9/27/09
Detroit, Michigan
From the September 25, 2009 Lansing (Michigan) State-Journal:
DETROIT - A 43-year-old woman shot and killed a suspected purse snatcher who confronted her at a northwest Detroit gas station this morning, according to police.Two men approached the Detroit woman at about 5:30 a.m. at the Schoolcraft and Southfield Mobil station, Detroit Police spokesman John Roach said. The woman is licensed to legally carry a gun for self-defense, he said.
"They didn't realize she has a CCW (license), so she had a weapon of her own," Roach said. "She fired several rounds at the suspects and they fled."
The pair made off with the woman's purse. But about a half-hour later, a man with several gunshot wounds went to Sinai-Grace Hospital for treatment and died later this morning.
"At this point, we believe this is one of the individuals in the robbery," Roach said about the man who was shot.
Labels: concealed carry permit, MI, street robbery
9/22/09
Traverse City, Michigan
From the Record Eagle of September 22, 2009
Resident expels intruder with handgun
An allegedly drunken man who entered a Traverse City home in the middle of the night found himself at gunpoint.
Aaron TwoCrow, 24, of Suttons Bay, allegedly entered a home on the 800 block of Fern Street at about 4:20 a.m. Saturday, police said. A female homeowner was up rocking her 15-month-old child in the living room when she heard her kitchen door open and saw a stranger in the home.
"She's just sitting there in the dead of night ... and this guy comes in and scares the crap out of her," Traverse City Police Capt. Steve Morgan said.
The woman ran into her bedroom and told her sleeping husband, who retrieved a handgun and confronted TwoCrow. He ran from the house and was arrested without incident as he walked along nearby Hannah Avenue.
TwoCrow allegedly was intoxicated, Morgan said.
Police said TwoCrow has no known past or present connection to the residence, and gave no indication why he decided to go inside.
Such incidents happen occasionally in the city, police said. Homeowners are startled, though it's the intruders who often face the highest risk.
"That's a dangerous situation ... with an armed homeowner," Morgan said. "(Homeowners) don't know what these people's intent is, and you can only assume the worst when someone is coming into your house."
TwoCrow allegedly entered through an unlocked door, as did two intoxicated men who entered Traverse City residences in similar incidents in June. Intoxicated individuals who wander around town late at night "do things that are unexpected and often illegal," Morgan said, and residents are encouraged to lock up before they go to bed.
"The main thing is to keep your door locked," he said. "That would prevent a lot of this stuff from happening."
TwoCrow was charged with misdemeanor illegal entry, Grand Traverse Prosecutor Alan Schneider said.
Labels: intoxication, intruder, MI
9/3/09
Bedford Township, Michigan
From the Battle Creek Enquirer of August 22, 2009
Woman: Shooting man was self-defense
A 70-year-old Bedford Township woman said Friday she had no choice but to shoot a man coming at her with a shovel.
"I didn't want to hurt him but I didn't want him to hurt me," Virginia Hawes said in an interview at her home in Bedford Hills Mobile Village. "I didn't want to kill him. I just wanted to stop him. If he would have stopped, no one would have gotten hurt."
Battle Creek police said Hawes shot Nicholas Beltz, 24, in the leg in her yard about 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
"He kept coming at me. I pointed the gun at his head, but I didn't want to shoot him in the head. I wimped out," she said.
Hawes said Beltz threatened her after she called police because his girlfriend, Emily Bannister, 18, said she was being assaulted.
Hawes said Bannister came to sit on her porch until police came. When Beltz began walking toward them, Hawes said she warned him to stay off her property.
"She was sitting on the porch and she got up but I told her to stay," Hawes said. "He said he just wanted to talk to her and he wanted to tell her he loved her and he kept coming. I thought he was going to hurt her."
Hawes' grandson, Bryan Hawes, 23, was outside with his grandmother and picked up a shovel, held it out horizontally in an attempt to block Beltz. But Beltz pushed Bryan Hawes aside and took the shovel.
Virginia Hawes said that is when she went inside her home, put five bullets in her .38-caliber revolver and walked back outside, holding the gun to her side.
She bought the handgun in March as protection from a former family member, registered it and had taken classes and practiced at South Side Sportsman Club in Battle Creek.
"I told him to get back and he kept walking toward me. I put the gun up and told him to get back or I will shoot. He called me an old bitch and he kept coming at me and holding the shovel."
Hawes said he told Beltz a half-dozen times to stop and leave her property.
When they were about four feet apart, she said he dropped the shovel but continued forward.
"He said, 'Shoot me in the head old bitch and I will take the gun away from you,' and I thought, 'If I shoot him in the head, how can he take the gun away?'"
Hawes said she believed that Beltz had been drinking and taking drugs and she decided she had to shoot.
She pointed the gun at his foot and pulled the trigger but said he stepped into the bullet and it hit him above the right knee.
"I figured I had to stop him. He was too drunk or high to understand," she said. "He went down like a tree."
After the shooting, Hawes went back inside the trailer, put the gun away and told her grandson to call police. When officers arrived, Beltz was on the ground moaning and she was handcuffed and placed in a patrol car after officers went inside to retrieve the gun.
Hawes, her grandson and witnesses were taken to the police station and questioned and she was released.
"I was prepared to spend a night in jail, but I didn't want to."
She doesn't regret the shooting.
"He was on our property and we were in danger. I didn't want to shoot in the air. I probably could have reached out and conked him with the gun.
"I have nothing to say to him. I really don't want to see him anymore."
Detective Sgt. Carter Bright of the Battle Creek Police Department said a report about the shooting will be sent to the prosecutor's office "but it appears to be self defense."
Bright said warrants have been issued charging domestic violence against Beltz and his girlfriend and assault and battery against Beltz, with Bryan Hawes as the victim.
Beltz's mother, Denise, said Friday afternoon her son remains in the hospital with significant pain.
"I am very upset by this. It was wrong that she had a gun and shot him. Nick is very upset and doesn't know why she did it."
Denise Beltz insisted her son would not hurt anyone and that her understanding was that he had turned to walk away when he was shot in the back of the leg; Bright said that theory does not appear to be true.
"It doesn't give her a right to have a gun when Nick didn't have a gun," Denise Beltz said.
Labels: assault, female, MI, senior
9/2/09
Detroit, Michigan
From the Detroit News of August 25, 2009
Teen tries to rob Detroiter, ends up shot by victi
A 17-year-old would-be armed robber had the tables turned on him this morning when his intended victim pulled out his own gun and shot the teen, police said.
Now, instead of the money he allegedly sought to steal, the teen will get a lengthy hospital stay -- and, if he recovers and is convicted, a lengthy prison sentence.
The incident happened about 5 a.m. this morning behind an apartment building at 1670 Oakman, Detroit Police spokesman John Roach said.
"The 17-year-old came up behind a 32-year-old man behind the apartment building and tried to rob him at gunpoint," Roach said. "But the 32-year-old had a CCW (a license to carry a concealed weapon), and had his own sidearm with him. He pulled his weapon and they exchanged gunfire."
When the shooting was over, the 32-year-old had only suffered a minor injury to the head, while the alleged bandit was seriously wounded. He was taken to an area hospital, where he remains in critical condition, Roach said.
"If he recovers, he'll likely be charged with armed robbery, and probably attempted murder," Roach said.
Labels: concealed carry permit, MI, minor offender, street robbery
7/29/09
Detroit, Michigan
From July 23, 2009 channel 4:
DETROIT -- The victim of an armed robbery shot and killed his robber Thursday morning, police said.Police said an armed man attempted to rob a cab driver at the Citgo Gas Station on McNichols Street around 5 a.m.From the comments:
The cab driver pulled out a gun and fired several rounds, striking the thief three times, said police.
The man was transported to Detroit Receiving Hospital, where he died.
Police said the 38-year-old shooter called police to report the shooting. He is now in custody and being questioned.
Police said the cab driver had a legitimate license to carry a concealed weapon.
i helped his aunt write his obituary, and it saddened me to realize that the handful of pictures and the short paragraphs in the obituary summed up his brief life. that's it. he was only 17. i wish he had listened to his family who tried to set him straight, but in his case -- as is often the case for young, misunderstood black boys -- the streets and his "friends" were louder. we'll never know what or who freddrick could have been.
Labels: business robbery, concealed carry permit, MI, minor offender
7/19/09
Pontiac, Michigan
From July 19, 2009 Detroit channel 4:
PONTIAC, Mich. -- Neighbors in one community said a man was shot and killed early Sunday morning after he interrupted a neighborhood party and robbed some of the partygoers.
"It's like playground rules. They just broke one of them by going in and robbing and turning your back on someone," neighbor Andre said.
Andre said 29-year-old Gregory Scott interupted a dice game in the basement of a house in the 300 block of Seward Street in Pontiac at about 3:30 a.m.
Andre said Scott pulled a gun on partygoers and robbed them. "He goes in, pulls out a gun, let off a shot or two to make the person come out his money, and he was fine with that and turned his back," Andre said. "But everybody had pistols ... lights went off on him then."
Andre said the man was shot several times as he ran up the stairs and out of the house.
"He made it outside. He fell outside," Andre said.
Neighbors said two other people were also wounded but were able to walk away from the scene.
Labels: MI, residence robbery
6/25/09
Saginaw, Michigan
From the Saginaw News of June 25, 2009
Neighborhood watch president shoots, kills dog; its owner disputes the need
Tensions are high on a Saginaw street where the neighborhood watch president shot and killed his neighbor's dog.
Jose Barajas, Southwest Saginaw Neighborhood Association president, told police he shot Onyx, a 50-plus-pound pit bull and shar-pei mix, with a 40-caliber Glock after the dog broke its chain and charged him at 1223 Maple on June 18.
Barajas said he was working outside the house next door when he heard a resident crying for help. Diana M. Fick, 52, said she was mowing her backyard about 7:30 p.m. when neighbor Samantha A. Griffus' dog lunged at her. Fick said Onyx perched atop the tailgate shell and jumped off toward her, breaking his chain. She said she screamed for the owner and used the lawnmower as a buffer to keep the dog at bay.
Griffus didn't hear her, but Barajas did. When the dog turned on him, he said he shot it two times.
Barajas "didn't have an option," Fick said "He popped him."
Griffus, 19, said the dog was on a 10-foot chain attached to a tailgate shell on the lawn. She said Barajas had no right to shoot her dog because it hadn't left her property.
Splatters of the dog's blood are still on the tailgate shell, Griffus said. She said she thinks Onyx was chained when Barajas shot him and broke the chain afterward. A few weeks ago, Barajas had threatened to "shoot the dog if it pooped in his yard again," Griffus said.
Barajas has a permit to carry a concealed weapon and often patrols his neighborhood as part of its watch group.
Saginaw police investigated and cleared Barajas.
"If I wouldn't have been there, that neighbor would have likely gone to the hospital," he said.
Griffus went onto her porch overlooking the area where Onyx was chained after hearing the gunshots and her dog "yarp." Onyx had run off; Barajas was standing in her yard, his cell phone to his ear, with his gun visible in its holster, she said.
Barajas is "the greatest guy you ever want to meet," Fick said. "It's not like he just goes around the neighborhood shooting dogs."
Wounded in the face and abdomen, Onyx ran toward the front of the home, approached the front door -- where blood stains remain on the concrete steps of the porch -- and ran across the street. Griffus found him in a neighbor's kennel with the chain still clipped to his collar, Griffus said.
She took it to Great Lakes Pet Emergencies in Carrollton Township but returned with the dog because she couldn't afford the $1,275 bill to treat it or $289 to euthanize it. Onyx died at 11:30 p.m.
Labels: animal, concealed carry permit, MI
6/11/09
Detroit, Michigan
From WDIV of June 11, 2009
Gun Turned On Would-Be Robber
A 16-year-old was shot and wounded with his own gun Thursday morning during an attempted robbery on Detroit's west side, police said.
Two teenagers, one carrying a rifle and the other a handgun, approached a man at the BPS Gas Station on Plymouth Road and the northbound Southfield Service Drive around 6:40 a.m.
The robbery victim grabbed a gun out of the teen's hand and shot him with it.
The wounded teen jumped into a vehicle and attempted to drive away, but crashed into several cars on Forrer Street.
He was transported to Sinai Grace Hospital and is in stable condition.
The other robber fled the area. There are unconfirmed police reports that the second robbery suspect was arrested in downtown Detroit.
Labels: criminal's gun taken away and used against him, MI, minor offender, street robbery
5/14/09
Detroit, Michigan
From the Detroit Free Press of May 13, 2009
Detroit woman fires shots through window at would-be intruders
A homeowner on the Detroit's east side thwarted three robbers by firing out of her bedroom as the men made their way up the steps inside her home, according to police.
A neighbor at 5 a.m. today noticed the three men breaking in the kitchen window of the home in the 900 block of Algonquin, according to Detroit Police.
He called the cell phone of the man who lives there, who was on his way home from work. The homeowner then called his wife, woke her and told her to get their gun.
Hearing footsteps on the stairs, she fired a number of shots, missing the thieves. The husband arrived home just as the men were climbing back out of the window, and they escaped.
Labels: female, home invasion, MI
4/1/09
Grand Rapids, Michigan
From Grand Rapids News of March 31, 2009
Man who assisted wounded store owner says he knows the suspect in Leonard Short Stop robbery
When Amos Bell spotted the owner of the Leonard Short Stop chasing a masked gunman Tuesday morning, he didn't hesitate to help.
He got out of the car he was riding in, and gave chase.
"(The owner) was running up the street with a gun," said Bell, 18. "I knew it wasn't going to be nothing good."
Bell and the owner, who had been shot in the leg in the 10:40 a.m. holdup, lost sight of the robber, but police caught the suspect a half-hour later hiding in some bushes. Police brought Bell and the hobbled owner, whose name wasn't released, to the scene of the capture to identify the robber.
Once there, it got a little more complicated for Bell: Not only was he a friend to the store owner, stopping to chat every day, but he knew the alleged robber, too.
"It was one of my buddies, that's the bad thing about it," Bell said. "A guy I'm cool with."
Still, he said, he could not defend the robbery, particularly hitting the store, at 1038 Leonard St. NW, that serves the neighborhood and seems to sell virtually everything.
"He's a nice guy," Bell said of the store's owner. "This is the corner store. He's just trying to help us out."
Police caught up to the suspect just after 11 a.m., and found a handgun, too. Officers were responding to a call that a store owner, armed with a long gun, was chasing a man who had just shot him.
The owner told Bell that he was shot in the leg when he refused the robber's demand for cash. Police recovered the $800 reported stolen.
The owner returned to his store after Tuesday's shooting, walking with a limp and the sides of his denims slit for examination by paramedics. Awaiting ambulances soon left after the man said he didn't need to go to the hospital, Bell said.
The store remained closed after Tuesday's shooting.
Labels: assault, business robbery, defender shot, MI
3/12/09
Oshtemo Township, Michigan
From the Kalamazoo News of March 10, 2009
Oshtemo Township homeowner fires shots at burglars
An armed homeowner in Oshtemo Township scared off a pair of burglars earlier this week when he fired two shots from his gun, police said Tuesday.
No one was injured, according to a press release from the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office.
Police said two suspects broke into the house in the 7000 block of West H Avenue Monday afternoon. They were confronted by the armed homeowner, who fired two shots before the suspects fled in a small vehicle.
Deputies located the vehicle and arrested one of the suspects, an 18-year-old man, lodging him on home invasion charges at the Kalamazoo County Jail.
Police continue to look for the second suspect, who was only described as a "small individual with longer hair," the press release said.
Labels: home invasion, MI
1/29/09
Auburn, Michigan
From WJRT of January 21, 2009
Business owner shoots would-be robber
A Bay County man went to great lengths to protect himself and his business Wednesday night after two people tried to rob him.
It happened just after 7 p.m. in the village of Auburn at Evergreen Insurance on Midland Road.
Police say the suspects wore masks when they tried to make their way inside. The business owner shot one suspect, and the other is still on the loose.
The suspects were believed to be armed. A suspect vehicle was located. Police say they believe the suspect that left the vehicle is on foot.
Labels: business robbery, MI
10/7/08
Battle Creek, Michigan
From the Lansing State Journal of October 1, 2008
Police: Dad shot son dead during home invasion
A Battle Creek man who allegedly shot and killed his stepson Monday night has been released from custody as the police investigation continues.
Gary Prado, 49, was questioned and then released after Battle Creek police said he shot James L. Keck, 30, of Scotts.
Detectives said it appears Keck broke into the house at 51 S. Mason St. and was shot as he was attempting to force his way into a bedroom where Prado, Darlene Prado, 48 - his wife and Keck's mother - and Gary Prado's 11-year-old daughter had taken refuge.
An autopsy Tuesday showed Keck was shot four times, including once in the center of the chest, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police reported the shooting at 6:57 p.m.
**Update November 1, 2008**
From the Battle Creek Inquirer of October 31, 2008
'Man was shot in self-defense'
The Battle Creek man who shot his stepson in September killed him in self-defense, Calhoun County's prosecutor ruled.
In a letter Thursday to the Battle Creek Police Department, Prosecutor John Hallacy said charges won't be brought against Gary Prado, 49, in the shooting of James L. Keck.
"I am glad I am cleared of the charges because I didn't have any wrong doing," Prado said Thursday. "He said he was going to kill all of us and that is when I went into defense mode. I had to protect my family."
Battle Creek police said Keck was shot and killed inside Prado's Urbandale home just before 7 p.m. on Sept. 29.
The investigation showed Keck had threatened Prado and his wife (Keck's mother) and had broken into the house and was trying to force his way into the bedroom where Prado, his wife and his 11-year-old daughter had taken refuge.
"(Prado) and his wife requested that Mr. Keck not come to the residence," Hallacy wrote, "they locked the residence, they contacted 911, they retreated to a bedroom in the home, they closed the door to the bedroom and placed a dresser in front of the door, Mr. Prado warned Mr. Keck he was armed and finally Mr. Prado fired a warning shot before the fatal shots were discharged.
"Law provides protection to those who act to defend themselves and others who may be in danger," Hallacy concluded. "Based upon the facts and the law it is clear that Mr. Prado's actions were provided the protection of the law, in that he acted in self-defense when he shot and killed Mr. Keck."
Prado said Thursday he believes Keck had been drinking or smoking marijuana and was after him but Keck also had made threats against his mother.
"I heard the word kill and you go into protection mode to protect your family," Prado said.
"I couldn't take the chance," Prado said. "I took a vow to protect her and being her husband I took the vows very sacredly and unfortunately I could not let him get the chance to hurt her. Something snapped in him that night and I couldn't take the chance of him hurting my wife."
Prado said the shooting continues to haunt him.
"I loved my son, he had a lot of good points and a lot of bad points. I have nightmares and wake up in the middle of the night. I have a 24-7 reminder of what I did. I have a constant reminder of what has happened to me."
Labels: domestic dispute, MI
9/9/08
Kalamazoo, Michigan
From September 8, 2008 WOOD channel 8:
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) -- A Kalamazoo man died from a heart attack following a struggle with a thief at his residence.
It was around 4 a.m. Sunday when the incident occurred in the 1300 block of Homecrest Avenue.
Joe Rizzutto, 64, confronted the suspect who was trying to break into the Rizzutto's vehicle. The two men got into a scuffle in the driveway and Rizzutto shot the suspect in a leg.
Rizzutto then suffered a massive heart attack. Officers arrived and began CPR on Rizzutto who was taken to a hospital where he later died.
The suspect, a 38-year-old Kalamazoo resident, was taken to a hospital where he is in serious condition.
Friends believe the attempted break-in was random and that Rizzutto was protecting his family and property.
Labels: MI, residence burglary
8/7/08
Detroit, Michigan
From the Star Tribune of August 6, 2008
Detroit man shoots pit bull attacking grandson; bullet passes through dog, wounding boy, 9
A grandfather has shot and wounded his 9-year-old grandson in Detroit after firing at a pit bull that was attacking the boy.
Police say the bullet passed through the dog's body, ricocheted off the sidewalk and hit the boy in the thigh Wednesday. The boy was taken to a hospital for treatment of what authorities called non-life-threatening injuries.
Animal control officers seized the dog. It survived.
6/16/08
Canton Township, Michigan
From the Detroit News of June 16, 2008
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
6/14/08
Flint, Michigan
From the Flint Journal of June 14, 2008
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
4/23/08
Wyoming, Michigan
From April 19, 2008 WOOD channel 8:
WYOMING, Mich (WOOD) - Three armed robberies occured in less than 45 minutes late Thursday night, but police are not officially linking the incidents. Two suspects are in custody for one of the robberies, and are undergoing questioning.
In the last of the three, shots were fired. One of the store clerks exchanged gunfire with the robber. The bullet pierced a metal cabinet wall and struck Hung Ngyn in the leg. Ngyn, 42, is being released from the hospital and is said to be doing well Friday.
Two men, one with a gun, went into Gerk's Party Works on 36th St. around 11:15 p.m. and demanded money. That's when the exchange of gunfire took place. Police aren't sure if anyone was hit.
A police dog tracked the men after they ran from the store, but lost their scent in an area where investigators think they got in a car and took off.
Labels: business robbery, defender shot, MI
4/4/08
Detroit, Michigan
From the Detroit Free Press of March 27, 2008
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: concealed carry permit, MI, minor offender, pizza delivery driver
4/3/08
Niles, Michigan
From the Niles Daily Star of April 3, 2008
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
3/28/08
Grand Rapids, Michigan
From WWMT of March 27, 2008
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
3/18/08
Flint, Michigan
From the Flint Journal of March 16, 2008
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, senior
2/18/08
Pittsfield Township, Michigan
From the February 14, 2008 Ann Arbor News:
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
2/12/08
Detroit, Michigan
From February 12, 2008 channel 4:
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
1/20/08
Ann Arbor, Michigan
From the January 19, 2008 Detroit Free Press:
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, student defender
1/6/08
Detroit, Michigan
From WDIV of January 6, 2008
Elderly Man Shoots Home Intruder
An 82-year-old man on Detroit's northwest side shot and severely wounded an intruder who walked into his Collingwood Street home Sunday afternoon.
Police said that the intruder, a 44-year-old man from Redford, was visiting friends in the neighborhood when he entered the home of Thomas Jackson, 82, and his wife.
Jackson grabbed his gun and shot the intruder.
Police are investigating why the man had entered the home, but a friend told Local 4 that the intruder has a history of mental illness
"What he does, he's been known to go into people's houses and just sit down," said friend Charles Smith.
"He don't know where he is. He'll go into people's cars and sit down, you know, follow strangers down the street."
The intruder was listed in critical condition at Henry Ford Hospital Sunday evening.
Labels: home invasion, mental illness, MI, senior
1/3/08
Sturgis, Michigan
From the Kalmazoo Gazette of January 2, 2008
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
12/18/07
Burton, Michigan
From the Flint Journal of December 18, 2007
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
12/3/07
Clinton Township, Michigan
From December 3, 2007 channel 4 Detroit:
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
11/23/07
Monroe County, Michigan
From MonroeNews.com of November 23, 2007
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
11/16/07
Clinton Township, Michigan
From ClickOnDetroit.com of November 16, 2007
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
11/1/07
Lansing, Michigan
From the Lansing State Journal of November 1, 2007
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
10/25/07
Pennfield Township, Michigan
From Battle Creek’s WWMT.com of October 25, 2007
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
10/23/07
Battle Creek, Michigan
From the Battle Creek Enquirer of October 23, 2007
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
10/22/07
Grand Rapids, Michigan
From Grand Rapids WZZM13.com of October 22, 2007
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
10/16/07
Jackson, Michigan
From Lansing’s WLNS.com of October 16, 2007
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
10/15/07
Grand Rapids, Michigan
From the Grand Rapids Press of October 15, 2007
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
10/8/07
Grand Rapids, Michigan
From Grand Rapids’ WOODtv.com of October 8, 2007
Photographer shoots, kills intruderFrom the Grand Rapids Press of October 16, 2007
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
9/28/07
Detroit, Michigan
From the ClickOnDetroit.com of September 28, 2007
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
9/25/07
Framingham, Massachusetts
From TheBostonChannel.com of September 25, 2007
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 County, Michigan
From Cadillac’s 9and10News.com of September 25, 2007
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
9/11/07
Rochester Hills, MIchigan
From the Detroit News of September 11, 2007
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.
9/10/07
Detroit, MIchigan
From ClickOnDetroit.com of September 10, 2007
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.
9/2/07
Ypsilanti Township, Michigan
From the The Ann Arbor News of September 2, 2007
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
8/10/07
Muskegon Heights, Michigan
From the Muskegon Chronicle of August 10, 2007
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
7/15/07
Jackson, Michigan
From the Jackson Citizen-Patriot of July 15, 2007
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
7/5/07
Redford, Michigan
From the Livonia Observer & Eccentric of July 5, 2007
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
5/19/07
Detroit, Michigan
From the Detroit Free Press of May 19, 2007
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
5/18/07
Kalamazo, Michigan
From Kalamazo's WOODtv.com of May 18, 2007
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
5/12/07
Harper Woods, Michigan
From the Detroit News of May 12, 2007
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
5/10/07
Flint, Michigan
From Flint’s WRJT of May 10, 2007
Delivery man shoots would-be robberFrom the Flint Journal of May 12, 2007
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
5/9/07
Benton Harbor, Michigan
From the South Bend (IN) Tribune of May 9, 2007
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
3/26/07
Benton Harbor, Michigan
From the South Bend (IN) Tribune of March 26, 2007
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
2/7/07
Ann Arbor, Michigan
From the February 7, 2007 Ann Arbor News:
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
2/2/07
Muskegon, Michigan
From the Muskegon Chronicle of February 2, 2007
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
1/29/07
Pontiac, Michigan
From the Detroit News of January 29, 2007
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
12/29/06
Atlas Township, Michigan
From Saginaw’s WNEM.com of December 28, 2006
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, assault weapon defense, home invasion, MI
11/10/06
Albion, Michigan
From Kalamazoo’s WWMT.com of November 10, 2006
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
10/19/06
Grand Rapids, Michigan
From the Grand Rapids Press of October 19, 2006
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.
Hopkins, Michigan
From Grand Rapids’ WOODtv.com of October 19, 2006
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
10/15/06
Westland, Michigan
From Livonia’s Observer & Eccentric of October 15, 2006
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
10/14/06
Grand Rapids, Michigan
From the The Grand Rapids Press of October 14, 2006
Store worker kills alleged thiefFrom Grand Rapids’ WOODtv.com of October 18, 2006
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
9/30/06
Saginaw, Michigan
From the Saginaw News of September 30, 2006
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.
7/30/06
Ypsilanti Township, Michigan
From the Ann Arbor News of July 30, 2006
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
7/24/06
Battle Creek, Michigan
From July 24, 2006 WWMT channel 3:
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
7/9/06
West Bloomfield, Michigan
From Livonia’s HomeTownLife.com of July 9, 2006
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)
6/28/06
Oak Park, Michigan
From the June 26, 2006 Detroit News:
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
Saginaw, Michigan
From Flint’s ABC12.com of June 27, 2006
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
6/6/06
Flint, Michigan
From Flint’s ABC12.com of June 5, 2006
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
5/30/06
Detroit, Michigan
From the Detroit Free Press of May 30, 2006
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
5/26/06
Sand Lake, Michigan
From Grand Rapids’ WOODtv.com of May 26, 2006
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.
5/18/06
Southfield, Michigan
From Livonia’s HomeTownLife.com of May 18, 2006
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
5/13/06
Oakfield Township, Michigan
From Grand Rapids’ WXMI.com of May 12, 2006
Suspect Shot During Alleged Home RobberyFrom the WOODtv.com of May 16, 2006
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 prowlersFrom Grand Rapids’ WOODtv.com of June 2, 2006
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 across the street when he heard two gunshots fired, and then saw two men running toward him.
"I'm yelling, 'Get the hell out of here, someone else will be shooting at ya.' He said, 'My buddy's been shot,'" Sieboar told 24 Hour News 8.
Late this afternoon, the sheriff's department says the man shot, identified as an 18-year-old from southwest Grand Rapids, remains in critical condition at Spectrum Butterworth Hospital.
The other suspect, a 17-year-old man from Grand Rapids, was not injured. He was arrested at the scene.
It appears neither man in the van was armed.
Sheriff's deputies say it is still unclear exactly what was going on.
What they do know is that a suspicious van, in an area where it didn't belong, pulled up to the back of a house.
While the investigation continues, deputies say it appears Diamond was a citizen protecting private property.
"This would be a little different because it's a neighbor watching the property of. But again, there's a felony in progress," says Lieutenant Roger Parent of the Kent County Sheriff's Department.
But the final call will be up to the prosecutor.
Sandy Smejkal says her brother was only doing what needed to be done.
"I don't think he should be in trouble. He was doing what anyone else would have done."
Neighbor shot prowler in self-defense
A man who shot a suspected prowler at his neighbor's home acted in self-defense, said Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth.
In a statement released today, Forsyth said an investigation concluded the man protecting his neighbor's house reasonably assumed he was in danger from two men who were trying to get into the house.
In the statement, Forsyth said the two men charged with home invasion, Fernando Olivas, 18, and a 17-year-old Grand Rapids man, had gone to the home at 10739 Fifteen Mile Road in Oakfield Township twice before looking for "Tom." Both times the men were told no one named Tom lived there.
On May 12, the shooter saw a "van pull into the driveway and go around to the back side" of the house. The shooter appeared, clearly armed, and was told once again they were looking for "Tom." The shooter told them to leave the property, at which point, according to the statement, "Olivas reach(ed) into his pocket and (the shooter) believed he was reaching for a weapon."
At that point, the shooter fired, hitting Olivas. A later investigation revealed Olivas was armed with a loaded handgun.
No charges will be filed against the shooter. The case against Olivas and his co-defendant is currently pending in Kent County Circuit Court.
Labels: MI, residence burglary
5/5/06
Hazel Park, Michigan
From Southfield’s DetNow.com of May 5, 2006
Man Killed in Hazel Park Home Invasion
A suspected robber was fatally shot inside a Hazel Park home, early Friday morning. Police learned the victim and the shooter were acquaintances.
Around 1 a.m., the homeowner called police saying he’d shot an intruder. When investigators arrived they found 22-year-old Michael Wycoff dead upstairs.
The homeowner claimed his house had been ransacked and a window was broken, so he grabbed his gun and found Wycoff in an upstairs closet. Police said there was a confrontation and the homeowner fired.
According to authorities, the homeowner knew the [sic] Wycoff’s sister and all three were together at her home earlier in the evening.
Police are still investigating and the homeowner has not been arrested. Wycoff has a criminal history including home invasion.
Labels: MI, residence burglary
4/21/06
Detroit, Michigan
From ClickOnDetroit.com of April 21, 2006
Attempted Carjacking Takes A Turn
Two People Hospitalized
An attempted carjacking took an unexpected turn Friday morning when the driver of a car produced a gun instead of handing over the keys.
A man with a gun attempted to steal a vehicle in the parking lot of a party store located on the east side of 7 Mile and Sherwood roads.
When the gunman approached the driver of the vehicle with his gun, the driver also produced a gun and shots were fired.
The driver of the vehicle has a concealed weapons permit. The two fired shots -- one from each gun -- and both men were hit.
The carjacker and his would-be victim are hospitalized.
Labels: carjacking, concealed carry permit, defender shot, MI
3/30/06
Lansing, Michigan
From Lansing’s WLNS.com of March 28, 2006
Man Arrested After Local Road Rage Incident
One person is under arrest after road rage on Cedar Street leads to a heated exchange in a parking lot. It happened Monday afternoon on Cedar Street near Willoughby in Delhi Township when two drivers heading north on Cedar got into a fight.
One driver rammed his car into the other, causing minor damage. The drivers then pulled into a Burger King parking lot. One driver got out of his car with a baseball bat and approached the other driver, who then pulled a gun. Police arrived and arrested the driver with the bat. Police say the man with the gun had a legal permit to carry the weapon.
Labels: assault, concealed carry permit, MI, road rage
3/23/06
Clinton Township, Michigan
From Mount Clemens’ Macomb Daily of March 23, 2006
Man holds female intruder at gunpoint while wife calls police
A Clinton Township man woke from a deep sleep Wednesday morning to find a woman sitting on his living room couch counting his money.
The man grabbed a loaded handgun and told the woman to freeze. He then ordered her at gunpoint to the ground while his wife called police.
Police charged Chalise Marie Johnson, 32, of Westland, with home invasion. Johnson pleaded not guilty at her arraignment Wednesday in 41B District Court. Bond was set at $10,000 and a preliminary examination is scheduled within 14 days.
Police said the woman has prior arrests in Dearborn for passing bad checks and in the 1990s for possession of illegal drugs, said Clinton Township police Capt. Richard Maierle.
"This is highly unusual that a homeowner would be awakened in the middle of the night only to find someone in his house counting his money," said Maierle. "The homeowner was very surprised."
The incident occurred in the 39000 block of Moravian (near Harrington Road) at 2:20 a.m. The homeowner was in bed when he heard dogs barking, Maierle said.
"He thought he heard someone in his house so he grabbed a handgun," Maierle said. "He left some money on a table before he went to bed and saw this strange woman sitting on his couch counting the money he had on his table."
Maierle said the man told police he may have left his back door unlocked when he went to bed. Police said they don't know how she got to the area.
Township officers searched the area and didn't find anyone waiting for the woman.
Labels: MI, residence burglary
3/14/06
Grand Rapids, Michigan
From March 2, 2006 WOOD channel 8:
As police investigate a deadly shooting at a Grand Rapids clothing store, the co-owner of the business is in police custody on unrelated charges.This may be criminals defending themselves from other criminals.
The shooting occurred around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at Renony Clothing in the 1400 block of Eastern Avenue SE near Oakdale Street.
A 24 Hour News 8 source tells us two men walked into the store to complete a drug deal with the owner. But something bad happened, and that is when police say the owner fatally shot one of the men and injured the other man. The second man fled the store and got into an awaiting getaway vehicle.
The store owner was injured by flying glass during the shooting.
Shortly after the incident occurred, officials at Metro Hospital told 24 Hour News 8 they were treating someone suffering from gunshot wounds. At the time, it was unconfirmed if that person is the other man involved in the shooting at the store. Police interviewed that person, who denied being involved in the shooting at the business. He told officers he was wounded at a different location during a separate incident. Police are conviced he is the other man involved in the shooting at the store.
The man who was fatally shot at the store has been identified as 25-year-old David Mayfield of Wyoming.
The owner, Anthony Merriweather, has now been arrested on unrelated charges to the shooting. Police won't elaborate on the charges. Merriweather's attorney says his client is being held as a felon in possession of a firearm. The attorney adds his client was anything but a store owner defending his property.
Labels: altercation, MI
1/28/06
Auburn Hills, Michigan
From the Detroit Free Press of January 27, 2006
Would-be robber flees when he's shown a pistol
A man who tried to rob an Auburn Hills market Wednesday -- by claiming he had a gun and demanding money from a clerk -- was thwarted by a store manager with a pistol, police said.
City police have not caught the would-be robber, who ran when he saw the gun.
Police said he was described as 6 feet 2, with shoulder-length black hair, wearing a black jacket, blue pants and white running shoes.
He had entered Harry's Market, at Opdyke Road and Walton Boulevard, at about 8 a.m., implied he had a handgun and demanded money, police said.
Labels: business robbery, MI
1/6/06
Detroit, Michigan
From Detroit’s ClickOnDetroit.com of January 5, 2006
Homeowner Shoots Alleged Intruders, Kills 2
Prosecutors Will Decide If Shootings Were Crimes Or Self-Defense
Prosecutors will decide if the shootings of three men suspected of breaking into a Detroit home were crimes or self-defense.
A homeowner shot and killed two of three men who allegedly tried to break into his east side home Thursday.
Police say three men, two adults and one juvenile, were breaking into multiple homes in the area. When they arrived at a home on Somerset, the homeowner was in the house and armed.
Investigators believe the man shot all three. Two of the men tried to get away in a car, but didn't get far before they died, Local 4 reported.
The 15-year-old teen stumbled away from the home and is in critical condition in St. John Hospital, according to Local 4.
Police are continuing the investigation.
1/4/06
Jackson, Michigan
From Jackson’s Citizen-Patriot of January 4, 2006
Burglar could get life
Bryan Allen Cary and his girlfriend spent two nights looting an unoccupied hunting lodge in Grass Lake Township before they returned a third night, when they were chased off by the owner, guns blazing in their direction.
For the burglary crimes, as well as stealing a pickup truck to haul the stash away, Cary, 25, could face life in prison. He pleaded no contest Tuesday in Circuit Judge Chad Schmucker's court to three counts of home invasion, a count of felony firearm possession and a count of auto theft.
"All he does is steal," said Assistant Prosecutor Earl Poleski. "He's just a menace."
Cary, a convicted felon who spent time in prison before he was released in January 2005, faces life in prison for the charges as a habitual offender.
Angelina Mary DuBois, his 24-year-old girlfriend and partner in crime, was sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years probation in October after pleading guilty to a count of home invasion.
Police and prosecutors say Cary stole a pickup truck from a residence on Phal Road and brought DuBois to the hunting lodge at 14600 Curtis Road on June 24. The pair spent two nights cleaning out the lodge of everything in it, including an all-terrain vehicle -- which was later found totaled -- four guns, bows and arrows, a TV, VCR, microwave, blankets and even toilet paper.
They returned a third night, entered the lodge and discovered someone was home. The homeowner chased them off, shooting in the direction of the couple.
"If (the homeowner) wanted to kill them, they'd be dead," Poleski said.
Many of the stolen items were recovered, but not the guns or hunting equipment.
Cary, who has been convicted of three felonies and has spent time in prison, is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 22 in Schmucker's court. All five charges carry a maximum life sentence because of his prior convictions.
Labels: MI, residence burglary
12/24/05
Oakland County, Michigan
From the December 20, 2005 Detroit News:
A 27-year-old Novi man has been charged with two gas station robberies. Randy P. Rayfield is in the Oakland County Jail on two counts of armed robbery and felony firearm possession. A preliminary exam is set for Dec. 21 in Novi 52-1 District Court. Rayfield was arrested in a Novi trailer park Saturday after receiving treatment at a Dearborn hospital for a gunshot wound to the leg. Rayfield was wounded Friday by the owner of a BP gas station he tried to rob, police said. He had robbed the same gas station Dec. 2, police said.
Labels: business robbery, MI
12/7/05
Byron Township, Michigan
From December 6, 2005 Grand Rapids Press:
BYRON TOWNSHIP -- Two men remained hospitalized after both were shot in the face, apparently during an attempted burglary of a business.UPDATE: January 10, 2006 WOOD channel 8:
The two were shot around 11:30 p.m. Saturday at 8027 S. Division Ave., an industrial building that houses an excavating and trucking company. Kent County sheriff's deputies were called to that address on a report of a burglary. By the time they arrived, the two men had been shot.
One of the suspects, a 24-year-old Grand Rapids man, was being held at gunpoint, Sgt. Roger Parent said, and the other had fled.
Minutes later, the second suspect, a 32-year-old Kentwood man, was found hiding behind a BP gas station on 84th Street and U.S. 131. Both were wounded in the face by shotgun blasts.
Authorities declined to say who fired the shots or release details of the shooting. Parent said he does not expect the shooter to be charged with a crime.
Charges will not be filed against a Byron Township business owner who shot two men suspected of stealing from him.From Grand Rapids’ WOODtv.com of January 10, 2006
Kenneth Richards and Adam Beall were shot in the face in early December when deputies say they tried to steal from a vehicle at the business in the 8000 block of South Division Avenue.
The prosecutor has ruled the shooter was acting in self-defense. But, the business owner could still be in some trouble as he was on probation and should not have had a gun.
Business owner not charged for shooting at thieves
Charges will not be filed against a Byron Township business owner who shot two men suspected of stealing from him.
Kenneth Richards and Adam Beall were shot in the face in early December when deputies say they tried to steal from a vehicle at the business in the 8000 block of South Division Avenue.
The prosecutor has ruled the shooter was acting in self-defense. But, the business owner could still be in some trouble as he was on probation and should not have had a gun.
Labels: business burglary, MI
11/25/05
Battle Creek, Michigan
From the November 24, 2005 Battle Creek Enquirer:
Two men robbed an Emmett Township convenience store Wednesday, the 16th armed robbery in the Battle Creek area in a month.
The owner of Warman's Way Station at 149 Beadle Lake Road was struck in the head about 7:30 p.m. by one of the robbers, who was armed with a shotgun, and taken to Battle Creek Health System for treatment.
"Two men with knit hats and bandanas came in and assaulted him with the butt of a shotgun," said Frank Post, director of the Emmett Township Department of Public Safety. A female clerk was not hurt.
The men took cash and fled in a car. Post said the store owner, armed with his own shotgun, chased the men and someone fired at least one shot.
Labels: business robbery, MI
11/1/05
Battle Creek, Michigan
From the Battle Creek Enquirer of November 1, 2005
Store owner shoots, kills burglar
A burglar was shot and killed early today at the Northside Deli and Convenience Store when confronted by the owner.
Battle Creek police said Joshua Lind, 19, of Battle Creek was shot and killed about 4:37 a.m.
Police said Lind broke into the business at 65 Calhoun St. and was confronted by the owner, Randy Carson, who had been staying the basement. Lind was shot once with a shotgun and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The store was closed at the time.
Police are interviewing Carson and their investigation continues.
The incident was the ninth involving convenience stores in Battle Creek and Emmett Township since Oct. 24.
Carson’s store was also the scene of an attempted robbery Saturday in which Carson and the robber exchanged gunfire. Carson was not hurt.
Police said the man in this morning’s incident does not appear to be the same as those involved in earlier holdups.
Labels: business burglary, MI
10/31/05
Battle Creek, Michigan
From Grand Rapids’ WOODtv.com of October 31, 2005
Suspect & clerk involved in shoot-out during armed robbery
Police are looking for an armed robber who was involved in a shootout Saturday night in a Battle Creek store.
Police say the suspect, who wore a mask, came into the store with a gun just before 9:00 p.m. and demanded money. After getting the money, the clerk and the suspect began shooting at each other. Neither was shot and the suspect was able to get away.
Labels: business robbery, MI
10/27/05
Saline Township, Michigan
From the Ann Arbor News of October 25, 2005
Sentencing upsets victimized couple
Home invader gets 7 to 20 years in prison
Amilee Sharp wasn't going to answer the door.
After hearing a rapid succession of doorbell rings and with a previous burglary in the back of her mind, she wasn't going to greet unexpected visitors to her Saline Township home while her husband was out.
But she didn't have that choice.
Within a minute, she heard the door being kicked down and the mother of two did what came instinctively - she called 911 and grabbed the family pistol.
Randy Fraley, the man she confronted in the kitchen, bolted out of the house with his arms in the air, yelling for her not to shoot, police reports said.
Determined to stop him without inflicting a mortal wound, Sharp fired into the getaway car where his female accomplice awaited. Four of the nine shots pierced the vehicle, leaving it disabled a few blocks away on Braun Road.
Fraley and his girlfriend jumped from the vehicle unharmed, but left a trail that investigators with the Michigan State Police, the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department and the Livingston and Washtenaw Narcotics Enforcement Team followed. That was in January.
On Monday, Sharp and her husband, Michael, watched with some relief but largely in frustration as Fraley, 36, was sentenced to 7 to 20 years in prison. He pleaded guilty earlier to first-degree home invasion and conspiracy to commit home invasion in two separate Washtenaw County cases.
They were frustrated, in part, because it was at least the sixth prison sentence that Fraley, an admitted crack addict, has received since 1989 for property crimes, state prison records show. He was last paroled in March 2004.
They're also upset because they don't believe his plea agreement and prison sentence will likely end a cycle of crime and punishment that could involve them again.
(More about this felon's history)
Labels: MI, residence burglary
10/6/05
Detroit, Michigan
From Detroit’s WXYZtv.com of October 6, 2005
Video Store Owner Killed by Armed RobbersThe good guys lose one.
Gunfire erupted in a video store between two armed robbers and the owner, and the owner later died from his injuries. Police say they have one suspect in custody, but another is on the loose.
Friends and coworkers of Wally, the owner of City Video, went to survey the gruesome scene Thursday. Broken glass and bullet holes revealed some of the harrowing details from Wednesday night’s shooting.
Tyisha Anderson-Shelton is a former employee of City Video, and had this to say about Wally: "He was a good guy. He was cool. He was trying to do his religion. He was very strong on religion. He was very helpful for the people in the neighborhood. If you needed a job, he tried to help you as much as he could. It’s just sad to see someone loose their life over something so frivolous."
Detroit police say that around 9 p.m. Wednesday, two men armed with guns stormed into the store at 6 Mile and Evergreen.
The owner had a gun as well, having been robbed several times. A shootout followed.
"This store was hot for getting robbed," Tyisha explained. "I mean, this store got robbed so many times, it’s like, unspeakable. You know, he was working on that. That was his project. But I guess he’ll never get the chance to see that project come to life."
Police say Wally was shot in the head, and died Thursday morning. One of the suspects was also shot, and checked himself into Sinai Grace Hospital.
Labels: business robbery, defender killed, MI
9/13/05
Troy, Michigan
From the September 13, 2005 Detroit Free Press:
It started with what sounded like an explosion outside a Troy home and ended with gunfire and one man charged with trying to kill another.
Sterling Heights resident Scott Alan Wooten, 34, is scheduled for a preliminary examination Monday to determine whether he will go to trial following what police call a bizarre sequence of events in a Troy neighborhood.
According to Troy Police Lt. Gerry Scherlinck, here's what happened:
After a loud noise jarred a Briarwood Drive resident awake about 2 a.m. Thursday, the 38-year-old looked outside to see that a Jeep Wrangler had crashed into his attached garage.
Then his doorbell started ringing incessantly. When he looked out the door, he didn't see anyone, so he stepped outside, armed with a handgun.
He found a man in the driver's seat of the Jeep trying to dislodge it from the garage door. With the pair yelling at each other, the driver backed out of the driveway and drove off, with the homeowner trying to get the license plate number.
As the homeowner walked back to his house, the Jeep driver came back down the street with the vehicle's lights off, circled several times around a traffic island at the end of the block, then drove up the man's driveway again.
The homeowner, who told police he was afraid the driver was trying to hit him, hid behind a vehicle parked in his driveway.
But the driver of the Jeep kept circling on his lawn and driveway, then accelerated and smashed into the parked vehicle twice.
At that point, the homeowner fired about four shots at the Jeep before the gun jammed. He ran to his house to get a second gun.
His wife, meanwhile, had called police, as had neighbors.
When the resident came back out of the house, the driver of the Jeep began accelerating directly at him. The homeowner fired two more shots at the Jeep. The driver then left the subdivision. Police did not release the homeowner's name or specify which block of Briarwood Drive he lives on.
Police caught up with Wooten driving a Jeep with bullet holes in it, near Square Lake and Dequindre roads.
Police said Wooten first told them that he had been shot at while trying to get into his own home in Sterling Heights. He later told police that he didn't remember anything from the night.
9/3/05
Detroit, Michigan
From August 29, 2005 channel 4 in Detroit:
Police are searching area hospitals for a man who tried to rob a Detroit tire shop twice Sunday.
The man broke into the Advance Tire store located in the 8000 block of Livernois on the city's west side at about 5 a.m., according to Detroit police. Police said the owner and officers responded to the break-in, but the robber was gone.
The man returned at about 7 a.m., but the owner was armed, Local 4 reported. The store owner fired a shot, police said.
Police believe the suspect was wounded because of blood found at the rear of the store where the shooting occurred. The man fled the scene, according to police.
Labels: business burglary, MI
8/8/05
Isabella County, Michigan
From the August 7, 2005 Morning Sun:
Isabella County sheriff's deputies didn't have to look very far for the man they believe broke into a Fremont Township garage and tried to get into a nearby home; the suspect was facing the business end of the homeowner's shotgun.
The 17-year-old suspect was arrested for home invasion.
The homeowner, Rust Brown, said his grandparents were murdered in a home invasion in Kingman, Ariz., on Feb. 26, 1999, and he wasn't about to let something like that happen again.
Brown was awakened by his wife, Shannon Brown, 30, early Wednesday morning when she heard a noise, according to a sheriff's department report. The Browns discovered a screen had been removed and the window opened.
Rust Brown grabbed his 12-gauge Winchester shotgun and went outside, following tracks in the wet grass to a nearby 1975 Ford pickup truck. There, he said he found the suspect hiding underneath.
"He was just hiding up in there,“ Brown said. Brown is a former security guard, and he had a pair of handcuffs that he put to use.
8/6/05
Saginaw, Michigan
From August 1, 2005 WJRT channel 12:
Saginaw — (08/01/05)--A teenager was shot and killed while trying to steal a car in Saginaw in an attempted car-jacking late Sunday night. The suspect is just 16 years old.
The suspect was shot with his own gun. It all started innocently enough at a house on South Fayette. A woman parked her car in her brother's driveway, leaving it running.
She says while they stood behind the car talking, they saw a 16 year old coming through the lawn who tried to steal the car.
Three gunshots pierced the silence of the west-side neighborhood around 11:30 p.m.
A 35-year-old woman was stopping by her brother's house after cleaning her church for a bible study. She only meant to be there for a few minutes.
The sister wouldn't go on camera, but said she and her brother were standing behind her car just a few feet away and saw the carjacking suspect with a black mask on, halfway in her car.
The suspect warned them not to come after him or he would shoot, but her brother fought with him anyway and was shot in the stomach.
The sister said the man was taller and stronger than she was, but she had to fight with him to protect her brother because she was afraid he would keep shooting.
She didn't realize her brother had used the suspect's own gun to shoot him twice because she was struggling with the carjacker and screaming for help.
Labels: carjacking, criminal's gun taken away and used against him, defender shot, MI
7/30/05
Flint, Michigan
From the July 27, 2005 Flint Journal:
FLINT - People stopping at the Lewis Street Market on Tuesday were still telling Sean Hannosh he did what he had to do when he returned fire during an attempted armed robbery last week, killing 14-year-old Hakeem Nelson.
A beer vendor making a delivery said Hannosh and his brother, who owns the party store, are "good people," but Hannosh said he's still bothered by what he felt he had to do in self-defense.
"It bothers me a lot," he said, ringing up beer and candy for a customer. "I don't want to kill nobody. We're here for business."
Hannosh said he was working the cash register, checking a customer's driver's license about 10:50 p.m. Thursday when Nelson came through the door, wearing a ninja-style mask and carrying a shotgun.
Police are still looking for another masked man who followed Nelson in the store but ran after the shots were fired.
"He pointed the shotgun on me. He said, 'Everybody down.' When we went down, he shot," Hannosh said. "I don't know why."
Hannosh scrambled behind a section of protective glass, grabbed a large-caliber handgun and returned fire twice, hitting Nelson, who ran from the store. He was pronounced dead at Hurley Medical Center.
It was the first armed robbery attempt at the party store - a market that relies on neighborhood regulars for its business - since Hannosh's brother purchased it about three years ago, the two men said.
Since then, Hannosh said he's been bothered by news accounts of the shooting that he believes portrayed him as too quick to shoot the young teen.
"I didn't have time to call time out," he said. "I didn't know if he was 14, 15 or 100 years old."
...
Flint police have said the shooting appears to have been justified.
"I didn't want to shoot him," Hannosh said. "I'm sorry he was 14. I have three kids, too."
Labels: assault, business robbery, MI
6/27/05
Hamtramck, Michigan
From Detroit’s ClickOnDetroit.com of June 27, 2005
Jewelry Store Owner Grabs Gun, Chases Robber
Police Track Down Suspected Robber
The owner of a jewelry store in Hamtramck attempted to chase down a robber on Saturday, Local 4 reported.
Police said a man grabbed about $500 worth of jewelry from the Nice Jewelry store on Jos Campau Street.
The owner of the store grabbed his gun, chased the robber out of the store and fired a warning shot into the air, police said
Police said it was not the first time the store had been the target of a robbery. The owner was shot in the chest and in the stomach during a robbery in July 2000.
"He's been a business owner in town for many years. He was shot numerous times," said Detective Ben Bielecki.
The owner recovered from those injuries and returned to work, but said the only way he could protect his family and his business was to carry a gun, the station reported.
Police said the store owner has a permit for the weapon.
"It's one store I would not want to rob or steal from in Hamtramck," said Bielecki.
Police were able to locate the robber hiding in alley and take him into custody. He's expected to be charged on Monday.
Labels: business robbery, concealed carry permit, MI
6/21/05
Grand Rapids, Michigan
From Grand Rapids‘ WOODtv.com of June 21, 2005
Burglar shot and killed by hostage; two other intruders arrested
Grand Rapids Police have arrested two men in connection with a robbery in which a third intruder was shot and killed.
Twenty-three-year-old Ian Johnson was shot and killed by a resident of the Charles Avenue home that had been tied up. The resident broke free around 3 a.m., got a gun away from one of the suspects and shot him.
Around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, police arrested one of the other suspects who police say broke into the home with Johnson near the corner of Bridge and Monroe in downtown Grand Rapids. The third intruder was arrested later Tuesday.
Police say the suspects broke into the house in the overnight hours, searching for drugs and money, when they then took two men hostage. They bound and gagged the men by using duct tape and some wire.
Elma Robinson, who was on her way to the bus stop at the time, says she saw one of the victims describing to police what had happened.
"He said he shot two of them when he got his hands loose," she said.
Police say one of the victims was pistol-whipped during the ordeal. "One had a head wound. He was transported to the hospital," said Capt. Jeffrey Hertell of the Grand Rapids Police Department.
Labels: assault, home invasion, hostage, MI, residence robbery
6/10/05
Romulus, Michigan
From Detroit’s ClickOnDetroit.com of June 10, 2005
Police: Homeowner Shoots, Kills Intruder
No Information Available On Charges
An intruder was fatally shot by a homeowner in a Romulus house Friday morning.
The shooting occurred at about 12:20 a.m. at a home located in the 15000 block of Oakbrook Street, according to Romulus police.
The armed man broke into the house, and was confronted by the awakened homeowner, Local 4 reported. The suspect fired shots, and the homeowner returned two shots, according to the station's report.
An autopsy was expected to be performed on the suspect. His name was not released.
There was no information available as to whether the homeowner -- whose name was also not released -- will face charges.
Police continue to investigate the shooting, and a possible connection to a neighboring vacant home where a back door was found open, Local 4 reported.
5/27/05
Detroit, Michigan
From Detroit‘s ClickOnDetroit.com of May 27, 2005
Local Homeowner Shoots, Kills Intruder
Police Say No Charges Expected In Case
A local homeowner shot and killed an intruder who entered his home overnight, Local 4 reported.
The 70-year-old Detroit resident fired four shots at a man who apparently broke into the home on the 3200 block of Fullerton.
The suspect was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 4 a.m. on Friday, the station reported.
Neighbors said the homeowner had a right to protect himself against the suspected robber.
"That's his house. He had to protect himself," said Jay Miller, a neighbor.
Curly Humphry, an 86-year-old neighbor who lives on his own, said he also keeps guns in his home to protect himself, the station reported.
"I've got a .38 rifle (and) a shotgun," Humphry said.
Police continue to investigate the shooting, but no charges are expected in the case.
4/24/05
Walker, Michigan
From Grand Rapids’ WOODtv.com of April 24, 2005
Home invasion ends when homeowner shoots robber
In Walker, police are investigating a break-in that ended with a homeowner shooting one of the robbers.
It happened at a home in the 1400 block of Wilson SW in Walker.
Police say the suspects broke into the home around 6:30 a.m. Sunday morning. The homeowner woke up, confronted them, shooting one suspect with a handgun.
Police say the suspects ran, and according to witnesses, dropped several items from the home along the way. Police are still looking for the intruders.
Labels: intruder, MI, residence robbery
3/20/05
Highland Park, Michigan
From the Detroit Free-Press of February 2, 2005
Highland Park man shoots; 1 dead, 1 hurtNo subsequent stories about this incident were found.
Two men were shot, one fatally, in Highland Park on Tuesday night after they tried to force their way into a house, a spokesman for the Wayne County Sheriff's Office said.
An 18-year-old man was killed and his 26-year-old cousin wounded in the arm at the house in the 100 block of Grove around 9 p.m., said John Roach, spokesman for the sheriff's office.
The cousin is in police custody at Henry Ford Hospital where he is listed in temporary serious condition. The 50-year old man living at the house, who says he fired his gun in self-defense, was being held at the sheriff's office lockup in Highland Park.
The older man told deputies that the 26-year-old was his girlfriend's son and that the couple did not get along with him.
The son beat the older man up so badly last week that he had to go to the hospital for stitches, the man told deputies.
On Tuesday, the 26-year-old man called him and said he was "coming over to finish the job." At about 9:15 p.m., the 26-year-old and his 18-year-old cousin came to the house, banged on the door and demanded to be let in.
The older man said he grabbed his gun. Roach said police are unsure if the two younger men forced the door open or if the older man opened it. The older man fired the gun twice, striking the 18-year-old in the neck. He was taken to Henry Ford Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The 26-year-old fled the scene and jumped into a waiting car that sheriff's deputies later pulled over. The driver of the car was arrested and is being held at the lockup in Highland Park.
Labels: assault, home invasion, MI
3/7/05
Detroit, Michigan
From the Detroit Free-Press of March 7, 2005
Vigilante dies in shoot-out
A 41-year-old Detroit man was killed in a shoot-out Sunday while playing vigilante in northwest Detroit, police said.
The man kicked in the door of a house in the 15000 block of Indiana Street about 12:30 p.m. to accuse the homeowner, a 40-year-old man, of raping a mutual acquaintance, police said.
Both men were armed with guns. The 41-year-old shot the homeowner in the knee. The homeowner shot the intruder in the abdomen, killing him.
The name of the man killed wasn't released Sunday. Detroit Police spokesman Benard Beck-O'Steen said the man had been accompanied by another man, who ran away before police arrived at the scene.
The homeowner was transported to Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit for treatment of the gunshot wound in his knee, police said.
Labels: assault, defender shot, home invasion, MI
