Civilian Gun Self-Defense Blog

Man remains in critical condition after weekend shooting

A Shreveport man remains in critical condition at LSU Hospital in Shreveport this morning after being shot by his estrange wife over the weekend.

Gary Young, 34, was shot at least once in the chest on Saturday after he went to the residence in the 5900 block of Candlewood Circle and attempted to drag the woman out of the bed, according to police.

The couple began arguing and Frances Young, 33, pulled out a handgun and shot her husband.

The woman was questioned by police and released. Police say the couple was separated.

Labels: domestic dispute, female, LA

Woman Shoots At, Terrifies Intruder

Police said a woman shot at an intruder, scaring him directly through a glass door.

Officers with the Friendswood Police Department said they responded to a residence in the 400 block of Regency Court after a homeowner shot at a man that had broken into her home.

The woman said that at about 11:15 a.m. on April 12, she awoke to a loud noise followed by her alarm system sounding. She then heard footsteps going up to her second floor.

The woman said she grabbed her pistol and walked into the living room where she saw a man standing in her house. She fired a shot in the man's direction, which sent him running through -- and shattering -- a glass door as he fled the scene.

The homeowner was not hurt.

The intruder was described as a dark skinned black man, approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall. He was last seen wearing a blue T-shirt with white lettering, dark shorts and dark colored tennis shoes. He was clean-shaven, had a short hairstyle and appeared to be well groomed.

Officers said they searched the surrounding neighborhood and businesses but were not able to find the man. They said the investigation is ongoing.

Labels: female, home invasion, TX

Woman holds burglar at gunpoint

A burglar in southern Cedar County found himself in a standoff this week -- not with police but with a 57-year-old woman armed with a pistol and training for a conceal-and-carry permit. She held the burglar at bay until police could arrive to arrest him at the rural home where whe found him in the closet.

(See video at site for more details)

Labels: female, home invasion, MO

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

Woman Shoots Robber, Husband During Home Invasion

A woman shot and killed an intruder and accidentally wounded her husband in a northeast Harris County home invasion, investigators told KPRC Local 2 Thursday.

According to deputies, a couple found themselves staring down the barrel of a gun in their apartment in the Northshore Meadows complex in the 300 block of Audrey Lane shortly before midnight.

A man had just broken into their apartment and was making demands.

According to investigators, he wanted cash and drugs, and made the couple remove all their clothing.

Then, gunshots rang out. However, the would-be robber wasn't the one squeezing the trigger, officials said.

"The husband got into a physical altercation with the suspect," Harris County Deputy A.J. Kelly said. "The wife was able to retrieve a handgun that they had up in the room and she fired shots, striking and killing the suspect."

The husband was also shot. Deputies said he was hit in the arm. They believe he may have been hit by friendly fire from his wife.

The couple told investigators that they did not know the man or why they were the targets of a home invasion.

"Seems like, at this point, they did what they had to do," Kelly said. "They were in fear that this individual who broke into their house was going to harm them."

Deputies said they believe the intruder may not have been alone.

"We have a female detained that was in the parking lot at the time of the incident and we're questioning her know," Kelly said. "She's definitely a person of interest. We think she was with him."

According to Kelly, the woman was downstairs in the parking lot waiting in what appeared to be the getaway car.

Investigators said that the husband suffered from an exit wound to the arm.

He was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover.

Labels: female, home invasion, TX

Clerk, robbery suspect exchange gunfire

A woman store clerk and a would-be robber exchanged gunfire late Saturday night but police report no one was injured.

The female clerk at EZ Food Mart, 1006 North Fourth St., told police she bent down behind the counter to get some cigarettes for a customer. When she stood up, a man was standing next to the customer pointing a handgun at her.

The woman told police she ducked behind the counter as the suspect fired. She grabbed a gun that was behind the counter and as the suspect was running out of the door, she fired one shot toward him but missed.

Neither the clerk nor the suspect were injured.

Police said the suspect was wearing a red bandanna over his face.

Labels: business robbery, female, TX

Domestic Dispute Leads To Shooting

The Tulsa Police Department is investigating whether a woman shot her ex-boyfriend in self-defense. It started as a domestic dispute and led to a shooting on Tuesday morning.

Officers were called to the scene near 1500 East 51st Place North around 8 a.m. Police say the woman said her ex-boyfriend had come by Monday night, slashed her tires, and then beat her.

Police say when he came back on Tuesday, she shot him four times with a .22-caliber handgun.

The man drove himself to the hospital and is expected to recover. Police say the woman was also taken to the hospital for her injuries.

Labels: domestic dispute, female, OK

Cross Hill Woman Comes Home, Kills Intruder

A Cross Hill woman returned home to find an intruder inside, and then shot and killed him. The incident happened about 8pm this evening on Pineland Shores Road. Laurens County Sheriff Ricky Chastain tells News Channel 7 that the woman heard someone in the home, grabbed a weapon, and saw him hiding in one of the rooms. She then shot him. It was not until after she shot him that she realized she knew him. Chastain says robbery appears to be the motive.

Investigators will now present the case to Solicitor Jerry Peace to determine if the woman will be charged. No names were released this evening.

Further links:
Laurens Co. Woman Shoots And Kills Home Invader

Labels: female, residence burglary, SC, trespassing

Charges dropped in shooting death DA says wife acted in self-defense when she killed her husband

All charges against 61-year-old Bobbi J. Dailey, the woman accused in the shooting death of her husband, Michael, at their home in SummerGrove on Feb. 6, have been dropped by the Coweta County District Attorney's office.

Dailey had been charged with two counts of murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. In light of new evidence recently uncovered, the District Attorney's office has concluded that Dailey was acting in self-defense on the evening of Feb. 6 and have therefore dismissed the case against her, according to Assistant District Attorney Pat Dutcher.

Dailey, who was represented by Criminal Law Attorney Lawrence Delan, has been out of the Coweta County Jail since posting the $25,000 bond set by Coweta Superior Court Judge A. Quillian Baldwin on March 9.

According to Dutcher, the original evidence presented by the Newnan Police Department detectives indicated that Dailey may have maliciously shot and killed her husband. The investigator for the District Attorney's office recently discovered new evidence that indicated that Dailey reasonably believed she had to use deadly force to defend herself against her husband the evening of Feb. 6.

On the night of the shooting, Coweta 911 received a call at 10:10 p.m. from 507 Hunterian Place in SummerGrove from Bobbi Dailey. Police arrived on the scene to find Michael lying dead on the floor in a bedroom with a single gunshot wound to the heart.

Investigators determined that the Daileys had gotten into an argument while both were under the influence of alcohol in which one of them had retrieved a .40 caliber Sig Sauer gun. Bobbi got that gun and fired one shot, striking her husband in the chest, according to police.

"While we don't condone the act, this is no doubt a tragic situation," said Dutcher. "We believe now that we have the complete picture in the best interest of justice — that is our ethical responsibility."

Psychological testing conducted on Dailey indicated that she suffered from Battered Person Syndrome, a sub-category of post-traumatic stress disorder. The investigator with the District Attorney's office had interviewed two of Michael's former spouses and concluded that there was a history of abusive behavior, according to Dutcher.

Furthermore, Dutcher stated that evidence suggests that Michael had struck his wife the evening of the deadly altercation. Michael's right hand was swollen with abrasions, and Dailey's left eye was reportedly swollen and bruised. There was also a hole in the wall of the kitchen with traces of blood indicating that Michael may have punched his fist through it. Finally, there was a scratch mark on his neck suggesting to investigators that Dailey had tried to fight back.

"All the evidence was consistent with a domestic altercation," said Dutcher. "This was a difficult case, and the Daileys are good people. My heart goes out to the them in this tragedy. The possibility that we could reopen this case exists if any new evidence presents itself."

(More)

Labels: domestic abuse, female, GA

Police Investigate Bizarre Shooting

Lexington Police are investigating a bizarre shooting on the city's North side of town. It happened just after 10 p.m. Thursday on Maddie Lane in the Masterson Station neighborhood.

Police said two women were inside their home, when they heard a noise downstairs and realized a man was trying to break through their window.

The roommates called 911, keeping dispatchers on the phone while they warned the man to leave, but when he continued to try to pry the window open anyway, that's when police say one of the women shot him.

The intruder was taken to UK hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

Police are questioning the man, but so far, no charges have been filed.

Investigators said the woman who shot him acted in self-defense and will not face any charges.

Labels: female, home invasion, KY

Man arrested after home invasion

A Newark man was arrested in a home invasion shortly after midnight Saturday during which a gun was pulled on the intruder.

Josef L. Franklin, 25, last known address 551 Seneca Drive, was charged with aggravated burglary, a first-degree felony.

A man stormed into a home on the 200 block of Day Avenue at about 12:30 a.m. and confronted a couple in their bedroom, according to a Newark police report.

While the intruder was throwing punches at her boyfriend, the 19-year-old female victim told police she pulled an unloaded handgun on the intruder.

The intruder then charged her and tried to wrestle the weapon away before the 23-year-old boyfriend pulled him off, the report said.

The intruder, who was joined by two women, then left, threatening to come back and harm both victims, witness statements claim.

He returned about five minutes later, trying to kick down the door, which was locked. He was unsuccessful.

The two victims and their infant child left their home. When they returned, the door was broken open and several electronic items and a safe were missing, the police report states.

Franklin was arrested on misdemeanor criminal damaging and felony burglary charges less than three hours after the report was filed.

He is incarcerated at the Licking County Justice Center, and Licking County Municipal Court Judge David Branstool set his bond at $25,000 Monday.

Labels: female, home invasion, OH

Colorado police look for links in church killings

Police in Colorado on Monday were looking into possible links between shootings at a Christian evangelical church and a missionary training center over the weekend that left four victims and a gunman dead.

A man dressed in black, wearing combat boots and holding an assault rifle and at least one handgun, opened fire in the parking lot of the vast evangelical New Life church in Colorado Springs after Sunday services, killing one person on the spot and wounding others. A second person died later, police said.

A security guard shot and killed the gunman, Colorado Springs Police Chief Richard Myers told a news conference.

...

Arms, of the Colorado Springs Police, told CNN the name of the dead gunman would be released later on Monday.

"The security guard who took action in the church probably saved this tragedy from becoming a lot worse than it already is," Arms said.

(More)

Labels: CO, concealed carry permit, female, private security

Domestic violence between teens erupts into gunfire

A teenaged girl fired a handgun at her boyfriend and missed early Saturday morning after she was punched, nearly strangled and held against her will.

The girl then scooped her 1–year-old daughter and fled the boyfriend’s home, police authorities said.

Both teens are 17. Their names were not released by the Douglas Police Department.

At about 1:21 a.m. Saturday the police were dispatched to a Douglas home involving violence between the two teens.

The boyfriend arrived home from work and accused his girlfriend of cheating on him, said Marcus Gonzales, the spokesman for the Douglas Police Department.

His girlfriend attempted to leave, but the boyfriend wouldn’t let her. The boyfriend then became violent and he pushed her, causing her to fall to the floor.

He then punched her and began to strangle her.

She escaped and once again tried to leave the house. The boyfriend held her against her will and struck her on the forehead with a frying pan, Gonzales said.

The boyfriend then took out a handgun from a dresser drawer, pointed it at her, then pointed it to his own head.

She knocked the gun out of his hand, grabbed it, aimed it at him, and squeezed the trigger twice. The gun, though, did not fire.

The boyfriend ran through the hallway of the house and out the front door.

The girl, fearing that he would return, squeezed the trigger and fired off a shot that went through the screen door, Gonzales said.

The girl put the gun down, grabbed her daughter, and ran out of the house, looking for help.

She spotted a Douglas police officer on 10th Street and D Avenue and flagged him down.

Police arrested the boyfriend and charged him with aggravated assault, unlawful imprisonment and three counts of endangerment.

Police also found a two-month-old baby in the house.

The boyfriend was transported to the Cochise County Jail, where he is being held on a $250,000 bond. The girl was released without charges

Labels: AZ, domestic abuse, female, minor defender

Mother Turns Tables On Carjackers

Police Investigate Carjacking On Suburban Road

Police said Wednesday a mother wrestled away a gun from a carjacker who tried to take her car with her 7-year-old daughter inside.

Chopper 10 was over the scene at Bellfield Avenue and Route 1, where police were using metal detectors and a search dog.

Bellfield Avenue was shut down for the investigation. Firefighters arrived with lights so police could continue the investigation.

Police said the 37-year-old woman was leaving work at the Sunny Days Early Child Development Services facility on Township Line when she said she was approached by two men who got out of a black Jeep. After a brief conversation, one pointed a gun at her and demanded her SUV.

Police said the woman pleaded with the gunmen to allow her to retrieve her 7-year-old daughter out of the backseat. As she helped the child out, she grabbed the gun from the carjacker's lap. The woman then began to back away, with the gunmen following in an attempt to retrieve the gun.

Police said the gun went off in the struggle.

While neither the mother nor daughter were injured, it was unknown if their attackers were hurt. The gunmen got the weapon back, and one jumped into the victim's SUV and drove up Belfield Avenue, while the other was picked up around the corner on Township Line in the black Jeep they had pulled up in, NBC 10 News reported.

Police said they were looking for at least three men, their black Jeep, and the victim's 2007 White Over Black Toyota FJ Cruiser.

Labels: carjacking, criminal's gun taken away and used against him, female, PA

Police: Woman Shoots Stalker To Death After Break-In

Woman Endured Many Incidents With Stalker, Police Said

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Labels: female, IN, stalking

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

Tennessee Man Shot By Two Women

A deadly shooting in Camden, Tennessee on Thursday.

29-year-old Jason Robinson of Holladay suffered a shotgun wound to the chest and died about an hour after being shot yesterday afternoon.

The police chief says an argument started when Robinson told his girlfriend Sonja Moore that he had an affair with her friend Benita Murphy.

All three were at Moore's home at the time. The women told police Robinson was beating them. Officers say both women show signs of abuse.

The women said Murphy got the shotgun to defend herself and shot Robinson when he kept attacking them. No charges have been filed at this point.

Self-defense possible factor in fatal shooting

Self-defense may have been a contributing factor in the shooting death of a Holladay resident, Jason D. Robinson, 29, Thursday afternoon. The shooter, Benita G. Murphy, 21, was taken into custody on the scene, but was later released pending the District Attorney’s decision on whether or not to file charges.

“All of the evidence gathered at the scene has been sent to the crime lab or turned over to the D.A.,” said Camden Police Chief George Smith. “It is up to them whether or not we charge her.”

According to District Attorney Hansel McCadams, his office will likely meet with TBI agents next week to make the decision. If charges are filed, the case will most likely go to the grand jury.

Benton County Central Dispatch received the call at approximately 2 p.m. Thursday that there was a woman standing in the front yard of 312 Wren Avenue, a residence well known to local law enforcement for domestic situations, holding a gun, which had been fired, and that a man was lying on the ground.

Upon arriving on the scene, officers from the Camden Police Department and Benton County Sheriff’s Department discovered Robinson laying on the ground with a gunshot wound to the chest, but still alive. He was transported to the Camden Elk’s Lodge to be airlifted, but passed away before take off. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation was called to the scene

According to Chief Smith, Murphy was still on the scene when officers arrived, along with Robinson’s girlfriend Sonya Moore, who lived at the residence and witnessed the shooting. The 12-gauge shotgun used in the shooting was laying on the ground in the front yard.

Smith said that Murphy surrendered peacefully to the officers and cooperated with the investigation. Both women told investigators that Robinson had been beating up on both of them, prompting Murphy to grab the gun and fire. Smith confirmed that both women did show signs of abuse.

“This case is still under investigation by both the TBI and the Camden Police Department,” said Smith.

Labels: domestic abuse, female, TN

Newlywed Fight Ends in Gunfire

A man ends up in the hospital after his wife of 4 months shoots him in the knee.

Kim Brown told the Escambia County Sheriff's Office that her newlywed husband tried to attack her in the shower, so she shot him in the knee.

Brown kicked David Crockett out of the house a few days ago and he had been sleeping in his vehicle in the backyard. This morning, deputies say Crockett forced his way into the house and tried to sexually assault his wife. During the attack, Brown grabbed a gun and shot Crockett.

Crockett was taken to Baptist Hospital. He will be charged with Battery, False Imprisonment, Attempted Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence.

Labels: AL, domestic dispute, female, rape

Neighbor Shooting

Prosecutors today plan to dismiss murder and assault charges against an ex-Marine and his wife accused in the fatal shooting of a neighbor whose girlfriend sought their help at a University City condominium.

William Bennett Porter and Nicole Leanne Porter pleaded not guilty Aug. 7 in San Diego Superior Court.

William Porter was charged with murder and an allegation that he personally used a firearm in the shooting four days earlier that killed 47-year-old Larry Kermit King.

Nicole Porter was charged with assault with a semiautomatic weapon.

Deputy District Attorney Marcella McLaughlin told a judge this summer that around 2 a.m. on Aug. 3, King and his ex-girlfriend got into some sort of dispute and she went to the Porters' residence for help.

William Porter tried to arrest King, then shot him several times in the back, the prosecutor alleged.

A bullet from Nicole Porter's gun also struck the victim in the neck, McLaughlin told Superior Court Judge David Szumowski.

The prosecutor alleged that King was retreating back into his condo in the 7900 block of Avenida Navidad when he was shot.

Defense attorney Kerry Armstrong said William Porter served four years in the Marine Corps -- including three tours of duty in Iraq -- before getting out in the fall of 2006.

The defendant -- who was working as a weapons and tactics instructor in Twentynine Palms -- has no record and is a "squeaky-clean guy," the attorney said.

Armstrong said at the time that the case was a strong self-defense case.

Today, McLaughlin refused to comment further before a scheduled afternoon hearing.

Labels: altercation, CA, female

Fired upon in her Winspear home, woman shoots back


A gunman fired a shot Tuesday night into a Winspear Avenue house, and the occupant retaliated by firing a shot back, police reported. No injuries were reported.

The incident happened in the 400 block of Winspear in the city's University Heights neighborhood at about 6:10 p.m.

Northeast District Police said three men dressed in black hooded shirts repeatedly pounded and kicked on the door, and demanded that the woman inside open it, police said.

One of the men then fired a shotgun through the door, near the peep hole.

When the woman used her own shotgun to return fire, the three men drove away, police reported. The woman's shot struck a neighboring house at 494 Winspear.

Police believe two of the men had shotguns, while the third man had a handgun.

Labels: female, home invasion, NY

Police: Woman Shoots Suspect With His Gun

A woman confronted by two home invasion suspects in Westside apartment on Wednesday morning wrestled a gun away from one of them and shot him, police said.

According to the Jacksonville Sheriff's office, two suspects posing as maintenance men entered the woman's apartment in the 4400 block of Confederate Park Road.

When one of the men pulled a gun, the woman got it away from him and shot him. The man was rushed to Shands-Jacksonville Medical Center in serious condition. His name has not been released.

The other suspect ran away and is being sought by police.

The woman was not hurt.

Labels: criminal's gun taken away and used against him, female, FL, home invasion, residence robbery

Ex-boyfriend shot while breaking into woman's home

A man is in critical condition after he was shot while allegedly trespassing at 4225 Reinsma Road in Milton late Tuesday night.

The resident, a woman, told deputies that she shot the man, 32-year-old Matthew Scott Strickland, in the chest because he was attempting to break into her residence, according to a release from the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.

The woman, whose name has not been released, told dispatchers that the intruder was her ex-boyfriend.

When deputies arrived, they found Strickland unconscious in the backyard. He was taken to West Florida Hospital in Pensacola, where he remains in critical condition.

“Investigators are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident,” according to the release.

Labels: domestic dispute, female, FL, home invasion

Chesapeake teen shot trying to enter wrong house

A Chesapeake teen received minor injuries in an early morning shooting Sunday. The 16-year-old was taken to Norfolk General Hospital.

At 3:13 a.m. Sunday, Chesapeake police responded to a home invasion call in the 1100 block of Old Vintage Road in the Vintage Estates area off Johnstown Road. Police spokesman Charles Thiebaed said police heard two shots when they arrived.

Police said the teenager had been drinking and was trying to get into a house he thought was his but was actually a neighbor’s house. The neighbor fired two shots at the teen, hitting him once, according to police.

They are investigating the incident.

No charges expected for Chesapeake homeowner who shot teen

Charges are not expected to be filed against a Chesapeake homeowner who shot her teenage neighbor during a mistaken home invasion.

The 16-year-old suffered minor injuries Sunday morning after he was shot once in the 1100 block of Old Vintage Road, in the Vintage Estates area off Waters Road. Police said the boy had been drinking and tried to get into his neighbor's Great Bridge home, thinking it was his own house.

Chesapeake police said they will consult with the commonwealth's attorney's office to determine if the teen should be charged. The investigation is ongoing, said Christi Golden, a police spokeswoman.

The teen was banging on the neighbor's door, yelling to be let in, police said. He was at the neighbor's back porch at one point and moved to another door, police said.

As he attempted to get into the second door, he was shot, police said. No one in the home was harmed.

"They were very scared and frightened, and they weren't sure why this person was trying to get into their home," Golden said. "They were yelling for him to leave."

The homeowner called police before she fired two shots at the teen, hitting him once, police said. Police responded at 3:13 a.m. Sunday. As police arrived, they heard two shots. The teen never entered the house, police said.

Police did not release the names of the teen or the homeowner. No one answered the door of the home around 6:30 p.m. Monday.

Labels: female, home invasion, VA

Suspected burglar may have been living in couple's attic

An elderly homeowner in northeast Houston is shaken up after shooting a suspected burglar. It turns out the man had actually been living in her attic and she never knew.

Police say the suspect had been living in the attic at the home near Hardy and Lorraine, getting in and out of the house through a side window.

Police say the man saw the husband leave Friday afternoon, so he thought the house was empty. He went inside, but little did he know the man's 84-year-old wife was there. She heard the commotion and was waiting with her pistol in hand.

Police say she fired several rounds, hitting the suspect once in the neck area.

"She was in fear of her life," said Sgt. Richard Nieto with the Houston Police Department. "A stranger was inside her home. She used the force necessary to protect her personal safety."

The suspect ran down the alley behind the house, collapsing on the sidewalk in front of Shermann Elementary School. Police say the children were never in harm's way and it didn't disrupt the day.

Based on evidence found inside the attic, police think the suspect had been living there for a while. They also think he may have robbed the husband at knifepoint on Thursday.

The suspect is at Ben Taub Hospital, facing several charges. The woman who shot him is not facing charges.

Labels: female, residence burglary, TX