartment, Calloway said. His injuries were not life threatening, but the victim was taken to Tampa General Hospital for examination.

The suspects, who drove a red Chevy Impala, got lost in the complex, and a deputy blocked their escape through the entrance, Calloway said. They then abandoned their vehicle and fled into the surrounding area.

The Sheriff's office sent deputies, K-9 units and helicopters to search the area around Campus Lodge. No arrests have been made.

Labels: defender shot, FL, home invasion

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.

Labels: FL, home invasion

Store Owner Chases Gunman From Business

Fish Market Owner Refuses To Become Victim

A store owner refused to become a victim Tuesday night. When a masked gunman rushed into his Westside fish market, the store owner fought back and scared off the crook.

The attempted robbery took place just before 6 p.m. at Jacobson's Fish Market on Beaver Street, where a bustling shopping plaza once stood and now only one store remains.

The fish market owner, Sameer Kandah, said doing business at the location has been rough.

Kandah said he was getting to ready to close up his fish market on Tuesday night when a man wearing a Halloween-type mask stormed inside with a gun.

"I was with a customer and next thing I know he's holding a gun to my face and handing me a bag telling me to put money in the bag," Kandah said.

However, the store owner refused to comply. He said instead he told the robber to do it himself.

"I was trying to get him to come close enough so I could disarm him, but when I tried he ran away," Kandah said.

After that, the owner said he chased the masked gunman out of his store with a shotgun in tow but by the time he got in the parking lot the crook was nowhere to be found.

Kandah said since the grocery store next door to his market was abandoned the shopping plaza has been plagued with crime.

"Our life is in danger everyday because of this. The day before the robbery we had someone waiting for us in the bushes because it's too dark outside when we close," Kandah said.

Contributing to the problem he said are broken lights in the parking lot that invite crooks to his store.

"You never know what you're walking in and out of -- it's very dangerous," Kandah said. "I'm not trying to take justice into our hands. I'm trying to survive that's all."

Labels: business robbery, FL

Largo Man Shoots Dog In Self Defense

A homeowner shot and killed a dog that broke through the fence and attacked his pet on Monday night, police said.

Police said George Frank, of 334 Lake Palms Drive, was within his rights to protect himself from the dog. No charges are expected to be filed stemming from the incident that occurred at 7:30 p.m.

The dog, a chow mix, attacked Frank's dog, police said. Frank tried to separate them when the chow mix started snarling at him. Then, Frank shot two rounds into the dog, killing it instantly.

Frank has a concealed weapons permit and was armed with a 9mm handgun.

Labels: animal, concealed carry permit, FL

ROYAL HIGHLANDS -- Mark Hartley returned to his house Wednesday morning to find an unfamiliar red pickup in the driveway. He grabbed a pistol and walked to the back of his doublewide mobile home and saw the door was ajar.

In his mind, he said, "This isn't good," Hartley told the Hernando Times.

In his hand, Hartley gripped a .22-caliber pistol. He gently opened the screen door, but it creaked as it shut behind him. The intruder heard it.

"I said, 'Freeze,' and he came charging out of my bedroom at me," Hartley said. "He tried to tackle me at the back door; he came shoulder down."

Hartley managed to fire one shot from about a foot away. But the first bullet was "snake shot," or a bullet filled with tiny lead pellets used to kill small varmints.

It didn't slow the intruder, described as a white male in his 20s with a shaved head, last seen wearing baggy blue jeans and a white tank top. The intruder ran out the door of the home at the corner of Sorrell Street and Sunshine Grove Road and headed for the red pickup.

The truck, authorities said, was reported stolen about three days ago in Hernando County. On the front seat was a .38-caliber handgun, also reported stolen in an unrelated incident. But the suspect didn't have time to reach the weapon, Hartley said, because Hartley was close behind him.

As the man fled, Hartley fired another shot -- this time with a real bullet. It's unclear if the slug hit him, but Hartley said he saw the man begin to limp as he ran north along Sunshine Grove Road before crossing a field in this rural neighborhood northwest of Brooksville.

Authorities launched an exhaustive daylong search involving nearly two dozen sheriff's deputies, a helicopter and numerous scent-tracking canine units.

The suspect remained on the loose Wednesday evening.

"We felt comfortable that the perimeter was set pretty quick, but after checking with canine and helicopter" nothing was found, said Lt. Scott Bierwiler, a spokesman for the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.

Labels: FL, residence burglary

Police: Stripper-Involved Death Was Self-Defense

Authorities are investigating a twist in the shooting on Tuesday night involving a stripper.

Orange County investigators said the stripper was part of a setup to rob the people who hired her.

One of the intended victims shot and killed a man who detectives now say was there to rob him, and had a gun of his own.

The exotic dancer was invited to a private home, but it seems she was part of a larger, Internet-based scheme to rob the two men who invited her, investigators believe.

"It's very weird," neighbor Maria Fernandez said.

Area residents first became concerned after they heard the shooting was the result of an argument over an exotic dancer.

"People have parties, and they have these strippers come to the house in your own neighborhood. You know, i'ts like, unbelievable," Fernandez said.

Then authorities discovered a new twist in the case on Wednesday afternoon.

"You have two individuals that were just looking for a night of entertainment, unfortunately, they called in the wrong act," Sgt. Alan Lee of the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.

Homicide detectives said the two men had responded to an ad for an exotic dancer on Craigslist.

"A lot of times there is inherent risk with that. A lot of times these ads, it's a setup for you to be robbed," Lee said.

Detectives said the woman went to the house first to scope it out in order to determine for her accomplice if it was worth robbing.

The dancer's accomplice showed up with a gun and the homeowner returned fire with his own weapon and killed the man.

Authorities said neither of the two residents of the home will be charged.

"They were acting in self-defense," Lee said.

Detectives have been working to try to figure out the identity of the man who was shot to death. They strongly suspect the man has a criminal record.

The police are encouraging victims of similar crimes to contact them directly.

Labels: FL, home invasion, residence robbery

Hernando man confronts, shoots burglar

The search is on for a wounded burglar in Hernando County.

According to deputies, a Brooksville man returned home to find a red pickup truck in his Sunshine Grove Road driveway. The man armed himself and then went inside to confront the intruder.

A struggle ensued, during which the homeowner shot the intruder in the stomach and the backside with bird shot, which was loaded in his .22-caliber pistol.

The wounded intruder fled, and now K9s and helicopters are helping to search for him.

There were initial reports out of the area that three schools had been placed on lockdown, but deputies say that never happened. Additional deputies were dispatched to the schools as a precaution, however.

The suspect is described as a white man in his 20s with a shaved head. He was last seen wearing a white shirt and carrying a dark jacket.

Labels: FL, residence burglary

Woman portrayed as battered spouse acquitted of attempted murder

A 48-year-old North Naples woman who shot her husband in the face was acquitted of attempted murder Tuesday in a case domestic violence advocates hope will prompt battered women to come forward at the first signs of abuse.

The four-woman, two-man jury deliberated roughly 2 1/2 hours before acquitting Victoria Vawn Dales of attempted first-degree premeditated murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and shooting inside a building in the June 20, 2004, shooting of her third husband, Michael W. Dales.

The verdict means jurors had reasonable doubt or believed Dales was justified and acted in self-defense. The early morning shooting at 387 Huntington Drive in Victoria Park shattered 35-year-old Michael Dales’ jaw when a bullet pierced his lower lip, lodging in his spine. Dales, a crane operator with law enforcement training, testified he lost part of his jaw.

During the four-day trial, prosecutors portrayed Dales as jealous and possessive, pushed to kill after catching her husband on the phone with a woman and learning he planned to leave her. The defense, however, painted him as possessive, obsessive and violent, a man who controlled everything from the clothes she wore, to her jobs and friends. They say he attacked her after she threatened to leave and painted her as a victim of battered spouse syndrome who’d survived two serious prior beatings and suffocation attempts.

Testimony concluded Friday with a battle of forensic psychologists who disputed whether she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and battered spouse syndrome.

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Labels: domestic abuse, FL

Burglar shot in the face during break-in

A burglary victim shot the thief in the face early Tuesday morning in North Fort Myers.

It happened around 3:45 a.m. on Redlin Street, between Atlantic & Pacific.

Authorities say when the resident of the home heard the burglar, he pulled a gun and fired, striking the thief in the cheek.

The wounded man ran from the house and was picked up by authorities on Pacific.

The man, whose name has not been released yet, was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital with a wound to his cheek. Authorities say the injury doesn't appear to be life-threatening.

Labels: FL, residence burglary

Police seek leads in shoot out

In exclusive video obtained by FOX 13, you see a man in dark clothing and a hat, walk up to the counter, wave a gun, and demand cash from store clerk Nasief Oudeh.

"It was scary, that's it," said Nasief.

The terrifying armed robbery played out late Thursday evening at Papa Dan's Food Store in North Tampa.

In the video, Nasief is helping a customer when suddenly he's starring into the barrel of a gun.

"By the time I turned my back to the customer I saw a suspect come in with a .38 gun waving it at me and said open the cash register. So I said 'okay calm down let me give you the cash,' " said Nasief.

The gunman cleans out one register and then demands cash from the second one.

As the armed suspect bolts out the door, Nasief's cousin fires one shot.

Nasief also fires shots as he runs out of the store, but the armed robber gets away.

Tampa police investigators are now looking at surveillance video and trying to figure out how many shots were fired, and by whom.

"Certainly it had the possibility of being a lot worse, and we're certainly hoping to be able to find this person and get them off the street before somebody does get hurt, " said Corporal Jared Douds with the Tampa Police Department.

Nasief says despite this latest robbery, it will be business as usual.

"The next time, he's not going to get away. We're going to be here and we're going to open for business everyday," said Nasief.

Labels: business robbery, FL

Man Killed in Act of Self Defense

Investigators say a man from Gainesville was shot to death, while robbing his neighbor's home. The accused shooter says it was an act of self defense.

A Gainesville man is shot to death and deputies say his neighbor is responsible, but he isn't facing any charges.

Alachua County deputies say 33-year-old John Wilds shot 42-year-old Robert Aden in the chest while they were at Wilds home.

Wilds and a witness told deputies that Aden tried to forcefully enter Wilds home, and even broke off the front door's handle. Wilds then grabbed his 22 caliber handgun, told Aden to leave, and fired a warning shot in the air. Aden then came at Wilds with his fists clenched and shouting obscenities. Fearing for his life, Wilds shot Aden in the chest. Wilds isn't facing charges at this time, but deputies say they will talk with the State Attorney's Office about possible charges when the investigation is complete.

Labels: assault, FL, home invasion, residence robbery