Civilian Gun Self-Defense Blog

Clerk Wrestles Gun From Would-Be Robber

A gas station attendant was back on the job Thursday night, days after he wrestled a shotgun away from a would-be robber.

Dramatic surveillance video of the incident at the Shell station at 38th Street and Capitol Avenue was released Thursday, 6News' Cheryl Jackson reported.

Clerk Deme Momar found himself in a fight for his life soon after the would-be robber came into the store.

"The clerk recognized him from coming in and out and being around the neighborhood," said Indianapolis Metro police Detective Leon Benjamin.

The man waited for a customer to leave the store, then convinced Momar that he needed help with the ATM machine.

"His plan was to lure the clerk from behind the secure area where the cash register was located," Benjamin said.

Momar made an exception to store policy and went to help the man, after which he was greeted with a sawed-off shotgun.

"It's not easy if someone pulls out a gun on you and you are between life and death," Momar said. "He ... pulled out a shotgun on me and we fight and I take the gun out of his hand."

The struggle continued for several minutes, until Momar was able to get the gun away from the man.

"I let him go because I didn't know what ... to do. I couldn't shoot him, and he was begging me to let him go," Momar said. "Even if I go back there and give him the money, he will shoot me, too."

When Momar got the gun, the would-be robber's demeanor changed from attack mode to defenseless.

"He thought I was trying to shoot him, so he said to me, 'Please, I'm begging you, don't shoot me. Let me go. Let me go,'" Momar said.

Police and Momar both said they think the man lives in the neighborhood.

"He stay around here, not so far, and he used to drive a green (Ford) Explorer, two-door," Momar said. "That day, he was walking."

Momar said he decided not to let the robbery attempt keep him from returning to work.

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

Two men wounded at Austin business

Two Scott County men are recovering from gunshot wounds at University Hospital in Louisville after they were wounded last night on the property of a modular home dealership in Austin.

Malcolm Abner, 28, and Michael West, 33, are listed in fair condition today.

Scott County Sheriff John Lizenby said 32-year-old Chester Stacey told officers that he shot the men when they came at him as he investigated what he thought were people stealing things at Countryside Mobile Homes at 2771 E Ind. 256 in Austin.
Stacey is the son of Countryside owner Grover Stacey.

Lizenby said a Scott County officer who had been called to the scene to investigate possible trespassers was talking to the elder Stacey when they heard voices and then heard gunshots in a field on the property.

Officer Joe Johnson found the younger Stacey holding a 9-mm automatic handgun with Abner down in front of him.

West later came out of the field and told an Indiana state trooper that he’d been shot.

Lizenby said this morning that no one has been charged but the investigation is continuing. He said officers are searching for two other men that Chester Stacey said were also in the field.

Labels: business burglary, IN

CHESTERTON, Ind. -- A man suspected of shoplifting hair-growth formula from a drug store was shot and wounded by a truck stop security guard following a high-speed chase in northwest Indiana.

Police say 36-year-old Michael A. Holmes of Markham, Ill., faces several charges when he is released from the hospital.

Police say Holmes had a woman and three children in his car Monday night as he led police on a chase at speeds of up to 100 mph from Chesterton to Gary.

Holmes fled on foot after crashing the car. A security guard at the Dunes Truck Stop says he shot Holmes in the abdomen when Holmes reached for his gun.

Labels: altercation, IN

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Metro Police say a homeowner shot a man in self-defense outside his eastside home Saturday morning. But it's not the man's first time using a gun.

...

Metro Police were called by a homeowner, Richard Burns, who said he had just shot a man behind his Brookville Road home.

"Apparently he heard a noise outside, went outside to see what was going on, and related to the detectives that this individual came at him with a knife, and which time he fired a shot," IMPD Sgt. Paul Thompson said.

Burns told detectives the man he shot was coming out of his car, perhaps trying to steal it.

The victim was hit in the chest and taken to Wishard Hospital in serious condition. While doctors work to save the victim's life, detectives work to figure out a complex case.

Police will determine if this shooting was indeed self-defense. What they'll also look at is the fact that Mr. Burns has been involved in two other shootings, this year alone.

Labels: altercation, IN, street property theft

Police: Homeowner Shot, Beat Would-Be Burglar

A man shot and beat someone who was trying to break into his home on Indianapolis' east side early Thursday morning, police said.

Police said Donald Robertson, 53, was asleep just after midnight when he was awakened by the sound of breaking glass.

Robertson grabbed a shotgun and went outside, where he found Chester Burkett, 43, breaking one of the home's windows, police said.

Authorities said the two men struggled with each other, and Robertson fired his shotgun. Police said Robertson told them he wasn't sure if he'd hit Burkett, so he struck the would-be burglar several times with the butt of the shotgun.

Investigators said Robertson fired as many as two additional shots as Burkett ran to another home.

Burkett was arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary, residential entry and attempted theft. He was taken to Wishard Memorial Hospital with a shotgun wound to his thigh and several cuts on his head, police said.

Robertson was treated at the scene and released.

Further links:
New homeowner shoots intruder

Labels: home invasion, IN, trespassing

A 51-year-old man stopped a masked man from robbing a Southside grocery store and held him at gunpoint until police arrived.

Charlie Merrell was in checkout line at Bucks IGA Supermarket, 3015 S. Meridian St., when a masked man jumped a nearby counter and held a gun on a store employee at 5:17 p.m. Monday, according to a police report made public today.

While the suspect was demanding cash from the workers, the police report states that Merrell pulled his own handgun, pointed it at the robber and ordered him to put down his weapon.

When the suspect hesitated, Merrell racked the slide on his gun to load a round in the chamber, Officer Jason Bockting wrote in the report.

The suspect placed his gun and a bag of cash on the counter, dropping some of the money, police said. The suspect removed his mask and lay on the floor. Merrell held the suspect at gunpoint until officers arrived and took him away in handcuffs.
Merrell had a valid permit to carry the handgun, police said. Police recovered an unloaded .380-caliber handgun from the suspect and $779 in cash, according to the report.

Dwain Smith, 19, was arrested on initial charges of robbery, criminal confinement, pointing a firearm, battery and carrying a handgun without a license. Smith remained held this morning in the Marion County Jail with bond set at $30,000, records show.

Labels: business robbery, concealed carry permit, IN

Man Injured In Garage Shooting

A man was injured when he was struck with a bullet during an exchange of gunfire at his garage on Indianapolis' northeast side Saturday morning.

Donald Dancy and his wife returned to their home in the 3700 block of North Denny Avenue and found a man in the garage, police said.

Dancy fired a shot at the intruder and missed, but the intruder's shot hit him, police said.

Dancy was listed in good condition at Methodist Hospital on Saturday evening. Police did not identify a suspect.

Labels: defender shot, home invasion, IN

Police: Worker Shot At Would-Be Robbers; Suspect Hurt

Wounded Man Arrested; Second Person Sought

At least one employee of an Indianapolis pawnshop fired a gun at two would-be robbers Monday morning, and a suspect was arrested after arriving at a hospital with a gunshot wound, police said.

Police weren't sure whether the arrestee, Nurdeen Anderson, was shot at the pawnshop, but they said they believe he was one of the two men who tried to rob it.

Authorities said two men armed with handguns entered the Universal Gold and Silver pawnshop at 4320 E. 10th St. at about 11:30 a.m. and tried to rob it. Two employees in the store also were armed, and at least one of the workers fired at the would-be robbers, police said.

The would-be robbers exited the store. About 20 minutes later, Anderson, 26, arrived at Methodist Hospital with a gunshot wound to the neck, police said.

A female who took him to the hospital told officers that Anderson had been shot in or near the 1600 block of College Avenue, several blocks to the northwest of the pawnshop.

Police said Anderson, who was treated at the hospital, matched the description of one of the men who robbed the pawnshop, and they arrested him on a charge of attempted robbery. Information on his condition wasn't available.

Authorities said they were trying to determine who the other would-be robber was.

Police said they believe no charges would be filed against the pawnshop's employees.

Labels: business robbery, IN

Security guard kills man in vacant building

Police this morning identified the private security guard who shot and killed a suspected intruder in an empty Eastside apartment Monday as a 22-year-old from Greenfield.

Nicholas B. House, who works for Trinity Security, told police he thought the man had a gun. The deceased had not been positively identified this morning, but the Marion County coroner's office suspects he might be a 30-year-old from Centerville, Ill. House, according to police, was patrolling the Spanish Oaks apartment complex in the 10300 block of Governours Lane when he noticed an open door to a vacant apartment shortly before 9 p.m. Monday.

House went inside, identified himself and encountered two men in a bedroom. Believing one man had a gun, police said House fired his handgun.

One man collapsed from the gunshot to the chest, police said. The other man ran. Police think others may have fled the apartment.

Sgt. Paul Thompson said House was not an off-duty police officer. House could not give a description of the man who ran.

Police have not yet said if they recovered a gun from the dead man.

Labels: IN, private security, trespassing

Police: Woman Shoots Stalker To Death After Break-In

Woman Endured Many Incidents With Stalker, Police Said

An accused stalker was shot to death Monday night by the object of his obsession after he broke into her Hessville home, police told the Northwest Indiana Times.

Hammond resident Ryan Lee Bergner, 41, was pronounced dead from gunshot wounds to his abdomen shortly after 10:30 p.m. at a local hospital.

According to the Times, Bergner went on a date with the 51-year-old woman last June, and his behavior became obsessive, offensive and violent then on [sic].

On Monday night, the woman was watching television in her living room when she said she heard Bergner break a bathroom window near her back door and called 911.

A friend had given the woman a pistol for protection earlier in the day.

After the 911 operator told her to lock herself in her bedroom until police could come, she ran upstairs to do so and retrieved the gun.

This was the second time in recent days that Bergner broke into her home, breaking a back window, destroying a clock radio, and stealing several of her undergarments over the weekend.

Police records show Bergner also had tried to kick in the woman's front door a week before that, and also accosted her at her job and being ejected from the business by her co-workers.

He also was suspected of slashing her Jeep's tires on at least two occasions, police records show.

"This isn't over yet," Bergner told the woman on Nov. 3, according to police reports.

Hiding in her closet on Monday night, the woman said she heard Bergner enter the bedroom, then watched as he opened the closet door.

She said she told him to stop, but he kept coming. She fired the gun three times.

She said he then proceeded to choke her violently before collapsing to the floor.

"I was shaking so bad, I didn't think I'd hit him," the woman recalled Tuesday afternoon. "He just kept coming… I didn't want it to end this way."

Bergner had not been charged over any of the half-dozen previous complaints made against him.

"We only went out on that one date," the woman told the Times on Tuesday. "I got a look at his temper, and realized I didn't want anything to do with him. But he wouldn't take no for an answer."

Labels: female, IN, stalking

Employees, Customer Tangle With Armed Robber

AutoZone Employees Wrestle Armed Man In Struggle

An armed robber was hospitalized after three would-be victims decided to fight back, Indianapolis Metro police said.

Investigators said while they would not recommend what two employees and one customer of an Indianapolis AutoZone store did, they called the actions very brave, 6News' Tanya Spencer reported.

Police said the employees who were working Sunday morning got suspicious as soon as Michael Jones, 41, walked in to the store, in the 6100 block of East 46th Street, on the city's northeast side.

"He was wearing a black hat and a hoodie, so the employees got kind of suspicious when he walked in dressed the way he was," said IMPD Detective Leon Benjamin.

Police said Jones pretended to shop, waiting for all customers to leave, then went to the counter and asked how much brake pads would cost for an older-model Cadillac.

"The clerk … turned around to check the pricing on the computer. When he turned back around, the suspect had a gun pointed directly at his head," Benjamin said.

The clerk then made a split-second, what some would call crazy decision, grabbing the gun and wrestling with the attacker.

A second employee jumped in to help, fighting the attacker out the door of the business and to the ground.

"When they fell to the ground, the gun was knocked loose from the suspect," Benjamin said.

The only customer in the store at the time grabbed the gun and called police, and the two employees held the man down until police arrived.

Police said the second employee only has one arm.

"His other arm is actually a hook, and he was able to use that hook … as a weapon in subduing the suspect," Benjamin said.

Police normally suggest victims do what a robber said. In this case, the clerk's reaction paid off.

Police said Jones had previously been incarcerated twice in robbery cases, and that he told a detective that he owed some money and needed quick cash.

Jones and the first employee during the struggle were taken to hospitals to be treated for cuts and abrasions but neither was seriously hurt.

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

Robber's victims turn tables, shoot as he flees

A would-be robber got more than he bargained Wednesday night, when his victims fought back and shot at him as he fled from a bank parking lot.

The victims were dropping off a night deposit at First Midwest across from the Highland Grove shopping center around 8:30 p.m. when they were approached by a slender man in a dark hooded sweatshirt, Detective Mark Santino said.

The man demanded the money, then scuffled with the two men before turning to run, Santino said. As the man ran off, one of the victims pulled out a handgun and fired several shots.

The robber fired back, but neither appear to have been wounded.

Police from Highland and Schererville searched near the scene for more than an hour, but did not find the suspect.

Santino said investigators have leads on several suspects.

Labels: IN, street robbery

Man shot by owner charged in burglary

A man wounded early Monday has been charged with burglary.

Antoine D. Whitehead, 19, faces up to eight years in jail if convicted of the charge.

Whitehead was arrested at The Methodist Hospitals in Gary where he was being treated for a gunshot wound.

Mustafa Alayah, owner of Dave's Tire Shop, told Detective Dan Callahan he heard noises at his business and saw shadows, then fired his gun.

Investigators found the cash register at the shop had been opened by intruders, court records state.

Labels: business burglary, IN

Clerk shoots, kills robber, city police say

A clerk at a video store on Fort Wayne’s southeast side shot and killed an armed man as he was trying to rob the business Wednesday afternoon, city police said.

The man entered VIP Video, 7504 S. Anthony Blvd., about 4:40 p.m. The man pulled a gun, and the clerk shot and killed the man, police said.

Police were interviewing the clerk and other witnesses Wednesday afternoon.

Labels: business robbery, IN

Robbery suspect at large

The Lafayette police chief says a liquor store clerk who shot at a suspect during a late-night robbery attempt had the right to reasonably defend himself.

A single bullet was recovered from the siding of a nearby building. No one was injured.

Officers were called to Clark Liquors, 250 S. Fourth St., about 11:30 p.m. Thursday after an incident that started when an armed man entered the store and demanded cash.

The sole employee was somehow able to distract the man who then ran away, according to detective Capt. Kevin Gibson of the Lafayette Police Department.

Police are not releasing the employee's name to ensure his safety.

Gibson said the clerk went to the door to see which direction the suspect fled and -- believing the man aimed a gun at him -- fired one round.

Investigators do not believe that any cash or liquor was taken.

Chief Don Roush said case law supports allowing individuals who are faced with the threat of serious injury or death to use force to defend themselves.

"No one deserves to be a victim," Roush said. "He had the right to reasonably protect himself."

Investigators on Friday were able to recover video surveillance and still photos from the liquor store. But it's unclear from the footage which direction the suspect fled, Gibson said.

No customers were inside during the robbery attempt.

Labels: business robbery, IN

Suspect burglar shot inside home Sunday

Police were investigating a burglary that happened Sunday morning in which the suspect ended up in Terre Haute Regional Hospital.

An 18 year-old-man was home in the 2000 block of Washington Avenue when a man wearing black clothing and a mask entered the home around 4 a.m.

Police would not disclose how the burglary suspect got shot, but he ended up in the hospital about 50 minutes later with “buck shot” embedded in his body, police said.

Labels: IN, residence burglary

Shots fired during liquor store robbery

A liquor store owner fired three shots today at an intruder who entered the store carrying a hammer, an Evansville Police Department report said.

William Shepherd, owner of Apollo Liquors at 1165 E. Riverside Drive, told police he was taking inventory in the store about 3 a.m. when a man entered through a rear door.

The man saw Shepherd, became startled and attempted to leave through a front door that was padlocked from the outside.

He then ran back toward Shepherd, “cornering him into the rear of the store with the hammer in his hand,” the police report stated.

Shepherd “felt threatened and fired a warning shot at the suspect,” according to the report. When he did not leave, Shepherd “fired two more shots at the suspect’s lower legs, possibly striking one of them.”

The suspect then said “you shot me, Mr. Shepherd” before leaving through the same door he had entered, police said.

No arrests have been made.

Labels: business burglary, IN

Man fatally shoots pit bull after attack

A man on Saturday shot and killed one of three pit bulls that attacked and bit his wife, police said.

The pit bulls jumped out of a pickup truck about 1 p.m. Saturday along Mann Road in northeastern Morgan County.

Media Wilson, a spokeswoman for the Department of Public Safety's Animal Care and Control office, said the woman had stopped to help catch the dogs when she was attacked.

She drove home, and her husband returned to the area with his gun.
The man, whose name was not released, was questioned by police but was neither arrested nor cited, Wilson said, because the shooting appeared to have been a case of self-defense.

The dogs' owner disappeared in the confusion, and his identity was unknown, Wilson said.

A second dog was captured by animal control. The third dog escaped.

The woman's injuries were not serious.

Labels: animal, IN

Sheriff's Deputies Find Intruder Held At Bay In Garage

A Wanatah man held an intruder at bay with a handgun early Tuesday until police arrived to take away the man, who claimed to be homeless.

Sheriff's deputies were called to the 100 block of South Lincoln Street at 3:13 a.m. to deal with a man who allegedly broke into a detached garage at the home and was rifling through a refrigerator.

When police arrived, they found the owner standing in his garage holding a pistol at his side. Mathew N. Franz, 13422 S. County Road 300 West, apparently was standing in the rear of the garage between a vehicle and the refrigerator.

The homeowner told police he'd gone to the garage when he saw the motion sensor light turn on and found Franz inside. The man said he never pointed the gun at Franz, and that Franz was apologetic and "very cooperative."

He told police Franz never moved from the time he told him to "freeze" until police arrived.

Officers said Franz admitted he entered the garage, saying he was hungry and looking for food. He told police he had moved out of his parents' home and moved in with friends in Valparaiso. He said he felt as though he was burdening his friends, though, and asked them to drop him off at the Speedway gas station in Wanatah.

While he was walking along Lincoln Street, he said he noticed a light on in the garage and went inside.

Franz was arrested and charged with burglary.

Labels: IN, residence burglary

Dispute ends in fatal shooting

While calling police for help quelling a nasty fight between her two grown sons Monday evening, Kathleen Strickland heard a gunshot.

Her older son, Archie Strickland Jr., 30, was shot.

Her younger son, Andre Strickland, 22, was gone.

Archie died a short time later at Methodist Hospitals Northlake emergency room with a gunshot wound to his thigh. He was pronounced dead at 8:14 p.m., Lake County Coroner's Chief Investigator Paul Castro said.

Andre was arrested at his girlfriend's house in Brunswick on Monday night, but was released Tuesday by police after he was questioned.

Cmdr. Samuel Roberts said investigators believe Andre fired after his older brother, who suffered from bipolar personality and was recently released from a rehabilitation program, wouldn't stop his attack.

"There's an element of self- defense," Roberts said.

Lake County prosecutors are reviewing the evidence, but no charges are expected to be filed against the younger Strickland brother.

Their mother, a radio dispatcher for the Gary Police Department, told investigators her sons were arguing downstairs in their Tolleston home when Archie began hitting Andre with his fists.

Despite her efforts to intervene, the battle continued. She went upstairs to call police when she heard the single gunshot, police said.

Detective Lorenzo Davis presented the case to prosecutors Tuesday.

Labels: altercation, domestic dispute, IN

Hobart man arrested after he's shot

A shooting last week led to an arrest Monday -- the person who was shot.

Lawrence Halt, 43, took two shots to the chest and hand in from a handgun fired by Michael Peco, 39.

Peco shot Halt in his own home, apparently acting in self-defense, said Lt. Leo Finnerty of the Hobart Police. The Lake County Prosecutor's office is not filing charges against Peco.

Instead, Halt was charged with four felony counts Friday for trespassing, strangulation and two counts of criminal confinement.

Shortly before 6:30 p.m. June 26, Halt walked from his home in the 100 block of North Guyer Street and approached Peco, sitting on his porch on the 100 block of North Wilson Street.

Halt told Peco he wanted to work on his air conditioning unit, but Peco refused, according to court documents. Eventually, Halt made threatening comments against Peco and placed him in a chokehold.

Peco struggled loose and went inside. Halt entered Peco's home without permission. Peco retrieved his .25-caliber handgun from the bedroom moments before Halt grabbed him again, placing him in another chokehold, court documents state.

During the struggle, Peco shook loose and fired his gun at Halt. Peco then called 911.

Halt was found by police in the street, standing in a small pool of blood. He told officers that Peco came outside to shoot him. Police found a trail of blood leading from Peco's home.

Paramedics transported Halt to the St. Mary Medical Center, where tests showed his blood alcohol content level to be 0.28 percent. Halt was discharged two days later.

Nearly two hours before the shooting, Halt confronted another neighbor, Anne Allendorf, 46, in an alley between Guyer and Wilson streets, according to court documents.

Halt told Allendorf he wanted to shake her hand, and then grabbed her arm, pulled her closely and refused to let go. Allendorf broke loose and ran to her mother's house on Wilson Street, across from Peco's home. Allendorf and her son told police that they saw Halt choking Peco on his porch before the shots were fired.

Labels: assault, home invasion, IN

Police say shooting could be self-defense

A Hobart man is hospitalized after a fight ended with a shooting Tuesday evening that police believe could be ruled self-defense.

Witnesses say Lawrence Halt, 43, was in an argument in front of his next-door neighbor's home in the 100 block of North Guyer Street when he put Michael Peco in a headlock. Police believe they were fighting over whether Halt would be allowed to do home repair work for Peco, according to police.

Halt followed Peco into his home, where police believe he again put Peco in a headlock. During a struggle, Peco drew a .38-caliber semiautomatic pistol and shot Halt, once in the hand and again in the chest, said Detective Lt. Leo Finnerty.

"He was in fear, and he shot him twice," Finnerty said.

Halt was hospitalized but he was awake and alert Wednesday morning when he was interviewed by police, he said.

Police continue to interview witnesses.

The results will be referred to the Lake County prosecutor, who will determine whether charges will be filed and against which man.

Labels: assault, IN

Intruder shot and killed by homeowner

An apparent intruder is dead after a possible home invasion led a homeowner to shoot him.

Detectives say they'll question the homeowner Monday morning to find out exactly what happened about 11:30 Sunday night.

That's when police were called to this home in the 3100 block of Park. The homeowner made that 911 call to say he shot an intruder.

"The homeowner indicated the individual, the victim had broken into his house and confronted the homeowner in the front room, living room area and the homeowner had a long gun and discharged his weapon at least one time," said IMPD homicide detective Lt. Kevin Kelly.

Police aren't sure what the victim was looking for.

Labels: home invasion, IN

Homeowner shoots scavenger in scuffle

A junk scavenger was shot in the leg today during a fight with an Eastside homeowner over a trash barrel.

Police said Nikia Johnson and an accomplice were taking a trash barrel from behind a garage in the 2700 block of Adams Street when the homeowner raised the garage door and discovered them.

The homeowner, Gus Eldridge, 53, said he told the men to return the barrel and they did, but the men refused to pick up the trash they had dumped from it.

Eldridge and Johnson argued and were scuffling when a .45 caliber handgun Eldridge was carrying discharged, striking Johnson in the leg.

Eldridge said he carries the gun whenever he is outside of his home because of the crime in the area."I'm just too old to wrestle,'' he said. "The gun just went off.

''Police are still investigating and no charges have been filed.

Homeowner shoots alleged thief

Police are investigating a shooting on the east side. They say a man was allegedly trying to steal something from a garage before 11:00 am when he was shot by the homeowner.

"I asked the guy to put it back and he refused to put it back. He wanted to fight. I don't understand," said Gus Eldridge, homeowner, with a shrug.

The suspect was shot in the leg and is reportedly in good condition at Wishard Hospital.

This story will be updated later.

Labels: altercation, IN, street property theft

INDIANAPOLIS - A 6-year-old girl was shot in the lower abdomen Monday afternoon when she wandered into an apartment hallway during a gunfight between her father and a robbery suspect, police said.

The girl, whose identity has not been released, was alert and awake when rescuers took her to Wishard Memorial Hospital, police said. She was then transferred to Riley Hospital for Children, where she was listed in serious condition, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Lt. Doug Scheffel said.

"The doctors (at Riley) told the detectives she's going to survive," Scheffel said.

The girl's father, Glenn A. Mitchell, 23, was arriving home shortly after noon, when a suspect pulled a gun on him and forced his way into the apartment, Scheffel said.

The suspect demanded money. The girl's mother, Dana Raymer, 24, gave him the family's recent income tax refund and he left, police said.

"It looks as though the father of child retrieved a handgun and chased the suspect into the entry way," Scheffel said.

The two exchanged shots before the robber got away in a green Mercury sedan driven by another man, Scheffel said. Mitchell, who is wanted on warrants for driving with a suspended license and operating a motor vehicle with expired license plates, also fled.

Labels: home invasion, IN, residence robbery

Man Killed In Shooting During Break-In

Police: Someone In Home Fatally Shot Intruder

One man was killed after breaking into a home on the city's northeast side, according to police.

The shooting happened just before midnight Tuesday in the 3900 block of Ridgeview Drive, near 38th Street and Arlington Avenue.

Indianapolis Metropolitan police said the man broke into a home and began attacking the people inside.

Someone inside the home fired shots at the man, hitting him several times.

The man was taken to Wishard Memorial Hospital, where he later died. His identity was not immediately released.

Labels: assault, home invasion, IN

Gary man shot breaking into bar

Bosco Jones said he had no choice but to shoot the intruder trying to break into his bar Sunday morning.

"If he got inside, he would have had to kill me because I knew him," Jones, 82, told the Post-Tribune on Monday.
Maurice Henderson, 44, was shot outside the Zanzibar Lounge at 5639 W. 5th Ave. about 7:20 a.m., police said.

Detective Lorenzo Davis presented evidence to the Lake County prosecutor's office Monday for review, but said he expected Henderson's death will be ruled a justifiable homicide.

"He had a big stick he was using to pull the bars off the window," Davis said. "It looks like he was trying to get to the cash register."

Jones said he was in the basement preparing his liquor order for the week when he heard glass break upstairs.

"I knew someone was trying to get in, so I came up and he was was pulling off the bars. I yelled for him to stop, but it looked like the more I yelled the more he beared down," Jones recalled.

Jones said he met Henderson one day last week when he came in with his brother. "I know his brother, he's an alley mechanic," Jones said.

Henderson inquired about doing work at the bar. "But he didn't want a job, he was casing the place," Jones said Monday.

Until a few days ago, Jones drove a white station wagon that was parked outside the bar, he said. But last week he bought a van. Jones said the intruder may have thought he wasn't in the building when he tried to get inside.

"But every Sunday morning I make out my liquor order downstairs in the office," he said.

Henderson was shot with Jones' .38-caliber handgun. Jones was questioned and released by police after the shooting.

The Zanzibar was open for business Monday.

Labels: business robbery, IN

Cedar Lake homicide case closed
Next stop: Grand Jury

The investigation is closed on Ronald Thomas's shooting death, which stunned Cedar Lake Jan. 31.

Charges will not be filed against Gerald Burkland, the man who pulled the trigger, although the case will be sent to a grand jury.

"I'll accept it as the way the judicial system works," Burkland said at his home. "That's fine with me."

He declined to comment further.

Cedar Lake Police Chief Roger Patz said charges have not been filed because he believes Burkland killed Thomas in self-defense. Patz said the decision not to file charges was made after consultation with the Lake County Prosecutor's Office.

Patz said Thomas broke into Burkland's residence before 8 a.m. Jan. 31 after he pried open a screen. Burkland was inside the residence, as was Susie Buck, Thomas' girlfriend and mother of their two children.

Burkland told police the two men started arguing, then Thomas lunged at him with a knife. Burkland maintains he fired at Thomas in self-defense.

The blast struck Thomas at close range, piercing his abdomen, Patz said. Thomas was pronounced dead later that morning at St. Anthony Medical Center in Crown Point.

Burkland fled the scene. He was found in a Merrillville hotel four days later, and Cedar Lake detectives interviewed him the following day.

After Thom-as was shot, Buck stayed behind and called 911. She could not be reached for comment.

Patz said they suspected self-defense all along, observing the pried-open window and a knife in close proximity to Thomas' body when they arrived at the crime scene. Evidence from the Lake County Crime Lab confirmed their beliefs, he said.

Nevertheless, Patz says, because the case is so serious, it's only appropriate it be referred to a grand jury.

"We don't want to leave any stone unturned here," Patz said.

Diane Poulton, spokeswoman for the Lake County Prosecutor's Office, said the jury, comprised of six people, will determine whether to indict Burkland. No date has been set for the grand jury to deliberate this case, Poulton said.

Marco Manzie, Thomas' uncle, said the decision to present the issue to a grand jury "doesn't sound right."

"We're hoping we'll get down to the truth," Manzie said. "We're uncomfortable that the police are taking Jerry Burkland's side of the story."

Labels: domestic dispute, home invasion, IN

Woman Tells Police She Opened Fire As Man Broke In

Indianapolis Metro police said a homeowner fatally shot a burglar Saturday night at an apartment in the 2100 block of Lake Terrace Drive.

Officers found the man laying the hallway of the apartment building after they were called there at about 9:30 p.m.

A woman in the apartment told officers she shot the man as he broke into her apartment. The man's identity was not immediately released.

A second person, with the man who was shot, fled on foot immediately after the shooting. That man was described as black, heavyset, wearing a red shirt and black hoodie. The woman told police he was armed with a handgun.

Police tracked the man's footprints in the snow to the 2100 block of North Mitthoeffer Road before they lost the tracks.

The Marion County Prosecutor's Office will review the case to determine if any charges are warranted

Labels: home invasion, IN, residence burglary

Homeowner shoots burglar

This time Michael Harmon's luck ran out.

The 46-year-old Gary man who was acquitted on burglary charges in June has a new felony charge and a gunshot wound to his leg, all the result of an alleged theft at a Brunswick home earlier this month.

Detective Cpl. Dan Callahan said Harmon of 1079 Jackson St. was charged with burglary after the resident of a home in the 1100 block of Hendricks Street caught the suspect inside and shot him.

Homeowner Waymond Pearson was not charged in connection with the shooting, Callahan said. Neighbors alerted Pearson to the break-in on Feb. 2 after allegedly seeing the suspect leave with items from the house, court records state. Pearson was on his way to coach a basketball team but returned home to find the suspect had returned and was in his bedroom.

"He told the man to get on the floor ... the man continued to come towards him and he shot the man in the leg," the probable cause affidavit states.

When Patrolman Jeff Hornyak arrived, he found Harmon wounded on the kitchen floor. Harmon suffered a broken bone as a result of the shooting, police said.

Police arrested Harmon in November 2005 after residents saw him taking items from New Zion Temple Church, 1701 W. 15th Ave., about 1 a.m. Officers saw Harmon climbing out of the window of the church and apprehended him with some items.

But in June, jurors acquitted Harmon on burglary and other felonies.

Labels: home invasion, IN, residence burglary

60-year-old acquitted in Kokomo shooting death

Jurors acquitted a defendant who said he acted in self-defense in a shootout that killed a man at a busy commercial area of the city.

The jury deliberated 3 1/2 hours Thursday before finding Willie Winston, 60, not guilty of murder in the death of 24-year-old DeMarco Moore.

Earlier in the day, Winston took the stand and said he had no choice but to shoot after Moore came at him and his family with a gun.

Prosecutors say Winston exchanged gunfire with Moore on Jan. 27, 2006, outside a fast-food restaurant near Markland Mall on the city’s east side. Moore died the next day at a hospital in the city about 50 miles north of Indianapolis.

The jury Thursday also acquitted Winston on felony charges of possession of an altered handgun and criminal recklessness. They did convict him of a misdemeanor charge of carrying a handgun without a permit, which Winston did not dispute.

Deputy Prosecutor Jeremy Peelle said evidence disputed Winston’s claim that Moore fired the first shot.

“DeMarco Moore did not have to die on that day,” Peelle told jurors. “Is he an angel? No. Willie Winston’s decision to carry a gun changed lives that day and ended one life.”

Winston worked for Chrysler for 31 years and had no criminal history, said his defense attorney Brent Dechert.

As he left the courtroom, Winston said, “Thank God, and thank Mr. Dechert.”

Labels: altercation, IN

Jury clears murder defendant

Second trial brings acquittal in 2002 tavern shooting

A Lake County jury on Friday cleared murder defendant David Schane of all counts against him.

The jury was asked to decide whether Schane fatally shot Tim Dovichi, 37, in self defense, or if Schane's actions constituted murder. The jury returned after about five hours deliberation with not guilty verdicts on all counts, said Diane Poulton, spokeswoman for the Lake County prosecutor's office.

Dovichi died of a single gunshot wound to the chest in the parking lot of the Three Stooges Bar in Cedar Lake Feb. 12, 2002.

Schane was taking care of the bar while his brother, the owner, was out of town. Dovichi had been banned earlier from the bar but went there that night with his girlfriend.

Schane asked Dovichi to leave several times, and Dovichi did without incident, testimony in the case indicated.

When Schane heard loud voices in the parking lot, he told jurors, he went onto the side porch of the bar. Schane said Dovichi came around the building toward him, and Schane felt threatened. He pulled out a gun and fired once, not hitting Dovichi.

Then, Schane said, he leveled the laser sight onto Dovichi's chest and fired again.

Schane's first trial in June 2005 ended in a hung jury.

Schane, who had been free on bond since October 2002, faced up to 65 years in prison if convicted.

Labels: altercation, IN

Carjacking sends suspect to hospital

A suspected carjacker and career criminal picked the wrong victim Thursday night. Instead, the carjacker found himself facing the barrel of a gun.

It happened at a gas station at 25th Street and Keystone Avenue. One witness says she thought she was back in the old west.

"Some guy tried to take my car," says motorist Isaac Wilson. He fears the guy may have wanted to take something else. "I felt he was going to try to shoot me."

Wilson just gassed up his Jaguar and pulled over to take a cell phone call when another man got out of another car and seemed to me pointing from inside his clothes something Wilson thought was a gun.

That man ordered Wilson out of his car, he says. After Wilson got out of the car the suspect got in then Wilson ordered the carjacker to get out.

Police say the carjacker came toward Wilson making like he had a gun.

"That's why I pulled my gun," says Wilson.

Wilson fired once hitting the carjacker in the knee.

"It was hard to believe, like in the cowboys," said one witness.

"I heard the shot," said another man fueling up nearby. "I was looking in that direction and I heard the guy saying 'stop.'"

Suspect Stephen Dodson is a career criminal. He is in fair condition at the hospital.

Police are also questioning Dodson's girlfriend. They want to know if she was waiting down the block to pick up the suspect's Chevy once he stole the Jag.

"It's scary you know, I had to take cover myself," said one witness.

Another told Eyewitness News "if he did try and take his car you get what you deserve because to many of us are out working and those are the kind of people who need to get a job."

"I was acting in self-defense," says Wilson. We asked if he hopes that sends a message to other bad guys. "I hope so."

Prosecutors will review the shooting as a routine. Police say Issac Wilson had the handgun legally. They did not find a gun on the suspect.

Labels: carjacking, IN

Slain Pizza Store Employee Had a Gun During Deadly Holdup

Indiana's News Center has learned that the Fort Wayne pizza store employee who was shot and killed on the job over the weekend had a gun at the time of the robbery.

The information comes as police are asking the public for leads in the unsolved crime.

We found out the victim was armed from police sources and Rick Harkelroad, the owner of the Tasty Pizza store on Fairfield Avenue where the shooting took place.

23-year old Chad Brunson, the night manager, was shot in the head early Sunday, after two black men with their faces covered burst in and demanded cash.

A police source said Brunson pulled out a gun during the holdup, and that when officers responded, they found Brunson on the floor with gun in hand.

That source said the gun had the safety on.
…

Indiana's News Center has learned that Brunson had pulled a gun on a would-be robber during a hold-up attempt back in April.

The store's owner told him after that to leave the gun at home, but on Sunday morning he had one when police found him dead.

Labels: business robbery, defender killed, IN

Police say shooting was self-defense

A Muncie teenager shot in a near-southside home last week was armed with two guns himself and committing a robbery when he was wounded, police believe.

Deandre Lamont Ledsinger, 18, 1322 E. Waid St., suffered multiple gunshot wounds inside 1206 E. Sixth St. in the afternoon hours of Dec. 20.

The 19-year-old man who shot Ledsinger was acting in self defense and will probably not face criminal charges, Muncie police Sgt. Jason Webber said Wednesday.

Police have arrested Ledsinger on a preliminary charge of armed robbery, a class B felony carrying a standard 10-year prison term. The Muncie man is being held under a police hold at Ball Memorial Hospital, where he is recovering.

Information on his medical condition was unavailable Wednesday.

A probable cause affidavit for Ledsinger's arrest, based mostly on interviews with the robbery victim, gives the following account of the shooting:

-- As the 19-year-old returned home and exited his vehicle, Ledsinger, armed with a .38-caliber and .357-caliber handguns, and another man with a pump shotgun approached him.

-- Ledsinger followed the 19-year-old into his house where the money was stored. The second man stayed outside.

-- The 19-year-old gave Ledsinger $1,000. Ledsinger responded that he knew the man had $3,000 and started checking a bedroom for the rest of the cash.

-- As Ledsinger was checking a closet, the 19-year-old pulled a gun and shot Ledsinger. The two exchanged gunshots before the 19-year-old ran out the side door to the alley and called his mother.

-- When police arrived they located Ledsinger in the 19-year-old's bedroom with $1,000 in his pocket bound by a single rubber band as described by the robbery victim.

Investigators have been unable to interview Ledsinger because of his condition.

BMH spokesman Neil Gifford said he could confirm Ledsinger was still in the hospital but at the request of family could not give the patient's medical condition.

Labels: home invasion, IN, residence robbery

Two men killed in separate shootings

Alan Mills, 30, of Muncie, died around 5:45 a.m. at Wishard Memorial Hospital, six hours after being shot in the chest and abdomen. Police say Mills was shot after a fight broke out among loved ones in the 2500 block of Villa Avenue.

The unidentified shooter and his family were present when the police arrived and were cooperative, calling the act self-defense.

No arrests were made, but the investigation continues and the gun was recovered, said Indianapolis Police Sgt. Matthew Mount.

Labels: domestic dispute, IN

Suspected Robber Fatally Shot During Home Invasion

Police said a man who broke into a home in a robbery attempt was killed by an occupant of the home early Monday morning on Indianapolis' west side.

The shooting happened at about 2 a.m. at the home in the 200 block of North Tremont Street at Turner Avenue in what police called a home invasion and attempted robbery, 6News' Julie Pursley reported.

Investigators said the man who was shot was identified as Mark Yant, 22. He was found in the street, about a half block away from the home.

Yant was taken to Wishard Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police said the man forced his way into the home and ran out the back of the house after he had been shot.

Police said there were two people inside the home at the time of the shooting.

"We're still putting that all together, but it appears that this was an attempted residence burglary or residence robbery and we'll have to wait on interviews to determine exactly what that was," said Indianapolis police Detective Jeff Patterson.

Police said the prosecutor's office will decide if the home's occupant acted in self-defense in the shooting.

Labels: home invasion, IN, residence robbery

Woman fears for life after son kills intruder

One day after an her son killed one of two intruders who forced his way into her house, a Gary mother says she fears for her life.

"I'm fearful because I don't know who that guy was and I don't know who his people are," she said.

Kevin Scott, 47, of the 2000 block of Central died Friday of multiple gunshot wounds after he announced he was going to kill everyone inside the Tolleston woman's West Garfield home, Detective Sgt. Michael Jackson, said.

The homeowner, a truck driver for the city of Gary, was eating pizza with her 21-year-old son and his friend about 5:40 p.m. Friday when someone knocked on the door.

When her son's friend opened the door to see who it was, two men forced their way and put a gun to his head.

Immediately, her son ran downstairs to grab a gun while she took refuge in a first-floor bedroom.

Scott asked where everyone was and then said he was going to kill everyone there.

That's when her 21-year-old son emerged from the basement and started firing his weapon, striking Scott. The second intruder fled.

Scott was pronounced dead at The Methodist Hospitals in Gary.

Jackson said no charges are being sought in connection with the killing. The detective said the homeowner's son was defending himself and his family during a home invasion.

His mother said neither she nor her son know Scott. They also say they have no idea why their home was targeted.

Labels: assault, home invasion, IN

A Fort Wayne man was able to escape a would-be robber early Thursday but did not escape without injury.

According to a Fort Wayne police report, the man was arriving home on East Rudisill Boulevard about midnight when he was approached by another man on a mountain bike.

According to police, the man got out of his car and was walking to his house when the man on the bike showed him a knife and demanded his money.

The man punched the robber, knocking him to the ground, police said.

The man then went into his house and brought out his handgun, but the robber was already leaving the area on his bicycle, police said.

The man then realized that he had been stabbed in the left hand, police said.

Labels: IN, street robbery

Robber takes homeowner's gun

An elderly man was assaulted in his home by a robber who took the man's shotgun when the homeowner tried to defend himself.

James Wortman, 82, was awakened early Tuesday by somebody breaking into his house, in the 5800 block of East 19th Street.He reached for his shotgun. The intruder quickly grabbed the gun, pointed it at Wortman and demanded money.

The man ransacked the house but found no money. He left the house taking only the shotgun. Wortman was not injured.

Labels: assault, home invasion, IN, residence robbery

A bouncer at a Westside strip club fired several shots at an armed robbery suspect early today.

Indianapolis police are investigating the incident reported at 1:26 a.m.
According to a police report, a man with a shotgun entered Patty's Show Club, 2014 W. Washington, and committed an armed robbery.

As the suspect fled the scene, police said the bouncer fired several shots at the vehicle.

Labels: business robbery, IN

Police: Woman fired gunshot at fleeing intruder

A 41-year-old Muncie woman fired a gun at a man who had tried to break into her house, she told police.

The thwarted burglary comes less than a week after another Muncie woman beat a suspected burglar with a cooking pot.

The woman was asleep early Saturday morning in her home in the 1300 block of East Fifth Street when she heard noises and saw a figure outside her bedroom window, she told police.

She went to her front door with her .38-caliber revolver and fired a shot in the direction of the burglar as he ran eastward from her home, according to police reports that documented her story.

Responding officers checked her gun and found a spent round in one of the revolver's six chambers.

The woman had a valid handgun permit.

No arrests had been made in connection with the would-be burglary as of late Monday.

Last Tuesday, Sabrena Davis, 36, whacked Timothy A. Simison, 27, Hartford City, with a 10-inch cooking pot after he broke into her enclosed porch, police said.

Simison was arrested that morning.

Labels: concealed carry permit, IN, residence burglary

An employee whose store was being robbed Monday used his own weapon as the suspect escaped.

It happened early Monday morning at the Sunrise Café, 9767 E. 116th Street.

A worker at the Sunrise Café told police that he got to work at around 5:00 am. While picking up a box of trash left on the sidewalk, he was hit in the back of the head and knocked to the ground. While on the ground, he was kicked and then pulled to his feet.

A man showed the employee a handgun and demanded money from the business, then forced the employee inside and took money from the cash register. After the robbery, the suspect told the worker to run towards the Kroger store.

Instead, the employee ran behind a dumpster and pulled out a .45 caliber handgun from his pocket. When the suspect stopped to look at the employee, he pointed his handgun at him. The victim employee fired 8 or 9 rounds at the suspect.

The suspect did not fire back and was last seen running southwest from the business. Witnesses in the neighborhood reported hearing the gunshots, seeing a man running and hearing a car speed off. The victim employee was not seriously injured and returned to work. Investigators recovered eight shell casings and did not locate anything that was struck by the bullets. The employee does not face criminal charges at this time.

Labels: business robbery, IN

Frantic 911 Call: Man Shoots At Robber Following Heist

Police on Tuesday released a tape of a frantic 911 call after a restaurant was robbed early Monday morning, after which an employee shot at the robber.

Just after 5 a.m. Monday, Norman Jaffe reported to work at the Sunrise Café in the 9700 block of East 116th Street. Just as Jaffe stepped toward the front door, he was accosted, 6News' Jennifer Carmack reported.

"He had a black face mask on, black bag. He ran out behind here, hit me in the head," Jaffe told a 911 dispatcher.

Fishers police Sgt. Gerry Hepp said the robber demanded money from the employee and forced him into the business. Once he got the money, the robber ran out of the back of the restaurant toward a housing division. That's when Jaffe pulled a handgun and fired 10 rounds, Hepp said.

"I asked him to stop. He pulled his weapon, raised it right to my face. He was 20 yards away and I lit him up," Jaffe told the dispatcher.

No shots struck the robber, according to police. The robber is described as black, wearing black clothing, a black ski mask and black gloves. He is about 6 feet tall and weighs 190 pounds.

"It seems the circumstances, he was in fear for his life. It was justified in this case," Hepp said.

Labels: business robbery, IN

Four members of the Indiana Pacers were involved in a shooting incident this morning at a Westside strip club, Indianapolis police said.

Stephen Jackson fired five shots from a 9-mm handgun after someone hit him in the face and tried to run him over with a vehicle outside Club Rio at about 3 a.m., IPD spokesman Sgt. Matthew Mount said.

Video from a security camera outside the club captured the car striking Jackson, Mount said. Authorities were looking for an older model blue GM car with chrome rims.

Jackson, Jamaal Tinsley, Marquis Daniels and Jimmie Hunter had argued with another group of men outside the club at 5054 W. 38th St., Mount said.

“The Pacers said there had been some problems and they tried to extricate themselves,” Mount said.

One of the men punched Jackson in the mouth and then got into a vehicle and ran into him, police said.

“He was hit in the mouth,” Mount said. “He was bloodied up pretty good.”

The attackers fled after Jackson fired his handgun. Police do not know if anyone was injured or if the bullets struck the man’s vehicle.

Jackson, who has a valid permit for the gun, was limping but refused medical treatment at the scene.

“We’re not sure if he just went over the hood or he went over the whole car,” Mount said. Jackson told officers he would seek help from the team’s medical staff and trainers.

Tinsley and Daniels also had guns in their vehicles, Mounts said, but never pulled them during the incident. Tinsley has an Indiana gun permit; Daniels has a Florida permit.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indiana Pacers guard Stephen Jackson was charged Wednesday with a felony count of criminal recklessness and two misdemeanor counts from last week's confrontation outside a strip club.

The charges were announced by Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi five days after the fight involving Jackson and three Pacers teammates against others at the club. Jackson was punched in the mouth and hit by a car and police say he fired a gun in the air at least five times.

Jackson apologized for the fight on Tuesday, saying he was "happy to be alive." His comments came hours after police arrested another man on several charges in connection with the fight.

The other charges against Jackson are disorderly conduct and battery, Brizzi said.

Labels: altercation, IN

Attempted Jewelry Store Robbery Leaves One Suspect Dead

A robbery ended in gunfire at an east side jewelry store, in the 5400 block of East Washington. It happened around 10:30 this morning at the Rosco Jewelry Store.

In the process of the attempted robbery the owner took out a handgun and shots were exchanged. One of the suspects was hit and died at the scene. Police say the second suspect tried to escape by running upstairs in the building, but is now in police custody.

The two suspects were brothers. Two other employees were in the store at the time of the robbery and the owner is cooperating with police.

The jewelry store is located across the street from George W. Julian Elementary School, School #57. Police are searching for a bullet near the school. One of the bullets from the shooting went through the front door of the store and across the street hitting a car. Joseph Blackburn is an interpreter at the school and the owner of the car.

"I guess there was at least a dozen of them, and they brought their shotguns and they circled back and all around and they were running around and all of a sudden they stopped and one lady, one of the police lady had a shotgun and went in that door over there," said Blackburn.

He says as soon as the gunfire was exchanged the school went on lockdown and has remained on lockdown since.

Neighborhood residents say the store has been around for about 30 years and with the on-going violence on the east side, IPD Chief Spears feels enough is enough.

"Its very upsetting to us as a police department, I'm sure it's very upsetting to the community because as you noted the business right across the street is a day care center, or youth center," said Chief Spears.

Accused pawn shop robber says it wasn't his idea

Eyewitness News has learned more about what happened inside an east side jewelry store when the owner shot and killed a robbery suspect Wednesday morning. It's a harrowing story of survival, and we also hear the suspects' side of the story.

Roscoe Parmley is back in his jewelry store. He feels lucky after surviving a hold-up that ended with Parmley killing one of the two robbers.

"I was only trying to keep my brother from making a mistake," said Nicholas Artry.

That mistake put Nicholas Artry in jail and claimed the life of his 18-year-old brother Corey. Nicholas insists he didn't know about the hold-up until they got to the store. He says he then tried talking his brother out of it.

"I made the best effort that I could and he decided to go in there and at the time I'm just thinking like, I can't let my brother go in here and just die," said Artry.

Detectives say it looked as if someone would die. "basically they just stormed in," said Det. Marcus Kennedy, Indianapolis Police Department. "The one with the gun, he actually put the gun to the heads of the three people that work here."

When Corey Artry's attention turned from Parmley, "he just noticed that was his opportune moment to strike back and that's when he started firing," Kennedy said.

Nicholas Artry denies holding a knife to an employee's throat, insisting he tried to protect the worker, and when the shooting was over, hid in the suspended ceiling. He says he was glad when the police showed up "because when the police came I knew that they weren't just gonna kill me on site," he said.

The brothers were in the store the day before - Nicholas Artry says shopping, but police say they were casing it. Even knowing workers were well armed, two brothers with no criminal records investigators say went ahead with the robbery.

Meanwhile, Parmley will likely not face charges in the shooting death of Corey Artry. Police say it looks like Parmley fired in self defense.

Labels: business robbery, IN

Man Fatally Shot Teen During Apparent Robbery

Police say a Kokomo man who answered his door after midnight found two would-be armed robbers on his porch. But he was armed, too.

Police say one teenager is dead and another teen faces surgery after 61-year-old Michael Slonaker shot both suspects.

The shooting occurred about 12:30am Wednesday. Police found 16-year-old Nathan Smith shot in the chest at the scene, where he was pronounced dead. His alleged accomplice, 17-year-old Justin Smith, went to the hospital with a wounded knee. He was being taken to Indianapolis for surgery.

Slonaker told police he found two white males with a shotgun and a baseball bat waiting when he answered his door. Police say he fired two shots.

Police say Slonaker is licensed to carry a firearm, but he doesn’t need a permit to have one in his home

Labels: concealed carry permit, IN, residence robbery

Indianapolis records 100th homicide

Indianapolis police are investigating the shooting death this morning of a 38-year-old man on the Northeastside.

The death marks the county’s 100th homicide of 2006.Gary Branch was shot to death by his live-in girlfriend at a home in the 6600 block of Meadowlark Drive shortly after 6 a.m., Detective Michael Mitchell said.

Branch’s girlfriend, Jeowanda Hayes, 43, dialed 911 and waited for police. She told police she was acting in self-defense, Mitchell said.

“There was an argument for several hours inside the house. It had gotten to the point where he reached for a handgun,” Mitchell said. “She was in fear of her life. She reached for her handgun and shot him.”

Hayes told police she had been the victim of domestic violence, but there are no reports of previous incidents. Mitchell said several other people came forward to tell police the couple had a history of violence.

Hayes was not arrested. Police forwarded their evidence to the Marion County prosecutor’s office for review.

Prosecutors reject woman's self-defense claim

Marion County prosecutors say a shooting that initially appeared to be self-defense was actually intentional.

Geowanda Hayes is scheduled to appear for an initial hearing on a murder charge today in Marion Superior Court.

Hayes, 42, is accused of gunning down her boyfriend, Gary Branch, on Sept. 5. She claimed self-defense, but prosecutors do not believe her.

Hayes, according to court documents, shot Branch, 38, two times in the back as he was trying to open the garage door and escape.

Hayes told police she had been a victim of ongoing abuse and she lived in fear of Branch. She and Branch both carry handguns, according to records. Hayes told investigators Branch was going to shoot her and was reaching for his gun -- stashed under a pillow -- when she shot him first.

Hayes said she was still in fear when Branch ran past her into the garage. She admitted shooting him twice in the back while he was lifting the garage door, according to records.

Branch opened the door, ran into the street and collapsed.

Police previously responded to reports of Branch's violent behavior, but he had never been arrested on a domestic battery charge.

Labels: domestic abuse, IN

Would-be robber killed outside Lawrence bar

A would-be robber got more than he bargained for early today when his intended victim pulled out a handgun and shot him five times outside a Lawrence bar.

Police identified the suspected robber as Ronald Zenor, 29, of Indianapolis, who was taken to Wishard Memorial Hospital, where he died.

The incident occurred about 3:30 a.m. as the Sports Page Lounge, 4603 N. Post Road, was closing.

Eric Conter, 22, of Indianapolis had left the bar and climbed into his pickup truck. Zenor reached through the window and tried to pull a necklace off Conter’s neck and began choking him, said Lawrence Police Chief Jack Bailey.

Acting in self-defense, Conter pulled out his 9-millimeter pistol and shot Zenor, Bailey said.

Panicked, Conter drove off after the shooting, but later contacted the Indianapolis Police Department and then gave a statement to Lawrence detectives.

Police believe Zenor was involved in robbery outside another bar in the 8800 block of Pendleton Pike about a half-hour before he was shot. That robbery victim’s driver’s license and credit card were found on Zenor.

Bailey said Conter, who had a permit for his gun, had a witness who verified his account of the shooting.

While Conter was not arrested, investigators’ findings about the shooting will be turned over to the Marion County Prosecutor’s office for a formal determination on whether to press charges, Bailey said.

Labels: IN, street robbery

Police: Armed customer stops KFC robbery

Police say a would-be robber is in jail this morning after a customer foiled the suspect’s attempted hold-up of a restaurant on the Westside.

William McMiller Jr., 40, was arrested on an initial charge of robbery after he demanded money and threatened to shoot a cashier at the Kentucky Fried Chicken, 2801 W. 16th Street, at about 3:20 p.m. Thursday, according to Indianapolis police reports. McMiller, records show, is being held in the Marion County Jail on $80,000 bond.

McMiller, police said, ordered a bucket of chicken then told cashier Deanne Slaughter: “Give me the money before I shoot you.”

The suspect held his hand in his back pocket as if reaching for a gun, police said, then lifted his foot to jump over the counter.

Paul Sherlock, a customer sitting in the dining room, approached and pointed a Taurus 9-mm handgun towards the suspect’s back.

The suspect raised his hands over his head, police said. Sherlock ordered him to lean against a window with his hands up until police arrived.

Police found a long screwdriver, not a gun, in McMiller’s pocket.

Sherlock had a valid gun permit, police said.

Labels: business robbery, concealed carry permit, IN

Businessman shoots at intruder

A man who operates an insurance business from his home in the 2400 block of Lincoln Way West in Mishawaka told police Saturday that he fired his rifle at a man who broke into his home.

He suspects the man is one of his customers, police said.

The man told police he and his girlfriend were in their bedroom about 3 a.m. Saturday when they heard the sound of breaking glass in the area where he runs his business. The man picked up a rifle he keeps next to his bed and found the intruder, who reportedly was holding something that looked like a handgun.

The man told police he fired two or three times at the intruder, who fled through the broken window. Police later found a bullet hole in another window that may be from a shot fired by the intruder.

Nothing was reported stolen.

At about the same time in South Bend, police were looking for a man who had approached a house, stating he had been shot in the buttocks, according to police reports.

Labels: IN, residence burglary

Shot fired during robbery attempt

Mooresville jewelry store owner fires gun after robber enters with weapon; no one injured

A Mooresville business was reportedly the target of an armed robber Friday night, but the owner fired first.

According to Mooresville Police Department preliminary reports, the owner of Hasting’s Jewelry, 354 S. Indiana St., saw a man walk up to the entrance of his store shortly before 6 p.m.

The man pulled a red hood over his face, took out a handgun and entered the store. The owner, who was not identified, also had a handgun. As the man entered the store, the owner stood up with his weapon.

Officers said the robber told the owner, “Don’t do it, man, I’ll kill you.”

According to police, the owner then discharged his weapon, striking the top of a display case. The bullet ricocheted off a large pair of scissors, then went out a window.

After the shot, the would-be robber fled the business. Police said a witness saw a man leaving the business and getting into a red or maroon Chevrolet Trail Blazer or Suburban.

The vehicle then reportedly headed west on Ind. 42. The witness told officers the license plate had the numbers “2181” on it.

The man was described as white, and between 6-foot-3 and 6-foot-5. His weapon was described as a 1911 .45-caliber stainless steel handgun.

Officers were unsuccessful in finding the bullet that went through the window.

The owner hit a panic button, and officers were at his store within a minute of the call.

Labels: business robbery, IN

Robbery suspect killed

Gunfire between security guards and a robbery suspect last night inside the Village Pantry at 71st and Georgetown Road.

The robbery suspect, a 53 year-old Indianapolis man, died from the gunshots. Investigators say the suspect entered the store, showed a gun and told the clerk and another man in plain clothes to get behind the counter. When the suspect realized the man in plain clothes was a security officer, he fired two shots at him.

A second security guard then opened fire. The two security officers are both OK. They are privately hired by Trinity Security.

Witnesses say they saw another person involved, possibly driving a getaway car. A black '79 to '82 Cutlass or Grand Prix with primer on the door sped south on Georgetown after the shooting. If you have any information, you are urged to call Crimestoppers. Police say there is a surveillance system inside the store, video of the shooting is not available yet.

Labels: business robbery, IN

No charges against man who shot brothers in bar fight

ST. JOHN: Stories vary on how fight, shooting erupted

No charges have been filed against a St. John man who shot and killed a 25-year-old Lowell man and wounded his 24-year-old brother during a bar fight early Tuesday.

John Sabaitis, 21, of St. John was expected to be released from Lake County jail early this morning, after being held in connection with the shooting, said Daniel Vincent, Sabaitis' business partner.

"No charges are being filed," St. John Police Chief Fred Frego said Wednesday afternoon.

Frego would not comment on why charges were not filed. He said it was a decision made by the Lake County Prosecutor's office. The Times calls to the prosecutor's office were not returned Wednesday afternoon.

Sabaitis shot Petar Radjen in the chest, killing him. Dragan Radjen was injured after being shot in the hand during a melee outside Spiro's on 41, 9163 Wicker Ave.

The Radjen's paint Sabaitis as the aggressor, while Sabaitis says the Radjens lay in wait and jumped him outside a St. John tavern.

Police received a call of shots fired and a man down about 1:40 a.m. Tuesday, Frego said.

Frego said the men got into a verbal altercation. They left the bar, and the altercation turned physical, ending in a shooting.

This was St. John's first homicide in two years.

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Prosecutors determine shooting was self-defense

Lake County Prosecutors have determined that a St. John man was defending himself when he shot and killed a 25-year-old Lowell man and injured the man's 24-year-old brother.

No charges were filed against John Sabaitis, who shot Petar Radjen in the chest and Dragan Radjen in the hand during a fight outside a St. John bar early Tuesday.

Evidence from a nearby surveillance camera that captured the incident shows Sabaitis was acting in self-defense, said Diane Poulton, a spokeswoman for the county prosecutor's office.

No charges in fatal St. John shooting

ST. JOHN: Jury finds shooter's self-defense account to be true; Lowell man's family unsure of civil suit

A St. John man involved in a fatal shooting outside a St. John bar in May will not face any criminal charges.

Johnathan Sabaitis, now 22, fatally shot Lowell resident Petar Radjen, 25, and wounded Dragan "Danny" Radjen during a fight May 9 outside Spiro's on 41, 9163 Wicker Ave., police said.

A grand jury determined this month that Sabaitis would not be indicted in the case, the Lake County prosecutor's office said.

Sabaitis is glad the case is closed, criminally.

He said evidence presented to the grand jury proved that his version of the night's events is true.

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Victim's family to pursue civil suit in shooting death

ST. JOHN: Injured brother upset with case outcome

The family of a