10/12/09
Griffen, Georgia
From MyFoxAtlanta of October 8, 2009
Bank Manager Pulls Gun on Armed Robber
A former bank manager said Thursday that a life or death decision got him fired. The manager said he pulled a gun on a bank robber and fired shots at him, forcing the robber to flee. Police credited the manager's actions to the arrest of the suspect William Hunt.
Wesley Hallman said it was common knowledge that he carried a pistol. The former manger said he felt safer with the gun when he opened the bank.
Hallman said when he saw a would-be robber holding a gun in an employee's face, he challenged the man with his gun.
The robber turned, so Hallman said he fired a shot. The robber fired a shot, ran and then fired two more shots
Hallman said he was called into the bank the next day and fired. Hallman said there is a bank policy that employees can't carry weapons. The former branch manager said he knew violated company policy but he didn't violate the law.
Labels: business robbery, GA
10/11/09
Albany, Georgia
From WALB of October 5, 2009
11 year old shoots at home invader
An 11 year old Albany boy fired a shot during a home invasion last night.
The boy shot a .357 magnum at a gunman who came into his house.
The 11-year old told Police about 7:15 Wednesday night that several juveniles kicked in the back door at his home in the 200 block of Tremont Avenue.
He said a boy with a pistol came into the house and pointed the gun at him.
That's when the 11-year old fired the .357. He said that scared the home invader off.
The Gang Unit is investigating because they think it could be gang related. They are not releasing the 11-year old's name for his protection.
Labels: GA, home invasion, minor defender
10/7/09
Gainesville, Georgia
From the October 2, 2009 Gainesville Times:
Carlos Moz never denied he shot a man in the head, but he claimed it was to defend himself and his brother.
On Thursday, a jury agreed, finding Moz, 34, not guilty of aggravated assault.
The Hall County Superior Court jury deliberated for less than an hour before acquitting Moz of the felony charge, which carried a sentencing range of one to 20 years.
The man Moz shot, 21-year-old Nathan Tony Monson, was released from a hospital just days after sustaining a bullet wound in front of his left ear. He survived the shooting with some hearing loss but no other permanent injuries, according to Brett Willis, the assistant circuit defender who successfully defended Moz.
Willis said his client fired the shot from a legally owned 9 mm handgun on the night of Oct. 1, 2006, after his client’s older brother was severely beaten by an unruly mob of at least six
teenagers in front of California Records, a store next to the Kangaroo convenience store on Park Hill Drive.The beating victim, Juan Moz, was injured by large chunks of asphalt hurled at him by "a group of ne’er-do-wells harassing a couple of guys who were just walking," Willis said.
The Moz brothers were walking home from a baby shower they attended at the Glen Cove apartments when they were attacked, Willis said.
The prosecution sought to show Juan Moz was confronted after he made advances on a young girl at the apartment complex, but Moz denied that allegation.
While down on the ground, Juan Moz was kicked in the face by a teenage girl who was charged and later prosecuted in juvenile court, Willis said.
During the beating, Carlos Moz, a legal permanent resident who lived across the street at the Versaille apartments, retrieved his gun, Willis said.
When he returned to the front of the store, Monson made a threatening motion toward Carlos Moz and made the statement that he was "looking for who was next," according to Willis. Monson was then shot.
Shortly afterward, police were called to the Moz apartment regarding the beating of Juan Moz. When they arrived, Carlos Moz told police he fired the shot and showed them where the gun was.
Labels: altercation, GA
8/13/09
Wayne County, Georgia
From the Sun-Sentinel of August 11, 2009
Homeowner kills 3-year-old black bearG
Westley, the wandering black bear, whose journeys brought him too close to homes in Wellington and Weston earlier this year, has died in southeast Georgia, wildlife officials said. He was 3.
Westley, estimated to weigh 200 pounds, was killed by a homeowner Saturday with a shotgun after he damaged property and wandered in a residential neighborhood in western Wayne County, said Melissa Cummings, a spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
"It'd been trying to get into homes, pounding on garages and attempting to get through doors," Cummings said. "The bear had become too accustomed to people."
According to the Florida Times-Union, a homeowner named Ken Boyette saw Westley in his neighborhood Saturday, uncomfortably close to where children were riding bicycles and playing football. He shot Westley, killing him instantly.
"I didn't have a choice. He had no fear of humans," Boyette told the Times-Union. "I was afraid it was going to hurt one of the kids or someone else."
The wandering bear first made headlines in April when a Weston family spotted him foraging near the backyard in their gated community. No live bear had been seen in Broward County in three decades.
Westley popped up around Weston a few more times, surprising morning joggers and prompting a school lockdown when students saw him prowling near Manatee Bay Elementary School.
A Sun Sentinel contest to name the bear received nearly 400 entries. Readers eventually chose Westley in a SunSentinel.com poll.
State wildlife officials caught Westley in May and relocated him to Picayune Strand State Forest in Collier County, where most black bears in Florida are found.
But Westley wouldn't stay put for long. He made his way to Wellington in June, where he was again captured and this time sent upstate to Osceola National Forest.
Last month, he showed up at Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island, in the Jacksonville area, where he bothered no one, said Florida Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Gabriella Ferraro.
From there he crossed the St. Marys River and visited the town of St. Marys in southeastern Georgia.
Westley had an ear tag, SO11, letting officials know it was the same animal that had wandered through South Florida, Ferraro said.
Though Georgia authorities noticed the tag when they captured him in St. Marys early last week, they didn't know the animal had crossed state lines.
Georgia has a "three strikes" policy when it comes to bears roaming around cities: they can be captured and released two times, but they're killed if they're caught a third time, Cummings said. Authorities say they would have put down Westley had they known his Florida history.
Narrowly missing that scrape with death, Westley wasn't so lucky the next time he wandered into a town a few days later.
After he was killed, Georgia wildlife officials disposed of his body in a landfill, Cummings said.
"Some bears wander around looking for suitable territory," Cummings said. "A few others are moving bears: they never establish their territory and keep moving, never finding the home they're looking for. This bear could've been that kind."
Dekalb County, Georgia
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of August 3, 2009
Lithonia schoolteacher exchanges gunfire with carjackers
A DeKalb County schoolteacher carjacked early Sunday scored a measure of revenge against his attackers -- thanks in part to their poor sense of direction.
Derek Harper, 47, had just returned to his Lithonia home around 1:15 a.m. when two unidentified gunmen surprised him from behind, forcing the Evansdale Elementary teacher out of his car and onto the ground, demanding money.
“After they figured out I didn’t have any cash on me they got into my van,” he said. His narrow garage helped Harper sneak away.
“One of them was having trouble getting into the passenger’s side, so while he was doing that I took off,” said Harper, also the assistant track coach at Stephenson High.
As he ran the gunmen started firing, striking Harper once in the arm before speeding off in his van, heading directly toward a dead end on Phillips Place.
Knowing they’d be forced to turn around, Harper ran inside and grabbed his .380 pistol.
“I was waiting for them,” he said. Harper estimates he fired two to three bullets, which might have contributed to the driver crashing the van less than a block away. A small amount of blood was found inside the vehicle.
“It’s badly damaged,” said Harper, who was to have returned to work Monday following the summer break. He’s home recovering instead.
His neighborhood is “fairly quiet,” he said. “Everyone sticks together.”
While some high-profile carjackings have captured headlines in the city of Atlanta, DeKalb Police spokeswoman Mekka Parish said she has not heard of any in her jurisdiction for several months.
Regardless, Harper said he was surprised to end up a victim.
“I drive a minivan,” he said. “It’s nothing special.”
An arrest was made in the case late Monday morning. Parish said the name is being withheld due to the ongoing investigation.
Labels: carjacking, GA, street robbery
Macon, Georiga
From Macon.com of August 5, 2009
Accused robber shot by Macon store employee
A 19-year-old man has been charged with aggravated assault and armed robbery in connection with a Saturday night robbery at a Fort Hill neighborhood store, Macon police said.
Laadrian Javonte Wilson is being held at the Bibb County jail without bond, according to jail records.
Three men entered the store at 406 Woolfolk St., at about 10:30 p.m., according to a police report.
One of the men pointed a gun at a store worker. A second store worker picked up a shotgun. He and the alleged robbers fired shots at each other, according to the report.
The three men ran north on Woolfolk Street. Minutes later, police received a radio call about a man with a gunshot wound at The Medical Center of Central Georgia, according to the report.
Sgt. Melanie Hofmann said Wilson was shot in the buttocks and was arrested at about 4 p.m. Monday upon his release from the hospital.
Labels: business robbery, GA
7/29/09
Atlanta, Georgia
From July 28, 2009 channel 11:
ATLANTA (AP) -- Police say a man who shot and killed his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend was acting in self defense.
The shooting happened just after 3 p.m. Monday at an apartment in the 2,000 block of Lenox Road.
Atlanta police Maj. Renee Propes said the shooting victim waited outside his ex-girlfriend's apartment until her new boyfriend came home. Propes said the man attacked the new boyfriend and the fight continued into the apartment, where the new boyfriend shot and killed the ex-boyfriend.
Propes said charges aren't likely to be filed.
Labels: domestic dispute, GA, home invasion
7/15/09
Mableton, Georgia
From WXIA of July 14, 2009
Police Seeking Home Invasion Suspect After Gunfight
A home invasion Tuesday afternoon ended in gunfire in South Cobb County, after a would-be robber tied up two men who lived at a home in Mableton.
Police said that one of the men got free and started shooting at the home invaders. That led to a massive search for the suspect, but the man remained on the run Tuesday night.
At around 1 p.m., a man with a gun broke into a home on Nickajack Road near Fontaine Road and rounded up all the people inside, tying them up.
One of the victims was able to get free, and retrieve his personal gun. He fired at the intruder in the confrontation that ensued, and police said that the suspect may have been shot before getting away on foot.
At some point after police arrived at the home, they received reports of gunshots fired in the area. Police cordoned off the general area near the home, including a section of the Silver Comet Trail -- believing initially it could be the work of the suspect on the loose.
Police said that they checked the wooded area near the home and were unable to find any trace of that suspect.
Investigators said that they do not believe the two incidents are related, which means the manhunt is now over, and the home invasion is still on the loose.
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of July 15, 2009
"I had to get my gun" said Mableton man, 83, in shoot-out with home invader
A quick-thinking 83-year-old Mableton man foiled a home invader’s plans when he escaped bondage and shot the bandit.
John Parrish saved the day Tuesday with a pair of scissors and a .22-caliber revolver, police and a grateful son-in-law said.
“John Wayne is what we call him now,” said Danny Carlson, a tennis instructor who owns the home and who was shot in the right calf Tuesday as the octogenarian and the suspect exchanged gunfire.
“I don’t know what that guy would’ve done had he [Parrish] not come up here.”
Tuesday before 1 p.m., an armed man entered the basement of Carlson’s house on Nickajack Road, and encountered Parrish’s wife, Margaret.
Parrish and his wife occupy the basement’s in-law suite.
She’d heard her puppies barking and went to the bathroom to check on them, Carson said.
“As soon as she cracked the door, he grabbed her by the hair, put the gun in her ear and said, ‘If you make a sound, I’ll blow your brains out,’” John Parrish said Wednesday afternoon.
The intruder forced Parrish’s wife to the ground, tied her hands and feet with duct tape, and put a blanket over her head.
Parrish said he went to find his wife, and soon met the same fate – lying face down with his hands taped behind his back.
“He told me, ‘I don’t want to hurt you. I just want your money,’” Parrish said.
He told the invader he didn’t have any.
As the intruder stalked through the house, the retired freight dockworker hustled to free himself, twisting and wriggling his arms first, then crawling to the kitchen to find scissors to cut his legs free.
“I had to get my gun,” Parrish said.
Meanwhile, the intruder found a 10-year-old girl in the first-floor living room waiting to continue her tennis lessons with Carlson.
“He grabbed her and asked if anyone else was in the house,” said Carlson’s son, Chad, who came home from North Carolina on Wednesday after the incident.
The girl led the intruder to Danny Carlson’s office on the second floor of the house.
“I thought it was the little girl coming up to get me,” Carlson said. “But when I looked up, he had his arm around her and the gun pointed at me.”
The invader told the girl to sit down, and he bound Carlson and covered his head with a blanket.
“Then I just heard shooting,” he said.
Parrish had found his gun, loaded it, and sneaked upstairs.
“I shot three times and heard him groan,” Parrish said.
The intruder fired back twice, hitting Carlson once in the back of his right calf, and just missing Parrish.
“He ran past me and down the stairs out of the house,” Parrish said. “That shot came pretty close.”
Police say the suspect, described as a 6-foot-tall, roughly 250-pound black man in his 40s or 50s, is still at large, despite a lengthy search of the woods and nearby Silver Comet Trail near Carlson’s home.
Police say the intruder may have been wounded in the shootout.
Carlson said Parrish shot three times, “but we couldn’t find the bullets, so they must be in the intruder.”
Carlson was taken to the hospital and treated for the gunshot wound and a shattered tibia.
“The worst thing in the whole scenario is that the little girl had to witness all the gunfire,” Carlson said.
While Carlson said he would increase the security in the house, Parrish noted one thing he would do different.
“My wife never did want me to keep my gun loaded,” he said. “But now she said she does.”
Labels: GA, home invasion, senior
7/14/09
Savannah, Georgia
From the Ledger-Enquirer of July 14, 2009
Intruder, resident shot to death in home invasion
Garden City police say two men are dead from gunshot wounds in an apparent home invasion..
Police Chief David Lyons said a man and a woman were inside the residence about 1 a.m. Tuesday when two armed intruders broke in through a bedroom window.
Lyons said the resident also was armed and gunfire erupted. He said one of the intruders was hit and ran from the house. He was found dead in some woods about 70 yards from the house.
The chief said the male resident was alive when police found him in a bedroom, but he died on his way to a hospital. He said the female was not hurt.
Police said identities will be released after relatives are notified.
Labels: defender killed, GA, home invasion
7/9/09
Atlanta, Georgia
From WSBTV of July 9, 2009
Homeowner Exchanges Gunfire With Would-Be Robber
A quiet night in front of the television ended with a shoot-out in southwest Atlanta. A homeowner was in the hospital Thursday morning as police searched for the would-be robber.
Officials said a homeowner will recover after suffering a gunshot wound to the ear during a gun battle when someone tried to break into his home.
A shoot-out on Westmont Road between a homeowner and a would-be robber woke up several people in the neighborhood.
"I guess I would say about 15 to 20 rounds was exchanged," said neighbor Otis Holliman.
The homeowner told Channel 2 Action News her husband was in the living room watching television when he heard a noise outside the house. He grabbed his gun to check it out and that's when the gun battle erupted.
The husband was shot once in the right ear and was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital.
Crime scene investigators found several bullet casings and a gun.
"The guy dropped the gun that was shooting at her husband," said Holliman.
The suspect got away.
Holliman said criminals have been targeting his neighbors since they moved in.
"I think the house has been broken into three or four different times here recently," said Holliman.
Doctors said the victim is in stable condition. The victim's wife said once her husband gets out of the hospital, they plan to move.
Labels: GA, trespassing
6/18/09
Roswell, Georgia
From Fox News of June 17, 2009
Cell Phone Protects Clerk From Knife Attack in Robbery
A Georgia liquor store clerk credits his police officer son with giving him two life-saving gifts — a cell phone and a gun.
Joseph Wescott says the phone he slipped into his shirt pocket stopped a knife to his chest when a robbery suspect attacked him at the store in a northern Atlanta suburb. He then reached under the counter for the .40-caliber handgun and shot the man.
"The knife that he had looked like it was about 10-foot long," the 67-year-old Wescott exclaimed.
When the suspect lunged at Wescott, he fell back and the knife struck the battery area of the phone, the clerk said. He then fired one shot at the man Monday night.
"That was the first time I had ever fired that gun," he said.
Police said Carlos JeanPeirre, 34, is recovering from non-life threatening wounds and faces multiple charges including aggravated assault and attempted robbery.
Wescott's son, Jason, said he gave both gifts to his father to keep him safe.
"Something like that can happen in a split second and it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it," Jason Wescott said.
After the attack, Joseph Wescot said he used his cell phone to call 911.
Labels: assault, business robbery, GA, senior
6/10/09
Tift County, Georiga
From WALB of June 7, 2009
Kelltown convenience store robbed at gunpoint
The Tift County convenience store owner who stared down the barrel of a gun during an armed robbery tells us the thieves are now in custody.
An armed woman wearing a ski mask entered the Holiday Market of Highway 319 and demanded the clerk for money. That was when a customer already at the register pulled out his gun and shot the woman in the foot.
She dropped her gun in the store and dropped her drivers license in the parking lot as she tried to get away in a Ford F-150. A man was driving that getaway pick-up. The store owner tells us police caught up with that driver later that night.
The woman was later taken into custody after she tried to get treatment at Tift Regional hospital for her gunshot wound. The Tift County Sheriff's Office would not give us the suspects names.
Labels: business robbery, GA
Lookout Mountain, Georgia
From WTVC of June 9, 2009
Man Fires In Self-Defense, Kills Attacker
An act of self-defense leaves a Lookout Mountain, Georgia man dead and a family grieving.
Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson said his deputies tried to stop an on-going, heated family dispute but it was just too late.
"Unfortunate for the victim, the victim's family and the person that had to do the shooting," Sheriff Wilson said.
Harry Lee Derryberry, known as Chuck, was just 45-years-old when his life ended in a field on his family's property in Rising Fawn on Lookout Mountain. He had been shot in the groin with a 12-gauge shotgun. His family called 911 earlier saying they needed help quickly with a domestic dispute that turned violent.
"Upon speaking with the deputy arriving on the scene, he told me he actually heard the gunshot when the gun was fired," Sheriff Wilson explained.
Sheriff Wilson said Brian Lee Walden fired the gun, acting in self-defense and is not being charged. He and several family members were assaulted by Derryberry - the result of an argument over one of his sons.
"It appears that a 62-year-old female victim sustained injuries along with maybe one or two other people, along with the shooter," Sheriff Wilson said.
The family told a story of Derryberry that included a life of alcoholism and depression. The family said Derryberry had threatened his own life and others during a fit of rage Monday evening. They and the sheriff said after Walden was struck in the face Walden got his shotgun and told Derryberry to stay away.
"Pretty well warned the victim, said stay away but he came at him in an aggressive manner," Sheriff Wilson said.
District Attorney Buzz Franklin reviewed the circumstances and evidence, along with the Georgia law and found that Walden's actions were justified.
Derryberry was a father of three children.
Labels: domestic dispute, GA
5/19/09
Macon, Georgia
From May 18, 2009 WMAZ channel 13:
A Central Georgia man is recovering from a gunshot wound; he got shot after robbing a Macon liquor store at gun point.
A news release from Sgt. Melanie Hofmann with the Macon Police says 50-year-old Ricky Nell Johnson robbed the ABC Liquor Store at 1194 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. on Saturday.
The release says Johnson entered the store around 6:45 p.m. wearing a wig and skirt. It says he showed a handgun, jumped on the counter and demanded money.
After getting some cash, Johnson fired a shot and ran out of the liquor store. The release says an employee returned fire.
According to the release, Johnson was found near a parking deck at the Medical Center. He was taken by ambulance to the emergency room, where doctors treated him for a gunshot wound to the torso near the buttocks.
From looking at the picture--I doubt anyone was fooled by the wig and skirt.
Labels: business robbery, GA
5/4/09
College Park, Georgia
From the May 3, 2009 Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
From May 4, 2009 WSB-TV channel 2:College Park police are investigating a home invasion at a College Park apartment early Sunday in which a victim shot and killed one of the robbers.
Police said two men forced their way into a unit of the Southern Lakes apartments on Lakemont Drive about 2:54 a.m. There were 10 people in the apartment, police said.
After robbing them, the men and women were moved to different areas. One of the men has a gun and fought the robbers, shooting one of them, police said.
The robber was found dead outside the complex, police said, and his accomplice had fled. Their names were not released by police.
Bailey said he thought it was the end of his life and the lives of the 10 people inside his apartment for a birthday party after two masked men with guns burst in through a patio door.
“They just came in and separated the men from the women and said, ‘Give me your wallets and cell phones,’” said George Williams of the College Park Police Department.
Bailey said the gunmen started counting bullets. “The other guy asked how many (bullets) he had. He said he had enough,” said Bailey.
That’s when one student grabbed a gun out of a backpack and shot at the invader who was watching the men. The gunman ran out of the apartment.
The student then ran to the room where the second gunman, identified by police as 23-year-old Calvin Lavant, was holding the women.
“Apparently the guy was getting ready to rape his girlfriend. So he told the girls to get down and he started shooting. The guy jumped out of the window,” said Bailey.
A neighbor heard the shots and heard someone running nearby.
“And I heard someone say, ‘Someone help me. Call the police. Somebody call the police,’” said a neighbor.
The neighbor said she believes it was Lavant, who was found dead near his apartment, only one building away.
Bailey said he is just thankful one student risked his life to keep others alive.
Labels: GA, home invasion, student defender
4/21/09
Augusta, Georgia
From April 20, 2009 WRDW channel 12:
AUGUSTA, Ga.---An 18-year-old was shot after investigators say he tried to rob a pizza deliveryman at an empty house.
A delivery in Augusta turned into a crime scene Sunday for Papa Johns Driver Tavarius Lewis. When he tried to deliver a pizza to this house on Dent Street Sunday night, investigators say Kevin Martin pulled a BB gun and tried to rob Lewis.
"[Lewis] started backing up, reached in his pocket and pulled out a .40 caliber handgun and shot the suspect," said Sgt. Blaise Dresser, of the Richmond County Sheriff's Office.
Dresser says Lewis shot in self-defense, not realizing Martin's weapon was only a BB gun.
It's a scary situation for neighbor Oscar Lacey, who lives just across the street and heard the shots.
"With things like this happening it means I have to lock up my house. You don't have the freedom on your own property anymore. You could get hit by a stray bullet," says Lacey.
Investigators believe this was not Martin's first robbery. Less than 24 hours before the shooting on Dent street a similar robbery happened just a few streets over, on Truxton Road. Martin lives just a few houses down from there.
Labels: GA, pizza delivery driver
4/19/09
Atlanta, Georgia
From WSB Radio of April 19, 2009
Restaurant Manager Shoots at Would-Be Robber
The manager of a popular restaurant exchanged gun fire with a man trying to rob his store, Atlanta police said.
Authorities said a masked gunman grabbed an employee taking out the trash at the Taco Mac at 1006 North Highland Ave. around 3 a.m Sunday. The gunman was planning on robbing the place when the store's manager grabbed a gun and starting shooting at the robber. He fired back and managed to escape.
Police don't know if the suspect was shot. They are looking at surveillance tape to determine his identity.
No injuries were reported inside the restaurant.
Labels: business robbery, GA
4/18/09
Augusta, Georgia
From WRDW of April 14, 2009
Robber gets surprise when pharmacist opens fire
It was a robbery with a big surprise for the robber. A gunman walked into a CVS drugstore expecting to hold up the place. What he didn't expect was to find a pharmacist who had a gun and was not afraid to use it.
The shooting happened just after midnight at the CVS on Walton Way and 15th Street.
Investigators say this isn't the first time CVS has been robbed, but this time was different. A pharmacist fired at the suspect, protecting himself and the store.
The surveillance pictures tell the story. In a matter of seconds a masked robber wearing black enters this CVS Pharmacy and starts demanding money. Clenching a pistol, the robber gives the cashier a bag to fill and then heads towards the back.
"The suspect then asked about the register in the pharmacy and began heading back to the pharmacy," says Richmond County Sheriff's Sergeant Ken Rogers.
But Investigators say the overnight pharmacist, Michael Swindle, heard the commotion, grabbed his gun and made his way out into the store.
"The pharmacist overheard the conversation and realized the store was being robbed and he then grabbed his own 9mm weapon from his bag as he stated and confronted the suspect in one of the aisles," says Sgt. Rogers.
You can see Swindle holding a gun, going from aisle to aisle. The actual confrontation hidden from cameras. But Investigators say it sounds like the suspect was caught off guard.
"When he confronted the suspect the suspect raised his weapon at the pharmacist at which time the pharmacist fired at least three shots at the suspect which caused him to then flee the scene," says Sgt. Rogers.
The robber runs out of the store and Swindle follows after him, still carrying his gun. No one was hit or injured but Investigators say the gunfire was perfectly legal.
"With the suspect raising his arm, pointing the weapon at him -- he was within his legal right to protect himself," adds Sgt. Rogers.
CVS's corporate offices tells News 12 they are working with law enforcement and the case is under active investigation -- both by the Richmond County Sheriff's Office and by CVS.
CVS would not comment on their security policies, including if weapons are allowed by employees.
The suspect was able to get away with some money. He never let go of that purple bag he gave the front cashier and now it's a piece of evidence.
Labels: business robbery, GA
3/12/09
Thomas County, Georgia
From WCTV of March 10, 2009
Man Shoots Dog to Protect Daughter
Kenneth Hale Jr. says his neighbor's Bull Mastiff ventured into his yard several times.
Last week, Hale's three year old daughter was playing in the yard and the dog charged toward her, so he got his gun and shot the dog.
Kenneth Hale says "I feel bad about it I didn't want to shoot the dog, I really didn't and I was hoping he would keep him over there, it was a beautiful dog, it's a bull Mastiff and that dog stands every bit of four feet tall on his back".
Thomas County investigators say Hale contacted them on more than one occasion about the dog.
The owner of the dog could not be reached for comment and authorities would not release his name.
2/28/09
Lilburn, Georgia
From WTVM of February 27, 2009
Lilburn homeowner shoots, kills intruder at door
TeGwinnett County police say a homeowner shot and killed 1 of the intruders when two men kicked in his front door.
The incident happened shortly after 5 p.m. Friday when the men knocked at the door and when no one answered, kicked it in.
Police spokeswoman Illana Spellman said the resident fired, striking and killing one in the doorway. She said the second man ran away and police using search dogs were unable to find the man.
No charges have been filed in the incident
Labels: GA, home invasion
2/14/09
Atlanta, Georiga
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of February 8, 2009
Two crime victims kill their attackers in metro Atlanta
Two crime victims in metro Atlanta fought back on Saturday and killed their attackers, authorities reported.
In Cobb County, police said a man shot in his own garage grabbed the would-be robber’s gun and shot and killed the man.
In Atlanta, police said a woman fatally stabbed a home-invasion robbery suspect who broke into her apartment while her 11-year-old child slept.
No charges have been filed in either case.
Cobb police spokesman Sgt. Dana Pierce said Richard Ellis, 38, of Cauthen Court in Marietta was getting out of his car in his garage late Saturday night when he was approached by a man with a handgun. The man demanded money from Ellis and shot him in the leg, police said. Pierce said the incident was not a random crime and that the two men had “previous contact” in the past.
“Within moments of being shot and while the male is briefly distracted, Ellis grabbed the gun and a fight ensued in the driveway of the residence over control of it,” Pierce said. “Detectives believe that Ellis was eventually able to wrestle the weapon away from the male before shooting him twice with it.”
The wounded man, identified as John Harrison, 33, of Palmetto, ran to the front porch of a nearby house and collapsed, Pierce said. Harrison was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital but died of his injuries. Ellis was treated at the hospital for his wound and released.
Labels: criminal's gun taken away and used against him, defender shot, GA, street robbery
2/8/09
Stone Mountain, Georiga
From WSBTV of February 2, 2009
Robber Shot During Stick-Up Attempt
The target of a robbery fought back Monday by pulling a gun and shooting and wounding the stick-up man.
The armed robber approached the man at the U-Wash carwash on Rockbridge Road.
The would-be victim pulled his own gun and opened fire, hitting the robbery suspect.
The wounded man was taken to the hospital where he's in stable condition and facing armed robbery charges.
Labels: GA, street robbery
1/30/09
Juliette, Georgia
From the Macon.com of January 29, 2009
Juliette man defends home from invasion
Marvin Bowdoin was sitting at his desk when the “cat bandit” kicked in his kitchen door Tuesday night, he said.
It was shortly after 9 p.m.
The 67-year-old Juliette grocer said he and his wife arrived at their residence on Juliette Road just in time to watch the last 30 minutes of “American Idol.” It had been a late closing at the family’s general merchandise store, Bowdoin’s Grocery.
The husband and wife finished the TV show. Then he left her in the den, walked down the hall to his office and started to sort through the day’s business receipts.
“She hadn’t made supper but she stayed in that room for some reason,” Bowdoin said Wednesday from his popular Juliette store, known for fishing tackle and tender cuts of beef.
“When I sat down, I heard that door crash open for some reason and I knew someone was in the house.”
Bowdoin said within seconds the intruder had gone from the kitchen to the dining room and nearly to the foyer with a shotgun in hand.
That’s where Bowdoin stopped the bandit — firing two shots from his .22 Magnum revolver.
“I tried to do my best to protect my family,” he said.
“This weapon was in my pocket. I tote a weapon every day of my life. It’s never away from me at any point. It’s some mean folks out there.”
The invader, not injured, fell to the floor before standing up and running back into the kitchen and out of the home. Bowdoin didn’t chase the person or keep firing.
Dressed head to toe in dark clothing, Bowdoin said he couldn’t tell a thing about the person’s appearance. They exchanged no words.
“I’m guessing it was a he, and he was short,” Bowdoin said.
The neighborhood grocer said had he used one of his three other firearms, he might have made a more precise shot.
“I’m just glad me and my wife are alive,” he said.
(More)
Labels: GA, home invasion, senior
1/15/09
Atlanta, Georgia
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of January 15, 2009
Robbery suspect shot, killed in East Atlanta
A robbery suspect was shot and killed by his intended victim outside an East Atlanta Village bar late Wednesday, Atlanta police said Thursday.
Police do not believe the shooting has any connection to the recent high-profile killing at a Grant Park bar.
The suspected robber, a 29-year-old man from the Decatur area, carried a Colt .40-caliber handgun, while the gun that killed bar worker John Henderson was a 9mm, Atlanta police Detective Michael Willis said.
The killing Wednesday comes a week after Henderson’s killing in another popular hangout about two miles away, Standard Food & Spirits, sparked an outpouring of community support and galvanized grassroots efforts to improve public safety by some who say the city is becoming more dangerous.
Willis said he could not release the identity of the dead man Thursday morning because he had not yet notified relatives of his death.
The detective also declined to name the man and woman police said were the intended robbery victims. The man who opened fire in self defense is a 28-year-old who works in the airline industry and lives in a northern suburb of Atlanta, possibly Cobb County, Willis said.
The woman he was with — they have been dating for a couple of months — is around 40 years old and lives in the Marietta area, Willis said.
Wednesday night, the couple made their way to the popular East Atlanta Village, known for its trendy bars and eateries, because they have been taking swing-dancing lessons, Willis said.
Their dancing instructor told them that one of the East Atlanta bars, Graveyard Tavern, had “big band nights,” Willis said.
“So they came down here to dance,” Willis said.
When they left the bar around 11:15 p.m., the man gave his date the keys to his Ford Ranger pickup truck so she could drive. They walked to the truck, parked in an Ace Hardware lot across a side street on the same side of Glenwood Avenue.
Inside the vehicle, the woman was adjusting the driver’s seat and mirrors when the man looked over his shoulder and saw a man standing at his passenger window, Willis said.
Believing the man was going to beg for money, the passenger rolled down his window a few inches, Willis said. But he had a strange feeling about the man, so he grabbed his gun from the glove box and put it on his lap, Willis said.
He asked the stranger what he wanted, and noticed the man was reaching for his waistband or pockets, the detective said. Instinctively, the passenger shoved open his door, knocking the suspected robber back a few feet, Willis said. The woman started screaming.
The man got out of the truck and the suspected robber raised a weapon at him, Willis said. “When he saw that, he just started shooting,” the detective said.
The man shot the suspected robber five or six times, in the stomach and chest, Willis said. The robber did not fire any shots.
“He just got the jump on him,” Willis said of the victim. “He told me he fired until the guy was no longer a threat to him.”
Willis said the man’s accuracy was impressive. In an interview later, the man told Willis that his brother used to shoot firearms competitively and taught him to shoot.
As one could expect, the shooting left the man and his companion visibly shaken.
“He actually said, ‘I’m surprised I haven’t thrown up yet,’ ” Willis said. “He was that upset.”
Willis said he did not know much about the suspected robber. A criminal background check did not reveal any recent arrests by Atlanta police, but he might have a criminal history in DeKalb County.
Labels: GA, street robbery
1/6/09
Covington, Georiga
From CovNews.com of January 1, 2009
Man shoots burglar in 2 fingers as perpetrator fled scene
A Covington man shot a burglar in his home Dec. 28, sending the perpetrator to the hospital, where officers with the Covington Police Department arrested him.
According to the incident report, the victim was asleep when he heard someone kick open his front door and enter his home. He said the grabbed his handgun from under his pillow, loaded the weapon and ran into the living room, where he saw the burglar standing in the foyer. The victim said he fired four shots and the intruder ran. The victim then grabbed his high-powered rifle and stood guard outside his home, where officers found him when they arrived at the home.
Officers were able to track down the suspect, German Brown, in the emergency room at Newton Medical Center, where he sought treatment for a wound to his middle and ring fingers on this right hand. Brown’s shoes matched a shoe print left on the door at the home.
Labels: GA, home invasion
12/18/08
Forrest Park, Georiga
From the Ledger-Enquirer of December 17, 2008
Employee kill would-be robber in Forest Park
A would-be robber was killed after he was shot in a gunbattle with an employee at a cell phone store in Forest Park.
Authorities said it happened Monday night at about 8 p.m.
Police identified the deceased suspect as 18-year-old Tyrie Rolland of Decatur. Rolland was shot in the head and died at Grady Memorial Hospital.
Detectives are working to identify a second suspect who fled in a white pickup truck.
Forest Park police major Chris Matson said it appeared the worker acted in self-defense.
Labels: business robbery, GA
12/6/08
Savannah, Georiga
From the Florida Times-Union of December 6, 2008
Would-be robber shot with his own gun after struggle
Police say a man who tried to rob a Savannah convenience store ended up being shot with his own gun after a clerk refused to hand over any money without a fight.
According to police, the clerk managed to wrestle away one of the 19-year-old’s two guns and shoot him in the leg Thursday afternoon. The suspect dropped the other gun, which wasn’t loaded, as he ran away.
Police initially couldn’t find the man, but officials say he turned up later in the day at Memorial University Medical Center.
He had not been charged as of Thursday evening, and police didn’t immediately identify him because investigators were still interviewing witnesses.
Labels: business robbery, criminal's gun taken away and used against him, GA
11/25/08
Cobb County, Georgia
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of November 22, 2008
Cobb store owner shoots would-be thief
A would-be robber apparently got more than he bargained for when he tried to rob a Cobb County package store.
When a man wearing a hoodie and carrying a gun tried to rob the Windy Hill Package store, the owner fired a handgun at him, police spokesman Dana Pierce said.
The owner of the store at 2425 Windy Hill Road in Marietta believes he shot the suspect as he ran from the store during the Nov. 15 robbery attempt. A store security camera captured the incident as it unfolded at about 7:30 p.m. at the store near Cobb Parkway.
The suspect is seen on the security camera pointing a gun at the clerk.
The owner, who asked that his name not be used because the suspect is still on the loose, said the robber first asked for a bottle of Bombay Sapphire Gin.
When he came back to the counter, he pointed his gun at the clerk and gestured toward the cash register.
As the store owner pushed a bag with the bottle in it toward the robber, the robber put his gun in the waistband of his pants. The owner quickly reached under the counter and brought out his own gun —- a .45 caliber —- which he fired at the robber.
The robber appeared to be hit in his right side and staggered as he turned to leave. Pierce said no bullet holes were found in the walls of the store.
Pierce said the suspect left without any money —- or his gin.
When the robbery began to unfold, the owner said, “He was yelling something like he was going to kill me. I didn’t think nothing of him when he came into the store, because we get guys that dress like that in here all the time. It all happened so fast that I didn’t have time to be afraid.”
Police checked local hospitals for patients with gunshot wounds but haven’t turned any up.
No charges are expected to be filed against the store owner. The owner said this was the first time someone has attempted to rob him since he bought the store in December 2007.
Labels: business robbery, GA
11/13/08
Gainesville, Georgia
From First Coast News of November 10, 2008
Would-be Robber Shot by Gainesville Store Clerk
A would-be robber was shot by a Gainesville store clerk when he tried to rob a convenience store Sunday night.
The man walked into a West University Avenue business, armed and looking for quick cash.
Instead, he was shot once in the torso and ran from the store.
According to a report, he fired shots at the business as he left. The clerk was not injured during the robbery.
This was the second time the store had been robbed. The first time was on Saturday. Police do not know if that case was linked to Sunday evening's attempted robbery.
The would-be robber went into the store and walked up to the clerk, who was apparently talking on the phone.
That's when the man demanded cash.
The clerk asked him to repeat what he had said. He again demanded cash and this time fired a round from his gun inside the store.
The clerk pulled a gun from under the counter and shot him in the chest.
The Gainesville Police Department spent much of Sunday afternoon searching for the would-be robber.
The man was described as white, in his early to mid 20's with short hair that may have been blonde.
Labels: business robbery, GA
10/17/08
Tifton, Georgia
From October 15, 2008 WXFL channel 31:
Tift County authorities say a homeowner shot a man after he attempted to force his way into a rural mobile home
off Highway 125.Sheriff's department spokesman David Haire says the homeowner, 33-year-old John Henry Howard Jr., was not hurt during the home invasion. It happened early Wednesday at about 2:30 a.m. Haire did not identify the suspected burglar, but said his injuries appeared to be serious. The intruder was shot 4 times in the head.
Labels: GA, home invasion
10/7/08
Moultrie, Georgia
From September 29, 2008 WXFL channel 31:
Moultrie Police say three men trying to rob a home got an unpleasant surprise when the man who lives there started shooting at them.
Police say 18-year-old Apondrea Marshall, 21-year-old Darnell Slaughter, and 19-year-old Calvin Suggs tried to rob Ivan Hightower’s home on 26th Avenue Saturday night. Hightower told police he looked out the window, saw the men with guns, and started shooting at them with his own weapon. Slaughter and Suggs were hit. Slaughter was treated and released, but Suggs is still in the hospital.
All three men are charged with attempted robbery. Hightower has not been charged with any crime.
Labels: GA, residence robbery
9/20/08
Dawsonville, Georgia
From the Dawson News and Advertiser of September 17, 2008
One dead in Big Canoe domestic dispute
A 44-year-old man died Tuesday morning from gunshot wounds related to a domestic dispute inside the gated Big Canoe community, Dawson County sheriff's spokesman Lt. Tony Wooten said.
The shooting on Columbine Road apparently involved a domestic dispute between business partners, Wooten said.-Mail N
The dead man, Howard Lynn Moreland, and his female business partner allegedly became embroiled in a heated discussion inside the female business partner's home after 9 a.m., Wooten said.
"The husband of the female business partner observed the male victim and his wife in a physical altercation," Wooten said. "At this time we're being told that (Moreland) pulled a knife and the husband of the female business partner had a firearm (rifle) and he shot and killed (Moreland)."
No charges have been filed at this time, Wooten said.
"We're still early in this investigation," he said.
Investigators have been told that Moreland, who has a Canton address listed on his driver's license, was living with a Big Canoe resident at the time of the shooting, Wooten said.
The names of the female business partner, and the name of her husband, who admittedly shot Moreland, have not been cleared for release as of yet, Wooten said.
"If there are no charges, there's no reason to release their names," Wooten said.
Dawson County originally received a 911 call just after 9:30 a.m. that someone had broken into the home in Big Canoe. While deputies were en route, they were notified that the intruder had been shot to death.
Wooten said authorities have been told that the shooting stemmed from a domestic dispute between Moreland and his female business partner. Apparently Moreland went to the home to confront his female business partner. Investigators have been told that the verbal exchange led to an alleged physical altercation with the woman's husband admittedly shooting Moreland and fatally wounding him after Moreland allegedly threatened physical violence his wife with a knife.
The couple has told investigators that the fatal shooting was in self-defense.
Labels: domestic dispute, GA
Forrest Park, Georgia
From the First Coast News of September 20, 2008
Robber Disarmed by Employees
Police are praising four employees of a Forest Park, Georgia furniture store for a bold stroke of self-defense, for turning the tables on an armed robber, for risking their lives to disarm and capture the masked man, who had invaded their store Tuesday morning.
"I was basically praying," during the robbery, said the general manager of the business, Carlus Burndette. "And I guess God gave us the power to get an opportunity to get the weapon."
On Thursday, Burndette and the other employees were able to watch the surveillance video of the entire confrontation, and they were thanking God they're alive.
"I was pretty much scared, we didn't know what to do," said Carlus Burndette. "The only thing I was feeling was a bullet, a bullet to hit me" or the others, which. he says, thankfully never happened.
Tuesday morning a man wearing a green mask stuck a handgun in the back of one of Burndette's employees as the employee was entering the front door.
The surveillance video shows the gunman marching the employee inside the store, across the furniture showroom, straight into the office, and then forcing all four employees onto the floor, face down.
Burndette said the gunman threatened to kill everyone.
"At the time he pointed a gun to my face, the only thing I could think of is, you know, just life or death."
The surveillance video shows the man forcing one of the employees to scoop out all of the money from the cash drawer and hand it to him.
"It seemed like he wanted to harm somebody," Burndette said, so they all cooperated at first.
"At the time he got the cash, he did not leave, he just stayed in there. He wanted to shoot someone at that time."
Burndette said the gunman demanded that one of the employees disable the surveillance cameras and give him the video tapes to take with him. And, for a split second, the gunman turned away.
"That's when we had the opportunity to grab the suspect," Burndette said. "The opportunity was that when he actually turned his back, when he asked for the camera, when he approached the guy, when the associate approached and said the tape was not in the camera, in the VCR, that's when he turned his back and was getting ready to, I guess, fire."
Darren Marshall, the store's accounts manager, was the first to grab for the robber's gun.
"Yeah, that's the hero," Burndette said as he watched the video. "This dude here had the heart and the guts to grab that wrist with that weapon inside of it. He was brave enough to approach the guy with the gun still in his hand. Anything could have went off with him trying to reach at that gun."
The video shows the employees finally getting control of the gun and falling in a heap on the gunman, keeping him on the floor until police arrived a few minutes later.
"What the [police] officers said was, 'Oh, Man, job well done,'"
Burndette said with a smile. "I'm glad all my associates are still here, I'm glad we're doing well."
Marshall ended up with a gash and 16 staples in his head from the struggle, but Burndette said Marshall will soon recover and return to work.
Forest Park Police said the gunman is 21-year-old Shawn Henderson of Jonesboro, GA. Henderson had to receive treatment in a hospital for injuries he received in the struggle. He's now in jail, charged initially with: · Armed Robbery · False Imprisonment · Kidnapping · Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony · Aggravated Assault · Carrying a Pistol Without a License · Battery · Unlawfully Wearing a Mask or Hood in Public
Labels: business robbery, criminal's gun taken away and used against him, GA
9/12/08
Augusta, Georgia
From September 11, 2008 WRDW channel 12:
AUGUSTA, Ga. --- Investigators tell News 12 an 18-year-old with a butcher knife was trying to get into a house on the 14 hundred block of Wrightsboro Road.
Deputies say the homeowner shot the intruder in the left leg with a 12gauge shotgun.
The teen is recovering at MCG. At this time no charges have been filed.
Labels: GA, residence burglary
8/9/08
Union City, Georgia
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of August 8, 2008
Teen shot breaking into Union City home, cops say
A would-be burglar got a painful surprise Friday when he tried to break into a Union City man's home, police said.
Around 4:30 p.m., the 75-year-old homeowner on Ravenwood Loop heard some noise coming from the rear of his house, Union City police spokesman George Louthe said.
"He saw his window getting wedged open," Louthe said. "He challenged the intruder, but (the intruder) kept coming through the window."
The man went for his 9 mm Glock handgun and returned to see a 17-year-old's leg straddling the window.
"He shot three times," Louthe said. "But the suspect ran."
The homeowner called 911 to report the home invasion, police said. Police did not release the name of the homeowner or the teen who was shot.
Just moments after his call, a neighbor on Ravenwood Circle — just behind the crime scene — called police to report a man shot in their back yard.
"He apparently climbed over the back fence," Louthe said of the wounded suspect.
The teen had been hit at least once, with an injury that seemed to reflect a bullet entering his leg and traveling to his groin, police said.
The suspect was airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital, and was listed in serious but stable condition.
Charges against the teen are pending.
The Fulton County District Attorney's office will decide whether to charge the homeowner, Louthe said.
Labels: GA, home invasion, minor offender, senior
7/15/08
Bainbridge, Georiga
From the Post-Searchlight of July 15, 2008
Armed man scares away robber
A Bainbridge man refused to be robbed when he was accosted around 5 a.m. Saturday morning.
The complainant, a resident of Spruce Street, told BPS that he was sitting on his front porch smoking a cigar and drinking a cup of coffee. According to the resident, a man wearing a mask and carrying a large knife approached and demanded that he hand over his wallet.
The citizen said he told the masked robber that he had to go inside the house to get the wallet.
The homeowner returned, not with his wallet in hand, but instead wielding a pistol, which sent the robber off running.
Officer Gary Hines attempted to locate a suspect but was unsuccessful.
Georgia is one of several states that does not require people who are attacked or threatened to retreat before using deadly force to protect themselves, other persons or a property, according to Sgt. Ryan Wimberly of BPS. In fact, Georgia law gives legal immunity to people who "stand their ground" in self-defense but does require that a person can only use deadly force if they believe a human life is in danger or to prevent a forcible felony, Sgt. Wimberly said. Forcible felonies, which involve the use or threat of physical force or violence, include crimes ranging from rape to armed robbery.
Labels: GA, residence robbery
7/5/08
DeKalb County, Georiga
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of July 3, 2008
1 dead in botched robbery
A DeKalb County auto parts store employee shot and killed a would-be thief Thursday night during a botched armed robbery attempt, police said.
DeKalb County police are still looking for a second would-be robber, who fled on foot after the shooting.
Just before 10 p.m., police responded to an armed robbery and person shot report at the Auto Zone at 1805 Memorial Drive in Atlanta.
"One of the employees saw two individuals in the parking lot changing clothes and putting on masks," DeKalb Police spokesman Marcus Hodge said.
The two men entered the store with weapons drawn, but the store employee began firing a gun of his own, police said.
"He struck one of the suspects," Hodge said. "The other guy ran away on foot."
The man who was killed dropped his weapon in outside the store.
Police weren't sure if the second suspect got into a vehicle to escape.
Several customers and other employees were in the store at the time of the incident, Hodge said.
This wasn't the first robbery attempt at the store, he said.
"There have been some cases where this store has been robbed," Hodge said. "That's probably the reason the employee had a gun."
Police are still investigating the incident, and hadn't charged the employee, Hodge said.
Labels: business robbery, GA
6/22/08
Fulton County, Georgia
From the Atlanta Journal Constitution of June 22, 2008
Homeowner wounds would-be burglar
Fulton County police said they will consult with the district attorneys office before deciding on whether to charge a homeowner who shot and wounded a teenager charged with breaking into his townhouse Saturday evening.
"We're still looking into the homeowner," Fulton County police spokesman Scott McBride said Sunday. "We don't know if charges will be filed. [Investigators] have to talk with the [Fulton County] district attorney's office about that."
The homeowner, identified as Desonte Lindsey, 28, shot and wounded a teen breaking into his townhouse in the 6200 block of Flat Trace, near Union City, police said.
"The guy hears the front doorbell ring" just before 6 p.m., McBride said. "When he goes down to answer it, a 16-year-old kicks in his back door."
The man got a gun and fired twice at the teen, hitting him once in the arm, McBride said. The youth ran, and the man chased him into a nearby wooded area and lost him. Lindsey told police it was the second time this month his home had been broken into.
The teen was arrested after calling 911 to report he'd been shot, McBride said. He is charged with burglary and criminal trespass, McBride said. The teen underwent surgery at Southern Regional Medical Center on Saturday to remove a bullet from his arm.
Labels: GA, home invasion, minor offender
5/9/08
Atlanta, Georiga
From the Atlanta Journal Constitution of May 9, 2008
Teen killed breaking into home
A 24-year-old man shot and killed a teenage intruder Friday after the youth and some other juveniles tried to break into the his northwest Atlanta home, police said.
The shooting occurred around 1:15 p.m. at 1426 Hawkins St., off Chappell Road, police said.
The victim was 16 years old, said Lt. Keith Meadows, commander of the Atlanta Police Department homicide unit. His name was not made public Friday afternoon.
Meadows said several juveniles tried break in through a back door.
They had broken a glass window pane and were trying to kick in the door, said Sgt. Lisa Keyes, a police spokeswoman.
It was not clear if the suspects got the door open before the resident, who was home alone, grabbed a handgun from his back bedroom and shot fired at least eight shots, hitting the 16-year-old at least once in the face, Meadows said.
Several of the bullets struck the door, police said. The other suspects ran away.
Meadows said it appears that the man acted in self defense. His home had been burglarized two other times this week, and detectives were trying to determine if all the burglaries are linked.
Meadows also said the teenage boy who was shot might have been arrested recently by Atlanta police on an unrelated burglary charge.
The Police Department's helicopter crew and ground units were canvassing the neighborhood in search of the other youths, Keyes said.
Labels: GA, home invasion, minor offender
5/5/08
Lithonia, Georgia
From 11Alive of May 5, 2008
Police Investigate Deadly Shooting
DeKalb County Police are investigating a shooting in Lithonia that left one person dead Monday night.
According to police, the person who was shot and killed tried to break into an apartment at the Concept 21 Apartments on Hillandale Drive. Somebody inside the apartment pulled out a gun and shot the intruder.
DeKalb County Police investigators have not said if any charges will be filed.
Labels: GA, home invasion
3/19/08
Tucker, Georgia
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of March 19, 2008
Elderly Tucker man kills intruder
If a DeKalb County home invasion suspect thought an elderly Tucker couple would make an easy target Tuesday night, he thought wrong.
Now the suspect is dead, and DeKalb police say the 81-year-old homeowner will not face charges for shooting and killing the man.
DeKalb police spokesman J.T. Ware said that about 11 p.m., the unidentified suspect, who appeared to be in his 20s, broke into the home on Zemory Drive, in a neighborhood off Lawrenceville Highway.
"The suspect, as he was entering the location, made enough noise to arouse the suspicions of the homeowner, and he was able to locate his weapon and load it," Ware said.
The homeowner confronted the suspect, and after a brief struggle, shot and killed the man, Ware said.
He said the homeowner, whose name has not been released, was hospitalized for treatment of wounds suffered during the struggle, but is expected to be okay. The man's 78-year-old wife was not injured.
Ware said police do not plan to charge the homeowner.
"He defended his home, defended his wife," Ware said. "He did what everybody would hope to do in a situation like that."
Labels: GA, home invasion, senior
3/8/08
Olde Town, Georgia
From NBC Augusta of March 7, 2008
Homeowner Refused To Be Robbed
One Augusta homeowner refused to be robbed. And now he's talking about his encounter with a burglar. At least eight homes, in the Olde Town neighborhood have recently been broken into.
"He was in the house. Made it down the hallway into another room," said Tim Asmann, victim.
A surprise Asmann was not expecting at his Olde Town home Thursday afternoon. Asmann says someone knocked on his door several times, but when he didn't answer, the intruder broke into his house through a window in the back.
"I knew what he was there for. Trying to do something looking for something trying to steal something," said Asmann.
So, Asmann says he was ready and waiting.
"It was quick. Shoot or not shoot. I chose not to shoot. He didn't know that was coming at all. He thought the house was completely empty and he would walk through and get what he wanted," said Asmann.
But when the would-be burglar saw Asmann's gun he took off...empty handed. And he didn't get far.
"He pretty much cased out the residents. Unfortunately, he didn't do a good job because the owner was home which helped us make an arrest and end his career in Olde town quickly," said Lt. Tony Walden, Richmond County Sheriff's Office.
Richmond County deputies arrested a 16-year-old boy. They say he is responsible for at least four break-ins in Olde Town since Valentine's Day.
Police reports show the teen stole Jewelry, laptops, cell phones, and guns. Investigators say he even used a credit card stolen from one of the homes to buy several hundred dollars worth of clothing and shoes online.
Because of this crime spree, there are now more deputies patrolling the neighborhood, including the crime suppression team.
...
Investigators also charged two others in connection with this crime spree. ... Two people are charged with felony and misdemeanor theft for receiving stolen property.
Labels: GA, home invasion
3/4/08
Atlanta, Georgia
From the March 3, 2008 Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
By 7:30 Monday evening it was business as usual at the Family Store in northwestern Atlanta. The store smelled freshly clean. The owners had removed the blood from the floor.
Two hours earlier, according to witnesses, two men had come into the convenience store at 2535 Center St. and started beating a customer. The customer then produced a gun, said Manuel Fernandez, who was working the counter. Seconds later, a 26-year-old man lay dead on the floor.
"It was two on one," the 20-year-old Fernandez said. "One was holding him, and the other was beating him in the face. That's when he got his arm free and pulled out the gun and shot."
"I think it was over money."
Outside, 14-year-old Vincent Cameron, who had been playing basketball at the store hoop, was apparently struck by a ricochet bullet. Relieved relatives said Vincent, who was being treated at a hospital, was going to be OK.
"He got shot and somehow he pulled the bullet out himself," said his cousin Shekena Talley, who lives in Paulding County. "They are going to stitch him up. He should be home soon."
"He said when he pulled the bullet out, it was hot."
Fernandez said when the shooting started he ducked behind the counter and heard several shots. When he stood back up, he saw one of the men who had been doing the beating on the floor, dead. Both the shooter and the guy who was holding him fled, Fernandez said.
...
The violence — in a city with more than 120 killings last year — didn't even merit a press release from the Atlanta Police Department.
Labels: altercation, GA
2/15/08
Macon, Georgia
From the Macon Telegraph of February 15, 2008
Would-be teen intruder shot in Macon
Macon police are investigating a shooting that happened shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday on Beech Avenue.
Macon police Capt. Jimmy Barbee said investigators believe the shooting stemmed from the sale of a stolen automobile.
An armed 14-year-old male allegedly entered a residence on Beech Avenue looking for someone.
The teenager searched the home but found no one, Barbee said. Residents were hiding in the closet.
As the teen was leaving the house, he got into a confrontation with an adult male, possibly a relative of the residents.
The teen pointed a gun at the man, according to police.
The man fired a gunshot from his own weapon, grazing the teenager in the head, police said.
The teen was taken by ambulance to The Medical Center of Central Georgia. His condition was not available late Thursday.
No charges against the man are pending. Police continue to investigate the incident.
Labels: GA, home invasion, minor offender
1/29/08
Augusta, Georgia
From WRDW of January 28, 2008
Augusta homeowner shoots suspected burglary in leg
One man admits he shot another, but it's the man who was shot who went to jail.
The Thurman family says after two people stole from them they got a security system and a gun. Now, they say, they've both come in handy.
"As soon as [the motion sensor] went off, we were able to look out the window and see that he had opened the door to the truck," said Michael Thurman.
He says he thought it was a burglar.
So he grabbed his gun, ran downstairs and went outside.
"When I saw him right here I said hey what are you doing?" Thurman said.
An incident report shows the suspect, Jeffery Whitt, started to run to a dark part of the yard.
Thurman says he couldn't see him and was afraid he might be going to get a gun.
"Anything could've been in [the] area, so I did what I thought I needed to protect myself and my family. I fired a few shots,"
One of those shots into the dark hit the suspect in the leg.
Whitt kept running down the street and ended up at Macedonia Baptist Church.
Deputies arrested him and took him to MCG.
Thurman says his GPS system was missing and deputies found one between his house and the church.
Michael's wife says she's glad her husband stood up for her.
"I am proud that I have a husband that would protect his family," Angela Thurman said.
Michael's thankful his bullet only hurt the suspect, but even happier it helped deputies catch him.
But still, he says he and his wife may have some sleepless nights.
"I'm still shaking from the incident. Going through anything like that is horrible," Michael said.
Labels: GA, trespassing
1/25/08
Atlanta, Georiga
From WXIA of January 25, 2008
Wheelchair-bound Man Shoots Attacker
A homeowner who is confined to a wheelchair shot and wounded a man who confronted him on his door step, Atlanta police told 11Alive News.
The homeowner was on his way out of his house on Flat Shoals Avenue Friday morning when he ran into a man at his door. The homeowner asked the man to leave, but the man started to assault the homeowner, authorities said.
During a struggle, the homeowner grabbed a gun and shot the attacker in the arm and chest.
The suspect was taken to the hospital. His condition was not known.
The homeowner was not injured.
12/26/07
Union County, Georgia
From WGCL of December 24, 2007
Mother Shot, Son Shoots Stepfather
A Fulton County woman was shot twice in the stomach early Monday morning by her estranged husband, police said.
Fulton County police said the woman was being escorted to her car in front of her home on Leisure Lane in south Fulton County by her son when her estranged husband shot her with a shotgun.
The woman's son returned fire, shooting his stepfather before calling police, investigators said.
"I had just come outside to walk my dog and I walked back in the house," said neighbor Mary Ann Washington. "As soon as I walked back in the house, I heard a girl scream and then I heard shots -- a lot of shots."
Police said the couple was involved in an on-going domestic dispute, with the woman obtaining a restraining order against her estranged husband before the shooting.
The woman's son had been walking her to her car in front of her home daily in order to provide protection for her, investigators said.
Both the woman and her estranged husband are in serious condition at a local hospital.
No information has been released on any charges that may be filed against the woman's son.
Further links:
Police: Husband Shot Wife, Son Shot Husband
Labels: domestic dispute, GA
12/24/07
Fort Mitchell, Georgia
From WRBL of December 24, 2007
Man Shot After Invading Home
A man ended up in the hospital on this Christmas Eve because of a shooting.
The shooting happened just after noon off of Bradley Road in Fort Mitchell in Russell County.
The Russell County Sheriff's Department tells News Three, two men entered the home with weapons drawn.
The men took off with some items, and then, the homeowner and the men had an altercation.
The homeowner shot one of the men.
Sheriff's Deputies say the two tried to get away in a stolen vehicle from Columbus but the vehicle was shot at as well.
The vehicle was found in a ditch on the homeowner’s property.
The men ran to the neighbor's yard, and the neighbor called 9-1-1.
“A man called saying there was a black male that had been shot, appeared to be by a shotgun, laying in his yard,” says Lt. Heath Taylor of the Russell County Sheriff’s Department.
One of the men is in critical condition at a local hospital.
Both men are in custody.
Labels: GA, residence robbery
12/19/07
Summergrove, Georgia
From the The Times-Herald of December 20, 2007
Charges dropped in shooting death DA says wife acted in self-defense when she killed her husband
All charges against 61-year-old Bobbi J. Dailey, the woman accused in the shooting death of her husband, Michael, at their home in SummerGrove on Feb. 6, have been dropped by the Coweta County District Attorney's office.
Dailey had been charged with two counts of murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. In light of new evidence recently uncovered, the District Attorney's office has concluded that Dailey was acting in self-defense on the evening of Feb. 6 and have therefore dismissed the case against her, according to Assistant District Attorney Pat Dutcher.
Dailey, who was represented by Criminal Law Attorney Lawrence Delan, has been out of the Coweta County Jail since posting the $25,000 bond set by Coweta Superior Court Judge A. Quillian Baldwin on March 9.
According to Dutcher, the original evidence presented by the Newnan Police Department detectives indicated that Dailey may have maliciously shot and killed her husband. The investigator for the District Attorney's office recently discovered new evidence that indicated that Dailey reasonably believed she had to use deadly force to defend herself against her husband the evening of Feb. 6.
On the night of the shooting, Coweta 911 received a call at 10:10 p.m. from 507 Hunterian Place in SummerGrove from Bobbi Dailey. Police arrived on the scene to find Michael lying dead on the floor in a bedroom with a single gunshot wound to the heart.
Investigators determined that the Daileys had gotten into an argument while both were under the influence of alcohol in which one of them had retrieved a .40 caliber Sig Sauer gun. Bobbi got that gun and fired one shot, striking her husband in the chest, according to police.
"While we don't condone the act, this is no doubt a tragic situation," said Dutcher. "We believe now that we have the complete picture in the best interest of justice — that is our ethical responsibility."
Psychological testing conducted on Dailey indicated that she suffered from Battered Person Syndrome, a sub-category of post-traumatic stress disorder. The investigator with the District Attorney's office had interviewed two of Michael's former spouses and concluded that there was a history of abusive behavior, according to Dutcher.
Furthermore, Dutcher stated that evidence suggests that Michael had struck his wife the evening of the deadly altercation. Michael's right hand was swollen with abrasions, and Dailey's left eye was reportedly swollen and bruised. There was also a hole in the wall of the kitchen with traces of blood indicating that Michael may have punched his fist through it. Finally, there was a scratch mark on his neck suggesting to investigators that Dailey had tried to fight back.
"All the evidence was consistent with a domestic altercation," said Dutcher. "This was a difficult case, and the Daileys are good people. My heart goes out to the them in this tragedy. The possibility that we could reopen this case exists if any new evidence presents itself."
(More)
Labels: domestic abuse, female, GA
Baldwin County, Georgia
From December 19, 2007 WMGT:
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".
Labels: GA, home invasion
12/7/07
DeKalb County, Georgia
From December 7, 2007 WSB channel 2:
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. -- A father protecting his family during a hold up shot and killed a robber late Thursday night.The family of four had just returned home from a school recital. After parking in their driveway the family was walking up the front walk at their house on Stardust Circle when three robbers stopped them.During the confrontation the father pulled out a gun and opened fire, killing one of the robbers. The other men ran off."It was a home invasion, but this time the invasion was on the other foot," said one neighbor.The neighbor says the wounded man died in the family's yard and the other two men fled on foot.That same neighbor told police that she heard her dog attack one of the robbers as he ran through her backyard.Also covered at December 7, 2007 channel 11.
More details at the December 7, 2007 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer:
DECATUR, Ga. -- DeKalb County police continued Friday to look for two suspects after a man shot and killed a third attacker who tried to rob his family as they returned home from a school event.
DeKalb Police spokesman Jonathon Ware said Ronald Johnson, 36, and his family were returning to their home in south DeKalb County and getting out of their vehicle when the suspects, armed with a handgun and a shotgun, attempted to rob them shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday.
Johnson pulled his own gun and killed one of the suspects, Ware said, and the other two men fled on foot.
Ware said Friday that police had not yet identified the dead man.
He said the shooting "has been deemed justified," and no charges will be filed against Johnson.
Neither Johnson, nor his family - whom Ware identified as Lekeysha Mattox, 34, and two girls ages 16 and 4 - were injured in the attack.
Labels: GA, home invasion, residence robbery
11/27/07
Bibb County, Georgia
From the Macon Telegraph of November 26, 2007
Bibb homeowner fires gun at suspected burglars, two arrested
Bibb County deputies have arrested two men who allegedly abandoned plans to break into an Ashford Chase Court home after the homeowner fired a gun at them, according to a sheriff's office news release.
Deputies received a 911 call from the home just after noon on Sunday in which the homeowner reported a burglary was in progress. When the burglars smashed a window the homeowner fired a shot from a pistol at the window, causing the men to run away, according to the release.
Evidence left behind at the house led deputies to a local fast food restaurant where video of the men was discovered.
Investigators were able to identify the robbers as 19-year-old Daunte Franklin of Park Lane Place and 22-year-old Kerrence Thomas of Forest Avenue who were suspects in previous cases, according to the release.
Shortly after 2 p.m. deputies found Franklin and Thomas hiding in a van in a parking lot off Zebulon Road, according to the release.
Franklin and Thomas have been charged with burglary and are being held at the Bibb County Law Enforcement Complex, according to the release.
Labels: GA, home invasion
11/26/07
Douglasville, Georgia
From Atlanta’s CBS46.com of November 26, 2007
Arbor Place Mall Reopens After Shootings
A Brinks employee and a suspected robber were shot as two men tried to rob a Brinks Security truck outside a shopping mall in west Georgia.
Douglasville police chief Joe Whisenant told CNN that at least one suspect fired shots at the Brinks employee as he was leaving the mall with money. Whisenant said the employee returned fire, hitting one of the suspects.
Both the guard and the suspect are recovering in Atlanta hospitals. Whisenant told CNN both are expected to survive, but the suspect was in worse shape than the Brinks employee.
"It was a lot of shots, like nine," witness Leigh Knight told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "After about the fourth one, we figured out what it was and we threw the kids under the table and we laid down on top of them. I saw a Brinks man laying face up, he was conscious. There was another man next to him laying face down."
A store owner told the newspaper that police SWAT team members roamed the mall with guns drawn.
The mall is a stand-alone mall in the suburb of Douglasville, which is west of Atlanta.
The mall was locked down after the shootings, but it has reopened.
Labels: defender shot, GA, private security, street robbery
11/19/07
Augusta, Georgia
From Augusta’s WRDW.com of November 19, 2007
Homeowner sends burglars to hospital
Investigators say two armed burglars invaded a home Friday night around 8:30pm on the 3000-block of Tate Rd.
A struggle occurred between the homeowner and one of the men. The homeowner was shot in the arm, but was able to get the gun away from the burglars to shoot back.
The two burglars drove themselves to the hospital where they were arrested.
The two men have been identified as Montrelle Teasley and Marcus Turner. Both will be charged with armed robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during a crime.
Teasley is a juvenile, but will be charged as an adult.
Labels: criminal's gun taken away and used against him, defender shot, GA, home invasion, residence robbery
11/8/07
Albany, Georgia
From November 8, 2007 WALB channel 10:
Albany-- There was gunfire in northwest Albany as a convenience store owner fought off an armed robber.
A little after seven o'clock Wednesday night, a man entered the Mini-Mart at 2422 Stuart Avenue, showed a gun and demanded money. That's when store owner Mike Patel pulled out his own gun and fired one shot at the would-be robber.
Labels: business robbery, GA
11/2/07
Atlanta, Georgia
From October 30, 2007 WGCL channel 46:
ATLANTA -- A witness fired shots at some burglars at a boutique in Atlanta Tuesday morning, police said.
Police said the burglars broke out a window at the Urban Fusion boutique on Peters Street around 4 a.m.
While the burglars were trying to carry out merchandise, a person living in an apartment across the street saw them and began firing shots.
The men dropped the merchandise and ran away, police said.
Police haven’t said who the shooter was.
Labels: business burglary, GA
10/24/07
Stone Mountain, Georgia
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of October 23, 2007
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.
Labels: business robbery, GA
10/18/07
Norcross, Georgia
From MyFoxAtlanta.com of October 18, 2007
Police Say Customer at Norcross Restaurant Fatally Shot Man in Self DefenseFrom the Atlanta Journal Constitution of October 18, 2007
Police say a customer, who shot and killed a man at a restaurant early Thursday morning, did so in self defense. It happened at barnacles [sic] on Jimmy Carter Boulevard in Norcross.
Fatal shooting at Norcross bar marks Gwinnett homicide record
Norcross police say they're unlikely to file charges in a fatal shooting at a local bar early Thursday.
The killing — the third homicide within the city limits this year — marks the record for Gwinnett County.
Police identified the dead man as Juan Ojeda, 54, a Spanish national living near Norcross who officers said was a regular at Barnacles Restaurant on Jimmy Carter Boulevard.
Another patron killed Ojeda in self defense, said Norcross Police Detective Jason Carter.
The homicide is the 41st for Gwinnett, according to the county medical examiner's office.
That surpasses last year's record of 40.
In the 1997 Gwinnett had only 17 homicides. But in since 2003, it has had more than 30 every year. Local law enforcement experts have cited the county's skyrocketing population.
Witnesses said Ojeda appeared to have been drinking when he drove up to the restaurant around midnight, Carter said. Ojeda joined a group of four other people — other regulars, but not well acquainted with the man — on the patio and became belligerent when one person asked Ojeda not to be obnoxious.
Carter said Ojeda grabbed one man's neck.
"Imagine a 54-year-old man putting a 26-year-old guy in a headlock," Carter said. Witnesses said that a moment later Ojeda feigned an apology, then lunged at another man and bit him in the neck, Carter said.
Managers and patrons ran Ojeda off, but he returned a few minutes later around 1 a.m., gun in hand, witnesses told Carter. As people on the patio scattered, one of the men he'd been sitting with ran away but drew his own gun, police said. The patron fired once, hitting Ojeda in the head as he stood in the parking lot, police said.
Police did not release the name of the patron who killed Ojeda, citing their continuing investigation. But they characterized the event as an apparent act of self defense.
The group remained at the restaurant after the shooting and gave police statements.
"They've been totally cooperative," Carter said.
Calls to relatives and co-workers of Ojeda were not returned.
"If you came in here in the afternoons, you'd recognize him," general manager Mike Ogozelec said of Ojeda, referring further questions to the restaurant's corporate office.
10/17/07
Atlanta, Georgia
From Youngstown’s (OH) WFMJ.com of October 17, 2007
Man killed in shooting after robbery
A suspected bank robber has been shot and killed by a security guard at an Atlanta bank.
Police say two other suspects are still at large.
Police say the guard shot the man just after he robbed the bank, as the man was trying to escape. They say the robber collapsed just outside the front door of the Bank of America branch office.
Just before the shooting, a customer alerted bank officials about suspicious activity in the parking lot. Police say the other two suspects are believed to have been waiting in a vehicle. They fled the scene.
Nobody else inside the bank was hurt.
Police are talking to the security guard -- but they say it looks like he acted appropriately.
Labels: business robbery, GA
9/25/07
Macon, Georgia
From the Macon Telegraph of September 25, 2007
Macon homeowner gets shot, responds by shooting armed robber in eye
A Macon man was shot in the stomach by an armed robber and returned fire, shooting the robber in the eye Monday night, according to a Macon Police Department report.
Grover E. Glover, 64, of Lamont St., reported to police that Jamel Scott came to his house just before 11 p.m. and asked to use the telephone to call for help for his broken down car.
Once inside, Scott pulled out a gun and demanded money from Glover, according to the report.
After striking him in the head with the gun, Glover told Scott his wallet was in a drawer in his bedroom. Once in the bedroom, Glover instead pulled a gun from the drawer and Scott fired before he could turn around, according to the report.
Glover told officers he then shot Scott in the eye and Scott ran out of the house, leaving his gun behind, according to the report.
Warrants have been issued for Scott's arrest on the charges of armed robbery and aggravated assault, said Macon police spokeswoman Sgt. Melanie Hofmann.
Labels: defender shot, GA, home invasion
9/13/07
Clayton County, Georgia
From the Clayton News-Daily of September 12, 2007
Man killed during alleged home invasion
An early-morning struggle in a darkened duplex left a man lying dead on the floor next to a backpack full of burglary tools, Clayton County Police said.
The renting resident told detectives he heard the noise of someone breaking down his back door at about 4:30, Wednesday morning. He went to check, and bumped into someone in the kitchen.
“He saw the suspect reaching for a gun in his waistband,” said Deputy Chief Tim Robinson, and “was somehow able to disarm the suspect. He fell back — I’m talking, maybe 10 feet — he fired and he killed the suspect.”
The renter, whose name has not yet been released by police, fired several shots inside his 5701 Williamsburg Trace residence, between Riverdale and College Park, according to his statements to police.
The man called 911 almost 2 1/2 hours later. He said he was calling from his cell phone and was standing outside, down the street from his home, according to police.
“He said someone had broken into his house and he had shot him,” Robinson said. “The question we’re trying to answer... We’re trying to account for the time frame between when he said it happened and when he actually called.”
Police dispatch received a report of shots fired, in that neighborhood, at about 5:15 a.m., between the time the man said he shot the intruder and the time he called for police.
A patrol car went through the neighborhood, after the first 911 call, but there was no one on the street and nothing visibly wrong, Robinson said.
The resident told police he was scared, after firing several shots at the man in the dark duplex, and ran away. He said he made calls to friends, on his cell phone, and eventually came back to the neighborhood and called 911, Robinson said.
After getting a warrant to search the home, because the missing 2 1/2 hours made police suspicious, detectives and crime scene investigators went inside.
Everything seemed to match the man’s account.
“The physical evidence tends to support his story,” the deputy chief said. “And he’s been very cooperative.”
The angle of the bullet, the position of the body, the signs the back door was forced open and the bag next to the dead man’s body all lent credence to the resident’s account of being surprised by a home invasion and then shooting a would-be burglar to death.
Police have not yet positively identified the dead man. They have a tentative identification, Robinson said, and have some indication he had burgled before.
“He did have a backpack, and inside that backpack he did have several items that are indicative of someone who was burgling homes,” Robinson said.
The investigation, however, is ongoing.
Labels: GA, residence burglary
9/10/07
Comer, Georgia
From WGCL of September 10, 2007
Homeowner Shoots, Kills Intruder
A Madison County homeowner shot and killed an intruder who tried to break into his home Sunday morning, police said.
Sheriff Clayton Lowe said William Keith Parks of Carlton, Ga., entered the home about 12:30 a.m. Sunday and was shot and killed by the homeowner.
Lowe did release the homeowner's name.
County Coroner Michelle Cleveland said Parks, 41, was shot in the chest with a shotgun at close range as he entered the house through the door of a rear porch.
Cleveland said there was no altercation before the shooting and the homeowner's wife called 911 afterward.
An autopsy is planned.
Comer is located near Athens, Ga.
Labels: GA, home invasion
9/6/07
Buford, Georgia
From September 7, 2007 Gainesville [Georgia] Times:
A mentally disturbed man who authorities say approached a neighbor's home in a threatening manner was shot and critically wounded Thursday in South Hall County.
Authorities said David Klefforth, 20, had a history of violent criminal acts and suffered from unspecified mental health issues. Klefforth was in critical condition Thursday night at Grady Memorial Hospital with a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
Hall County Sheriff's Maj. Jeff Strickland said Klefforth and his parents had recently moved into a home behind the residence of Brian and Sandra Pannell, who live in the 5000 block of Blackberry Lane off McEver Road.
At about 8:10 a.m. Thursday, Klefforth approached the Pannells' home by walking up their driveway. The couple did not know him as a neighbor.
"They had never seen him before," Strickland said.
Sandra Pannell, who had just driven up to the house, saw the suspicious man and alerted her husband, who had her go inside the home while he came out with a small caliber handgun.
"He pointed the gun at (Klefforth) and ordered him to stop," Strickland said. Klefforth, who was unarmed, ignored the command and kept walking toward the front door of the home, Strickland said. After warning him several times, Brian Pannell fired one shot at the man's legs, which missed.
Strickland said Klefforth spoke to Pannell, though he declined to specify what was said.
"What put (Pannell) in fear of danger to his family is that (Klefforth) continued to make aggressive moves toward him after the first shot missed," Strickland said.
A second shot hit Klefforth in the abdomen, causing him to fall over.
Deputies and paramedics responded to the shooting scene within minutes and Klefforth was airlifted from a nearby industrial site off McEver Road.
As of Thursday night, Klefforth remained in "extremely critical" condition, Strickland said.
Pannell has not been charged with a crime. The case was forwarded to the office of Hall County District Attorney Lee Darragh for review.
"That's a standard procedure in any shooting where self-defense is in play," Strickland said.
Labels: altercation, GA, trespassing
9/4/07
Barrow County, Georgia
From Atlanta’s 11Alive.com of September 4, 2007
Pit Bull Attack Victim Speaks Out
Friends and family are staying close by Kelly Edwards' side as he recovers from multiple bite wounds to his arms, legs and torso.
He said he vividly remembers the attack by three pit bulls as he went for his daily walk Monday.
“The small one came out and leaped for me and got me on my side, and I fell,” he recalled. “Then, when I was on the ground they were snapping at me and biting me. There was one place on my arm where the skin was laid open where one of them bit me."
He said he tried his best to fight the dogs off.
“I lost so much blood, I was just too weak,” he said.
As the dogs were attacking Edwards, one neighbor came up and fended them off with a walking stick, then another shot one of the dogs dead. Edwards said if David Banner hadn't stepped in, he might be dead.
“I owe him my life, I do,” he said.
“He’s our hero, said Edwards' daughter Kathy Westall.
The two surviving pit bulls are at the Barrow County Animal Shelter, but not for long.
“The two remaining dogs were surrendered by their owner and will be euthanized tomorrow, and then the remains will be analyzed for rabies,” said Barrow County Animal Control Director Stephen Eades.
Edwards and his daughters are now hoping he won't need rabies shots and that he'll soon be out of the hospital. They hope other dog owners learn from his ordeal.
“They need to restrain their dogs, dogs don't need to be running free,” he said. “It’s bad what happened but if it had been a child they child would not have made it."
9/3/07
Brunswick, Georgia
From Jacksonville’s (FL) Fox30Online.com of September 3, 2007
Residents Shoot Home Invaders in BrunswickFrom the Brunswick News of September 4, 2007
Brunswick police are investigating a deadly home invasion. In this case, however, police say the intended targets fought back and shot the suspects.
One man is dead and another seriously injured.
Brunswick police received a 9-1-1 call about a home invasion, just after 1:30 Monday morning. When officers arrived at the house on Wolfe Street, they found an 18 year old sitting on the porch, with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Another man had been shot inside the house. He died at a local hospital. The man who was shot in the stomach will be facing criminal charges, according to police.
Police say the two men who were shot broke into the home and tried to rob the residents at gunpoint.
Robbery target won't be victim, kills intruder
When two armed men allegedly attempted to rob a house full of young adults in Brunswick early Monday morning, their victims fought back.
A man visiting the house at 601 Wolfe St. in the city's south end pulled a handgun from the front of his pants and shot the two would-be robbers, killing one of them and wounding the other, police said.
Police did not release the names of the two suspects. No charges had been filed Monday.
The renters of the house, Leah Whitman, 18, Robert Herd, 20, and Josh Stout, 20, had been living there almost three months and had spent all day Sunday moving out their furniture and personal things, Whitman said.
That evening, the three planned to hang out on the front porch one last time with friends and enjoy the Labor Day weekend.
At about 1:30 a.m. Monday, the three, accompanied by two other friends, were sitting on the porch of the two-story, yellow house when the two would-be robbers jumped onto the porch and pulled out a gun.
Whitman said they had been watching the two suspects canvass the neighborhood before the attack.
"They walked up and down the block a couple of times," she said. "We honestly didn't have any idea they were going (to rob) us, though."
Whitman said the two armed men walked her and the others, most of whom were in their early 20s, to the back of the house adjacent to the kitchen.
"They made us take off our shoes and empty our pockets, and stole all of our cell phones," Whitman said. "When they couldn't find cash, they began stealing our change and counting it right there in front of us."
She said the two then demanded car keys.
"They kept joking with us the whole time, telling us they had just smoked crack and that we are poor kids," Whitman said. "One of the robbers said that (his accomplice) had just gotten out of prison, and not to mind him because it was his first time robbing anybody."
At one point, one of the robbers went outside and returned carrying a shotgun, Whitman said.
Whitman said no one knows where the shotgun came from, but believe the robbers might have taken it out of a vehicle belonging to one of her friends.
"One of the robbers who took my car keys even went into the front console of my car and stole all the pennies I had laying there," Stout said.
Every time a new visitor showed up at the house, they were greeted by the robbers, frisked for money and taken to the back room.
The two men became aggravated when more people kept showing up, Whitman said.
About that time, Hector, a friend of the Wolfe Street renters, whose last name they would not reveal, happened to show up at the house.
Hector had never been to the house before and none of the other guests had any idea he was going to drop by for a visit, they said.
"When Hector showed up, (the robbers) walked him to the back room, too," Whitman said.
She said the two made Hector empty out his pockets and take off his shoes just like everybody else. What the two didn't realize was that Hector had a .45 caliber pistol tucked in the front of his jeans.
One of the attackers was in the kitchen area and the other in the front hallway when Hector began shooting.
It played out just like a scene from a movie, Whitman said.
"When the robber tried to rob (Hector), he emptied his pockets, then said, 'I don't know who you think you're robbing,'" she said Monday afternoon. "That's when he pulled out his gun and began shooting them."
Hector allegedly fired two shots at the suspect in the kitchen and three at the suspect in the hallway.
"He took both of them out before either had a chance to shoot back," Herd said. "It all happened so fast ... It's a blur."
The suspect in the kitchen was shot in the abdomen; the one in the hallway was fatally shot in the right side.
"After Hector shot (the robbers), we all crawled out the windows of the house, and (Hector) stayed inside to make sure we got out safe," Whitman said.
The suspect who was fatally shot tried to run up the stairs after he was wounded and died at the top of the staircase, said witnesses at the home on Monday.
The other suspect managed to walk out to the front porch, where he was found by city police and rushed to the emergency room of the Brunswick hospital of Southeast Georgia Health System.
Whitman, thinking back on the incident Monday afternoon, said she feels lucky to be alive.
She said neither of the suspects wore bandanas or masks to cover their faces.
"They were completely unmasked and I think they would have shot us because they wouldn't have wanted to leave any witnesses," she said. "(Hector) really saved our lives."
Everett Clark, who lives across from the house on Wolfe Street, said he hopes the shooting is a warning to any would-be robbers in Brunswick.
"Maybe this will send a message that we're sick of all these robberies and violence, and we're not going to take it anymore," he said.
Labels: GA, home invasion, residence robbery
8/24/07
Chatham County, Georgia
From the Savannah Morning News of August 24, 2007
Convenience store owner foils armed robbers
The owner of a west Chatham County convenience store derailed the plans of two armed men who tried to rob him Thursday morning, using a gun of his own to send them packing.
The would-be robbers, with guns drawn, entered Mike's Mini Mart at 2101 Lewis Mills Blvd. shortly after 7:30 a.m. Thursday, according to Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police.
When the owner saw the barrels of the assailants' guns, he pulled out his own weapon and immediately opened fire as they entered. Seconds later, the two assailants turned and fled from the business.
No customers were in the store, and no injuries were reported.
The men fired two shots at the business before fleeing, blowing out their own rear window in the process, according to a police report.
Police are asking the public's help to find a small blue or black car with the rear windshield shot out.
The car was last seen traveling toward ACL Boulevard with an orange hand truck or a lawn mower protruding from its trunk.
The assailants are described as two black males, one wearing a white T-shirt, dark shorts and white tennis shoes. He is 6 feet tall, weighing 160 to 170 pounds, with long dreadlocks. His accomplice stands about 5 feet, 9 inches, weighing 160 pounds. He was wearing a gray or green ball cap, a black hooded sweatshirt and yellow jogging pants with two stripes down the sides.
Labels: business robbery, GA
8/23/07
Griffin, Georgia
From MyFoxAtlanta.com of August 23, 2007
Convenience Store Owner Fires Back at Armed RobbersFrom Atlanta‘s 11Alive.com of August 23, 2007
A frightening night for customers and the store owner at a convenience store in Griffin.
The robbery happened at Tony's One Stop just before midnight Wednesday on U.S. 41.
A customer, Chris Albright, says he had taken a short cut through the woods to the store where he says two robbers, wearing orange ski masks, jumped him and told him to get on the ground and put a gun to his head. He says they also told him to stand against a wall.
Spalding County deputies say the two later confronted customers behind the store and robbed them.
Deputies say the robbers shot the store owner in the face; he fired back, wounding at least one of the suspects.
Officers later arrested two 17-year-old suspects when they showed up for treatment at a hospital in Clayton County. They also arrested a 17-year-old girl from Henry County who they believe was driving the getaway car, which they also recovered.
The store owner remains in critical condition at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.
Wounded Store Owner to be Released
The Spalding County convenience store owner who was shot and wounded in a shootout with some teen robbers late Wednesday night was scheduled for release from Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital Thursday afternoon, according to his father.
"It's a miracle that saved his life," Parish Harvil's father, Ron Harvil, told 11Alive News. Harvil said that as one of the gunmen shot at Parish, Parish instinctively raised his hand in front of his face.
"That deflected the bullet and caused it to tumble" and lose velocity, Harvil said. It embedded in Parish Harvil's skin, in his head, and did not cause a serious wound.
"It took the tip of his middle finger off" on his left hand, Ron said. He said doctors have reattached it.
Parish Harvil was still able to wound one of the robbers in his hand, and that's what led police to arrest the three suspects who are now in custody. Now, Sheriff James Stewart said one of the suspects is cooperating with investigators. Stewart has scheduled an afternoon news conference to update the public on the on-going investigation.
(More)
Labels: business robbery, defender shot, GA
8/22/07
Columbus, Georgia
From Columbus’ WRBL.com of August 22, 2007
Homeowner Shoots Burglar
According to police, a morning shooting in Columbus was a case of self defense.
Around 9:30 Wednesday morning police say a man armed with a gun entered a home on Patch drive.
Authorities say the homeowner pulled his own gun to defend himself. Sergeant Harvey Hatcher with the Columbus Police Department tells News Three this was a clear case of self defense. Hatcher says "right now the preliminary investigation shows the homeowner who lives here was confronted by a subject with a gun. The homeowner was able to retrieve his own weapon and fired shots at the suspect". Hatcher says the attacker was shot in the arm and was taken to The hospital. After the shooting the culprit ran one block away to Eddy street where he was taken into custody.
The case is being handled as an attempted burglary. The homeowner was not charged.
Labels: GA, residence robbery
8/17/07
Atlanta, Georgia
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of August 16, 2007
Tattoo parlor owner shoots robber
The shotgun hangs on the wall of the Tattoo Doctor for a reason, its employees say. It's meant to convey a message to anyone walking in: Don't mess with us.
Until now, the insinuation worked fine. But when a would-be robber tried to hold up the southwest Atlanta tattoo and piercing parlor Thursday night, he learned the hard way what happens when you disobey.
The store owner shot the man at least three times, sending him scurrying out of the shop and into a nearby apartment complex — where he was promptly arrested.
"Stop trying to rob, that's not the avenue they need to take," said the owner's brother, who goes by the name "Zok" Patrick.
"But if you do," he added, "be ready for the repercussions."
About seven people, including patrons and employees, were at the shop on Campbellton Road when two men came in about 8 p.m. asking to get tattooed.
As one of them was called in for his appointment, the second man pulled out a gun, ordered everyone to get down on the ground and demanded money, Patrick said.
"He pointed to the [shotgun] and said nobody touch it," Patrick said. "We put it up there to curtail exactly this type of behavior."
As the patrons hit the ground, the store owner — whose business license lists him as Ikeno Patrick, but who goes by "Nomadic" — pulled out a different gun and fired.
"Zok" Patrick says his brother returned fire only after the would-be robber fired some shots of his own. Police had not sorted through the details of the attempted robbery by late Thursday night.
"From what I seen, [my brother] hit him on the mouth, the shoulder, the side," Patrick said.
The man ran out, firing back over his shoulder as he made his escape through the parking lot.
"The whole neighborhood must have called police. There were so many shots fired," Patrick said.
The store is in a shopping center that houses, among other businesses, a barber shop and a pizza place.
As the shots flew, the second man cowered in a corner, saying, "Please don't kill me. I didn't have nothing to do with it," Patrick recalled.
Atlanta police Officer Eric Schwartz said the would-be robber, whose name was not released, was arrested and taken to a hospital in stable condition.
"Nomadic" Patrick was taken to a police station to give his version of events. The other employees spent late Thursday night picking up glass shards and sweeping out the debris.
Labels: business robbery, GA
8/16/07
Ellenwood, Georgia
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of August 16, 2007
Burglar pursued by quick-thinking man, nipped by dog
Thief apprehended after hold-up at Ellenwood truck stop
A security guard on his way to work late Wednesday night helped capture a man police said had just robbed an Ellenwood truck stop.
Vincent Taylor, 40, noticed a man coming out of the Fuel Center on Ga. 42 carrying a gun and large amount of money, said Clayton County police Deputy Chief Tim Robinson. Taylor was on his way to work at Turner Broadcasting, police said.
"Realizing what had occurred, Taylor gave chase on foot," Robinson said.
The armed robber, later identified by police as Robert C. Flynn II, 21, of Stockbridge, turned and fired at Taylor, Robinson said. Taylor returned fire from his handgun as Flynn ran into nearby woods, police said.
Neither man was hit and Taylor stayed at the truck stop to wait for police, Robinson said.
A K-9 unit was sent into the woods and tracked Flynn down within minutes, Robinson said. Flynn struggled with the dog and was bitten, police said. He was treated at Southern Regional Medical Center before being taken to the Clayton County Jail.
Robinson said the gun Flynn used in the robbery was reported stolen in January 2006 out of DeKalb County. Police said they also recovered more than $1,200 in cash stolen from the Fuel Center.
Flynn is charged with armed robbery, three counts of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and theft by receiving stolen property, police said
Labels: business robbery, fugitive, GA
8/8/07
Monroe, Georgia
From Monroe’s Walton Tribune of August 8, 2007
Monroe man shot with own pistol after fight
When David Brown pulled out his 9mm pistol Monday morning, he was ready to use it.
But when the gun jammed on Brown, Greg Cooper, the would-be victim, took the weapon and used the handgun to beat Brown with it. The weapon fired, hitting Brown.
Police responded to a report of shots fired just after 9 a.m. at 713-B Lacy St. When officers arrived, they could not find an assailant or a victim but followed a blood trail from where the shooting took place to the back porch of 717-A.
“It appears the two men got into an argument, one pulled a weapon out, cocked it, and it misfired,” Investigator Alicia Martin said. “It then proceeded into a physical altercation. Once the gun misfired, the victim took the gun away and proceeded to use it against his assailant.”
A 9mm shell was located in the driveway, according to reports seven to eight feet away from where the blood started.
Brown, 28, of 735 Lacy St., was later located at his house and transported by Walton EMS to Athens Regional Hospital. Reports were that he had several lacerations to his hand and was shot in the wrist of his left hand.
Monroe Police Department officials expect to issue warrants for Brown’s arrest by the end of the week.
Labels: altercation, assault, criminal's gun taken away and used against him, GA
8/2/07
Oconee County, Georgia
From the The Athens Banner-Herald of August 1, 2007
No charges for Bishop man who shot intruder
Oconee County Sheriff's deputies don't plan to charge a 30-year-old Bishop man who says he shot an armed burglar Sunday afternoon.
The Railroad Street man told deputies that he was acting in self-defense when he shot an intruder in the left forearm.
Deputies said the man was awakened shortly before noon by the sound of someone prying open a side door, which had been screwed shut because of a previous break-in.
The man told deputies the burglar walked into the living room and pointed a semi-automatic pistol at him, but he grabbed a .38-caliber handgun from a nearby coffee table and fired.
The burglar, identified as Joseph Lee Austin, 29, of 4140 Bowers Pointe Drive, Lilburn, ran from the house and left the area in a pickup truck driven by another man, deputies said.
Austin called deputies minutes later from Jack's Food Mart on Greensboro Highway, four miles away in Watkinsville, to report the shooting. Deputies who responded to the convenience store said they found an empty pistol holster on the floor truck.
Austin, who was unarmed when deputies arrived, was taken to St. Mary's Hospital for treatment.
(More)
Labels: GA, home invasion
7/31/07
Augusta, Georgia
From the Augusta Chronicle of July 31, 2007
Store owner shoots suspect, police say
The brother of a man charged this month in a nightclub shooting was shot Monday morning by an Augusta merchant who said he caught the teen burglarizing his store.
Derrell Lamar McNair, 14, the younger brother of Darion Antonio McNair, is charged with armed robbery, aggravated assault and burglary, according to Richmond County sheriff's Investigator Brandon Beckman.
The older Mr. McNair has been charged with murder in a July 9 shooting at Club Super C's Lounge on Tobacco Road, and remains in jail.
Police said Raheim Michael Badger, the owner of the F.A.M.E. clothing store on Wrightsboro Road, told them he was spending the night in the store because of recent burglaries.
At about 4 a.m. Monday, he said, he awoke to a crash in the front of the business and saw a figure, later identified as Mr. McNair, stealing clothes.
The burglar fired a handgun at the owner, who returned fire, Investigator Beckman said.
Mr. McNair was later found at University Hospital, where he had been dropped off for treatment of a gunshot wound, Investigator Beckmam said.
Police said they believe 23-year-old Jordash Tanksley, who has outstanding warrants for aggravated assault and carjacking in connection with a shooting this year, also was involved in the burglary.
He, too, is wanted for questioning in the Super C's shooting that left 18-year-old Stedmund Fryer dead, Investigator Beckman said.
Mr. Tanksley's father, Clarence Tanksley, 46, of the 2400 block of Madrid Drive,is also wanted for questioning.
Labels: business burglary, GA, minor offender
7/30/07
Cobb County, Georgia
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of July 30, 2007
Teen shot in southwest Cobb
A juvenile was shot Sunday night after he allegedly participated in a home invasion in southwest Cobb County.
According to police two juveniles attempted to rob a home on South Gordon Road in Mableton just before 11 p.m. Sunday. When police arrived on the scene, they found one of the youths with a gunshot wound.
Sgt. Dana Pierce, a police spokesman, said that during the attempted robbery the youths shot at the victims. One of the people in the home returned fire, wounding one of the youths. He was taken to a local hospital.
The remaining juvenile was charged with aggravated assault.
Labels: GA, home invasion
Dougherty County, Georgia
From Albany’s WALB.com of July 30, 2007
Would be robber met with shotgun
A Dougherty County armed robber found himself staring down the barrel of a shotgun Thursday night. The robber had every intention of holding up a liquor store near Putney, but a quick-thinking security guard changed his mind in a hurry.
In the parking lot at Dora's Beer and Wine on U.S. 19 South in Dougherty County, the would-be robber, wearing a hooded sweatshirt, pulled a gun and headed inside.
But before he got inside, he got a surprise. Manager Sheryl Morgan said "we have a security guard in the evening who sits here, and he saw him. And he went out after him."
The guard pulled a shotgun, and the robber took off running. Morgan went out to back him up, but the robber escaped in a waiting car. Morgan said "you are working hard to make a living, what little bit of living you can make, and then someone wants to come in and take everything away from you. To me it's not fair."
Morgan was the victim of a robbery late last year at the store, when a man held a gun to her head. She says she got angry, and is not going through that again. Morgan said "I'm gonna fight back. I really am. We have the protection and all, so yes, we are going to fight back."
Dougherty County Police Chief Don Cheek says no amount of money is worth dying for, but understands when people decide they are willing to fight against criminals. Cheek said "we certainly recognize that people want to protect their property, and have the right to protect their property."
Morgan says they will continue to keep armed security, and are ready to use guns to protect themselves. Cheek said "it can have deadly and disastrous consequences. You stand the possibility of being injured. But you might also be able to protect your property, so it's the individual's choice."
Morgan says she believes it's time people took a stand against crime. Morgan said "if you just lay down and let them take over, you are losing. You are letting them win. Something has to be done."
Morgan and her fellow workers say they are glad they are not the latest crime victims today.
Labels: business robbery, GA
7/4/07
Columbus, Georgia
From the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer of July 4, 2007
Motorist fights back in robbery
A Columbus motorist decided he wasn't going to take it after a robber took his wallet at gunpoint on Tennessee Drive Monday night, police said.
Jerrod Towers was stopped in his 1996 Lincoln Town Car at Tennessee Drive and Matilda Lane about 11 p.m. when a man pulled up in a white Chevy Caprice, stepped from the vehicle, put a handgun to Towers' head and demanded money.
Towers complied and put his wallet on the ground. The gunman demanded more. When Towers said he didn't have any more, the robber put one hand around Towers' neck.
The victim took that opportunity to drive away from his attacker, who quickly fired two rounds, police said.
Towers stopped his car, popped his trunk, pulled a shotgun out and fired a round at the robber who was at that time running back to his own vehicle, police said. The robber wasn't hit, and Towers escaped unharmed.
The case remains under investigation.
Labels: GA, street robbery
6/22/07
Roswell, Georgia
From MyFoxAtlanta.com of June 22, 2007
Elderly Roswell Woman Seriously Injured after Pit Bull Attack
An elderly Roswell woman suffered serious injuries after she was viciously attacked by a pit bull Friday.
This incident happened Friday morning when the dog got away from the 12-year-old girl who was walking it.
Roswell police said that around 7:45 a.m., 60-year-old Lankhanh Trinh was was on her morning walk when the pit bull attacked her. A 12-year-old girl was walking the dog when it broke free and attacked Trinh.
Several neighbors heard the attack and tried to get the dog off Trinh. Another neighbor, Marc Del Santo, came outside to help and when the dog charged toward him, he shot and killed the dog,.
Trinh suffered severe head and facial injuries and was rushed to North Fulton Regional Hospital in serious condition. Another neighbor was bitten on the arm.
Animal Control issued the dog's owner a vicious dog warning.
5/4/07
Augusta, Georgia
From Augusta’s WJBG.com of May 4, 2007
Another Local Homeowner Forced To Kill Intruder
An 84-year old man fired the shots overnight. Investigators say he hit the woman trying to rob his home--- a woman in her late 20s early thirties who is now in serious condition at MCG. Frank Sams says the same woman had been coming to his house trying to steal from him and his wife several times this week. He was outside with his gun early this morning when she came back. He says he saw her trying to break in this building behind his house when he fired. Investigators say this is just another case of a homeowner protecting themselves and their property. This shooting follows a similar incident earlier this week. Authorities say a homeowner came face to face with a burglar trying to get in his home Wednesday. The army captain shot and killed him. No charges are expected.
Labels: GA, residence burglary, senior
5/2/07
Richmond County, Georgia
From Augusta’s WJBF.com of May 2, 2007
South Richmond County Homeowner Fights BackFrom the NBCAugusta.com of May 2, 2007
WJBF News Channel 6 has learned that a South Richmond County resident will not be charged after he reportedly shot and killed a home invader. At the scene, WJBF has learned that when the Linderwood Drive resident came home today, he noticed that his home had been ransacked. He grabbed a weapon and came upon a suspect in his home. That's when he shot the invader. Early indications from deputies are that this homeowner was defending himself and no charges will be fired.
South Augusta Homeowner Shoots Intruder While On The Phone With 911From the Augusta Chronicle of May 3, 2007
A homeowner took matters into his own hands Wednesday afternoon.
He shot an intruder while he was on the phone with 911.
The homeowner used a high powered rifle, similar to an A-K 47, to defend himself when he noticed his house had been robbed.
He also noticed several of his guns were missing.
While he was on the phone with 911, he saw the burglar come back into his house.
The homeowner told investigators that because some of his guns were missing, he opened fire.
Investigators say they believe he was acting in self-defense, but it's still early in the investigation.
.
The intruder went into surgery at an Augusta hospital Wednesday afternoon.
Soldier comes home early, kills burglar
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A man who police said broke into an Army officer's south Augusta house to steal guns was fatally shot Wednesday by the soldier living there.
Errol Lavar Royal, 29, of the 2200 block of Ramblewood Drive was pronounced dead at Medical College of Georgia Hospital about 6:45 p.m. Police said he lived with his parents near the burglarized home in the 3400 block of Linderwood Drive in the Pepperidge subdivision.
Capt. Barre Bollinger, an Iraq war veteran, told police he returned from work about 3:30 p.m. and found his house had been ransacked, said Richmond County sheriff's Investigator Thomas Johnson.
Capt. Bollinger told police he entered his bedroom and noticed that guns were missing.
He grabbed his SKS rifle - a weapon similar to an AK-47 assault rifle - and called 911, Investigator Johnson said.
"While on the phone with 911, he sees the suspect approaching his back door. Because he believes the man now is armed with his stolen weapons, Mr. Bollinger fires at him three times," Investigator Johnson said.
Mr. Royal was shot at least twice in the stomach area. A search of his residence produced two guns taken from Capt. Bollinger's house and marijuana, the investigator said.
Neighbors told police that Capt. Bollinger, who is stationed at Fort Gordon, generally works from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but occasionally returns home early.
As of now, there are no plans to charge Capt. Bollinger in the shooting, police said.
A similar shooting occurred a week ago, when a woman shot an intruder on Lexington Drive, less than a mile from Linderwood Drive.
Labels: assault weapon defense, GA, residence burglary
4/26/07
Brunswick, Georgia
From the Jacksonville Times-Union of April 26, 2007
Brunswick man acquitted in shooting death
A Brunswick man has been acquitted in the shooting death of another man in the parking lot of a Glynn County apartment complex two years ago.
Moses Emanuel Walker, who testified that he acted in self-defense, was found not guilty of murder and voluntary manslaughter charges in the death of Darrell Hobbs, 27, of Brunswick on Nov. 9, 2005, outside Camelia Apartments, 5800 Altama Ave.
A Glynn County jury deliberated about five and a half hours before acquitting Walker, 26. The verdict Wednesday night ended a trial that began April 18.
Hobbs was shot twice at close range with a .40-caliber Glock semiautomatic pistol. Walker was seated at the steering wheel of his car when he shot Hobbs who was standing outside at the driver's door, a Glynn County police investigation showed.
The shooting occurred during an argument about a woman, according to the investigation.
Walker testified that he believed Hobbs had a gun, and shot him as he appeared to be reaching for the weapon.
Hobbs had a criminal record, including convictions in 2004 for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, and possession of less than 1 ounce of marijuana. He also had been convicted of sale of cocaine in 1997, Georgia Department of Corrections records show.
Glynn police records show Walker had been identified as a suspect in six complaints reporting either family violence or public disturbances from 2002 through 2005. Walker had been arrested for criminal trespassing in January 2005 following a domestic dispute involving a sister at their mother's home, according to the police records.
Labels: altercation, GA
Augusta, Georgia
From Augusta’s WRDW.com of April 26, 2007
Man shot during home invasionFrom Augusta’s WJBF.com of April 26, 2007
A man is recovering from a gunshot wound to the chest after breaking into a house just before 4 o'clock this morning at 3721 Lexington Drive in Augusta.
Deputies say a woman living there shot the man once. Then he ran across the street tossed the gun and was found later lying on a picnic table.
He is being treated at MCG.
Homeowner Fights BackFrom Augusta’s WRDW.com of April 26, 2007
The WJBF News Channel 6 Crime Tracker reports an arrest in an early morning, violent break-in in South Augusta. Happened shortly before four-thirty this morning, on the 37-hundred block of Lexington drive -- that's just off Rosier Road in South Augusta. The homeowner was no easy mark. She fought back against her attacker. It looks like the victim stopped the suspect in his tracks. The victim is a 57 year old woman who lives alone. But that only made her more prepared to protect herself. Even though she was abruptly awakened while asleep, it didn't take long for her to come to her senses and take aim at the suspect who turned out to be a neighbor. The Mount Vernon subdivision is usually quiet, but that peace was broken in this Lexington Drive home this morning. Detectives say 19 year old Justin Brent Haynie got into his neighbors home while she slept and put a knife to her throat.
Sgt. Calvin Chew, Richmond County Sheriff’s Office: “He jumped on the bed and he started trying to cover her mouth because she was shouting.”
During the struggle Sergeant Calvin Chew says the victim, a 57 year old woman who lives alone somehow managed to grab her .357 off the nightstand. That was something haynie (sic) didn't know. Detectives say as haynie (sic) walked behind her with a knife to her neck, she quickly spun around and shot him in the stomach. Haynie grabbed her gun and ran. But he didn't get far.
“It was really shocking to me that something like this would happen.”
It was a little after four in the morning when Joann Hatchell heard voices. She says she saw police and the suspect in her backyard.
“Then I looked over at my picnic table and this young man was sitting there that was bloody front and back.” “He turned sideways and I recognized him. I said Brent.” “Is that Brent?”
Hatchell says she knows Haynie and he would often offer to help her out in the yard. He lives next door with his grandparents.
“I just think it's a sad situation that things like this happen.”
The victim wasn't seriously hurt, just a few scratches on her neck.
“This is actually the perfect scenario for self-defense and protecting your home and family.”
“A lot of time you hear about gun control and so forth but she was able to use her gun to protect herself in her home.”
Haynie is in serious condition in a local hospital. He's expected to be o.k. A list of charges is waiting on him when he gets out. They include burglary, kidnapping aggravated assault and weapons charges. The homeowner is not facing any charges. Investigators say there was no sign of forced entry. The suspect may have come in through an unlocked door.
Teen breaks into neighbor's house, ends up shot
He broke into her home...so she shot him.
19-year-old Justin "Brent" Haynie was arrested this morning for breaking into the home of his Lexington Drive neighbor, Theresa Wachowiak.
The 56-year-old woman shot him before he escaped, and he survived.
It was a burglary gone bad for Haynie. Little did he know his target was within arms reach of a revolver.
"Terrible. Scary, really," said neighbor Joann Hatchell. "I looked and this guy was sitting here and I didn't recognize him."
19-year-old Justin "Brent" Haynie was slumped over Hatchell's picnic table. He'd been shot.
"I said, 'Oh my God, that's Mary's grandson'," Hatchell told News 12.
The young man lived next door and often helped Hatchell with yard work, which is why she never imagined he'd break into the home of another neighbor, 56-year-old Theresa Wachowiak.
Woken up at 3:30 a-m, Wachowiak was startled by the intruder.
"She was initially, but she's a strong lady," said Sgt. Calvin Chew of the Richmond County Sheriff's Office.
Sgt. Chew says what she did next may have saved her life: "She had a gun in her nightstand, and she was able to retrieve the gun during the assault and ended up shooting the suspect."
Shot in the chest, Haynie then left, leaving a bloody trail to Hatchell's yard.
News 12 found Haynie's cousin, Patrick, who didn't want his face shown on TV.
"I think that I'm glad he's still living, but maybe it'll make him not do some of the things he's done," Patrick Haynie said.
Hatchell, whose morning was unlike any other in her lifetime, fears what could have happened.
"Do you own a gun, and if not, do you want one now?" we asked her.
"Yes. I would love to have a gun," she said. "I'm telling you, you're not safe anymore."
Brent Haynie is still recovering from that gunshot. He faces several charges, including burglary, aggravated assault, kidnapping and possession of a knife during the commission of a crime.
We're told relatives have not been allowed to visit Haynie in the hospital because he's been placed under arrest.
Labels: GA, home invasion
4/10/07
Macon, Georgia
From Macon’s WMGT.com of April 10, 2007
Store Clerk Shoots Would-Be RobberFrom Macon’s 13WMAZ.com of April 10, 2007
Macon Police are investigating an attempted armed robbery at the BP Station on Eisenhower Parkway. The incident happened Tuesday morning at 8:30.
The store clerk told officers he shot the would-be robber after he allegedly entered the business, displayed a weapon, and demanded money. The suspect then ran from the business.
Shortly after the robbery, police received a call from the Houston Coliseum Hospital Emergency Room about a gunshot victim. When police arrived they found the gun shot victim was the armed robber from the BP Station.
The 20-year-old Macon man is being treated for a gun shot wound to the wrist. He is in stable condition.
Police: Clerk Shoots Robber
A Tuesday-morning armed robbery in Macon was foiled when a store clerk opened fire on the robber, police say.
The robber entered the BP station at 1179 Eisenhower Parkway around 8:30 a.m, according to a Macon Police Department news release.
Police say the robber, a 20-year-old man, ran away and later turned up at the Coliseum Hospital with a gunshot to the wrist. He has not been identified or charged, according to police.
Labels: business robbery, GA
4/5/07
Macon, Georgia
From Macon’s 13WMAZ.com of April 5, 2007
Shooting in Macon
Macon police are investigating a fatal shooting at 3998 Floyd Avenue.
Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones says 26-year-old Erik Poole died of a gunshot wound around 3 a.m. Thursday.
According to Lieutenant Eric Walker, Poole came into the house where two other men were playing video games. The three talked for a few minutes; then Poole pulled a gun and tried to rob the other two.
Walker said one of the victims, Josh Askew, pulled out his own gun. Askew and Poole exchanged shots and both were hit.
According to Walker, Askew was taken to a local hospital with wounds in his arm. He is listed in stable condition.
Walker said the third person in the house has been taken to the Macon detective bureau for questioning.
Labels: defender shot, GA, residence robbery
3/11/07
DeKalb County, Georgia
From Atlanta’s WSBtv.com of March 11, 2007
Suspected Intruder Shot And Killed
DeKalb County police are investigating the deadly shooting, of a man who may have broken into home.
The shooter's roommate, says the intruder wasn't wearing shoes when he came into their house. Paul Meoaur told Channel 2 Action News that the man had a kitchen knife, that was about six inches long. He says tried to bust through his friend's locked bedroom door. He told police the man didn't stop, when his roommate warned him that if he didn't leave, he would shoot. Moments later the roommate did just that.
The suspect died of his injuries at the hospital.
Meoaur doesn't know what the man's motive may have been. He does believe he got into their home through an unlocked side door.
Labels: assault, GA, home invasion
2/21/07
Riverdale, Georgia
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of February 21, 2007
16-year-old kills home intruderFrom the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of February 21, 2007
Police say teen ID'd masked, unarmed man as high school acquaintance
Clayton County police said a 16-year-old boy was "in fear for his life" Tuesday morning when he shot and killed a masked, unarmed intruder who broke into his Riverdale home.
Interim Chief Jeff Turner said the alleged shooter, identified by neighbors as Wes Stephens, has not been charged in the shooting on Camp Road, off Flat Shoals Road near the Fulton County line.
Stephens told police he heard a window break about 11:30 a.m. in the garage of the house he shares with his parents.
"He got his father's pistol, a semiautomatic, and fired multiple times," Turner said. "The intruder went to some lengths to disguise himself, wearing black clothes and a black bandanna across his face."
After shooting the intruder in the garage, Stephens recognized the man as Marques Karun McGhee, 19, of Riverdale, a former North Clayton High School acquaintance, Turner said.
Wes Stephens' father, Wesley Howard Stephens, had withdrawn his son from North Clayton High School because of danger caused by gangs, Turner said.
Turner said police are looking for a second person who may have dropped McGhee off on Camp Road, a mostly black neighborhood of modest ranch homes on 1- and 2-acre lots, and then fled when shots were fired.
Obscene graffiti with racial overtones directed toward "Wes" is sprayed in white paint on the road in front of the Stephens home and along Camp Road. Stephens is white, McGhee black.
Neighbors Dan and Linda Harris said the graffiti showed up about 45 days ago.
"I don't know if it's gangs, a black and white thing or just stupidity," Dan Harris said. "I know we've known Wes since he was a little boy, he used to swim in our pool and we've never had any trouble out of him."
Intruder, shooter had past ties
A 16-year-old Riverdale boy and the home intruder he shot and killed were arrested together about a year ago in a stolen car, Clayton County police Maj. Tim Robinson said Wednesday.
Police arrested Wes Stephens, a second juvenile and Marques Karun McGhee, 19, of Riverdale last March, Robinson said. McGhee's case was pending in Clayton Superior Court when he was shot. Robinson said he could not find a disposition in Stephens' case, which would have been prosecuted in Juvenile Court.
Robinson said Wednesday that Stephens probably will not be charged in the shooting. Shootings deemed by police to be self-defense usually are presented to a grand jury for a final resolution, Robinson said.
Stephens fired a semi-automatic pistol 14 times at McGhee on Tuesday morning, hitting him eight times, Robinson said.
McGhee was wearing black clothing and a black bandana over his face when he threw a rock through a garage window of the Stephens home on Camp Road in Riverdale, police said. McGhee climbed through the window and was shot by Stephens, who was armed with his father's pistol, police said.
Stephens told police he didn't know the intruder's identity until he was dead. McGhee and Stephens attended North Clayton High School together until Stephens' father withdrew his son from school because of a fear of gangs. Stephens was home alone when the shooting occurred.
Robinson said Wednesday that McGhee was a member of a local gang, the Hit Squad, but said there's no evidence Stephens was a gang member.
Labels: GA, home invasion
2/20/07
Tifton, Georgia
From the February 19, 2007 Tifton Gazette:
Three teens were allegedly involved in the attempted robbery of a 75-year-old Tifton man Sunday, according to incident reports obtained from the Tifton Police Department.
According to the reports, the victim told police that a 14-year-old female called him Sunday and asked him if she could come clean his home, a service that she had reportedly performed in the past. He declined the offer and told her that she could come later to clean, the report states.
Some time later, the man heard a knock at his Eighth Street carport door. When he answered the same 14-year-old female was standing there with another 14-year-old female that the complainant knew.
The report states that the man opened the door and allowed the girls to enter his home. As they were talking, another knock came at his carport door. The man opened the door, the report states, and an unknown, young white male entered the home wearing a blue bandanna around his face.
The complainant told police that the man demanded $200 from him for “propositioning her,” referring to one of the girls. The complainant refused to give the man money, he told police.
At that point, the masked man drew closer to the victim and allegedly threatened to cut him with the knife that he was carrying.
The complainant told police that one of the girls grabbed the intruder by the arm and began leading him out of the home, saying, “Don’t do it.”
The victim followed them out of the home after he retrieved a hand gun for self-defense, the report states. Once the intruder saw the handgun, all three of the teens left the premises.
The two females were arrested and charged early Monday morning with aggravated assault and criminal attempt to commit armed robbery, according to a Tift County Sheriff’s Office jail booking report.
Labels: GA, residence robbery, senior
2/8/07
Sharpsburg, Georgia
From Atlanta’s 11Alive.com of February 8, 2007
Man Critical After Killing Intruder
A Coweta County man was hospitalized in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the chest after killing the intruder who shot him early Thursday morning.
Police said the two men were part of a domestic dispute that erupted in gunfire in the normally quiet Coweta County neighborhood. According to investigators, the victim, Kevin Went, and his girlfriend were inside the home on St. James Place near Sharpsburg at the time of a violent intrusion. The girlfriend's ex-boyfriend kicked down the door about 5:30 a.m. with a gun in hand. Both men started to argue and both started shooting.
"The old boyfriend followed her here, kicked the door in, forced his way in, confronted the new boyfriend with a firearm and they shot each other," said Major James Yarbrough of the Coweta County Sheriff's Office.
A neighbor said bullets were flying from the home. "I could hear him kick in the door and he shot and I think some of the bullets came out through the wall over there," said Curtis Scruggs.
The ex-boyfriend, who was identified as Vance Tanner, died at the scene. The homeowner was airlifted to Atlanta Medical Center in critical condition.
Labels: domestic dispute, GA, home invasion
1/25/07
Hall County, Georgia
From Jefferson’s MainStreetNews.com of January 24, 2007
Hall man shoots, kills home intruder
A South Hall homeowner shot and killed a man who attempted to break into his home late last Sunday night.
The incident occurred on the 4000 block of Winder Highway.
The homeowner, who has been reported to be Doug Magnus, a businessman in South Hall, killed 37-year-old Robbie Bailey, who was disguised, armed and attempting to enter the house.
Magnus and his wife had heard a noise in the house shortly after midnight, whereupon Mr. Magnus grabbed a pistol and approached the sound.
A Hall County Sheriff’s Office press release states that Magnus was confronted at the door by Bailey, who was wearing a ski mask and brandishing a pistol.
Bailey fired several shots toward Magnus but missed. Magnus then fired his small-caliber pistol at Bailey and hit him in the head, killing him.
Magnus was not injured during the incident.
The HCSO statement reports that Bailey had no identification on him at the time of his death. Finger-print data revealed his identity.
Bailey had parked his red Jeep Cherokee in a nearby field, about a quarter-mile from the Magnus home and walked the rest of the way.
HCSO Major Jeff Strickland says that home invasions usually do not occur while residents are at home.
“Normally the home invasions occur after the intruder has made sure no one is there,” Strickland said.
The district attorney in Hall County has said he will not charge Magnus in the incident, seeing as how the homicide was in self-defense.
1/23/07
Decatur, Georgia
From January 19, 2007 WSB channel 2:
DECATUR, Ga. -- Bullets were flying among the diamonds Thursday night at a DeKalb County jewelry store.
The owner of Starblaze Jewelers exchanged shots with three armed robbers inside the store at 4450 Hugh Howell Road.
Some of the bullets went through the walls of the store and into adjoining businesses.
Matthew Henderson said he was working next door to Starblaze when two of the stray rounds went whizzing by his face.
"All of a sudden I hear two loud bangs and feel something sting my face," he said.
"I saw two holes in the wall and went 'Whoa,'" he added.
The owner of Starblaze, who did not want to be identified, told police he shot one of the robbers in the leg.
Police are searching for the three suspects.
Labels: business robbery, GA
1/21/07
Hall County, Georgia
From Atlanta’s 11Alive.com of January 21, 2007
Overnight Home Invasion Turns Deadly
One man is dead following an early Saturday morning home invasion in Hall County.
The incident happened just after 12:00 a.m. Sunday in the 4000 block of Winder Highway.
Police said the suspect tried to break into the home and that's when gunshots were exchanged between him and the home owner.
The suspect was hit several times and died at the scene.
Police said no charges will be filed.
Labels: GA, home invasion
1/13/07
Warner Robins, Georgia
From the Macon Telegraph of January 13, 2007
Burglary suspects arrested at Warner Robins car wash
A Warner Robins man was arrested Thursday at a car wash while vacuuming up broken glass from a window that had been shot out three hours earlier by a Bleckley County homeowner who thwarted a burglary in progress, authorities said.
Keith Michael Waugh, 27, was charged with breaking into the home just after noon Thursday, said Houston County sheriff's Sgt. Ronnie Harlowe.
The burglar fled in a silver Honda Accord, the victim reported. A car matching the description was spotted at a car wash on Moody Road in Warner Robins by Houston County sheriff's Lt. Jon Holland.
Inside the car were stolen financial documents belonging to the Bleckley County resident as well as stolen computers, jewelry, guns, cameras and cash from burglaries in Houston County, Harlowe said.
…
The Bleckley County man who shot at the burglars was not injured. He had arrived home to find an unknown car with a Houston County license plate parked in his driveway and some of his personal financial information in the open trunk, Harlowe said.
The homeowner went around to the back of the house and the intruder ran out the front, Harlowe said. The homeowner fired at the fleeing burglar, shattering the driver's side window, the investigator said.
Area police were alerted by radio to look for the car, which Holland spotted at the car wash, Harlowe said.
Labels: GA, residence burglary
1/9/07
Dalton, Georgia
From the January 9, 2007 Chattanoogan:
Bradley County Sheriff’s detectives have charged a Dalton, Ga., man as an accomplice in the theft of used auto parts from Dalton Pike Motors last Thursday.
Another man caught stealing auto parts was shot and killed by a man who lives on the property.
Investigation of the incident revealed Randy Osborn, 43, of Dalton was removing auto parts from the business when barking dogs alerted Rick Powers, officials said.
He confronted Osborn, who he said came toward him with a knife so he fired a .22 caliber rifle. Osborn was pronounced dead at the scene.
Michael David Hagan, 48, of Dalton went to the Dalton Police Department the next day to report his involvement in the incident, it was stated.
Labels: business burglary, GA
12/22/06
Athens, Georgia
From the Athens Banner-Herald of December 21, 2006
Repairman pulls gun on would-be thief
A man working on the roof of an Atlanta Highway pizza shop Tuesday saw someone trying to break into cars, climbed down from the roof and confronted the would-be thief with a gun, Athens-Clarke police said.
The 46-year-old Statham man was repairing an air-conditioning unit atop CiCi's Pizza, 3190 Atlanta Highway, at about 11:15 a.m. when he saw Nicholas Ivan Grover acting suspiciously in the parking lot below, according to police.
The man climbed off the roof when Grover tried to open the repairman's van, police said. When the repairman confronted him, Grover said he thought the van was his cousin's and then asked for a job, according to police. "I'll give you some work," the repairman reportedly told Grover as he pulled a gun, prompting Grover to run into a nearby store, where officers arrested him, police said. Grover, of Loganville, was charged with two counts of criminal attempt at entering auto.
Labels: GA, street property theft
11/27/06
Atlanta, Georgia
From Atlanta’s WSBtv.com of November 27, 2006
Police: Pizza Deliveryman Shoots, Kills RobberFrom the Atlanta Journal Constitution of November 27, 2006
Police are investigating a shooting in southwest Atlanta that left a 14-year old dead.
A pizza deliveryman shot and killed the teen Sunday night during an attempted robbery, according to investigators.
The deliveryman told officers a group of teens confronted him at the Huntington Pointe apartments at 2909 Campbellton Road.
He claims he gave up his cash to the robbers, but pulled a gun and opened fire when one of the teens made a threatening motion.
The teen died at the scene.
Police are searching for the other teens who tried to hold up the delivery driver.
There's no word yet on whether the deliveryman will be charged.
Pizza deliverer, friends of teen suspect try to cope with killingThe remainder of the article appears here, and it attempts to turn felons into “victims”. Clayton reproduces much of the article here, and comments about the article and the incident.
Around noon Monday, about 15 teenagers, calling themselves the Young Paper Chasers, stood beneath a tree and tried to wash away what was left of their friend Kenyatta Calhoun.
About two miles away at Super Crown Pizza on DeLowe Drive in southwest Atlanta, Zihaid Mahmood did not come to work. Mahmood, a pizza delivery driver, shot Kenyatta to death during an alleged robbery Sunday night, police say.
"I am not going to work today," Mahmood said in a telephone interview. "I am so sorry about what happened. But I was protecting myself."
On the spot where the 14-year-old died, the Young Paper Chasers poured liquor and soda on the ground to flush away the red stains.
"We couldn't look at the blood anymore," 17-year-old Bay Bay Green said. "Today, we are just sitting around, drinking. Thinking about Big Boi."
Labels: GA, pizza delivery driver, street robbery
11/10/06
Johnson County, Georgia
From the Macon.com of November 10, 2006
Wrightsville man acquitted of murder in son-in-law's death
A Johnson County jury took just 45 minutes of deliberation before acquitting a Wrightsville man of murder in the shooting death of his estranged son-in-law.
Terry Joe Anderson, 50, was charged with murder in the death of 33-year-old Richard Patrick Johnson in the early morning hours of Jan. 4, 2004.
Anderson had maintained from the beginning that he fired in self-defense.
The case was unusual in that the murder charge originated from the grand jury, not the investigating law enforcement agency. After investigating the death, the GBI declined to make an arrest.
…
According to Warnock, testimony in the case indicated the shooting happened this way:
Anderson's daughter had separated from her husband because he had been violent, at one time striking her with a two-by-four. Just past midnight on the night of the incident, Johnson showed up at Anderson's house and asked to speak to his estranged wife. She came to the door and Johnson pulled a knife on her.
Sheriff's deputies were called and when they arrived, Johnson ran into the woods. Deputies could not find him after searching for more than an hour and left, taking Johnson's wife to a shelter.
Later in the night, Johnson emerged from the woods and kicked in the door to Anderson's home. Anderson pulled out a .38-caliber pistol and ordered Johnson out of the house. Johnson left but, according to testimony Anderson gave in a pre-trial hearing, after walking into the yard Johnson turned and charged Anderson. He fired the gun, hitting Johnson four times and killing him.
The prosecution's case, Warnock said, centered on the fact that one shot struck Johnson in the side and another struck him in the back. Johnson also was not carrying the knife when he returned to the house.
Chief Assistant District Attorney Peter Fred Larsen told the jury in closing arguments that Anderson's version didn't fit the facts, Warnock said.
"He argued the angles of the shots were not consistent with testimony and the more likely scenario was that he shot him in the back as he ran away," Warnock said.
However, a doctor called by the defense testified that the bullet wounds were consistent with Anderson's story, Warnock said. Johnson was running at an angle when he charged Anderson and he was drunk and may have twisted his body, the jury was told.
Johnson had a blood-alcohol level of 0.26, more than three times the legal limit for driving.
(More)
Labels: domestic dispute, GA, home invasion
11/9/06
Gainesville, Georgia
From the AccessNorthGa.com of November 9, 2006
Jury finds a former Gainesville business owner not guilty of aggravated assault
A Hall County jury Thursday found a former Gainesville business owner acted in self-defense when he shot his ex-wife's boyfriend twice in the chest during an argument.
Anderson Bobo "Bo" Briscoe, 48, was on trial in Hall County Superior Court on a charge of aggravated assault in connection with the May 8, 2005, shooting outside a River Road Circle home that injured 64-year-old Raymond Richardson.
Briscoe went to her house on the afternoon of the shooting to pick up their young son, he testified.
Briscoe said his ex-wife refused to allow the boy to go with him. .
After Briscoe parked in the driveway, Richardson walked out to his van, and a heated argument ensued.
Richardson survived the shooting.
Briscoe is the former owner of Briscoe's Boot Country.
If convicted, Briscoe was facing up to 20 years in prison.
Labels: domestic dispute, GA
10/30/06
Augusta, Georgia
From Augusta’s WRDW.com of October 30, 2006
Babysitting grandma pulls gun on robber
It was supposed to be one of those quick and easy armed robberies.
Quick, because the robber was alone and on foot.
Easy, because of the victim he singled out for the crime.
But it didn't turn out that way.
Instead, a grandmother was able to turn the tables on a man with a gun...with her 13-month-old grandbaby in her arms!
Deputies say Lawrence Woolfolk went into Paulos Cleaners on Peach Orchard Road a little after 10 o'clock this morning.
68-year-old Janis Butler, the assistant manager, was busy pressing clothes and trying to calm down a fussy baby.
So she wasn't in the mood to put up with a thief.
"And then he put the pistol--cocked the pistol and put it in the child's face," Janis told News 12. "Then he put it in my face and said he wanted the money."
Janis told him to go ahead and take the money while she got the baby to calm down.
But when he went for the money, she went for something else.
""I said, 'The money's under the desk; let me get this baby calm.' And he went to get the money out from under the counter," Janis said. "And then I pulled out my .38 revolver and cocked it, and I was going to shoot...but I happened to think that it will devastate the baby, because she was already crying and hollering and carrying on."
The gunman was devastated enough.
Without managing to grab a cent, he hit the door running, and Janis called 911.
Police made a quick arrest, because the suspect and his pistol both fit the description Janis gave them. He is 21-year-old Lawrence Woolfolk.
Janis was carrying that gun legally. Granny's got a gun, and she's not afraid to use it.
The suspect's lucky she was babysitting at the time and didn't want to upset the child.
Labels: business robbery, concealed carry permit, female, GA
Fulton County, Georgia
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of October 30, 2006
Man shot by intruder posing as FBI agent
A south Fulton County homeowner was shot early Monday by a masked intruder claiming to be an FBI agent, police said.
The suspect kicked in the back door of the home on Hidden Court, in a subdivision off Welcome All Road, about 4 a.m., setting off the home's burglar alarm, Fulton police Cpl. Gary Syblis said.
The 53-year-old victim told police he got out of bed and heard the suspect coming up the stairs, yelling, "FBI, FBI, FBI," Syblis said.
Syblis said the homeowner confronted the suspect, who was wearing a ski mask and dark clothing.
The suspect fired four times, striking the victim once in the stomach. The victim returned fire, but apparently did not hit the suspect, who fled the home after the shooting.
The victim, whose name has not been released, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital. His condition was not immediately available.
Labels: assault, defender shot, GA, home invasion
10/8/06
Savannah, Georgia
From Albany’s KALB.com of October 5, 2006
Store owner plugs armed assailant
According to Savannah-Chatham police, about 9:00 Wednesday night, a man pulled a gun on the owner of Diva Depot, a store next to the Timesaver on Oglethorpe Avenue, downtown.
Officers say the man came into the business, pulled out a gun and threatened the owner, but the owner then pulled out his own gun and shot the suspect twice.
The suspect ran through Yamacraw Village and then found someone to take him to Memorial Health. Police say they later learned the store owner had caught the girlfriend of the shooting victim shoplifting in his store earlier in the day.
They say she went to her boyfriend, who then went to the store to confront the owner.
Police say he will be charged when he is released from the hospital.
Labels: business robbery, GA
9/26/06
Thomasville, Georgia
From Albany’s WALB.com of September 25, 2006
Store owner fights back against burglarKALB's title for the accompanying video: Citizen exercises gun control - Jimmy Washington hit what he aimed at: a criminal inside his property.
A close call with a burglar's bullet a few months ago prepared Jimmy Washington to defend himself and his Southside Foods store in Thomasville. Over the weekend, a burglar struck again, but this time he didn't get away.
Neighbors near Southside Foods were surprised to hear its owner was bold enough to take justice in his own hands when someone broke in. "I was very much shocked to hear what happened, because I couldn't believe that he shot him, or whatever," said Neighbor Precious Smith.
Owner Jimmy Washington who spoke with us off camera said he was watching TV inside his home, which is connected to the store, around 3:00AM Sunday, when he heard a noise.
Washington called police then decided to check his store. "He actually heard something happening, like glass breaking, so he goes to investigate. He had his gun [a pistol] with him and he goes to the store," said Thomasville Police Sgt. Ricky Singletary.
It was in the tiny area near the store's front door that the intruder brushed Washington's right leg that's when he fired. "He was shot in the leg, the liver, and one of the bullets is in his lung," said Singletary.
Fifteen minutes, later police found 22-year-old Terrance Smith on a nearby porch. He's charged with burglary.
Georgia law allows you to defend your property, so Singletary said that no charges will be levied against Washington.
"He had to protect himself, this is his home, his home is part of the store so he had to do what he had to do, I mean I feel bad for him because his life was at stake," said Precious Smith.
While some have called Washington a hero, he wants no part of that. He told us he just wants to feel safe inside his home and store.
Terrance Smith remains hospitalized. He was released from jail earlier this month after serving 16 days for burglary.
Labels: business burglary, GA
