Civilian Gun Self-Defense Blog

Store owner fatally shot suspected thief

The owner of an office supply business shot and killed a would-be thief.

It happened on Reveille and Bradford in southeast Houston. The owner heard someone trying to get into his business at midnight. He went outside with a gun and caught a man trying to steal a trailer parked behind his business.

The would-be thief then tried to run over the business owner with his truck and the business owner fired back through the truck's rear window.

Despite being shot, the suspect kept driving his truck for three blocks until he fell out of his truck and died on the road.

Police officers also found tires in the back of that truck, which may have been stolen.

Labels: assault, trespassing, TX

Victims Fight Back in Home Invasion

One robbery suspect is on the loose and another is in the hospital after four victims fought back.

Police say the four victims were barbecuing when two men with guns entered the home. One of the victims said he made a near-fatal mistake by leaving the garage door partially open. The victims, who do not want to be identified for safety reasons, say they ended up fighting for their lives and thought they might die.

"The look in their eyes, especially when they started beating us in the back of the heads with the guns. It was kind of like someone would torture a little animal and then joking about how they were going to love killing us," said one victim.

The men were pinned to the floor with shotguns. "It got ugly when they went back downstairs and decided to tell the women to undress their clothes," the victim added, "The girls were really crying and you could just tell that they were incredibly upset."

The victim told Eyewitness News that one of the suspects who was preparing to sexually assault the women turned his attention away from the guns and let down his guard.

The two male victims saw their opportunity.

"I grabbed him, threw him down on the ground, grabbed a weight from the weight set and smashed him in the head."

The women also joined in the fight, hitting the suspects with a frying pan.

"One of the girls completely nude managed to grab a gun and shoot the guy in the chest area and in the leg."

"She did what she had to do and I have to be thankful that she was able to do what she did and if she didn't I might not be able to give you this story right now."

The suspect who was shot has serious injuries and is in the hospital. The second suspect is on the run and as for the victims, they have minor injuries.

The police are very cautious not to make this seem like a heroic act. They say fighting back can sometimes end with the victims being more seriously hurt.

Labels: assault, criminal's gun taken away and used against him, home invasion, NV, rape

Wheelchair-bound Man Shoots Attacker

A homeowner who is confined to a wheelchair shot and wounded a man who confronted him on his door step, Atlanta police told 11Alive News.

The homeowner was on his way out of his house on Flat Shoals Avenue Friday morning when he ran into a man at his door. The homeowner asked the man to leave, but the man started to assault the homeowner, authorities said.

During a struggle, the homeowner grabbed a gun and shot the attacker in the arm and chest.

The suspect was taken to the hospital. His condition was not known.

The homeowner was not injured.

Labels: assault, GA

El Dorado DA identifies dead suspect; hails gun-wielding neighbor

The El Dorado County District Attorney's Office has identified the 33-year-old man who the DA said was responsible for Sunday's stabbing rampage which left one man dead and one man wounded as Behnam Pazoki.

Pazoki, who family members described as mentally ill, was visiting relatives in El Dorado Hills on Sunday when he grabbed a kitchen knife and chased terrified relatives into the street. During the rampage, which occurred on the 1000 block of Venezia Drive, Pazoki stabbed Vahid Seyedin, 47, the owner of the home he was staying at, and killed his uncle Ahmad Pazeky, 58, according the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office.

Pazoki was ultimately shot by a neighbor, Shahin Kohan, 47, who witnessed the attack and came to the family's aid armed with a handgun, sheriffs said.

In a press release issued today, the district attorney's office said that after Kohan warned Pazoki to stop, Pazoki turned his attention to him and other neighbors that had gathered around watching the horror unfold.

"Mr. Kohan's actions directly prevented other people and himself from being seriously injured or killed," the release said.

El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson called Kohan's actions heroic in the release.

""All too often the term hero is applied to situations where it is inappropriate...," Pierson said in the release. "Mr. Kohan was a bystander whose quick action, done at great risk to him, likely saved lives and certainly prevented additional injuries. Mr. Kohan, by any definition, is in fact a hero."

Sheriff's Deputies briefly detained Kohan on murder charges following the incident, but quickly released him after the facts of the case were reviewed.

Further links:
Homicides in the hills: Two dead after altercation

Labels: assault, CA

Two homicides may fall under new law

...

Christopher Fry, 38, was shot in the upper body at 200 S. Georgia St. Fry walked from the home and collapsed on the curb on the north side of the house in the 2700 block of West Second Avenue. The homeowner shot Fry because Fry was apparently assaulting the homeowner, who felt in fear of his life and his 2-year-old son's life. Fry appeared to have been in a physical altercation prior to knocking on the door at 200 S. Georgia. The two were arguing after Fry asked the homeowner about a dog, which the homeowner did not own. The homeowner was questioned by Special Crimes and later released pending further investigation. The case will be presented to the 47th District Attorney's office for review by a grand jury.

(More)

Labels: assault, TX

Woman shot in the chest after attacking another with cleaver

A cleaver-wielding ex-girlfriend was shot in the chest early this morning at her former boyfriend's home in West Feliciana Parish.

Kimberly Davis was brought to a nearby hospital after she was shot in the chest around 1 a.m. She underwent surgery but her condition was not immediately available. Authorities say Davis will face charges of attempted second-degree murder upon her release.

West Feliciana Parish sheriff's officials say Davis kicked in the door of her former boyfriend's trailer. Investigators say he was in the bedroom with his new girlfriend when Davis, carrying a meat cleaver, stormed into the room. The new girlfriend was cut with the cleaver and then she reportedly pulled out a pistol and shot Davis in the chest.

Captain Spence Dilworth says the pistol used to shoot Davis was a .22 caliber. The sheriff's office say the shooter will NOT be charged.

Labels: assault, female, home invasion, LA

Police: Orlando Cricket Player Shoots Opponent During Match

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

Orange County sheriff's deputies said they responded to a 911 call at 4:20 p.m. Saturday from a cricket match at Cyprus Grove Park and found Francis Singh, 36, shot in the abdomen.
Click here to find out more!

Officers said Singh apparently became involved in a fight and threatened Devan Bascom, 37, with a cricket bat.

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

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

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

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

Labels: assault, concealed carry permit, FL

Man shoots cricket bat-wielding attacker

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

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

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

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

Labels: altercation, assault, FL

DeKalb Co. Man Kills Intruder With Shotgun

The DeKalb County Sheriff's Department is investigating an overnight incident where a homeowner apparently shot and killed an intruder. However, the homeowner is recovering from multiple stab wounds himself.

Sheriff Jimmy Harris says deputies got a call just after 2 o'clock Monday morning that a stabbing and shooting had taken place at a home on County Road 764 near Ider.

Ider Police, Henagar Police, and the DeKalb County Sheriff's Department responded, to find Jerry Lee Miller, 41, suffering from numerous stab wounds. Police and deputies searched the home and found a second victim in another room, Joseph E. Williams, 31, of Jackson County. Williams was dead, from a gunshot wound to the stomach.

Witnesses tell investigators Williams allegedly attacked Miller in his sleep with a large kitchen knife, stabing him several times in his back and arms. A family member interrupted the attack, and Miller was able to get a shotgun, and shoot Williams in the stomach.

Investigators have collected evidence at the scene, and the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences is performing an autopsy on Williams' body.

Sheriff Harris says there are no charges at this time.

Labels: AL, assault

Police Say Customer at Norcross Restaurant Fatally Shot Man in Self Defense

Police say a customer, who shot and killed a man at a restaurant early Thursday morning, did so in self defense. It happened at barnacles [sic] on Jimmy Carter Boulevard in Norcross.

Fatal shooting at Norcross bar marks Gwinnett homicide record

Norcross police say they're unlikely to file charges in a fatal shooting at a local bar early Thursday.

The killing — the third homicide within the city limits this year — marks the record for Gwinnett County.

Police identified the dead man as Juan Ojeda, 54, a Spanish national living near Norcross who officers said was a regular at Barnacles Restaurant on Jimmy Carter Boulevard.

Another patron killed Ojeda in self defense, said Norcross Police Detective Jason Carter.

The homicide is the 41st for Gwinnett, according to the county medical examiner's office.

That surpasses last year's record of 40.

In the 1997 Gwinnett had only 17 homicides. But in since 2003, it has had more than 30 every year. Local law enforcement experts have cited the county's skyrocketing population.

Witnesses said Ojeda appeared to have been drinking when he drove up to the restaurant around midnight, Carter said. Ojeda joined a group of four other people — other regulars, but not well acquainted with the man — on the patio and became belligerent when one person asked Ojeda not to be obnoxious.

Carter said Ojeda grabbed one man's neck.

"Imagine a 54-year-old man putting a 26-year-old guy in a headlock," Carter said. Witnesses said that a moment later Ojeda feigned an apology, then lunged at another man and bit him in the neck, Carter said.

Managers and patrons ran Ojeda off, but he returned a few minutes later around 1 a.m., gun in hand, witnesses told Carter. As people on the patio scattered, one of the men he'd been sitting with ran away but drew his own gun, police said. The patron fired once, hitting Ojeda in the head as he stood in the parking lot, police said.

Police did not release the name of the patron who killed Ojeda, citing their continuing investigation. But they characterized the event as an apparent act of self defense.

The group remained at the restaurant after the shooting and gave police statements.

"They've been totally cooperative," Carter said.

Calls to relatives and co-workers of Ojeda were not returned.

"If you came in here in the afternoons, you'd recognize him," general manager Mike Ogozelec said of Ojeda, referring further questions to the restaurant's corporate office.

Labels: assault, GA

No charges for man who shot drunk U. of C. student

A man who shot a threatening University of Chicago student in the chest Wednesday night acted in self defense and will not be charged, authorities said today.

The student, who was reported to be in critical condition, threatened to hit a fellow apartment-building dweller with a vodka bottle and kicked in the door of the man's Hyde Park apartment, police said.

The incident began about 7:30 p.m. as the student and shooter were riding together in an elevator of their apartment building in the 5400 block of South Cornell Avenue, Chicago Police Officer Laura Kubiak said.

The 24-year-old student, who was drunk and carrying a vodka bottle, followed the man out of the elevator and down the hall, threatening to "hit him in the head with the bottle," Kubiak said. As the man entered his apartment, the student kicked the door and pushed it open, continuing to yell threats, she said.

The apartment's resident retrieved a handgun and shot the student once in the chest as he entered the apartment, Kubiak said.

The student was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was in critical condition as of Wednesday night, Kubiak said. An update on his condition was not available this morning.

Detectives questioned the gunman, who was released without charges after prosecutors decided he had acted in self-defense, according to Kubiak.

Labels: assault, home invasion, IL

Lumberton teen shot, in critical condition

A 15-year-old boy was shot Monday night after pointing a shotgun at a man’s house, according to authorities.

The incident happened about 11 p.m. near a residence on the 500 block of East 21st Street.

The 15-year-old is in critical condition at Southeastern Regional Medical Center.

Investigators say the teenager was in a vehicle with four others. The driver parked the car next door to a residence. Four people, including the teen, got out of the car. The juvenile had a shotgun in his hand, said Sgt. Howard Reaves of the Lumberton Police Department.

Jeremy Locklear, 26, told lawmen he was sitting in his car in his driveway when he heard his dogs barking. He got out of his car to see what was going on when he saw the group near a building next to his residence. They came toward the house, and the teen pointed the shotgun in Locklear’s direction, Reaves said.

Locklear had a shotgun in his vehicle. He shot at the teenager, Reaves said. The teenager was struck on the right side with buck shots, he said.

The other men with the teen ran from the scene, he said. One person who remained in the car during the shooting was questioned by lawmen.

Investigators are still trying to determine why the men came to Locklear’s residence, Reaves said.

No charges had been filed as of Tuesday.

Labels: assault, NC

Man swinging bottle shot by driver at Highway 2 rest area

The Chelan County sheriff's office says a man seeking a ride was critically wounded while harassing a driver who stopped at a Highway 2 rest area.

The sheriff's office says 45-year-old Jay Kneer of Renton was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle Wednesday night with a head wound.

Investigators say 66-year-old Dennis Shaw of Lynnwood and his wife had stopped at the Nason Creek rest area 14 miles west of Leavenworth where Kneer asked him for a ride.

When Shaw refused, Kneer became angry, followed Shaw to his car and struck his vehicle window with a glass bottle.

Shaw told investigators the attack continued when he pointed a handgun at Kneer. Shaw says he fired in an attempt to scare Kneer and hit him in the head.

The Shaws were not injured.

Labels: assault, WA

Shots Fired At Apartment Complex

The sound of gunfire overnight at a Tulsa apartment complex. Tulsa Police say it happened about 1 am Thursday when a security guard at the Normandy Apartments near 36th & Sheridan fired a shotgun blast at a car.

Police officers say the driver in the car has a history of violence and had been banned from the apartment complex. The security guard told police, he fired when the man backed the car towards him. The driver ran off but has been arrested.

No one was hurt in the incident. Tulsa Police continue to investigate.

Labels: assault, OK

Police: Broomfield Intruder Shot After Door Kicked In

Police are investigating an early-morning shooting involving a man armed with a pool cue and a renter trying to get some sleep.

According to police, the renter was sleeping at about 2:30 a.m. when the female owner of the house showed up with a friend and didn't have her keys. She woke the renter to be let in.

Police said the renter asked the woman's friend to leave around 4 a.m. because they were being loud and he was trying to sleep. The man left, but returned a few minutes later, and police said he was carrying a pool cue.

The renter told police the man with the pool cue kicked in the door and threatened him with the pool cue. That's when the renter shot the man. He was rushed to a local hospital for surgery after suffering a gunshot wound to the stomach, police said.

No names have been released and the investigation is continuing.

Labels: assault, CO

Gunfight Leads To Man Getting Shot, Gunman Wanted

A man remains in critical condition after being shot by a rifle during a fight near the Bexar County / Atascosa County line.

Investigators with the Bexar County Sheriff's office say two men got into an argument, one man left, but came back with a rifle and began shooting at the house.

Deputies say that's when the other man came outside with a handgun and began shooting back. Within minutes the man with the handgun was shot two twice, once in the neck and once in the arm.

Deputies say they know who the gunman is, and are expected to make an arrest in this case pretty soon.

Labels: assault, defender shot, TX

Man Killed in Act of Self Defense

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

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

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

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

Labels: assault, FL, home invasion, residence robbery

Prosecutor Won’t File In Killing

No charges will be filed in the July 27 shooting death of a 25-year-old Fort Smith woman, according to Crawford County Prosecutor Marc McCune.

McCune said Thursday an investigation by the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office turned up no evidence to refute a claim of self-defense by Edna Higgins, 69, of Mountainburg.

Higgins said she shot Heather Dyanne Mizell with a .22-caliber rifle as Mizell threatened her with a hammer in the Mountainburg woman’s residence.

According to investigators, Mizell, who was married to but separated from Higgins’ grandson, Jimmie Mizell, was at Higgins’ house to pick up money Higgins had promised to give her to replace a tire on her vehicle.

Mizell had earlier dropped off her two daughters, Katie, 4, and Megan, 1, with her estranged husband’s parents.

Crawford County Chief Deputy Ron Brown said Higgins told him after she gave Mizell the check, she turned around and Mizell was brandishing a hammer.

Higgins grabbed the rifle and fired twice, Brown reported. Mizell was struck once in the chest. A second shot apparently grazed her.

The shooting victim was taken to St. Edward Mercy Medical Center, where she died during surgery.

Mizell’s mother, Becky Sides of Fort Smith, reacted angrily to news of McCune’s decision.

“This case is not going to close,” she said. “I know it was murder and everyone else knows it was murder. If (McCune) can’t see that, I don’t know what his problem is.”

Sides said she has been told that Mizell’s fingerprints were not found on the hammer. “Without that hammer, it’s murder,” she said.

Sides said her pleas for convening a grand jury, or having a second, independent investigation of the shooting, have so far been unsuccessful.

“When you have a major medical problem, you are entitled to a second opinion. This involves a death, and we don’t get a second opinion,” she said.

She said she continues to contact “civil rights people” and organizations she hopes can help her in her quest for justice.

Sides has assembled a Web site, www.heathermizellmemorial.com, dedicated to her daughter’s memory and family. On it, she reports that Heather, a university student and rack driver for the Times Record, “had so many plans of what she was going to do. Her life was just starting to go the way she was wanting it to go.”

Heather’s husband, Jimmie, died Aug. 11. This week, custody of their daughters was awarded to Heather Mizell’s father, Ed Sanders, who lives in Texas.

“At least something has gone right,” Sides says of the children’s custody. “At least one judge had the common sense to do the right thing.”

Labels: AR, assault

Father Attacked During Home Invasion

A man posing as a police officer forces his way into a home and terrorizes a San Antonio family. The fake police officer attacked the father inside that house, as children and wife watched.

"He hit me with a crow bar in the face threatening to kill me," said the father, who did not want to his identity revealed because he still fears for his family.

He did reveal all of his stitches and staples from the attack.

"All the blood was in my eyes," he said.

He tells News 4 WOAI that he woke up about 3:30 in the morning because someone was trying to pry open the door.

"[The attacker] was posing as a San Antonio Police Department and it was a house raid," said the father. "Two other men came around with pistols and forced their way into the house."

Police say the three men demanded money from him and his wife, while his kids stood by them.

"A three year old and an eight year old scared out of their mind," the father said. "They didn't know what he was going on."

Scared for his family, the father fought back.

"I wasn't going to lay down and let them do what they wanted in my home," said the father. "Good Lord only what they would have done if I would have cooperated they could have killed all of us."

But they didn't because this father managed to get to his gun and fired several shots scaring all three men out of his home.

"We plan on moving out of the neighborhood," said the father. "I've lived here over 30 years, and it's just not safe."

Labels: assault, home invasion, residence robbery, TX

Beaten Man Says 911 Dispatcher Had Him Return To Scene

A disabled east Orange County man says a 911 operator told him to return to the scene where he was allegedly beaten by a group of thugs. When he got there, he said, he was almost beaten again by the same group until he used his gun to defend himself.

John Holloway says a group of thugs tried to rob him after he picked up some groceries at a State Road 50 Circle K. He said he was punched and the men broke the windows out of his truck before he escaped.

Holloway was then shocked to be told he needed to come back to the scene to get the address of the only Circle K in Christmas.

"Hit me three times in the head with his fist," Holloway said.

In the serene sounding town of Christmas, with one prosthetic leg and another leg paralyzed, Holloway was no match for five men surrounding to rob him.

"All the sudden they're kicking and beating on my car and hollering at me, 'We're gonna get you! 'We're coming to your house. We're gonna get you and after we kill you, we're gonna take everything you have,'" he said.

Holloway said he quickly drove away, but not before the thugs beat him and his Tahoe, even smashing his windows out. He called 911, but was shocked when the operator insisted he go back to the only Circle K in Christmas to get an address.

"I said, 'Please don't make me go back there, because they're still there,'" he said.

Holloway's account is confirmed in the incident report, which also describes what happened when he finally went back.

"I was scared for my life at that point. I was afraid to go back there. I was afraid they were gonna beat me down, if not kill me," he said.

Holloway said, when he went back, he had his pistol in his hand and, when they attacked again, he fired one shot and scared the men away.

The sheriff's office listed both Holloway and his attackers as victims and suspects. Apparently Holloway's mistake was firing his weapon to scare the men away. He said he did what he felt he had to do for his protection.

There was no word if the 911 operator will be reprimanded for sending Holloway back to the scene.

Labels: assault, FL, street robbery

Intruder holds gun to man's head, flees home

Gunshots were allegedly fired as an intruder fled a Council Bluffs residence early Saturday morning.

According to a Council Bluffs Police Department report, an unidentified suspect entered the residence of Josh Konfrst, 21, about 2 a.m. and held a handgun to his head.

When another person in the house, Justin Woodman, 21, of Glenwood, pointed a hunting gun at the intruder, the suspect ran from the residence, the report indicated.

The report indicated Konfrst, Woodman and others in the house heard two to three shots fired as the unknown suspect fled.

The report did not indicate that anything was taken from the house, located at 1104 18th St.

Labels: assault, home invasion, IA

Jury acquits murder suspect; man killed in self-defense

A Jacksonville man facing a life sentence in prison was found innocent Wednesday of murdering a man during a struggle outside his girlfriend's apartment.

Shedrick Cosby, 34, was arrested in December after the shooting death of Shelly Banks. Police charged that Cosby shot in a jealous rage after seeing two men leaving his girlfriend's apartment on Old Kings Road South in the Southside.

Cosby, whose face and neck were severely cut with a knife, testified he shot in self-defense after someone jumped him from behind and held him in a headlock. Cosby was a security guard at Forrest High School and had a permit to carry a concealed firearm, said Assistant Public Defender Debra Billard.

Billard said Cosby fired two shots blindly, and that evidence showed one bullet passed through a door before hitting Banks. The other bullet struck the apartment building's second story, she said.

She said the fact that just two bullets and two casings were recovered also contradicted testimony by prosecution witnesses, who described a larger number of shots being fired.

The six-person jury deliberated about three hours.

Labels: assault, concealed carry permit, FL

Man says he shot someone who threatened him

A Jacksonville man told police he shot someone Wednesday night after the man approached him on Ring Lane off Emerson Street and pointed a gun at him.

Gregory L. Christopher, 47, of Welford Road said he pulled out a gun himself and shot Larry S. White, 56, of San Diego Road, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. White was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Police aren't releasing further details as the investigation continues.

According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, White has an extensive criminal history, including weapons, burglary and robbery charges. Christopher has had a clean record in Florida over the last 20 years.

Labels: assault, FL

Jury acquits Pittsburg County man in killing

A Pittsburg County jury on Wednesday acquitted a man of first-degree murder in the death of a former employee.

Jurors deliberated a little more than an hour before finding Mike Krebbs not guilty of murder in the Aug. 3, 2006, death of Ty Mordecai outside Krebbs' home near Blocker. The panel also acquitted Krebbs, 34, of the lesser charge of first-degree manslaughter in the heat of passion.

As the jury foreman read the verdict, Krebbs, who had been leaning forward with his eyes closed, slowly exhaled. Mordecai's mother, Kathy Mordecai, who had gathered signatures on a petition for a grand jury investigation of her son's death, sat in silence.

Mordecai had once worked for Krebbs' construction company and the two men had been friends.

Krebbs testified on Wednesday that he shot Mordecai, but did so after he was assaulted. Witnesses also said that Mordecai had threatened Krebbs previously.

On the stand, Krebbs said Mordecai had called him earlier that night wanting to fight him and had threatened to burn his house down if he didn't come home. When Krebbs returned to his residence around 1:30 or 2 a.m., he saw a strange car parked outside his driveway and another one pulling out from his home, according to his testimony.

He said he put a clip in a handgun he had in his truck, and when he pulled up close to his house, he saw Mordecai waiting for him.

Krebbs told the jury that Mordecai attacked him as he sat inside his truck.

“He was coming in through the window,” Krebbs told the jury. “I shot, not to kill him, just to get him away from me.”

Krebbs also said he fired several more shots because he didn't know if Mordecai had a weapon. None of the other bullets struck Mordecai, according to testimony.

Emily Redman, the district attorney for Bryan, Atoka and Coal counties who was appointed to try the case, told jurors that Krebbs ran after Mordecai and shot at him with a pistol at least five times.

Redman was assigned to the case after the recusal of Pittsburg County District Attorney Jim Miller, who knew Krebbs.

When Miller declined to file charges in the weeks after the shooting, Kathy Mordecai gathered signatures to urge authorities to take action in the case.

Labels: assault, OK

Luling Woman Kills Intruder, Deputies Say

St. Charles Parish deputies said a 22-year-old woman shot back at two men who barged into her home early Wednesday morning, killing one and wounding the other.

Jason Jammal Todd and Chris Avila approached Nathaniel Evans as he was leaving for work at about 4 a.m., officials said.

At gunpoint, they forced Evans back inside and then approached his girlfriend.

Avila forced her to lie on the floor, deputies said, and one of them shot Evans.

The woman got a gun from her bedroom and fired at the two intruders, deputies said.

Todd was pronounced dead at the scene. Avila was hit in the lower torso and was found in a nearby field. He's listed in guarded but stable condition.

Evans, meanwhile, is in an intensive care unit in guarded but stable condition.

Deputies said both Todd and Avila had previous arrest records.

An investigation into the case is ongoing.

Labels: assault, home invasion, LA

Police: Man shot dead after kicking in door

A 20-year-old man was shot and killed early Sunday after he kicked down the front door of another man's home in Creola, authorities said.
…

In Creola, the two men had been arguing over the phone before Justin Cox went to the home just off U.S. 43 and kicked the door off its hinges, said Cpl. Gary Davis of the Creola Police Department.

Ronnie Freeman, who was at home with his wife and baby, shot Cox with a rifle, Davis said. So far, Freeman does not face any criminal charges, Davis said.

Investigators believe Cox intended to hurt Freeman, Davis said.

The case remains under investigation and will be presented to a Mobile County grand jury, Davis said. The shooting took place about 1:30 a.m. on Carroll Lane, Davis said.

Labels: AL, altercation, assault

3 killed in Burke Co. shooting rampage

Neighbor allegedly goes from trailer to trailer before getting shot to death; 2 others injured in attacks

It wasn't unusual to hear gunshots fired in this neck of Connelly Springs.

Mostly it was just men shooting targets, though a wayward bullet recently cut through a neighbor's occupied trailer -- straight through.

On Thursday night, the shots turned deadly, and in the space of about 10 minutes three men lay dead, including the shooter. Two others were hurt.

Burke County sheriff's Lt. Becky Brendle said it happened like this:

Just after 10:30 p.m., a man walked up to the camper home of Frank James Clark and shot him dead with a rifle.

He then walked the 150 feet across a driveway and yard to the trailer home of William and Shirley Clark, Frank's brother and mother, where William Clark was working on an ATV in the sultry heat. The man asked him where Clark's mother was.

Clark knocked the man's rifle toward the ground and ran inside the trailer before the man started firing through the front door. Clark grabbed his mother and pulled her to the floor, where the two laid as bullets passed through the home and Clark called 911.

Next, the man left the trailer, walked about 15 yards through the woods behind the Clarks' and knocked on the trailer home of William Clark's other two brothers, Edward and Wayne. He was told to come inside.

When the man walked in he started shooting the rifle. He shot Edward at least twice, killing him, shot a woman and man who were visiting, and then started shooting at Wayne, who ran to a back bedroom.

Wayne grabbed a rifle from the bedroom and waited until he heard the man's gun click. He assumed it was empty, so he stepped into the hall and saw the man there with the rifle in one hand and a handgun in the other.

Wayne, he told investigators, shot the man through the heart.

When it was over, Frank James Clark, 46, Edward Leroy Clark, 47, and 61-year-old Charlie Clinard Jackson, a neighbor of the Clark brothers, were dead, and Janet Elizabeth Lefler and Scott Elliott Campbell hurt.

Investigators say Jackson was the shooter and that nobody seems to know why he did it.

Friday, gauze pad wrappers dotted the yard where it all started. The front door of William and Shirley Clark's trailer sported several bullet holes, while more holes pocked the back of the home where at least three of the bullets exited.

Empty beer cans and junk vehicles lay about and a hand-lettered sign on the front porch read, "No Jehovahs Witnesses."

Neighbor Glennie Lail said gunshots in the area had concerned neighbors with children in the past, including herself.

She said she knew Jackson, whose brother also lives nearby. Her son would sometimes go to the brother's house to play with his dogs but would come home when Jackson showed up because he was scared of him.

(More about Jackson)

Labels: assault, home invasion, NC

Wal-Mart shooting justified, Gibbons says

Battery charges expected against shooter’s alleged assailant

Fifth Judicial Prosecuting Attorney David Gibbons has declined to prosecute a man who shot an acquaintance in the leg July 18 in the Wal-Mart parking lot on East Main Street.

William Garfield Farr, 50, was arrested later that night in connection with the shooting after he fled the scene without notifying authorities of the incident, a circumstance Gibbons called “troubling” in a memo sent Wednesday to Russellville Police Department Det. Mark Frost, which was provided to The Courier.

A witness recorded Farr’s license plate number as he drove away, according to a July 20 article by Scott Perkins and Janie Ginocchio.

In a July 20 bond hearing held at the Pope County Detention Center, District Judge Don Bourne ordered Farr held on a $25,000 commercial bond. At that time, the alleged victim, Ben Lopez, was in stable condition at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, according to testimony by Frost.

Gibbons cited Arkansas Criminal Act 5-2-607 in the memo, which provides that “a person is justified in using deadly physical force upon another person if he reasonably believes that the other person is: (1) Committing or about to commit a felony involving force or violence; (2) Using or about to use unlawful deadly physical force; [or] (3) Imminently endangering his or her life.”

In the memo, Gibbons wrote despite Farr’s failure to call police and fleeing, “from the evidence, it is clear that Lopez was the initial aggressor and entered Farr’s vehicle while possessing a knife. Farr retreated to the passenger side of his vehicle, a point beyond which he could go no further with complete safety.”

“Although disputed by Lopez,” Gibbons continued, “the credible evidence is that Lopez struck at Farr with the knife injuring Farr’s lip. At that point, Farr shot Lopez in the leg with a handgun which he was authorized to carry under Arkansas Law.”

Frost testified July 20 officers found a knife at the scene. During that hearing, Farr appeared to have a small cut on his upper lip consistent with a superficial knife wound.

Gibbons wrote he anticipates filing battery charges against Lopez in connection with the incident.

It remains unclear how the two came to meet in the parking lot, as well as what caused the encounter to turn violent.

Labels: altercation, AR, assault, concealed carry permit

Prosecutors Decide Parking Lot Shooting Was Self-Defense

Hillsborough County prosecutors have decided not to pursue aggravated battery charges against a Pinellas County car salesman accused of shooting a man who was charging at him outside an Oldsmar bar this year.

The ordeal was captured on a 911 tape, recorded after the shooter called for help but before he fired his .45-caliber handgun.

Craig Auclair was arrested on aggravated battery charges after he shot Scott Baptista, a 40-year-old seasonal employee of Tampa Bay Downs who lived at the track. Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies said the shooting occurred after a barroom squabble over cigarettes.

Assistant State Attorney Morris J. Fonte Jr. said it was a clear case of self-defense, even though Auclair started the initial fight.

The altercation began inside KD's Pub on the northeast corner of Hillsborough Avenue and Race Track Road just after midnight Feb. 26 when Auclair, 25, and Baptista fought.

Auclair, of 507 Longfellow Court, Apt. D, Safety Harbor, was kicked out of the bar, deputies said, and as he walked toward his vehicle, Baptista and a friend followed.

An independent witness told prosecutors that Baptista and his friend backed Auclair up about 90 feet before Auclair, who had retrieved a handgun from his vehicle and had called 911, fired a warning shot into the air.

Because he was so close to the county line, Auclair's 911 call was connected to Pinellas County dispatchers.

While Auclair was on the telephone, the two men continued to approach him and Baptista dared Auclair to shoot him, witnesses said.

Fonte said that although Auclair was the aggressor inside the bar, "in no way was he the aggressor outside. He gave every opportunity for the men to back off." Baptista told Fonte that he followed Auclair outside "to get his licks in."

Shots were fired; two hit Baptista, deputies said. He was treated at St. Joseph's Hospital.

Auclair's attorney argued that his client's actions were self-defense.

"We are very pleased with the decision by the state attorney's office not to pursue this matter," said defense attorney John Lauro of Tampa in a prepared statement issued Monday. "We believe that Mr. Auclair acted entirely in self-defense and within his rights under Florida's new Stand-Your-Ground Act."

Labels: altercation, assault, FL

Monroe man shot with own pistol after fight

When David Brown pulled out his 9mm pistol Monday morning, he was ready to use it.

But when the gun jammed on Brown, Greg Cooper, the would-be victim, took the weapon and used the handgun to beat Brown with it. The weapon fired, hitting Brown.

Police responded to a report of shots fired just after 9 a.m. at 713-B Lacy St. When officers arrived, they could not find an assailant or a victim but followed a blood trail from where the shooting took place to the back porch of 717-A.

“It appears the two men got into an argument, one pulled a weapon out, cocked it, and it misfired,” Investigator Alicia Martin said. “It then proceeded into a physical altercation. Once the gun misfired, the victim took the gun away and proceeded to use it against his assailant.”

A 9mm shell was located in the driveway, according to reports seven to eight feet away from where the blood started.

Brown, 28, of 735 Lacy St., was later located at his house and transported by Walton EMS to Athens Regional Hospital. Reports were that he had several lacerations to his hand and was shot in the wrist of his left hand.

Monroe Police Department officials expect to issue warrants for Brown’s arrest by the end of the week.

Labels: altercation, assault, criminal's gun taken away and used against him, GA

ASU student shot, killed - Man mistaken as an intruder

The father of a Rowena man says his son inadvertently entered the wrong house early Saturday, then he was mistaken for a burglar and shot to death by a homeowner in San Antonio.

San Antonio police reported they found Tracy Glass, 19, dead near the home of Raymond Lemes, 48. According to a police report, Lemes told officers he was asleep when he heard a scream and realized an intruder was in his northwest San Antonio home.

The intruder ran, and Lemes chased him down the street, the report said. When he caught up with the suspect, Lemes said the man lunged at him, so he shot him, according to the report. Upon arriving at the scene, police found Glass face down, dead with gunshot wounds to the chest, neck and arm.

The police report said Lemes has a license for his .40-caliber Glock pistol.

The homeowner told police the intruder likely gained access to his home through a broken sliding door.

Burnell Glass said Monday that his son was visiting his sister at a house near Lemes’ residence. He said Tracy Glass went for a walk in the early morning and returned to what he thought was the home where he was staying.

When he heard a shout from the home, Tracy Glass turned and left, his father said. When Lemes followed him, Burnell Glass said his son turned around and was shot.

“This was a very tragic accident,” Burnell Glass said.

He said his son was a good person who simply made a mistake.

“He was not a thief,” he said. “He was not troubled or into drugs.”

Media Service Officer Joe Rios of the San Antonio Police Department said the incident is still under investigation. No charges have been filed against Lemes, Rios said.

“My son is dead, and nothing will bring him back,” Burnell Glass said.

“I have no reproach for the man. I will pray for him.”

Tracy Glass most recently worked in San Angelo at El Mejor restaurant and Dean’s Marine, his father said. He will be remembered by family and friends as a man who committed his life to God and to his family, Burnell Glass said.

Tracy Glass graduated from Miles High School in 2006 and was attending Angelo State University. A memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Rowena.

Rowena is about 20 miles northwest of San Angelo.

Family struggles to understand son's slaying

Carmen and Burnell Glass, two God-fearing cotton farmers from the fields of West Texas, are looking to a higher law these days in grappling with the sudden, violent death of their son.

For others, the slaying of Tracy Glass raises questions embedded firmly in the Texas Penal Code.

The case, experts said, hinges on whether a Northwest Side homeowner thought deadly force was his only option to protect himself or recover property when he chased the unarmed college student to the street and shot him to death.

Raymond Lemes, 48, found Glass inside his house early Saturday morning. Believing Glass was an intruder, Lemes grabbed his .40-caliber handgun and chased the young man outside, where he shot him in the neck, arm and chest, according to a police report.

The report does not indicate whether Glass, 19, took anything from the home. Lemes later told police he meant to detain Glass until authorities arrived, but he fired when Glass "lunged at him," the report says.

Buoyed by their Christian faith, the Glasses already have forgiven Lemes, whom they've never met. But the grieving parents also believe that the slaying of their son was a terrible mistake triggered when he mistakenly entered Lemes' house and then turned to face the homeowner.

"Tracy was not a violent person. He was not a thief," said Burnell Glass. "He was taught when you step on somebody's toes, you turn around and say, 'I'm sorry.'"

Glass, a sophomore at Angelo State University who grew up on his family's farm, had been staying at his sister's house on Autumn Evening the night he died.

That house is painted white with blue trim and is on the right side of the cul-de-sac. Lemes' house is also white with blue trim and is on the right side of another cul-de-sac, Autumn Star. One home is directly behind the other.

Living in a rural area, Glass had picked up the habit of taking late-night walks to get better reception on his cell phone, his father said. On Saturday, he sent a text message to his girlfriend and left his sister's house.

"When she called back, there was no answer," Burnell Glass said.

What happened next remains under investigation, said police spokesman Gabe Trevino.

(More, including several sidebars of interest)

Labels: assault, concealed carry permit, intruder, TX

Man shot in the back

A man was shot in the back with a pellet gun following an argument that broke out Monday afternoon while he and two other men were drinking and cooking on a grill in Saraland, authorities said.

Investigators believed that the three men were cooking when the homeowner asked one of the men to leave, according to a news release from the Saraland Police Department.

The man refused to leave, so the homeowner went inside his house at 223 Short St., located near Bayou Sara, said police spokesman Sgt. Leroy Smith.

The man followed the homeowner in and attempted to hit him, the release said.

The homeowner grabbed a pellet rifle and shot the man in the back, the release said.

No charges have been filed, and the case will be presented to the next available Mobile County grand jury, Smith said. The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries, the release said.

Labels: AL, altercation, assault

Mandarin Slaying Possibly Self Defense

Gunman Cooperating With Investigators

A 26-year-old man died Sunday night after he was shot inside a Mandarin convenience store and homicide detectives are trying to determine if the shooting was in self defense.

Police responding to a report of a gunshot at the BP gas station at the corner of Old St. Augustine and Losco roads about 9:45 p.m. found Isaiah Williams lying on the ground. He transported to Shands-Jacksonville Medical Center, where he died a shot time later.

The store clerk told Channel 4's John Dunlap that the shooting followed a confrontation that began with Williams cursing a man in line behind them.

"He went out and he came back with a friend," BP manager Reddy Kandala said. "That time, there was a fight."

Kandala said the shooter, whose name was not released by police, told Williams and his friends he had a gun. Kandala said Williams left the store again, but when he entered for a third time, he was shot.

The gunman is cooperating with police and the entire incident was recorded by surveillance cameras. Police and the state attorneys office will review the evidence and witness statements to decide if the shooting was in self defense or if the gunman should be charged with a crime.

Labels: assault, TX

Woman fatally stabbed by her ex; he's fatally shot by a bystander

A Seattle mother of four was fatally stabbed early today despite a court protection order against her knife-wielding ex-husband.

The 33-year-old victim was stabbed nearly two dozen times while attending a birthday party about 1 a.m. at the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in the 9100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way South.

The 39-year-old assailant burst into the hall, grabbed the victim and slashed her with a large knife, witnesses told police. The weapon was recovered at the scene.

A 32-year-old Kent man who was at the party pulled a hand gun and shot the suspect who later died at Harborview Medial Center.

Police spokeswoman Renee Witt said the party guest had a concealed-weapons permit. She said he likely won't face charges since he acted to prevent further harm.

Another partygoer who tried to save the victim suffered minor cuts. He drove himself to Virginia Mason Medical Center and was later released.

Although identities had not been formally released this evening, court records indicate that the victim and 39-year-old assailant obtained a court separation March 30 of this year.

Court records also show that the attacker had a previous record of violence including multiple counts of assault in April this year.

Labels: assault, domestic abuse, WA

Two die in gun battle outside Rialto club

Two people were killed and a third was critically wounded after an early morning gunbattle Sunday outside a Rialto nightclub, police said.

About 1:45 a.m., a crowd had gathered outside the El Patio Nightclub at 333 E. Foothill Blvd. when a confrontation broke out and a man pulled a handgun and opened fire, police said.

The man fatally shot Adrian Alvarado, 17, of Rialto, in the head and wounded Eduardo Marin, 25, in the torso before the club's armed security fatally shot the gunman, Rialto police Sgt. Tim Lane said Sunday.

Alvarado and Marin had been standing in the parking lot when they were hit by gunfire, police said. The club's private security then confronted the gunman, whose identity has not been released, and exchanged gunshots, police said.

The gunman at the scene and the private security guard, whose name was not released, was not injured, police said.
Alvarado and the suspect died at the scene, while Marin was taken to a local hospital where he was in critical condition on Sunday, Lane said.

Police interviewed and released the private security guard, and authorities will forward the case to the San Bernardino County district attorney's office for review, police said.

Labels: altercation, assault, CA, minor offender

Murder jury acquits Callahan

Morgan Circuit Court panel believes 2006 shooting of Cullman man was self-defense

A Morgan County jury sent Mark Anthony Callahan home Friday to raise his five children.

The jury acquitted Callahan, 38, in Circuit Court of murder in the July 1, 2006, shooting death of Ricky Gilley, 30, of Cullman.

The jury believed the shooting was in self-defense.

"He's certainly elated and just wanted to get home with his children," Callahan's attorney, Larry Madison, said after the verdict.

Assistant District Attorney Paul Matthews scrutinized Callahan's testimony about what happened the night of the shooting.

Callahan said he feared for his and his five children's lives. He said Gilley had gotten Callahan's gun and threatened him. He said he managed to wrestle the gun away and shot Gilley.

Callahan said an argument between him, Gilley and his girlfriend preceded the shooting.

Gilley's girlfriend, who is also Callahan's first cousin, testified that Callahan rubbed her leg and that is what caused the fight.

Testimony revealed that the three had consumed one bottle of liquor and had started on another bottle before the shooting. A pathologist testified that Gilley died from a gunshot wound to the chest. He said the shooting occurred at close range, no more than 21/2 feet away.

Madison used that testimony to argue his case, saying it proved Callahan wrestled the gun from Gilley.

Matthews told the jury that Callahan could have walked away and that there was no sign of a fight inside Callahan's home at Somerville.

"Cussing someone doesn't justify killing them," Matthews argued. "You tell him today he's not justified. He's guilty of murder."

Madison told the jury that Callahan didn't have to leave his home.

"This man was in his home and his children's home," Madison said.

He asked the jury for an acquittal, and a little less than an hour later the jury returned the verdict.
Circuit Judge Steve Haddock discharged Callahan and told him he was free to go.

He left the courtroom and, on the way out of the courthouse, kissed two of his five children whom he said he is raising alone.

Callahan told the jury Thursday that his wife abandoned him and the children more than a year ago when she left with another man.

Labels: AL, assault, criminal's gun taken away and used against him, domestic dispute

Bell acquitted in 06 [sic] shooting

A 31-year-old Bridgeton man was acquitted Thursday on charges of first-degree attempted murder in connection with a 2005 shooting incident in Gouldtown.

Leroy Bell, of Hampton Street, was also acquitted on various weapons charges, with the exception of fourth-degree possession of a firearm without a permit, for which he was convicted.

Bell was found guilty of two counts of aggravated assault as well. However, jurors found he acted in defense in connection with those charges, negating those convictions.

Because Bell was convicted of a felony, Superior Court Judge Timothy Farrell ordered him to turn over all firearms he may own.

In a 2005 statement to detectives, Bell admitted shooting at the alleged victim in the case, 20-year-old Douglas Lawson, of North Pearl Street, Bridgeton, but only after Lawson shot at him during an incident on Longview Avenue in Fairfield Township on Aug. 30, 2005.

Neither Bell nor Lawson were injured in either of the two incidents.

Detectives who testified during a one-day trial Wednesday said that they found no evidence corroberating Bell's assertion that he was acting in self-defense.

Lawson declined to testify against Bell.

Lawson is facing charges of attempted murder himself, in connection with a separate incident that also occurred on Longview Avenue on Aug. 30, 2005, in which its alleged Lawson fired a gun at Bell.

The only witnesses in the trial were two detectives who worked on the case, although several other people were said to have been at the scene of the shooting.

Bell was facing a potential prison sentence of 30 years to life in prison if convicted of attempted murder.

Labels: assault, NJ

Skrappy's settles suit over shooting death

Insurer pays part of $250,000 to man's parents

The parents of a 27-year-old Mesa resident who was shot and killed in the parking lot of Skrappy's youth club Downtown have settled their lawsuit with the club and the man who shot him. Ray "Darrin" Pierson's parents settled the lawsuit for $250,000, said Tucson attorney James Dyer.

Skrappy's has agreed to pay Phoenix residents Jeffrey Pierson and Julie Maynard, Ray Pierson's parents, $150,000.
Jordan Asch's homeowners insurance has agreed to pay the remaining $100,000, Dyer said. Asch, who shot Pierson, was not charged in the case.

The county attorney ruled the shooting justified

Ray Pierson was shot and killed Dec. 7, 2005, outside the club at 201 E. Broadway.

Despite the settlement, what happened that night remains a hotly contested issue.

One side maintains Pierson died protecting the crowd from a Columbine-type massacre.

The other insists Pierson was a member of a national group known for provoking melees and Asch shot him in self-defense.

The group, FSU, is known in some circles as Friends Stand United. Others contend the initials stand for a vulgar expression related to creating disturbances.

In a prepared statement faxed to the Arizona Daily Star, Sue Krahe-Eggleston, executive director of Our Family Services, the nonprofit organization behind Skrappy's, expressed her relief that the lawsuit has been resolved.

"While we do not believe Skrappy's was in any way at fault for causing this unfortunate incident, we welcomed the opportunity to settle as a way to avoid the costly legal fees of continuing the case.

"We would not characterize the actions of Darrin Pierson as that of a hero. While our hearts go out to his family, we believe he and his accomplices were the initiators of an unwarranted and violent attack on a number of innocent concertgoers."

While one of five bands playing that night was performing, a large group ran into the crowd and began hitting people, according to police reports. Others began throwing microphone stands, speakers and amplifiers into the crowd.

A member of Skrappy's management turned on the lights and told everyone to leave, that the police had been called.

According to some accounts, Asch, who sometimes acted as volunteer security for the club, went to his car to get an assault rifle to prevent the situation from escalating further.

Asch's friends insisted Asch was persuaded to put the rifle back into his truck and it was while they were at his truck they were attacked by a mob carrying pool balls in socks, hammers, baseball bats and machetes.

Asch, who is now 25, told police one of the men "went to the passenger (door) and busted out my window and started climbing in after me with the hammer in his hand, so I shot him center mass."

(More)

Labels: assault, AZ

Man involved in Thursday's fatal shooting says it was in self-defense

The man who was involved Thursday's shooting in east Spokane that left a 24-year-old man dead spoke out for the first time on Saturday.

Allan Turnipseed carries a gun with him at all times. But he'd never had to use it until Thursday. He says his life, and the lives of his family, were in danger.

Thursday afternoon's shooting was a small incident that spiraled out of control. That is the story from Turnipseed, the man accused of shooting 24-year-old Joshua Smith.

Turnipseed has not been jailed and is currently a free man. He declined to go on camera, but spoke from his home. He says on Wednesday evening, he witnessed two young men driving down 8th Avenue, one of them tossing a beer can out the window. He confronted the pair, and as he went to call police, they left.

On Thursday, Turnipseed says he was driving down Ferrall when he saw the same Mazda, with the same men inside and Smith driving. Sensing trouble, Turnipseed says he moved his car to block the young men from coming near his home.

He then alleges Smith drove up to the car and said he wanted to take a crowbar to his face, then took a crowbar out and began making threats. Turnipseed says he pulled his .380-caliber gun and tried to make a citizen's arrest. He then stood in front of Smith's car to keep them from leaving. Seconds later, Smith allegedly tried to run Turnipseed over. Turnipseed was hit, and as he clung onto the hood, fired two shots into the car.

Turnipseed believes the men were drinking, and adds that he'll accept any charges that may come. Police say it is illegal to make a citizen's arrest in Washington. The shooting is still under investigation.

Labels: assault, WA

Business Owner Holds Alleged Crook At Gunpoint

A business owner takes the law into his own hands and holds a suspected crook at gunpoint until police arrive. The suspect was allegedly breaking into cars at a business complex on North Cascade.

Just after midnight, something strange was going on outside the businesses. "He had taken a transformer off of Roger's truck and was beating on a car window. That was thumping noise I heard," Kristi Lyons told 11 News.

Her husband, Mike, grabbed his gun and ran outside. They knew there was an intruder when they saw the plastic window on their car sliced open.

Kristi said the suspect was caught red-handed, hiding behind and underneath cars in the parking lot.

"Mike had him at gunpoint. He said, ‘We can do this the easy way or the hard way.’ I called police." She was on the phone for about 5 minutes while she watched Mike go after the suspect.

"Mike had the kid at gunpoint. He started advancing toward Mike with a knife and Mike fired off a shot to let him know that he wasn’t kidding."

Police arrested 24-year-old Richard Richardson.

"I wish he would've shot the guy," said Lisa Yunker who owns the business next door. She said the row of businesses has been broken into several times. “Everyone is sick of it, this whole complex. We don't know why we're targeted."

For now, everyone who works there thinks of Kristi's husband as a hero. Kristi told 11 News she’d do it all over again if another intruder came onto her property, but “With a bigger gun."

Richard Richardon is behind bars charged with criminal mischief, trespassing and assault. Police said they had been looking for him earlier in the night for allegedly attacking a kid with a baseball bat.

Labels: assault, CO, trespassing

Man questioned in fatal Dallas shooting

One person is dead and another was being questioned Sunday afternoon after a confrontation reportedly led to a shooting in north Dallas.

Dallas police say a couple was moving out of their apartment in the 9500 block of Forest Lane when the wife saw “an individual” walking down the street. She told her husband that the person had robbed her of her cell phone on Saturday, Dallas police spokesman Jamie Matthews said in a statement.

The husband told police that he confronted the alleged robber on the street and that the person reached for a gun. The husband pulled his own gun and shot the victim in the head, he told police.

The victim was pronounced dead at Medical City hospital. Police have been unable to identify the individual.

No arrests had been made as of Sunday evening.

Man killed may have robbed shooter's wife

A man who was shot and killed Sunday may have been involved in a robbery the day before in Dallas.

Police said the deceased man was in possession of a cellphone that was taken from the shooter's wife during the robbery at 7 p.m. Saturday. The couple was moving out of Snug Harbor Apartments in the 9500 block of Forest Lane about 12:19 p.m. Sunday because of the robbery.

Sunday's confrontation started as the woman's mother noticed a suspicious man walking across the street. The mother had received harassing phone calls from the stolen cellphone, police said. Her son-in-law confronted the man, who pulled out a gun. The son-in-law, who has a concealed handgun license, shot the man.

The shooting victim was taken to Medical City Dallas, where he was pronounced dead.

Police have questioned the shooter and released him, said Sgt. Gene Reyes. The case will be referred to a grand jury.

Labels: altercation, assault, concealed carry permit, TX

Early Morning Shooting Outside Puerto Rican Social Club

Investigators are calling Sunday morning's deadly shooting outside Puerto Rican social club in Orange County self-defense.

It happened a little before one a.m. in the parking lot at the Asociación Borinqueña de Florida Central on Econlockhatchee Trail near Colonial Drive.

Police believe it started when a fight broke out between two groups during a Vietnamese concert at the club.

The fight spilled into the parking lot and that is when shots were fired.

Sheriff's investigators say 31-year-old Long Pharm of Largo fired a number of shots but hit no one. Another person then shot at Pharm, killing him.

Police say that at this point they are treating it as a self-defense killing.

The case has been turned over to the State Attorney's Office. It will decide if any charges will be filed.

Labels: altercation, assault, FL

Titusville police: Killing looks like self-defense

Titusville Police said this afternoon they’re confident William Herring shot two men with a handgun — one fatally — in self-defense after they broke into his garage and attacked him with a pipe and tire iron.

Herring was working in his garage at 908 S. Washington Avenue in downtown Titusville when he spotted two men on his property “in an area they didn’t belong,” Assistant Police Chief John Lau said. The two men attacked Herring, who grabbed a gun and fire three shots, Lau said.

Herring then called 9-1-1 to report the shooting. When officers arrived at 12:30 a.m. they found 44-year-old William Wade Hose of Mims dead.

Christopher J. Zagorski, 47, also of Mims, was transported to Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne with serious injuries.

“Both shooting victims knew the (resident), and there appears to have been some type of feud between them,” Hutchinson said in a news release.

Investigators this afternoon are still trying to establish the relationship between the three men.

A pipe and tire iron found in the garage were taken into evidence.

Herring had injuries consistent with being hit by blunt objects, Lt. Todd Hutchinson said.

The investigation is expected to take several days. Detectives have not been able to interview the surviving shooting victim, Hutchinson said.

New facts come out in Titusville shooting

Homeowner knew 1 intruder

A Titusville man who told police he fatally shot one intruder and wounded another in an act of self-defense grew up with one of the man in Long Island, N.Y., the man's sister said Friday.

Police said one of the intruders was carrying a gun when the shooting occurred.

The home's resident William Herring has not been charged, and authorities have said the preliminary investigation indicates self-defense. But prosecutors will review the case, Titusville Lt. Todd Hutchinson said.

"At this point the physical evidence matches the shooting suspect's version of events," he said. "However, the complete findings and facts will be shared with the state attorney's office, and together we will determine whether there are any criminal charges applicable in this case."

According to police, Herring was working in his garage at 908 S. Washington Ave. when he said he spotted two intruders on his property. He said Christopher J. Zagorski, 47, of Mims and William Hose, 44, of Mims attacked him with a pipe and a tire iron. Herring grabbed a handgun he kept in the garage and shot three times, killing Hose and seriously injuring Zagorski.

Hose, the son of the York County, Pa., Sheriff Bill Hose, was shot first in the stomach and then in the back, Hutchinson said.

Sheriff Hose declined to comment to FLORIDA TODAY.

It was the shot to the back, which hit between the shoulder blades and out the chest, that killed the younger Hose, said Rodney Belcher with the Brevard County medical examiner's office.

The medical examiner's report listed the second bullet wound as entering the front of the left thigh and came out the left buttock, Belcher said.

Titusville police said they recovered a handgun from Zagorski. Detectives are investigating what sparked the incident, including the possibility of a debt Herring may have owed the men.

"Our investigators are looking into whether the shooting suspect owed these victims money," Hutchinson said.

Shooting of sheriff's son likely in self-defense

A Titusville man who told police he fatally shot one intruder and wounded another in an act of self-defense grew up with one of the men in Long Island, N.Y., the man's sister said Friday.

Police said one of the intruders was carrying a gun when the shooting occurred.

William H. Hose, the son of York County Sheriff Bill Hose, was killed during the alleged break-in, police said.

The home's resident William Herring has not been charged, and authorities have said the preliminary investigation indicates it was self-defense. But prosecutors will review the case, Titusville Lt. Todd Hutchinson said.

Labels: assault, FL, home invasion

Man shoots trespasser twice in legs

A northwest Harris County homeowner says he shot a man in the legs on Friday because the man trespassed on his property.

The homeowner told deputies he heard dogs barking so he went outside and saw a man in his backyard.

He confronted the suspect and that's when the suspect pulled out some type of hammer or ax.

The homeowner then shot the suspect twice in the legs.

The suspect jumped the fence and ran off into some nearby woods.

A police dog found him a short time later. He was taken into custody on a stretcher.

Labels: assault, trespassing, TX

Judge: Shooting outside MedCentral was self defense

Kevin Teague acted in self defense when he shot a fellow Mansfield teenager in the face, according to Richland County Juvenile Court Judge Ron Spon.

The judge on Thursday acquitted the 15-year-old Teague of attempted murder and two counts of felonious assault. Spon found him guilty of carrying a concealed weapon.

The decision followed a three-day trial during which the Richland County Prosecutor's Office argued Teague shot and intended to kill Jacques Sutton outside MedCentral/ Mansfield Hospital on Feb. 18.

The judge didn't agree.

Spon said the prosecution failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Teague intended to kill the victim.

"The defense ... successfully argued their case that what Kevin did was in self-defense," Spon said, claiming defense attorney Ralph Bove proved three specific points:

First, Teague was not at fault in creating the altercation between himself, the victim and four other juveniles accompanying the victim.

Spon cited testimony from witnesses saying the victim and his friends antagonized and bullied Teague for a lengthy period of time. On the day in question, one of the victim's friends got Teague to let his guard down, then punched him.

Second, Teague had a "bona fide belief of immediate danger and bodily harm requiring the use of force to escape."

Testimony and evidence indicated five juveniles pursued Teague and his acquaintance for at least one city block before getting to MedCentral. From there, security video shows five juveniles attempting to surround Teague to keep him from entering the hospital.

"The video was chilling," Spon said. "It was like watching sharks circle in for the kill. Frankly, the line (Sutton) said that they were only going to the hospital because they were hungry and wanted to use the vending machines to get something to eat was a ploy."

Third, the defense proved Teague did all he could to retreat from the altercation.

"This was a long pursuit," Spon said. "He was retreating the entire distance of at least one block."

Spon said Teague had the gun in his possession during the pursuit, but had it pointed down until the moment Sutton caught up to him outside the hospital entrance.

"The prosecution has argued that (the victim) had his hands out the entire time," Spon said. "But the video showed (the victim) had his right hand in his pocket," suggesting the victim had a weapon for which he was reaching.

"In short, Kevin was being relentlessly pursued by five people with the intent to cause bodily harm," he said. "The defense proved in that moment, his only means at hand was the use of force."
…

Spon ordered Teague, who spent 158 days detained in the Juvenile Justice Center, to be released into house arrest under the supervision of his family while a pre-sentence report is filed. Spon will sentence Teague on his concealed weapon conviction within 30 days.

Labels: assault, OH

Wounded man faces charges

A man Jackson County deputies found shot in the stomach Saturday has been charged with burglary and attempted aggravated as-sault.

Deputies responded to call at 4317 Knowlcrest drive in reference to a possible intruder, according to a news release from Jackson County Sheriff Mike Byrd.

Deputies discovered Shontile Leprice Keys, 24, 5119 Meridian, Moss Point, with a gunshot to the stomach. Keys was take to Singing River Hospital, Pascagoula.

It was determined Keys had broken into the residence to await the arrival of the homeowners, according to the report. When the homeowners arrived, Keys attacked them but he was eventually shot, the report said.

No bond has been set and Keys remains in the hospital, according to the report.

Labels: assault, MS, residence robbery

Neighbor Shoots Naked Man: Claims Self Defense

A naked man was shot to death in West Palm Beach as he was lunged at a resident who was trying to protect a woman and her children.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said Jonas Morisma may have been under the influence of drugs when he ended up at the woman's apartment complex early Tuesday. Witnesses told police Morisma first attacked a tow truck, banging on the driver's windows and tearing off its lights. He then reportedly began banging on apartment doors and punching through windows.

Police say Morisma was disrobing while doing all this.

A resident came out of his apartment with a gun and told Morisma to leave as the woman and her children sought cover nearby. According to authorities, that's when Morisma lunged at the resident, who fired one shot. Police have not released the name of the man who shot Morisma to protect him from retaliation.

Labels: assault, FL

Suspect Shot During Gunfire Exchange in Burton

Beaufort County deputies responded to a report of shots fired on Monday afternoon in Burton, South Carolina. Rodmond Singleton, 24, and his brother, Titus Singleton, 18, were reported in the backyard of a residence on Goethe Hill Road getting ready for some target practice when the incident occurred.

The men told investigators they saw a dark-colored Lexus pull into the driveway. A black male, whom Titus identified as Antoine Robinson, 19, got out of the vehicle and pointed a handgun at them.

According to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office, Robinson fired shots toward the Singletons and they returned fire with weapons they'd had ready for target practice. Robinson drove away and investigators don't yet know the motive behind the attack.

Antoine Robinson later turned up at Beaufort Memorial Hospital with a gunshot wound to his upper left arm.
During the gunfight, the residence across the street from the Singletons' was apparently struck by stray bullets, though no one was injured.

Investigators found and seized a Lexus matching the description provided by the Singletons in Beaufort, where Robinson lives.
The Singletons turned their guns over to investigators at the scene. Both are registered to Rodmond Singleton.
No gun linked to Robinson has been found.

Robinson has been charged with and arrested on two counts of assault and battery with intent to kill. After his release from the hospital Monday night, he was taken to the Beaufort County Detention Center.

This incident remains under investigation by the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.

Labels: assault, SC

Man Shot After Fight at Downtown Orlando Nightclub

The victim of a downtown Orlando shooting is recovering this afternoon.

The shooting occurred around 3 a.m. on Garland Ave., shortly after the victim left Club Element on Pine Street. Police believe a confrontation between the victim and four other men began early Tuesday morning at the bar.

Police say that while the victim and a passenger were traveling north on Garland Ave. near Concord St., two cars pulled up and blocked the victim's vehicle. Multiple shots were fired out of one of the suspect cars.

The victim was shot in the head and transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center. His injury is not life-threatening and he is cooporating with detectives.

Police say the victim was followed from the club and probably boxed in just south of Colonial. Passenger in the victims car shot back in self-defense. No word on whether anything will happen to him but police have his gun. Two cars fled when passenger shot back but only description police gave us is they're a Silver car and a Blue car.

Labels: assault, FL

An Eastern Kentucky Shooting Sends One Man To The Hospital

An investigation is underway this morning into a shooting that sent one man to the hospital.

It happened just before five last night on Kentucky 589 in Morgan County.

Police say Oakie Fannin drove to the home of his ex-wife Tameila Burchett, just minutes after he called her and threatened her husband.

Authorities tell us that Fannin then drove through the yard, then turned and headed directly for Charles Burchett.

That's when Mr. Burchett fire