Civilian Gun Self-Defense Blog

Canton bank customer stops suspected would-be robber, holds him until police arrive

A longtime customer brazenly stood up to a suspected would-be bank robber at a Comerica bank on Monday and detained the man until police showed up.

At about 9 a.m., police said a 54-year-old Washtenaw County man walked into a Comerica branch in the 45400 block of Michigan Avenue and handed the teller a handwritten note demanding money.

It also indicated he was strapped with a bomb, police said in a release.

When the suspect demanded "bands of 50s and 100s," police said, the clerk hit the bank's silent alarm and began placing money in a bag.

A teller at an adjacent counter noticed the incident and alerted the longtime customer.

Police said the customer then pulled out a gun, pointed it at the suspect and told him, "You are not robbing this bank."

"But I have a bomb," the suspect said, according to police.

The customer replied: "I don't care. You are not robbing this bank!"

The customer, who has not been named, then led the suspect to a chair, sat him down and held him at gunpoint until police came.

"A good Samaritan saw what was happening," said Sandra Berchtold, a media coordinator for the FBI Detroit division, which assisted Monday. "Through his assistance, (the suspect) was detained."

For security reasons, Comerica officials could not release information on the incident, spokeswoman Sara Snyder said.

The suspect, who has not yet been identified, is expected to be arraigned Tuesday.

Labels: business robbery, MI

Suspected would-be robber dies after being shot by Flint store owner

A man has died after police say he was shot by a Clio Road store owner Friday evening in what was believed to be an attempted robbery.

A male entered LT's Clothing & Accessories, 3014 Clio Road, shortly after 9 p.m. Friday and pulled a handgun on the store's owner. The two grabbed at each other and the owner took his own gun and shot the man, a news release said.

That man was pronounced dead at Hurley Medical Center and police today hadn't yet identified him.

The case will be sent to the Gensee County prosecutor's office for review, police said.

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

Fatal shooting ruled self-defense; other charges filed

A man accused of shooting another man to death has been cleared of pulling the trigger, but is facing other charges related to the incident.

Kenneth Lee Rodriguez, 18, was one of two people shot April 7 in the 100 block of Carrier Street NE.

Patrick Batshon, 17, was arrested the next day and told investigators the shooting was in self-defense. He was later released pending further investigation, according to the prosecutor's office.

Investigators say Rodriguez another person in the incident, Salko Durmic, 17, agreed to meet Batshon to buy some marijuana from him, and in turn sell him a gun. But it is alleged there was never a gun in the deal, and Durmic and Rodriguez conspired to buy the drugs and then rob Batshon.

The prosecutor's office says Durmic and Rodriguez choked and punched Batshon during the robbery. That is when Batshon shot the two men.

Rodriguez died and Durmic survived.

Now the prosecutor's office says the shooting was in self-defense. But Batshon and Durmic have been arraigned on charges that led up to the shooting.

Batshon is facing charges of delivering marijuana, carrying a concealed weapon in a motor vehicle, and possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Durmic is facing charges of assault with intent to commit unarmed robbery and conspiracy to commit unarmed robbery.

Labels: altercation, MI

Labels: business robbery, defender shot, MI

Pizza delivery driver shoots teens, police say

A pizza delivery driver shot two teens who tried to rob him east of downtown Detroit Thursday night, Detroit Police said.

The teens, 14 and 16, were taken to local hospitals; their conditions were listed as temporary serious, police said.

The delivery driver had a permit to carry a concealed weapon, police said.

The teens had ordered a pizza be delivered to a vacant lot in the 600 block of St. Aubin St. about 9:55 p.m., police said.

Labels: MI, pizza delivery driver

Suspects caught in April Fool twist

Three suspects received an April Fool's Day surprise as they attempted to break into a home on Range Line Road.

At approximately 1:20 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1, a home owner called 911, saying the back door of her residence was kicked in, according to the Michigan State Police Niles Post.

Apparently a female suspect had knocked on the door and when no one answered, two male suspects allegedly attempted a home invasion.

Three suspects from Indiana were arrested and are suspected in several other home invasions in Southeast Berrien County.

The 36-year-old female homeowner had armed herself with a shotgun for protection, when she heard the suspects prepare to enter her residence.

"The tables were turned on these thieves when they were surprised by the armed homeowner," said Tpr. Mike McCarthy of the Niles Post.

The north Berrien County 911 center broadcast the call and description of the suspects' vehicle, which was intercepted on Old 31 by deputies and troopers.

Stolen property was found in the vehicle which was linked to previous home invasions.

Arrested for felony home invasion were Daniel L. Sizemore, 28; Phillip J. Chappell, 29 and Andrea L. Bachleda, 27, all of South Bend, Ind.

They were lodged at the Niles City Jail and arraigned in the 5th District Court and their bond was set at $50,000.

The Berrien County Sheriff's Department assisted with the investigation. Other area home invasions are expected to be cleared with the arrests of these suspects.

Labels: female, home invasion, MI

No Charges For Gas Station Shooter

Kent Co. prosecutors have announced that there will be no charges for the man who shot and killed another man in Grand Rapids.

It all happened last month at the Shell Gas Station at the corner of Kalamazoo Ave. and Boston Street.

Gabriel Rodriguez was filling up his car when he got into an argument with a man named Glenn Tett, who is licensed to carry a concealed weapon. Surveillance video shows Rodriguez picking up a trash can lid seemingly to hit Tett, when Tett takes out a gun and shoots Rodriguez, killing him.

Tett told police that the reason he fired his gun was because he feared for his life, and after watching the surveillance video and investigating the case, Kent Co. Prosecutors agreed that Rodriguez' actions could have been interpreted as life-threatening.

"As you're watching (the surveillance video), this happens in an instant," said Kent Co. Prosecutor Bill Forsyth. "We could sit here and Monday-morning-quarterback this, and say well, 'He could have closed the door to his truck and gotten in and driven away. (Tett) could have stepped back, he could have waited to see what it was he was swinging at him, it might have changed things,' but that's not the way the law is written."

(More)

Labels: altercation, concealed carry permit, MI

Homeowner shoots man in Flint's first homicide

The city's first homicide of the year occurred Saturday morning when police said a 72-year-old man shot his 37-year-old housemate in the stomach.

Police were called to the scene about 7 a.m. and found Jonathon Joseph Stevens dead on the sidewalk next door to the home where he'd been living. Police have not released the name of the accused shooter.

Flint police Sgt. Roderick LeGardye said Stevens and the older man got into an argument early Saturday morning inside the home at 2518 Bagley St. During the fight, Stevens allegedly hit the elderly man with a large wooden stick. The 72-year-old then pulled out a gun and shot the victim at least once in the stomach, LeGardye said.

Stevens tried to run away but collapsed on the sidewalk. The suspect was taken to Hurley Medical Center with head injuries. He is not expected to be taken into police custody pending further investigation, LeGardye said.

"Right now, we're unsure what they were fighting about," LeGardye said.

LeGardye said Stevens was living in the older man's home but did not know their relationship. Stevens' wife had recently moved in and was at the home when the shooting occurred.

This has been the first time in years Flint has gone more than two months into a new year without a homicide.

(More)

**Update April 15, 2008**
Housemate slaying was self-defense: no charges

Labels: altercation, MI

Pittsfield Township police arrested three people accused of attacking a man in traffic after he earlier tried to intervene in a dispute.

The victim was outside Falsetta's Market at 2200 Pittsfield Blvd. at about 4 p.m. Wednesday when he saw a man loudly arguing with a woman and trying to push her into a van, said Detective Lt. Steve Heller.

The victim said he asked if everything was OK and told the woman she didn't have to get into the vehicle. He said the man told him to mind his own business, and they left in the van.

The victim went into a nearby store and called police before he left.

While stopped at a red light at Carpenter and Packard roads a few minutes later, the victim said the driver of the van confronted him and began yelling. He said he exited his vehicle and was punched in the face and knocked to the ground, Heller said.

Two women, including the woman he tried to help, got out of the van and began hitting and stomping the victim while he was on the ground, Heller said.

A passing motorist stopped his car, pulled a gun and demanded the trio stop beating the man, Heller said.

Police responded to several calls reporting a man holding people at gunpoint. Officers determined the man with a gun had a legitimate concealed weapons permit and was trying to help, Heller said.

Officers arrested an 18-year-old Ann Arbor man and two 19-year-old women. They were released pending charges.

The victim was not seriously injured.

Labels: altercation, concealed carry permit, MI

DETROIT -- A man was shot eight times and killed Monday night as he tried to rob a home on Detroit's east side, police said.Police said two men were trying to break into a home on the 5200 block of Kensington Avenue when the homeowner inside grabbed his pistol and fired.

One of the home invaders was killed and the other fled in a newer-model white Chevrolet Impala.

The homeowner's mother was sleeping in the house at the time and was not harmed. The homeowner is not expected to face charges.

Labels: home invasion, MI

Andrew Myrick, a 28-year-old University of Michigan student, was inside his house in the 1500 block of Jones Drive on Wednesday night when David Copeland, 29, of Ypsilanti and three other men broke in, Ann Arbor Deputy Police Chief Greg O'Dell said.

Two of the suspected intruders were arrested Thursday and charged with robbery. But on Thursday, the Washtenaw County prosecutor called Copeland's death "justifiable homicide," O'Dell said.

Labels: home invasion, MI, residence robbery

Store owner halts robbery in Sturgis

Police say arrests in a robbery attempt thwarted when a grocery-store owner armed himself and chased off the suspects may lead to arrests in another holdup earlier in December.

Two would-be robbers fled the LaSierra, a Sturgis grocery, around 1:30 p.m. Monday after seeing the store owner headed toward them with a gun, according to the Sturgis Police Department. The owner of the North Jacobs Street store then jumped into his vehicle and tailed the men, who had gotten into a waiting car driven by a third man, police said.

Another person in the store at the time said she saw two men approaching the business with bandanas covering their faces. She left, suspecting a robbery was going to take place, and called 911.

Sturgis officers were flagged down by the store owner from his car and provided with a description of the vehicle and of the two men who had entered the store. A Michigan State Police trooper spotted a vehicle matching the description of the get-away car west of Sturgis, near White Pigeon.

Officers from the St. Joseph County Sheriff's Department and Middlebury (Ind.) Police Department assisted in apprehending three Indiana men as their vehicle, southbound on U.S. 131, approached the Michigan/Indiana border, according to Sturgis police.

Police said they believe at least one man involved in Monday's incident took part in an armed robbery of LaEsperanza, another Sturgis grocery store, in early December. Police are expected to seek warrants for additional suspects believed to have been among four men who held up LaEsperanza.

Police said the men arrested Monday were identified by a witness and that suspected crime-scene evidence was found in their vehicle. No handgun was recovered, however.

Labels: business robbery, MI

Alleged carjacker in Burton shot by apartment security guard

An armed security guard on patrol at Kings Lane apartments shot and critically wounded a man who allegedly attempted to carjack the guard's personal car Monday night, Burton police reported.

In a media release, Detective Shawn Duncanson said a 21-year-old male threatened the guard with a handgun and attempted to take his vehicle at 4400 Kings Lane about 9:38 p.m. on Monday.

The security guard, of Michigan Security and Investigations, shot the suspect twice in the torso with a .357 Magnum, Duncanson said.

The suspect was reported in critical condition at an area hospital.

Duncanson said the incident will be forwarded to the Genesee County prosecutor's office for review.

He said he does not expect any charges to be filed against the guard.

Labels: carjacking, MI, private security

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- A Clinton Township man woke up Monday to the sound of a burglar in his condo and chased him away with a gun.

He thought that would be the end of it, until the man came out of nowhere and charged at him. That's when the gun fired.

According to police, the man had returned home after a 10-day hunting trip. He heard a noise and chased the burglar away with a gun.

The condo owner then knocked on his neighbor's door and asked them to call police. That's when the suspect came back and charged at him.

The condo owner shouted that he had a gun, police said, but the suspect tried to grab it away.

The two wrestled for the weapon and the gun discharged twice -- the first shot hitting the ground and the second struck the suspect in the leg.

Police arrived shortly afterward and took the suspect into custody. Police expect the burglar to be arraigned Tuesday.

Labels: MI, residence burglary

Monroe homeowner shoots intruder

An intruder was shot and wounded by a resident wielding a handgun during a home invasion that took place about 5:30 p.m. Thursday at 401 W. Sixth St., the Monroe Police Department reported.

The suspect is receiving medical care at Mercy Memorial Hospital. Lt. Charles Abel, public information officer for the city police, said the man received more than one gunshot wound and has undergone surgery as a result.

The suspect's name is not being released because he has not yet been arraigned in court. Police said a court date is pending either on his release from the hospital or - if arrangements can be made for arraignment now - while he still is at Mercy Memorial.

A call came to Central Dispatch as a home invasion in progress. While police were on the way, according to reports, the man who lives in the house was confronted by the intruder. The resident fired multiple shots with a handgun, and the intruder fled.

When police checked the neighborhood, they found the suspect wounded and lying in the roadway near W. Seventh and Smith Sts. The Monroe Fire Department ambulance service took him to the hospital.

Lt. Abel said a duffel bag also was found near the suspect, with items that possibly were stolen elsewhere.

Further links:
Man shot during break-in pleads guilty

Labels: home invasion, MI

Store Clerk Shoots Alleged Robber

It happened around 7:30 p.m. at Nick's Short Stop party store in Clinton Township located at Cass Road and Romeo Plank

The 17-year-old clerk said he was protecting his brother who was being held up by a knife.

"I just want people to understand we are the victims and I hope he is OK," store owner John Acho said.

Acho said he wants to make sure people know his nephew was acting in self-defense.

Police said the robber had a knife.

"I hope he is OK, but he had no right to come in here and rob the store and try to hurt people," said Acho.

Police said the clerk fired several shots at the 22-year-old robber, hitting him once in the chest and once in the arm.

The robber is hospitalized in grave condition, according to officials.

This is the second robbery of the store since Acho purchased it a month ago.

The Macomb County prosecutor office will decide whether charges will be filed against the clerk.

Labels: business robbery, MI, minor defender

Lansing man not guilty of murder in death of girlfriend

But he faces prison time after jurors convict him on gun possession charges

A 29-year-old legally blind Lansing man who said he shot his girlfriend in self-defense after she attacked him with several knives, was found not guilty of murder Wednesday.

Shamari Milton - who a doctor testified cannot see - had been charged with killing Nakiesha Brown on Jan. 21 in the parking lot of her Lansing apartment complex.

During the five-day trial, which ended Tuesday, Milton testified that Brown, 26, threw knives at him in her apartment during an argument, and then came after him in the parking lot. Milton said he fired the gun to scare her.

Milton's attorney, Andrew Abood criticized how investigators handled the crime scene.

"Potential evidence was lost that would have proven my client was innocent - where he never would have had to go through a trial," Abood said.

The jury did find Milton guilty of carrying a concealed weapon and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He faces a maximum of five years in prison on those charges.

Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III said it was a difficult case that came down to whether Milton committed murder by firing the second shot.

"This is why we have juries - to resolve these issues," Dunnings said, adding, "We never disputed that he fired the first shot in self-defense."

Milton, who is being held at the Ing-ham County Jail, still faces an assault with intent to commit murder charge in connection with a Jan. 7 shooting. That trial is scheduled to begin in December.

Labels: altercation, MI

Homeowner captures home invader

Police have arrested a juvenile after a homeowner kept him at gunpoint inside his home.

It happened Tuesday afternoon in the 100 block of Derby Road in Pennfield Township.

One of the two suspects got away. That second intruder turned himself in and had an arraignment Thursday in court.

It was the homeowner's handgun that helped him help police.

“I came to the door, I was walking to the door like this, I don't know where they're at, they came to the door like this,” said Damon Ogletree.

He took the concealed weapons course and has Navy medals for his marksmanship. Ogletree had no second thoughts about defending his home.

“He was probably just as surprised as I was,” said Ogletree.

Two intruders had broke through a back window. Ogletree met one of them by his bedroom. That intruder's partner managed to get out the same way he got in.

The one Ogletree first saw did not. “I'm like get your hands in the air, do not put your hands in your pockets whatever you do, and get them in the air, so he put them in the air and got on the ground.”

“That's their decision as a gun owner and homeowner,” said Captain Matthew Saxton. He says the decision is a legal one. But he wouldn't recommend it to everyone. “They gotta decide whether it's worth saving their TV or their life.”

This was the third break-in at Ogletree's house in the last year. For him it was an easy choice. “I just can't believe the mentality of some of the younger kids that's running around, that think they can do this kind of stuff and get away with it,” said Ogletree.

The Sheriff's Department doesn't know if these two intruders are responsible for the other break-ins at Ogletree's home. This time though, nothing was stolen.

Labels: MI, residence burglary

Pennfield Township resident holds burgular at gunpoint

A Pennfield Township resident was home alone at about 2:40 p.m. today when he heard burgulars in another room.

The resident caught one and held the juvenile at gunpoint until Calhoun County Sheriff’s deputies arrived and arrested the suspect.

A second suspect escaped and police are still searching.

No more information was immediately available.

Labels: MI, residence burglary

Armed robbery attempt at Grand Rapids jewelry store

Police in Grand Rapids need your help to find a man who tried to rob a jewelry store at gun-point in Grand Rapids Monday night.

The call came into Grand Rapids Police at 6:28p.m. of a man attempting to rob Trajan Jewelry located at 2407 Eastern Ave SE.

Police say the owner fired a warning shot at the would-be robber to scare him off causing the man to leave without incident.

The man is described as a black male in his 40's. He was wearing a black shirt with a white hat and was carrying what looked like a cane or a stick. The man had a silver hand gun.

Labels: business robbery, MI

Teen Arrested for Attempted Robbery

A suspect is behind bars after an attempted robbery in Jackson. It happened Friday at the Quick Mart party store on Greenwood Avenue. Police say a male suspect entered the store, showed a handgun and in response, the clerk grabbed his own handgun and chased the suspect out of the store. Then on Saturday, police say they received a tip that led them to arrest a 14-year-old Georgia boy for that crime. He is currently being held at the Jackson County Youth Home pending formal charges.

Labels: business robbery, MI

Gas station clerk pulled gun before he was shot

A gas station clerk wounded in a holdup Friday night was shot after pulling a gun on the robbery suspect, police now say.

Grand Rapids police said the clerk, Eugene Earl-Evonta Eursher, 27, complied with the gunman's demand for money from the register but then pulled a handgun on the thin, bearded robber, who shot and critically wounded Eursher.

Police first said there was only a confrontation between the alleged robber and the clerk.

Police said they believe the suspect is the same man who robbed two other businesses, taking time to say "I'm sorry" during one heist.

Eursher's parents said Sunday that they are not interested in the apologies of whoever pulled the trigger -- they just want that person off the street.

Eursher is recovering at a local hospital from the gunshot wound he received at the Boston Square Shell station, which is owned by his father, Edward Earl Eursher.

Labels: business robbery, defender shot, MI

Photographer shoots, kills intruder

A well-known local photographer shot an intruder to death early Monday morning when the man broke into the gallery, according to police.

About 12:30 a.m. Monday, people who live in apartments above the photography shop on Division Avenue just north of Cherry Street heard breaking glass and a popping sound, and called 911.

Detectives say a man smashed the front window to get in, waking up the business owner who lives just behind the shop.

Allen Stevenson, 43, of Muskegon Heights confronted the owner, Jeff Dykehouse, who then allegedly shot the intruder. Stevenson was dying on the floor when police arrived on scene and was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Dykehouse is a well-known Grand Rapids photographer who spearheaded "Emily's Big Picture Project." Dykehouse photographed pediatric Hospice patients free of charge. He lost his own child to leukemia.

Grand Rapids Police Captain Jeffrey Hertel said, "When officers arrived, the individual was inside the business, lying inside the front door. There's broken glass, so there's some indication there was some type of break-in."

Police have not determined how many gunshots were fired and have been talking with people who live nearby. A gun has been recovered.

A neighboring artisan says the gallery's owner has been targeted before.

Stevenson previously was convicted for breaking-and-entering, possessing burglar tools, and receiving and concealing a motor vehicle.

Shooting of burglar ruled justified

Rattled by sounds of a burglar breaking into his downtown photography studio and apartment, Jeff Dykehouse called a neighbor in the early hours of Oct. 8, intending to ask if he could see what was going on from his vantage point.

Before that talk could take place, authorities say, Dykehouse shot and killed Allen Stevenson inside the 120 S. Division Ave. building.

It was the third time in under a year the artist had faced threats from an intruder.

Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth was to announce today he will not file charges against Dykehouse for the fatal shooting. Forsyth's conclusion that Dykehouse, 45, acted in self-defense was based in part on the actions of Stevenson, a 43-year-old convicted felon, and on Dykehouse's prior experiences.

Labels: business burglary, MI

Police: Carjacker Shot Shot [sic] During Carjacking

Detroit police are investigating a carjacking outside their headquarters in downtown Detroit.

Officers said three people attempted to carjack a man around 11 p.m. Thursday.

The carjacking victim was carrying a gun and fired at the men, shooting and killing one.

Police said the shooter had a license to carry the firearm.

The two other men are in police custody.

Labels: carjacking, concealed carry permit, MI

Would-Be Robber Flees After Storeowner Shoots ATM

Police: Storeowner Won't Be Charged

A storeowner will not be charged after he fired his gun during an armed robbery attempt at his Framingham store, police said.

Armand Tavares, the owner of the A&J Variety Store at the corner of Kendall and Frederick streets, told police that a black man with a Luger-type pistol entered the store Monday at about 9:30 p.m.

The robber, who was wearing a hood pulled tight to cover his face, pointed the gun at Tavares and demanded money, police said.

Tavares, who is licensed to carry a gun, pulled out his .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun and fired, hitting the ATM in the store. The startled robber ran out of the store unharmed and without any cash, police said.

Framingham police said Tavares will not be charged in connection with the incident.

Labels: business robbery, concealed carry permit, MI

Clare Couple Fights Off Armed Attacker

The quick thinking of a Clare County couple helped them fight off a man who broke into their home and held them at gunpoint.

It happened just before 4 a.m. on Monday on Edgewood drive in Hayes Township of Clare County.

Helen Barker and Jeff Haley were sitting in the living room of Barker's home when a 24 year-old Travis Howell broke through the window, pointed a gun to Haley's head and demanded money and pills.

Haley was able to wrestle the gun away from Howell while Barker called the police.

Howell ran from the home, but was arrested shortly after by police.

Labels: criminal's gun taken away and used against him, MI, residence robbery

Rochester Hills dad kills pit bull that mauled family pet

Oakland County sheriff's investigators are looking for the owner of a pit bull dog that was fatally shot by a man trying to get the animal to stop mauling his pet.

Deputies about 8:30 a.m. responded to a home on Eastern Street responding to reports of a BB gun being fired. They discovered that a man had fatally shot a pit bull with a 12-gauge shotgun after the dog clamped its jaws on the family dog's neck and refused to let go of the pet, sheriff's officials said.

The man's children were in the fenced, backyard of the home with the family pet when the pit bull attacked it, sheriff's officials said. The dad threw several objects at the pit bull to try and stop the attack.

When the pit bull would not let the family pet go, the dad went into his house and got the rifle [sic]. He fired a warning shot and then shot the pit bull once, sheriff's officials said.

Deputies said the pit bull did not have identification tags and they did not know who owned the dog. The man's home has a fenced yard.

It was not clear what happened to the other dog.

Labels: animal, MI

Man In Wheelchair Shoots Intruder

A wheelchair-bound man shot an intruder in his home in the 8100 block of Alpine Road in Detroit Sunday night.

The man said he saw the intruder as he was getting out of the shower.

The homeowner told police he shot the man to protect his home and he feared for his life.

He said he does not feel safe anymore, so he will be moving out of his home.

Police said the intruder drove himself to the hospital. He is listed in critical condition.

Labels: intruder, MI

Shotgun scares off 2 robbers

Store clerk fires off a blast as men in black make hasty exit

An Ypsilanti Township convenience store clerk grabbed a shotgun and scared off two would-be robbers, including one who crawled out of the store on his hands and knees to escape, police said.

The clerk fired off a single shot after the two masked men got outside the Dairy Mart at 10131 Textile Road early Thursday morning, Washtenaw County Sheriff's Cmdr. Dave Egeler said. The blast blew out a window in the door but missed the fleeing robbers, Egeler said.

Deputies responded to the Dairy Mart at 4:15 a.m. after receiving a call about a robbery attempt in which gunshots were fired, said Egeler.

The convenience store clerk, a 31-year-old Ypsilanti Township man, told deputies he was behind the counter when heard something hitting the side of store shortly after 4 a.m. He went into an office, loaded a shotgun and as he exited the office heard the front door to the store open, Egeler said.

The clerk told deputies he saw someone crouching in front of the counter and shouted as another man wearing a ski mask attempted to enter the store. Upon seeing the shotgun, the man by the entrance held the door open as the man by the counter crawled out, Egeler said.

The clerk ran after them and fired one shot through the glass window of the front door.

A tracking dog was unsuccessful in finding the robbers, who were dressed in all black and wore white gloves.

Labels: business robbery, MI

Would-be robber's slaying 'justifiable'

The fatal shooting of a man while trying to rob a Muskegon Heights woman in her driveway has been ruled "justifiable," Muskegon County Prosecutor Tony Tague said Thursday.

That means no homicide charge will be filed in the July 25 shooting of Edtwon Magett, 32, of Milwaukee.

But the shooter faces trial on several other felony counts.

Kenyada Yvonne Young, 27, waived her right to a preliminary examination Thursday on five charges: being a felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a concealed weapon, making a false report of a felony, delivery of a controlled substance and a felony firearm count. Sixtieth District Judge Michael J. Nolan ordered Young bound over for trial in 14th Circuit Court.

Also waiving his preliminary hearing Thursday was Magett's alleged accomplice in the botched robbery attempt. Malcolm Lamont Price, 19, of 3013 Woodcliffe, faces trial on charges of assault with intent to rob while armed and felony firearm possession.

Magett was shot in the head by his intended victim about 1:30 a.m. in the driveway at 2030 Riordan in what authorities have called a drug-related robbery attempt. He died July 26 at a Muskegon hospital.

Authorities said Young had just pulled into her driveway when Magett confronted her. She started to open the car door, and he pulled it open the rest of the way, put a gun to her head and demanded money.

Police and prosecutors said the woman appeared to be cooperating but instead pulled a small-caliber handgun out of her pocket and shot Magett.

She then allegedly forced Price to drag Magett to her front porch and kick the residence open to make it appear a breaking and entering had occurred, police said.

Prosecutors earlier said Young is an alleged drug dealer and that the holdup men believed she was carrying a large amount of money. She did have several hundred dollars in her possession, and police also found what they said were illegally obtained Vicodin pills in her home.

Police said Magett had been in prison most of his adult life, and his record showed convictions for armed robbery and narcotics violations in Wisconsin and Michigan.

He had been staying with a relative in Muskegon Heights after getting out of prison two months ago. The state corrections department Web site shows Magett was released May 15 on parole after a 2001 drug conviction in Michigan's Cass County and a 2003 prison escape conviction in Berrien County.

Labels: MI, street robbery

Police seek man who was shot during alleged robbery

A Detroit man, 21, is wanted on three felony counts in connection with an attempted robbery.

The man allegedly tried to rob a house in the 100 block of Second Street armed with a handgun about 11:39 p.m. Thursday, the Jackson Police Department said.

During a struggle, the resident and a friend took the gun away from the man and shot him, but the wound wasn't life threatening, police said.

Jackson Police are still trying to find the man, whose name is not being released. Charges of assault with intent to rob while armed, felony possession of a firearm and using a firearm to commit a felony are pending.

Labels: criminal's gun taken away and used against him, MI, residence robbery

Fearing attack, man shoots, kills rottweiler

A Redford man shot and killed an 100-pound rottweiler as it ran toward a 10-year-old neighbor boy late Sunday afternoon.

The dog had been seen lose [sic] in the neighborhood, and the shooter told police he feared it was going to attack the boy, according to a Redford Township police report.

The man had walked the boy to his house because of the dog, and they were waiting for the boy's mother to open the side door when the dog ran, he said.

The incident occurred on Riverdale Street south of Plymouth Road.

The dog came from a house on Virgil Street, one block to the west.

Police said the shooter had a valid concealed weapons permit.

Police requested followup by the animal control department on possible dog ordinance violations by the dog's owner.

Labels: animal, concealed carry permit, MI

Man with unloaded gun killed by victim

A robbery and crime spree aided by an unloaded gun came to a halt late Thursday when the gunman met more than his match: a gun with bullets.

Charles Parker Jr., 18, of Detroit was killed when a 53-year-old man pulled out a 9mm handgun and shot the teen, who was armed with an unloaded .22-caliber handgun.

Detroit police are calling it self-defense.

The botched carjacking on Grand River and Prevost came after a string of robberies in Detroit on Thursday, which police said were committed by Parker and four others, ranging in age from 16 to 20.

The robberies began about 8:40 p.m. Thursday at Kentucky and Curtis when a 16-year-old was robbed of his cell phone, a silver chain and his wallet, by at least two of the suspects, police said.

At 9:30 p.m., the robbers attempted to carjack a couple in the driveway of their home in the 19600 block of Appoline, police said. One pointed the unloaded gun at the couple and pulled the trigger.

The teens fled without the car.

Later, police said, the robbers saw a man at a Detroit car wash and tried to carjack him. The one approached with the unloaded gun and the other wielded a baseball bat, police said.

That's when the man washing his car fired, striking Parker.

Parker's alleged accomplices took him to Sinai-Grace Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Hospital security officers detained the other youths until police arrived. Police spokesman James Tate said a 17-year-old Detroit female, 16-year-old Southfield boy, a 19-year-old Southfield man, and a 20-year-old Detroit man are in custody.

They face arraignment on armed robbery charges today in Detroit's 36th District Court.

After the shooting, police questioned the 53-year-old man and released him, noting that he had a valid concealed weapons permit.

Then they gave him back his gun.

Labels: carjacking, MI

Kalamazoo man fends off attackers with handgun

A Kalamazoo man was able to turn an attempted attack around because of his concealed weapons permit.

Police in Kalamazoo County say 32-year-old Brian Smith was approached by two men in their 20s as he was entering his home early Friday morning.

The two asked for directions, and one of them pulled a gun. Smith was able to reach his revolver and fired two rounds, hitting one of the men in the hand.

One suspect was arrested after he sought medical attention. The other is still on the loose.

Labels: MI, street robbery

Crooks pick the wrong victim in Harper Woods

Two would-be thieves wound up fleeing their intended victim Saturday afternoon.

The men, one armed with a handgun, tried to carjack a man in the Sears parking lot about 2 p.m. at Eastland mall, according to a Harper Woods Police press release.

But the man turned out to be a retired Detroit Police officer -- and he had a handgun, Harper Woods Police said.

The retired officer fired one shot at the men, striking the stolen Dodge Durango truck they were driving, police said.

Detroit Police found the truck on Buckingham Street, but the suspects were gone. No one was harmed in the shooting and Harper Woods Police detectives are investigating the case.

Labels: carjacking, MI

Delivery man shoots would-be robber

Second man arrested, third man sought

A deadly shooting involving a pizza delivery man and a group of robbers has the delivery man in protective custody and police searching for one of his attackers.

It happened at 10 p.m. Wednesday night at the intersection of Hammerberg Road and Stoney Brook Court on Flint's southwest side.

Police say the driver tried to get out to make a delivery when one of the robbers hit him in the back of the head with a wrench.

The delivery man recovered enough to grab his gun and fired several shots, hitting one of the robbers.

He died near a street sign just feet from the front doors of some shocked neighbors.

Police are still investigating, but here's what we've learned. The pizza delivery man claims self defense and is in protective custody.

It's unclear if he'll face charges because it's simply too early in the investigation.

As for the group of robbers, police are searching for one of them. One was arrested one soon after the attack.

One woman says she doesn't blame the delivery man and wouldn't have been sorry if the other suspects had experienced the same fate.

"I'm sure he's been robbed before. And his life was just as important," said Fran Catalano.

"He was doing a civic duty delivering a pizza to somebody. And let me tell you something: That guy ought to get a medal and he should have shot the other two."

We did speak with the man who runs the Little Caesar's where the driver has worked for at least a year.

He did not speak on camera, but said off camera that his drivers only carry about $25 or $30 at a time, and safety is a top and growing concern for their drivers.

The suspects reportedly demanded money, but the delivery man pulled a handgun and killed one of the robbers, a 24-year-old man.

The case is still under investigation.

Pizza deliveryman probably won't be charged in slaying -- prosecutor

It's unlikely that a pizza deliveryman will face criminal charges in the shooting death of an alleged robber this week, said Genesee County Prosecutor David S. Leyton.

Brian Williams, 48, of Flint shot and killed Corneilus D. Gainer, 24, about 10 p.m. Wednesday after Gainer and another man allegedly robbed Williams while he was delivering a pizza on Hammerberg Road near Stoney Brook Court.

When one of the men hit Williams in the head with a wrench, Williams pulled out a gun and started shooting, police said. Williams has a concealed weapons permit and carried the gun for protection.

Wednesday was the second time Williams has shot someone while delivering pizza. He wounded a man in March 2000 after an alleged robbery but the victim declined to file a police report.

Williams was jailed after Wednesday's shooting but released Thursday.

Leyton said reports he has reviewed so far support Williams but said he won't make a final decision on charges until he has all the information.

The other alleged robber, however, will face criminal charges.

Eddie G. Jackson, 20, was charged Friday with armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder.

Jackson is being held in the Genesee County Jail.

Labels: concealed carry permit, MI, pizza delivery driver, street robbery

No charges in teen's shooting death in Benton Harbor

While the man who fatally shot a Benton Harbor teen during an attempted break-in will face no charges in the death, authorities say they will pursue a misdemeanor weapons charge against him.

On the morning of March 26, Jammie Parker, 31, was at his girlfriend's home in the 200 block of Hastings Avenue when Corey Napier Jr., 18, and three others reportedly attempted to enter the home, the Berrien County Prosecutor's Office said.

After a review of the police investigation and physical evidence at the scene, Berrien County Prosecutor Arthur Cotter said in a written statement that "it is abundantly clear" that Napier was shot "while he was in the process of breaking into the residence."

Cotter noted in the release that Michigan law was amended last year to allow self-defense when an individual in such circumstances has "an honest and reasonable belief that there was an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm."

Parker reportedly told authorities that he went into a bedroom and saw the drawn shade of an open window moving as someone attempted to climb in, the release said. Parker said he shot three times at the window with a .40 caliber pistol and then ran outside and fired into the air to scare the remaining teens away.

In police interviews, two of the three youths involved in the attempt admitted they had gone to the home to steal money and marijuana they believed was inside, the release said.

Cotter said he found insufficient evidence that Parker shot at a fleeing youth, and noted that an uninvolved witness saw Parker fire the weapon into the air.

Because the gun was not registered, Parker will be charged with failing to register a firearm, a 90-day misdemeanor.

Two of the youths with Napier face charges stemming from the break-in attempt. Maurice Ray, 17, faces charges of conspiracy to commit a home invasion second degree, a 15-year felony, and attempted home invasion second degree. Another youth is being petitioned in juvenile court on similar charges, and Cotter's office has asked that he be waived to adult court for trial. The investigation into possible charges against the fourth youth is still under way.

A 16-year-old who lives at the home where the shooting occurred is being charged with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver after police reportedly found about 90 grams of the drug in his bedroom, the release said. He is a classmate of the youths who broke into his home. Cotter's office is petitioning to have his case moved to adult court, as well.

Labels: MI, minor offender, residence burglary

Benton Harbor teenager dead after apparent home break-in

A Benton Harbor teenager is dead after a shooting Monday morning. It happened just before 10 a.m. at 227 Hastings Ave., about a block from Benton Harbor High School.

Police are investigating the case as a possible home break-in and are holding the homeowner at the Berrien County Jail for questioning.

Officers say they were initially called there by neighbors who heard several shots being fired. After investigating they found the body of an 18- or 19-year-old boy, shot at least once in the chest near a back window of the home.

As of Monday evening, police were not releasing the victim’s name or the homeowner’s name. They believe the teen was not alone and may have been with two to three other people trying to break into the home, but at this point that is only a theory.
…

If it turns out the teenager was, in fact, breaking into the house, the homeowner would likely not face charges because it would be a case of self-defense.

Labels: MI, residence burglary

An accused intruder shot during a botched robbery attempt in Ann Arbor late Friday was arraigned Tuesday on six felony charges in the case. A second man also was arrested Tuesday and is expected to be arraigned today.

Ann Arbor Police Sgt. Jim Stephenson said this morning that detectives are seeking a third man but would not discuss his potential involvement in the shooting.

The three men are suspects in a late-night attempted robbery and shooting inside an Ann Arbor home in the 700 block of Miller Avenue. Police said several people were inside the home when two intruders forced their way in. Gunfire was exchanged, and a 19-year-old resident and one of the intruders were shot.

Stephenson said the intruders appear to have targeted that home, but he declined to elaborate. He declined to say who was firing shots and said police are still piecing together the case, but none of the residents inside the house is expected to be charged - "they are all victims and witnesses.''

Labels: MI, residence robbery

Arrest made in break-in that ended in shooting

A man police said was shot at by the owner of a home he'd broken into and who aroused the suspicions of an off-duty firefighter was arrested Wednesday.

Joseph Ingalls, 36, originally of Norton Shores but who also lives part-time in Traverse City, was arrested and lodged in the Muskegon County Jail on Wednesday and arraigned Thursday in Muskegon County District Court on a charge of first-degree home invasion. He is a fourth-time habitual offender, according to court documents.

According to police, Ingalls entered a garage in the 800 block of Farr Road at about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. The homeowner, who was not identified by police, spotted the intruder carrying a toolbox and other items from his attached garage, and opened fire on his vehicle with a handgun.

Norton Shores Detective Lt. Timothy LaVigne said Ingalls had approached the home of the Norton Shores firefighter and asked for directions. When Ingalls drove away in the opposite direction he inquired about, the firefighter became suspicious.

The firefighter was able to write down part of the license plate number of the older, dark-blue Chevrolet Ingalls was driving, LaVigne said. He then reported it to police. Ingalls was arrested around 11 a.m. Wednesday.

"We did find bullet holes in the hood of his vehicle and (Ingalls) made some admissions," LaVigne said.

A preliminary examination for Ingalls is slated for Feb. 15. A judge set his bond at $3,000, cash or surety.

Labels: home invasion, MI, residence burglary

Homeowner shoots Pontiac burglar; three in custody

Three Pontiac men are in custody, one hospitalized with a gunshot wound, after police said they attempted to break into a home and ran into an armed homeowner early this morning.

Sgt. William Ware said police were called out to a home in the 1200 block of Cloverlawn, on the city's northeast side, about 4 a.m. on a report that three men had kicked in the rear door of a home in a home invasion.

"The homeowner heard a loud bang at the rear of the home and observed three males with hoodies over their head inside," said Ware. "He told them to get out and fired twice at them."

All three suspects ran from the home and the 33-year-old homeowner, who has a permit for his weapon, said he did not know if he had hit anyone, Ware said.

About 15 minutes after the incident, an area hospital reported a man with a single gunshot wound to the chest had shown up in the emergency room. A 21-year-old man, who is listed in serious condition, is believed one of the three suspects in the home invasion, said Ware, who added two other men, 17 and 20 years old, were also taken into custody.

A weapon police believe was carried by one of the suspects was found in the snow at the rear of the Cloverlawn home.

The matter will be referred to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office for possible charges, Ware said.

Labels: MI, residence burglary

Atlas Township Shooting Could Be Self Defense

A man is shot and killed after allegedly terrorizing a Mid-Michigan couple the night of December 23rd.

A 51-year-old man from Sterling Heights came to the Atlas Township home of his ex-wife. He reportedly sprayed the back of the house with 20 rounds from a 9-millimeter handgun. He threw a whisky bottle through a window, and broke into the home on Irish Road.

That is when the homeowner shot the man in the chest with an AK-47 rifle, killing the intruder.

The Genesee County Sheriff said the 911 tape recorded the man inside the house telling the dispatcher that someone was outside the home, firing at the house. He said he was going to have to shoot the man.

It will now be up to the prosecutor to rule whether it was an act of self defense or murder.

Labels: assault, home invasion, MI

Fatal shooting may have been self-defense

Police in Albion say a local business owner who shot and killed a man in front of his store yesterday morning may have done so in self-defense.

The shooting happened at J.P. Auto Sales on Bemer Street.

Police say business owner Frank Murphey was confronted by an acquaintance, 56-year-old Joe Lee Miles.

"They were out in the parking lot in front of the business," explained Det. Lt. Scott Kipp of the Albion Department of Public Safety. "The gentleman was trying to get away from the person."

Miles rented an apartment from Murphey but police did not say if that's what the disagreement was about. "(Murphey) pulled the gun out, told (Miles) to step back. The guy still came toward him, so he fired a shot and hit him in the chest," Kipp said.

Autopsy results show Joe Lee Miles died of the gun shot wound.

Kipp says Miles had a history of assault. Police say Murphey may have acted in self-defense. He has a concealed weapon permit to carry the .32-caliber revolver police say he used in the shooting.

Police arrested Murphey after the shooting, but later released him.

Detectives plan on turning their final report in to prosecutors on Monday.

Labels: assault, concealed carry permit, MI

Slaying in self-defense

A Grand Rapids man who shot and killed Jerry Curtis Williams Tuesday in a home on Oakdale Street SE has been released from jail after Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth ruled the shooting was justifiable. Lawrence Price, 49, told police Williams threatened him, prompting him to shoot. Price was released from jail on Wednesday. Williams, 42, had a long record dating to 1984. It includes convictions for assault, assault with a weapon, burglary and larceny from a vehicle. He was sentenced to 1 to 5 years in prison in 1993 for larceny from a vehicle in Kent County, state records show. Price had convictions in 1994 and 1999 for use and possession of cocaine, state police records show.

Labels: assault, MI

Hopkins man shot in domestic dispute

A man is recovering from a gunshot wound to the leg after a domestic dispute between him, his estranged wife and her boyfriend.

Around 6 p.m. Wednesday, the man entered the boyfriend's house in the 500 block of W. Main. He allegedly assaulted the boyfriend, but was shot in the struggle. The gun belonged to the boyfriend.

The victim, in his late 40s, was taken to Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, where the bullet was removed.

The estranged wife was not hurt, and the boyfriend, in his mid-50s, suffered only minor injuries. Both were questioned by police and released.

No charges have been filed, and police believe it may be self-defense. The investigation continues.

Labels: assault, domestic dispute, MI

Dispute ends in death of Detroit man

A Detroit man's shooting death Wednesday snapped a 32-month streak of no killings in Westland -- traffic deaths aside, police said.

Eduardo Enrique Garcia, 31, was shot and killed early Wednesday when he confronted his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend inside a Westland apartment, police confirmed.

Garcia was shot in the upper torso and face during a dispute inside a first-floor apartment at Greenwood Villa, near Nankin Boulevard and Central City Parkway, police Lt. James Ridener said.

Garcia was declared dead at the scene.

The shooting happened around 8 a.m. Wednesday. Ridener said the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office decided that the shooter should be released as the investigation continues.

Under a new state law that took effect Oct. 1, the shooter was released because he wasn't the aggressor and, in fact, was retreating from Garcia, Ridener said.

"The prosecutor's office decided he should be released pending further investigation," Ridener said.

Garcia, a resident of southwest Detroit, went to his ex-girlfriend's apartment and found the new boyfriend there, Ridener said.

"He (Garcia) backed the other guy down a hallway," resulting in the shooter ultimately pulling out a .38-caliber revolver and firing it, Ridener said.

"It's not clear why Garcia went there, but it ended up in a confrontation," the lieutenant said.

The new boyfriend had been staying at the woman's apartment at least part time and had spent Tuesday night there, Ridener said.

Garcia's ex-girlfriend and a neighbor called 9-1-1 when the dispute erupted, and a Westland police dispatcher could hear the shots being fired in the background, Ridener said.

The shooter also called the police department after firing at Garcia, Ridener said. He had a license to carry the gun used in the killing, Ridener said.

Labels: domestic dispute, MI

Store worker kills alleged thief

A man was shot dead by an Alger Heights Foods employee after the man and two others allegedly tried to rob the market Friday night. Police Capt. Curt Vanderkooi said three men entered the store just before the 10 p.m. closing time and attempted to rob the store when an employee shot one of the men, who was pronounced dead at an area hospital. Vanderkooi said a preliminary investigation indicates the store employee fired in self-defense, and a handgun was found on the dead man. The other two men fled from the store, possibly in a white car. Witness Kris Hart, 18, said he saw the men leave the store, and one appeared to be limping.

Store manager cleared in fatal robbery case

No charges will be brought against a Grand Rapids store manager who fatally shot a man during an attempted robbery.

Around 10 p.m. Friday, three men walked into Alger Heights Foods at Alger Street and Eastern Avenue and attempted to rob the business.

The suspects tied up employees and put them in a back room. The store manager pulled out his gun and shot one of the robbers, Michael Sams of Chicago, who had a gun. The other two men fled the scene and are still on the run.

Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth says he reviewed the police report and surveillance video taken inside the store during the incident and made his decision relatively quickly. He told 24 Hour News 8 the store manager was protecting his own life and the lives of his coworkers.

"In his case it's self defense and it's also defense of others. ...The hero tag gets put on a lot of people and I think it gets overused. But what he did was pretty heroic here," Forsyth said.

Forsyth says the store manager had a concealed weapons permit, but he really didn't need it, as you can legally keep a gun in your place of business or home.

Labels: business robbery, MI

Police log

A 24-year-old Saginaw man shot outside a West Side home this week will face a court date and possibly time behind bars once he emerges from the Intensive Care Unit at Covenant Medical Center.

The man suffered at least one gunshot wound on the porch of a home on Throop near North Bond in Saginaw about 12:40 a.m. Friday, Police Chief Gerald H. Cliff said.

Officials at Covenant said they could not release information about the victim's condition, but Cliff said he "will survive" the shooting.

Detectives determined the shooter, whom they declined to identify, acted in self-defense, Cliff said.

Labels: intruder, MI

Ypsilanti Twp. home invasion erupts into gun battle that wounds 4

Sheriff's deputies arrest 2 men,
teen and woman afterward

A home invasion in Ypsilanti Township early Saturday escalated into a gunfight that left four people shot, including both residents and two intruders.

Two of the four were treated for serious wounds. The other two were treated for minor injuries at local hospitals. All four were reported in stable condition Saturday.

Shortly after the shooting, Washtenaw County Sheriff's deputies arrested a man and a male teenager with gunshot wounds who had been taken to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. Deputies also arrested a man and a woman who allegedly dropped them off.

All four are in custody, and face arraignment on multiple charges in connection with the shooting.

Sheriff's Department Commander Dave Egeler said he believes the residents of the house knew the intruders. None of their names were released Saturday. The case remains under investigation. Egeler said deputies were called to a home in the 2000 block of Ide Street at 1:50 a.m. He said the gunfight erupted after several subjects broke into the house and tried to rob the residents at gunpoint.

The occupants of the house, a 19-year-old man and a 40-year-old man, were taken to the University of Michigan Hospital where the younger man was treated for a non-life-threatening injury. The 40-year-old was treated for a serious gunshot wound.

Labels: home invasion, MI

BATTLE CREEK (NEWS 3) – A weekend shooting that left a Battle Creek man dead appears to be a case of self-defense, police have confirmed.

The shooting happened just after midnight on Saturday in the 500 block of Hamblin Avenue. Police received a 911 call from a resident saying he'd shot another man.

Officers arrived and found 38-year-old David Bailey of Battle Creek dead.

Detectives say the 58-year-old homeowner, whose name is not being released, told them Bailey had come to the house with a hammer, looking for money. Neighbors say Bailey attacked the resident with the hammer and a struggle ensued. The resident then shot Bailey in the chest with a .50 caliber muzzle loading rifle.

The two men knew each other, according to police.

Police say they have no reason to doubt the man's story and say he's been cooperative throughout the investigation.

Labels: assault, MI, residence robbery

Senior with pacemaker fights off intruders

Fight, die or give in.

Faced with those choices, a 61-year-old West Bloomfield man parried away a shotgun barrel as it fired, forcing a buckshot load of lead over his shoulder. The township man then drew his own handgun and shot an intruder inside his garage in the 4800 block of Trailview at 3 a.m. July 4.

"I love this guy," said West Bloomfield Lt. Tim Diamond. "He made a move on the gun with his arm in a sling. That's a guy with cojones."

The resident's arm was in a sling because a pacemaker was installed in his chest the week before. Despite all that, his bullet struck the intruder. But the resident, who owns a bar in Detroit, soon found out there were actually three would-be robbers waiting for him when he returned home from work. A struggle ensued with the resident trying to fend off two of the intruders. The suspects eventually got control of both the handgun and the shotgun.

"It was a calamity of errors," said Diamond. "There could have been two people killed."

Shot and bleeding profusely, one suspect needed medical attention fast so all three fled taking the guns with them.

Two men dropped off a man with a bullet wound at the emergency room of Providence Hospital in Southfield later that morning.

Coincidentally, a West Bloomfield police officer was sitting in the same emergency room. The attempted robbery victim complained of chest pains and also suffered a cut finger so police took him to Providence. The resident identified a man walking into the emergency room as the same person who tried to rob him a short time before.

Police weren't able to question the suspect as medical staff whisked him off for several hours of emergency surgery. His family hired an attorney by the time the anesthesia wore off and police didn't interview him that day.

Police later identified additional suspects through hospital videotapes and telephone records.

(More)

Labels: intruder, MI

Shots were traded this morning when a man returning to his home in Oak Park surprised an intruder in his home.

According to police, the incident occurred at about 4 a.m. in a home on Moritz and Northfield streets. The unidentified home owner -- who was wounded in the shoulder, but is expected to recover -- drove himself to the police station after the shootout. The intruder escaped. Tracking dogs were brought in to try and locate the suspect, but at this time he remains at large.

Labels: defender shot, MI, residence burglary

Woman kills man in self defense

Couple's fight ends in violence

A couple's fight turned deadly in the city of Saginaw overnight. It happened on the 2300 Block of Hanchett on Saginaw's west side around 1 a.m.

This is not the first time police have visited the home. This is the city's 13th murder of 2006. But this one is not like any of the previous 12.

One reason is that the prosecutor will not file charges against the woman who pulled the trigger. That woman turned herself into police after she admitted to shooting 27-year-old Damion West once in the chest, killing him.

Prosecutor Mike Thomas says the woman acted in self defense and a source close to the investigation says West had a history of assaulting the woman.

That fact also weighed into the prosecutor's decision. The victim in this case was actually wanted by Saginaw police as well.

He was facing three counts of attempted murder in connection with a shooting on Porter Street in Saginaw just two weeks ago.

West also had numerous closed cases in the Saginaw County court system dating all the way back to 1996.

Labels: assault, domestic abuse, MI

Man stops would-be robber

Robber held at gunpoint until police arrive

A man is behind bars after breaking into a Flint home. Monday afternoon police credited the homeowner for helping them catch the would-be burglar.

It all happened Monday morning at a home in the 5600 Block of Fleming Road north of Pierson Road on Flint's north side.

It all happened early Monday when the man living at the home pulled a gun on the guy. It started when the man living there told police he heard someone trying to break in the back of his home.

The guy got in a basement window and made his way upstairs. But not before waking up the man sleeping inside the house. He grabbed a gun and confronted the burglar face to face.

He held the would-be burglar for 10 minutes, forcing the man to lie on his belly while he called 911. Police showed up and quickly arrested the man.

Neighbors living nearby say they saw the would-be burglar but didn't think of it as suspicious until police showed up.

No one was hurt in all of this. At last check the man arrested is in jail.

Labels: MI, residence burglary

No murder charge for man who shot rapper Proof, prosecutor says

The man who shot and killed Detroit rapper Proof acted in self defense and will not face murder charges, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Tuesday.

Mario Etheridge, 28, shot Proof, whose real name is Deshaun Holton, after Proof allegedly shot and killed Etheridge’s cousin, Keith Bender Jr., a U.S. Army veteran.

“The evidence clearly shows that Mario Etheridge acted in lawful self-defense of another when he shot Deshaun Holton,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Tuesday.

The C.C.C. club on 8 Mile was the place where Proof, 32, a close friend of Eminem and a member of the rap group D12, was shot three times in the head and chest after a fight about 4:30 a.m. April 11 -- more than two hours after the club was required by law to close.

Before his death, Proof, shot the 35-year-old Bender, police said. Bender died a week later.

Etheridge, who prosecutors said shot Proof, was charged last month with gun felonies, but not with the killing. Police said Etheridge, a bouncer at the bar, shot Proof after the rapper shot Bender in a fight over a pool game.

Labels: altercation, MI

Fatal shooting of bear justified, DNR says

State officials have justified the killing of a black bear and say the man who shot the bear will not be ticketed.

Bill Tippett was teaching his 15-year-old son Steven and 14-year-old nephew Tyler Smith how to hunt wild turkey on private land near Sand Lake on Tuesday when the shooting happened.

The 47-year-old Tippett says the bear was running toward his nephew and he shot the bear once. Then the bear began running toward his son, so he shot it again.

The Kentwood man reported the shooting to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Officials say hunting black bear is illegal in Kent County, but state law allows people to shoot wild animals in self-defense if there is imminent danger.

Labels: animal, MI

One suspect hit, two sought in store shoot-out

With any luck, the two men who were thwarted when trying to rob a Southfield convenience store might be easy to find.

They might have been wounded, according to Detective John Harris, spokesman for the Southfield police. "And all hospitals and doctors are required to notify authorities when they treat a gunshot wound," he said.

On the other hand, the two men may have been lucky and escaped without any bullet wounds -- even though a dozen or more shots were exchanged just before 1 a.m. Sunday, when they tried to rob the Franklin Liquor and Deli in the 28500 block of Franklin.

"Everybody was pretty excited," said Harris, "so maybe their marksmanship wasn't that good."

The marksmanship of the owner, 29, and his 23-year-old clerk from West Bloomfield, was, however, good enough that a third would-be robber was hit three times, including once in the buttocks.

He was identified as Jason Scott Klemas, 24, of Romulus who stood mute when arraigned Monday at a hospital bed in Providence Hospital. A plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf by Magistrate Eugene Friedman who set bond at $50,000.

Klemas is charged with armed robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing a firearm in the commission of a felony. He is scheduled for a pre-examination conference at 8:30 a.m. Friday before 46th District Court Judge Stephen Cooper.

The gunfire erupted, Harris said, after the three suspects walked into the convenience store and ordered everybody on the floor.

The owner and clerk were apprehensive, said the detective, and in fear for their lives. "I believe they thought they would be executed, so they each grabbed guns (both registered) and opened fire," he said.

Neither the owner nor the clerk were available at the store Thursday. "They're still pretty shaken up," another clerk said, "and I don't think they'll be back for a while."

Klemas is the only person known to have been injured, Harris said.

Labels: business robbery, MI

Suspect Shot During Alleged Home Robbery

Police say two suspects got an unexpected surprise when they apparently tried to rob a home in northern Kent County in broad daylight. An armed house-sitter was waiting inside.

It's the type of quiet, rural street in Oakfield Township where neighbors know each other and look out for each other.

"It looked like no one was there, but my brother was there to surprise him," said Sandy Smejkl.

Her brother, 34-year-old Mark Diamond is the person police say fired the shots. Police say he was house-sitting for a friend, watching T.V. Friday afternoon, when two men pulled up behind the house in a mini-van and tried to break in.

Diamond told police he grabbed the homeowner's handgun and shot one of the alleged suspects before they took off.

"Two guys came running out of the driveway and ran into her's, I went to the door and the guy said my buddy's been shot, I called 9-1-1," said a neighbor across the street.

Neighbors say, the house-sitter then ran outside after the two suspects, with the gun still in hand. "He was saying, we told you yesterday to stay the hell out of here," said one witness.

Neighbors told Fox 17 News at Ten, they've seen the two suspicious teenagers, and the van towed away as evidence in the neighborhood over the past week. Neighbors have been on alert, watching each other's homes.

"We saw them walking down the road and they were walking down the road, pulled into a two-track down there and got stuck," said neighbor Tom Johnson.

Police said they don't believe the two suspects were armed, but have no reason to believe the house-sitter did anything wrong at this point.

"It appears that way, we have no indication that this house was targeted for any other reason," said Lt. Roger Parent, with the Kent County Sheriff Department.

But the final decision, will be up to the Prosecutor to decide. "He's never shot anyone, he's just not that type of person and I hope he doesn't get in trouble for it," said Smejkl.

Police aren't releasing the names of the two suspects, but we do know the shooting victim is 18-years-old and is currently in critical but stable condition at Spectrum Butterworth. The other alleged suspect is 17-years-old and is in custody.

Neighbor shoots at alleged home prowlers

For days, residents along a stretch of 15 Mile Road, just east of Harvard in Kent County's Oakfield Township, saw a suspicious van going up and down the road.

"They've been here a couple three days. They've been told to leave the area," says resident Charlie Sieboar.

Neighbors tend to keep an eye out for one another's home in this area. That's why Mark Diamond volunteered to watch his neighbor's house.

"He knew there might be trouble," says his sister, Sandy Smejkal.

That trouble found Diamond around noon on Friday, when two men in the suspicious van approached the house that he was watching.

Charlie Sieboar was at the house