10/14/09
Jefferson City, Missouri
From the October 9, 2009 Springfield, Missouri News-Leader:
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Law officers now say a man killed near Jefferson City apparently was shot by one of the residents in the mobile home he and others were trying to rob.
The Cole County sheriff’s office previously had said that 19-year-old Lamar Gardner, of Kansas City, appeared to have been shot accidentally by another robber.
But Sgt. Bob Bruchsaler (Brook’-say-ler) said Friday that an adult resident of the home now says he fired the shot in defense of the two other adults and two children living there. He did not identify the person.
Labels: MO, residence robbery
9/16/09
Ormond Beach, Florida
From the Central Florida News of September 14, 2009
Homeowner Shoots Armed Robbery Suspects
Two attempted armed robbery suspects were hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds after the man police said they tried to rob shot them.
According to police, Christopher Young, 38, and William Bell, 31, went into the home of Dane Rollins, 34, early Sunday morning armed with handguns.
Police said after the suspects stole cash, Rollins grabbed his shotgun and went after them.
The two suspects fled, but police said they later found them with several gunshot wounds. The men were taken to Halifax Medical Center.
Rollins was not hurt.
Police said shocked neighbors witnessed the entire gunfight.
“‘Boom, boom, boom!’ Then I came outside and hear a neighbor yelling to get out of the house,” said neighbor Jonathan Smith.
A third suspect, Brandy Lee Harris, 28, was also arrested Sunday, but police did not say how she was involved.
Labels: FL, residence robbery
9/3/09
Houston, Texas
From the My San Antonio of September 4, 2009
Robbery suspect killed in Houston card room gun battle
A suspected robber was killed and another man was injured in a gun battle after three masked gunmen ambushed a card game in southwest Houston on Thursday, police said.
Around 2 a.m., witnesses said the masked men waited for someone to leave the game, which was held inside an unmarked office park unit behind a shopping center.
The gunmen burst in through the open door and began robbing patrons, one of whom pulled his own pistol, said Sgt. Juan M. De La Cruz, a Houston homicide detective. A gunfight ensued.
One suspect was killed and one of the patrons suffered a non-life threatening wound and was taken to a nearby hospital. Police, who found multiple 9-millimeter shell casings at the scene, say the other two suspects fled.
Police recovered card tables, cards and cash, and one of the patrons said everyone at the game knew each other. Police said they didn't immediately know who rents the space, which like many in the complex has no signage.
De La Cruz said the gambling matter would be turned over to the vice squad, but it wasn't clear whether the game was illegal. In Texas, there's nothing wrong with money changing hands in poker and other games as long as someone isn't taking a cut.
Identities of those involved were not immediately released, and no arrests were made.
Labels: residence robbery, TX
Fairborn, Ohio
From the Dayton Daily News of September 2, 2009
Robbery, standoff end with 2 men dead
A stolen $500 piece of silver and two dead suspects are what’s left of a bizarre home invasion that led to a four-hour police standoff.
Bradley Fugate said he had just opened the front and back doors to let some cool air into his Huffman Avenue home Monday, Aug. 31, when two men came in the back door and put guns to his head.
Less than 24 hours later, both of those men were dead, one at Fugate’s home Monday and the other after a Fairborn standoff Tuesday.
“I didn’t know who they were, and they kept asking 'Where’s the money?’ ” Fugate said. “My brother, we kept trying to talk in circles to keep them calm. The black guy, he kept laughing.”
That man, Danny L. Brown, 30, pushed Fugate’s niece down onto a bed while rummaging through a safe in the bedroom, Fugate said.
“That was enough for me and it allowed me to get my gun from where I keep it in the bed and I raised up and fired,” Fugate said. “We got into the kitchen and he turned around and raised his gun up at me. That’s when I shot him in the head. It was a fatal shot.”
Fugate said he fired two shots at the other robber, Shawn Jones, 40, who was able to get away in a cream-yellow Cadillac with a one-pound silver bar and some prescription medication.
“They got into my safe and got the silver,” Fugate said. “It was just one of the safes with a key — a K-Mart special. You use it to store important documents in case of a fire.”
Brown was found inside Fugate’s home on Huffman Avenue and pronounced dead at Miami Valley Hospital.
Hours later three women tried to pawn the silver bar, Dayton Lt. Patrick Welsh said. Detectives used the silver bar to track down Jones in Fairborn, Welsh said.
Jones at first slammed the door and held his grandmother, Edna Vickery, captive, yanking her back into the house twice when she tried to leave, Fairborn police Capt. Doc Plemmons said.
About 15 minutes later, police were able to pull the woman out of her home when she came to the door a third time. Police said she was not injured but had her grandson’s blood on her clothes.
Fairborn Chief Terry Barlow said police were never able to talk to Jones after that initial contact at the door. Negotiators urged him to come out, waited, then fired tear gas into the house, all with no response. Officers then kicked in the door and found the man dead in the living room, his wrists cut .
Welsh said police are still looking for a possible third suspect in Monday’s home invasion — a person who drove the Cadillac from the scene.
Bradley Fugate is not facing any criminal charges at this time, police said.
An Ohio law passed last year allows people to defend their homes from invaders by any means necessary, including lethal force.
“I ain’t no hero, and I’m broken up about it,” Fugate said. “I did what I had to do.”
Labels: fugitive, hostage, OH, residence robbery
9/2/09
Charlotte, North Carolina
From WRAL of August 26, 2009
NC man, 76, shoots youth, 15, after home invasion
Police are unraveling a home invasion and burglary that began at an elderly couple's home and ended with a 15-year-old suspect shot to death on a nearby street.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said robbery and homicide investigative units are working to sort out the Saturday incident that began when four young men pushed into the upscale brick home that C.L. McClure, 76, shares with his wife in northeast Charlotte's Newell community.
"I'm not in any condition to talk" about the incident, McClure, a retired building fireproofer, told The Charlotte Observer on Tuesday.
Police said four teens entered McClure's home Saturday. McClure was bound with duct tape and his wife held at gunpoint. The robbers left with some jewelry and a wallet.
McClure's son, Larry, who lives next door, said his father broke free and after checking that his wife was OK guessed at the robbers' route out of his neighborhood. C.L. McClure grabbed a pistol, got into his dark green van and pursued the crooks, Larry McClure said.
"He thought they might have been driving, and he wanted to get a tag number," Larry McClure said.
Larry McClure said his father told him he was in his van when he saw one of the suspected robbers and thought he was armed. C.L. McClure fired his pistol when the teen turned toward him, his son said.
Marcus Fluker, 15, died later at Carolinas Medical Center. Police said they didn't recover a gun from near his body.
Officers took C.L. McClure to headquarters for questioning but released him without charges.
Police charged the other three teens with robbery and burglary. Police identified them as Joseph Graves, 17, Matthew Everett Morgan, 17, and Tahjaue Wiley, 18.
Police said they want to prevent any possible retribution against McClure and have assigned an officer to keep an eye on the residence.
"I think there's a concern. They just want to be extra careful. It's extra upsetting to have a 15-year-old shot and killed," said Capt. Mike Smathers, who command's the department's robbery unit. "I don't care who you are; that's terrible. They're just trying to make sure peace is maintained."
Labels: home invasion, minor offender, NC, residence robbery, senior
8/15/09
Seguin, Texas
From the July 29, 2009 Seguin Gazette-Enterprise:
SEGUIN — A wallet was stolen in a brazen nighttime robbery of a Guadalupe Street resident, according to reports.
A resident of the 2100 block of North Guadalupe Street woke up at 11:40 p.m. Sunday when he heard a noise in the front of his house, and then a man came into his bedroom and demanded, “Give me your money.”
The victim reached for his wallet and a handgun, and the two fought over the weapon before the suspect jumped out a window and left, the report said.
No shots were reported fired in the incident, which is being investigated by police detectives.
Labels: residence robbery, TX
7/19/09
Pontiac, Michigan
From July 19, 2009 Detroit channel 4:
PONTIAC, Mich. -- Neighbors in one community said a man was shot and killed early Sunday morning after he interrupted a neighborhood party and robbed some of the partygoers.
"It's like playground rules. They just broke one of them by going in and robbing and turning your back on someone," neighbor Andre said.
Andre said 29-year-old Gregory Scott interupted a dice game in the basement of a house in the 300 block of Seward Street in Pontiac at about 3:30 a.m.
Andre said Scott pulled a gun on partygoers and robbed them. "He goes in, pulls out a gun, let off a shot or two to make the person come out his money, and he was fine with that and turned his back," Andre said. "But everybody had pistols ... lights went off on him then."
Andre said the man was shot several times as he ran up the stairs and out of the house.
"He made it outside. He fell outside," Andre said.
Neighbors said two other people were also wounded but were able to walk away from the scene.
Labels: MI, residence robbery
7/9/09
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
From WAFB of July 9, 2009
Attempted robbery leads to deadly shooting
Police say a deadly shooting on Alliquippa Street in Baton Rouge was apparently the result of an attempted robbery gone bad.
They say around 2:00 Wednesday morning two men rushed into a home attempting to rob the people inside.
Police say an 18-year-old inside the home grabbed his gun and started shooting, but so did a 38-year-old robber.
The robber died at the scene, while the 18-year-old remains hospitalized fighting for his life.
The second suspect ran off. If you can help police find him, call Crime Stoppers at 344-7867.
Labels: home invasion, LA, residence robbery
6/25/09
Antioch, Tennessee
From WZTV of June 24, 2009
Gunman Shot to Death During Home Invasion
A home invasion turns deadly after one of the robbers is shot by the homeowner.
It happened on Moss Landing Drive in Antioch around 1:00 a.m.
Dennis Nicholson told detectives that he was confronted by 22 year old Elijah Minnard (pictured left) at the home.
Nicholson says Minnard had a shotgun, and 17 year old Jeremie Thomas (pictured right), had a pistol.
Police say the men forced Nicholson inside, and Minnard held Nicholson and 25 year old Lincoya Stephens at gunpoint upstairs while Thomas searched the downstairs area of the home.
Police say Stephens grabbed the shotgun to try and disarm Minnard, but Stephens was hit in the leg by a shotgun blast.
Police say Stephens and Nicholson still managed to get the gun away from Minnard.
Officers say Stephens then pulled a pistol that was concealed in his waistband and shot and killed Minnard.
Thomas, hearing the gunfire, went to check on Minnard.
Stephens opened fire on Thomas, and he fled the house.
At 2:15 a.m., police say Thomas, with gun in hand, jumped in front of a driver on Hamilton Church Road and yelled for her to stop.
The driver accelerated as she and her four passengers ducked.
Thomas was caught by officers a short time later.
Detectives say Thomas told them he and Minnard went to the home to commit a drug-related robbery.
No drugs were found in the residence.
Stephens is hospitalized with a gunshot wound to his leg and has not yet been interviewed by detectives.
The investigation is continuing.
Thomas is charged at Juvenile Court with two counts of aggravated robbery, two counts of unlawful weapon possession, attempted criminal homicide, four counts of aggravated assault, and attempted aggravated robbery.
Thomas is being held in juvenile detention pending a hearing.
Labels: criminal's gun taken away and used against him, home invasion, minor offender, residence robbery, TN
6/11/09
Bradenton, Florida
From the Tampa Bay Online of June 1, 2009
Homeowner shoots would-be intruder
A homeowner confronted a pistol-wielding, bandana-wearing man at his front door, wrestled the weapon away and shot the would-be intruder late Saturday, deputies said.
The Manatee County Sheriff's Office said Christopher Mullins, 23, answered the door at his Bradenton home about 11 p.m. Saturday and found Tron Calloway, 26, on the doorstep.
The two struggled over Calloway's gun and Calloway fired several shots, wounding Mullins, the sheriff's office said. Mullins got control of the weapon and shot Calloway.
Mullins was treated and released from Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petesrburg, the sheriff's office said.
Calloway was taken to Tampa General Hospital, where he is listed in critical but stable condition.
No charges have been filed and the investigation is continuing.
Labels: criminal's gun taken away and used against him, defender shot, FL, residence robbery
6/10/09
Hardin County, Illinois
From WSIL of June 10, 2009
Burglar Shot During Home Invasion
A home invasion late Tuesday night ended with an alleged burglar in the hospital, according to Hardin County Sheriff Tom Seiner.
The sheriff reported in a press release that the woman in the home shot the intruder.
The home on Tower Rock Road outside Elizabethtown belongs to Marty Impastato and her husband Bruce, who was not home.
Impastato's daughter tells News Three that the man entered the home through an unlocked window. Shawna Stevens says the man is a friend of the family who visits the home regularly. She says she's not sure why he broke in.
According to Stevens, Impastato grabbed her gun when she heard the man make his way across the house. Stevens reports that when the man entered the bedroom and rustled through the safe where the family keeps jewelry and prescription drugs, Impastato shot him.
Illinois statute makes it legal for the victim of a home invasion to shoot someone in their home if they believe they can prevent violence to themselves or others in the dwelling or they reasonably believe that force is necessary to prevent a felony.
The sheriff's department is not releasing the name of the alleged burglar. He is described only as a white male in his twenties. Wednesday night he was in the intensive care unit at Deaconess Hospital in Evansville, Indiana. He has not been charged.
Labels: female, home invasion, IL, residence robbery
4/13/09
Glen Burnie, Maryland
From the Baltimore Sun of April 9, 2009
Glen Burnie family thwarts armed robbery attempt, police say
A Glen Burnie family tackled an armed man who broke into their apartment, grabbed his handgun and held him down until officers arrived late Wednesday, Anne Arundel County police said.
Shortly before midnight, two men burst into an apartment in the first block of Normandy Drive, brandished a shotgun, fired a handgun and tried to take property from one of the residents of the apartment, police said.
The residents, described as a couple in their 40s and their 20-year-old son, fought one of the suspects to the ground and took his weapon away while the other man ran away, police said.
When police arrived, they arrested Joshua Edward Frazier, 26, of the 300 block of Melvin Ave. in Grasonville and charged him with first-degree assault, first-degree burglary, armed robbery and related offenses.
Police were unable to find the second assailant, who was described as a light-skinned black man between the ages of 20 and 27 with acne, wearing a faded red hoodie, black jeans, a red bandanna on his face and a black winter vest.
Anyone with information is asked to call Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP
Labels: criminal's gun taken away and used against him, home invasion, MD, residence robbery
3/27/09
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
From KFOR of March 27, 2009
Man fends off knife-wielding intruder during home invasion
A Metro man takes on a man with a knife and wins. Maurice Johnson was catching up on some sleep Thursday afternoon when his burglar alarm sounds. He awakes to a man in his house in the 4300 block of North Blackwelder.
"I see a guy in a big black jacket holding a knife about that size and he tells me basically turn the alarm off and give me money."
Johnson, keeping his wits about him, tells the man to follow him to the back bedroom where there may be some cash.
The suspect keeps the knife held tightly against Johnson as they walk through the house.
Johnson says he pretends to rifle through his drawer to get money but got his gun instead and fires a shot at the suspect.
The suspect takes off immediately. No word on if the suspect was hit.
Labels: home invasion, OK, residence robbery
3/26/09
Spartanburg, South Carolina
From WYFF of March 26, 2009
Couple Shoots, Stabs Intruder
Deputies said a man who attempted to rob a Spartanburg couple ended up shot, stabbed and arrested.
Spartanburg County deputies responded to a call of an attempted robbery at a home on West Croft Circle.
Travis Morrow, who lives in the house, and his girlfriend, Aiyetoro Ross, told deputies two men tried to rob them.
Morrow said as he struggled to disarm one of the men, the gun discharged, and hit the suspect. Ross grabbed a knife from the kitchen and stabbed the suspect. Both of the robbery suspects then ran from the house.
Deputies were later called to Mary Black Hospital where man had come into the Emergency Room suffering from a gunshot injury and a stab wound.
The injured man was identified as 20-year-old Ronald Deshawn Rice, of Spartanburg. Rice is charged with one count of attempted armed robbery and two counts of assault with intent to kill.
The second suspect has been identified as 24-year-old Ryan Dwight Ross of Pacolet, SC. He is also charged with one count of attempted armed robbery and two counts of assault with intent to kill.
Labels: assault, criminal's gun taken away and used against him, residence robbery, SC
3/7/09
Hickory, North Carolina
From WSOC of March 6, 2009
Hickory Shooting May Have Been Self-Defense
Police in Hickory are trying to figure out if a shooting early Friday morning was a case of self-defense.
That shooting happened at a home on Fifth Avenue Southwest around 4:30 a.m.
Police said Terry Lee Atkins was shot in the chest and then went to two homes nearby looking for help. Investigators believe Atkins may have gone to a home with a .12-gauge shotgun to rob the people inside, but was instead met with gunfire. The homeowners said they had no choice.
Investigators recovered a shotgun dropped in a nearby yard.
Police said Atkins underwent surgery Friday afternoon.
Officers interviewed 12 people in the case. They plan on turning the evidence over to the district attorney's office to determine whether charges should be filed.
Labels: NC, residence robbery
Ville Platte, Louisiana
From the Times-Picayune of March 6, 2009
Woman kills home invader; 2 men booked
Two men have been booked on charges stemming from a home invasion that ended when a Ville Platte homeowner shot and killed a 19-year-old man she said had pulled a gun on her boyfriend, police said Friday.
Gavin Herbert, 18, and Charles Grace, 34, both of Ville Platte, were held on $500,000 bond each in connection with the home invasion late Tuesday that left 19-year-old Antonio Thompson dead, said police Lt. Craig Nicholas.
Herbert is accused of participating in the holdup and home invasion while Grace was suspected of planning it, Nicholas added.
He said Herbert was booked on seven counts of aggravated kidnapping, and one each of armed robbery and aggravated burglary, and Grace on 10 counts of conspiracy: seven of conspiracy to commit aggravated kidnapping, two to commit aggravated burglary and one to commit armed robbery.
According to police, Herbert and Thompson broke into one house Tuesday, waited for residents to return, robbed homeowner Kaninsky Larnette and then took him at gunpoint to the home of Nedra Gallow, his girlfriend.
Gallow, 24, said in a publish account that she answered a knock and found Thompson holding a gun to Larnette.
"He ordered us to get on the floor. He hit me with his gun," Gallow told The Advertiser. "My mama started screaming. He pushed her down, and I ran to get the gun to protect myself and my family."
She and Thompson pointed their guns at each other, she said, and she ordered him to leave.
She said Larnette then grabbed Thompson. While they wrestled on the floor, she shot Thompson once in the leg, according to the report. She also said Larnette grabbed the other man's gun, but she was afraid Thompson had another.
"He kept digging in his pocket like he was going for another gun, and I shot him again," Gallow told The Advertiser. "I was not trying to kill anyone. I hated to do it. But I had to."
Labels: assault, female, home invasion, LA, residence robbery
1/30/09
Kennebunk, Maine
From the Sea Coast Online of January 29, 2009
Kennebunk homeowners thwart would-be burglars by scolding, firing a shotgun
Quick thinking on the part of a Heath Road couple kept what police say was a late-night burglary at their home from turning into a tragedy.
The frightening ordeal began around 1:30 a.m. Saturday when Judie Martel awoke to hear pounding on her front door.
"My first thought was, 'Is that thunder?'" she said. "The windows were rattling."
Running from the couch where she had fallen asleep watching TV, Martel arrived at the door in time to see it splinter and a strange man step through.
"He was as surprised to see me as I was to see him," Martel said.
She described the intruder as "baby-faced" and "out of it," and said she did the first thing that came to mind: she scolded him.
"I said, 'It's 2 o'clock in the morning! You need to go home to bed!'" she said. "I scolded him like a mother would."
Then she pushed him back out the door and closed it as best she could.
Looking out the window, Martel could see the man had what she described as a bag of tools with him. And instead of going home, he was headed around to the attached barn.
"I knew the kitchen door was unlocked," she said. "So I had to decide if I should run and lock it, or go get my husband."
Martel decided to head upstairs and wake her husband, John. Her next priority was calling 911.
John Martel had slept through everything up until that point.
"I'm a Vietnam vet, so I sleep with a white noise machine," he said. "When she woke me I grabbed my shotgun and the one shell I keep in the house."
Running out the kitchen door, John Martel saw that the man had broken into the barn and was heading toward the house. When the man saw John raise the gun, he turned to run.
"I was going to shoot to kill," Martel said. "But I've had enough of killing. I shot over his head and he ran up the road."
Shortly after, officers from the Kennebunk Police Department arrived on the scene and the man, Sean Barker, 24, of Richmond, was arrested.
Police said the man was attempting to enter a nearby Summer Street residence when they found him.
Kennebunk police called in the Maine State Police and a K-9 unit from Wells, which quickly located a backpack, according to Kennebunk's Lt. Tony Burpee. Police found an ID for a second man spotted tracks in the snow leading.
At the same time, Burpee said, several residents nearby had called 911 to report two men running through the woods behind their homes.
Officers followed the tracks back to a Summer Street residence where they discovered Eric Wallace, 22, of Topsham, Burpee said. Police said the house belonged to Wallace's mother.
The two men had been drinking to celebrate Barker's 24th birthday, Burpee said, and claimed they had mistaken the Heath Road house for Wallace's mother's Summer Street home.
But Burpee said it was clear there was no case of simple mistaken identity.
John Martel said it was clear from the footprints in the snow that both men had circled the homes on either side of them before deciding on his home.
"The other two have alarms," he said, believing his un-alarmed house looked like an easier target. He called the alleged would-be burglars "pros."
"They had a tool bag," he said, adding that Barker used a tool to cut through the wood of the door, "and a big, huge backpack to put stuff in."
Burpee said both men also had police records.
Barker had a 2007 conviction for theft in Livermore Falls, he said.
Wallace faced several theft convictions out of the Bath/Brunswick area in 2005, Burpee said, including burglary of a motor vehicle and a conviction for allowing a minor to possess or consume alcohol.
Burpee said Wallace also had a 2006 conviction for unlawful furnishing of a scheduled drug.
Both men were on Saturday charged with one count of felony burglary and sent to York County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail each. Both are scheduled to appear in York County Superior Court in Alfred on March 9.
As for the Martels, they've since had their door repaired and installed new deadbolts. The couple also is considering the installment of an alarm system, guard dog or both, Judie Martel said.
While both called their ordeal frightening, they said they learned a lot from the response from police.
"We couldn't ask for a more wonderful police station than we've got," John Martel said. "You don't know until something like this happens."
Judie Martel said she's trying to put the incident behind her, looking not at the crime itself but what she considers the positive outcome.
"We were very, very blessed," she said.
That's the social worker in his wife, John Martel said, always willing to believe the best of people. He's finding it hard not to imagine what could have happened, and the very different outcome they could've had.
"If they had harmed her," he said, "I wouldn't have shot in the air."
Labels: ME, residence robbery
1/28/09
Uniontown, Pennsylvania
From WPXI of January 27, 2009
Elderly Man Fires Shots At Robbers As They Flee Home
For the second time in a month, 82-year-old Kenneth Plummer Jr. was the victim of a home invasion, by robbers at his Fayette County home Monday night.
"They got my wallet and ran through the house and got away with $350," Plummer said.
Just before Christmas, a man broke in, but Plummer chased him away with a butcher knife.
"I want somebody dead if they come back," Plummer said.
The robbers pried upon a locked door, assaulted Plummer and removed cash from his pocket and another part of the Kaider Road house.
State police said that as they left, Plummer went for his gun and fired three rounds at them.
"Very unusual, yes. I can't recall seeing anything like this in my 15 years here," said trooper Thomas Broadwater.
Broadwater said it may be time for Plummer to consider a security system.
"He's obviously very shaken. He just has no idea why they're doing this,” Broadwater said.
If you have any information about the three men who invaded Plummer's home you are asked to call state police at the Uniontown barracks.
Labels: home invasion, PA, residence robbery, senior
12/8/08
Burson, California
From the Amador Ledger-Dispatch of December 1, 2008
Burson homeowner, Arnold store clerk foil separate robbery attempts
A Burson man was arrested by Calaveras County sheriff's deputies after he attempted to rob a homeowner at a residence located in the 5800 block of De Los Angeles Road in Burson earlier this month.
At approximately 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 10, Mike Nicholson III, 24, knocked on the door of William Six's residence on De Los Angeles Road. Six answered the door and found Nicholson standing there with a 10-inch knife. Nicholson told Six to give him the keys to his best truck and reportedly said, "I'm robbing you," according to a release from the Calaveras County Sheriff's Office.
Six balked and closed the front door. Concerned Nicholson was going to remain outside his residence or steal one of his vehicles, Six retrieved a firearm. Six confronted Nicholson at the bottom of his driveway and ordered Nicholson to the ground. Six told deputies Nicholson sat down for a short time, but became belligerent.
According to Six, Nicholson said he did not have to remain at the scene and started to get up off the ground. Six responded by firing a warning shot into the ground. That seemed to do the trick, as Six was able to hold Nicholson at gunpoint until Deputy Jim Moser arrived to take Nicholson into custody.
During the confrontation, Nicholson reportedly threatened to do harm to Six and his wife.
Nicholson was booked at the Calaveras County Jail on charges of attempted robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats and public intoxication. Nicholson is being held at the Calaveras County Jail on $55,000 bail.
Labels: CA, residence robbery
12/1/08
Tampa, Florida
From CBS4 of November 30, 2008
Crook Caught After Losing Gun During Robbery
An armed robbery suspect in Tampa learned a valuable lesson on his latest caper – hang onto your gun.
Armed with a pistol Jerome Haggins, 42, burst into a home Saturday evening and demanded the six men inside to lie on the ground, according to police. He then demanded they hand over their wallets and jewelry. Once he had the loot, Haggins reportedly told the men to take off their clothes; that's when he noticed one of the men was still wearing a bracelet.
The men told police Haggins put his gun on a table and then snatched the bracelet off the man's arm. While Haggins was taking the bracelet, police say another man grabbed the gun and turned the tables on Haggins. They then held him at gunpoint until police arrived.
Haggins faces multiple charges, including armed robbery.
Labels: criminal's gun taken away and used against him, FL, home invasion, residence robbery
11/8/08
College Station, Texas
From KBTX of November 6, 2008
Suspected Robber Shot in College Station
A Bryan man is in jail after police say he was shot in the arm by someone he was trying to rob.
College Station police say, Wednesday night, five people were in a home on the 3500 block of Wild Plum when three suspected armed robbers broke inside the home.
Officers say those suspects ordered the people in the house on the floor and took their personal property.
According to witnesses the suspects left the scene.
Officers say that's when the victims locked the door.
Police say the suspects returned and busted into the home.
Officers say two people were hiding in the bedroom and when one of the suspects fired a gun, one of the victims returned fire hitting one suspect in the arm.
That suspect, 20-year-old Cardell Anthony Jackson was arrested after a 911 call was made about his gun shot wound and he was treated at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center.
He's charged with nine counts of aggravated robbery and one count of burglary of a habitation with intent to commit a felony.
Labels: home invasion, residence robbery, TX
10/19/08
Indianapolis, Indiana
From the Indy Star of October 18, 2008
Victim, intruder shot in home invasion
An apparent home invasion left both the Near-Eastside resident as well as the alleged intruder hospitalized with gunshot wounds, police said today.
Jason Kennedy, 25, was listed in serious but stable condition at Wishard Memorial Hospital with a gunshot wound to the head.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department investigators said that after being shot, Kennedy fired back at his alleged attacker, Thomas King, 29, of McCordsville. King was listed in critical condition at Wishard.
According to an IMPD news release, Kennedy and a group of friends had been sitting on a porch in the 200 block of North Eastern Avenue early today when they were approached by King and another man, and began arguing with them.
Police said the men returned to the residence about 5:50 a.m. and robbed Kennedy and one of his companions at gunpoint.
According to the news release, "it appears that King, while robbing the two individuals, pointed his gun at Kennedy and shot him in the head. Kennedy then pulled out his gun and returned fire, hitting King.''
Police found both King and Kennedy outside the residence. Investigators said they were still seeking King's alleged accomplice in the incident.
Labels: IN, residence robbery
10/17/08
Rancho Cordova
From the Sacramento Bee of October 15, 2008
Rancho Cordova resident shoots would-be burglar
Not my house, said one Rancho Cordova resident.
When he heard someone trying to kick in his front door just after 11 a.m. today, the 26-year-old resident of a Vehicle Drive apartment grabbed a gun and shot the suspect, according to authorities. Then he held the suspect at gunpoint until police arrived.
The suspect was transported to a local hospital and is expected to survive, said Sacramento County sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran, who also serves as spokesman for the Rancho Cordova Police Department. After he was treated, he is likely to be arrested on suspicion of home invasion robbery, Curran said.
Police were called to the 2300 block by the resident's mother. She had been on the phone with her son when he suddenly yelled that somebody was trying to break into his apartment and hung up, Curran said.
At the scene, officers found evidence that someone had been trying to force entry into the apartment, Curran said. They also found a handgun - other than the resident's - that they believe was carried by the attempted burglar, Curran said.
He said the resident and suspect did not know each other, and it's unknown why that apartment was targeted. Officers found no evidence of illegal activity, like drugs, in the apartment, Curran said.
He did not know whether either gun was legally registered.
Notes CBS13: "A Sheriff's spokesman says at this point the homeowner will not face charges for defending himself and his wife."
Labels: CA, home invasion, residence robbery
10/16/08
San Antonio, Texas
From My San Antonio of October 15, 2008
Robbery victim wounds assailant
A man shot by a robber at a Northeast Side apartment complex wounded the gunman after he dropped his gun during their struggle, police said.
The incident happened about 9:30 a.m. in the 4600 block of Thousand Oaks Drive at The Crest of Thousand Oaks apartments.
Police Chief William McManus said the gunman was wearing a ski mask when he approached the victim, later identified as Terry Hoover.
“They struggled over the weapon,” McManus said at the scene. “The complainant was shot in the thigh.” The victim managed to get the gun, however, and he shot the robber in the torso.
The men were rushed to a hospital in separate ambulances. The suspect, Troy Curtis, 40, is charged with aggravated robbery with bodily injury. He was being held in Bexar County Jail on $50,000 bond.
Labels: criminal's gun taken away and used against him, residence robbery, TX
10/15/08
Austin, Texas
From KXAN of October 15, 2008
Robber shot by victim in South Austin
A party at an apartment on Oltorf Street in South Austin turned into a crime scene over the weekend.
Police got the call around 2:30 a.m. on Oct.11. The 911 caller said that "there was trouble." According to police reports, 26-year-old John Crayton robbed a number of party goers and ended up getting himself shot in the stomach.
"They heard a gunshot from inside the closet, and they wondered where the gunshot came from," said Sgt. Brian Miller with the Austin Police Department. "They opened up the closet, and Mr. Crayton jumped out. He proceeded to rob everybody inside the apartment."
There were seven people in the front part of the apartment. Police said Crayton pointed his gun at those in the room and even hit several of his victims with the weapon. All he got was a pack of Marlboro Light cigarettes and $3 from one victim.
Crayton apparently planned to exit out of back of the apartment and kicked in the door to a bedroom. Police said there were two other victims in that room, and one had a gun.
"I don't think he anticipated that," Miller said. "I don't think he anticipated anyone being there."
The victim in that room took aim and shot Crayton in the stomach.
"It was registered, he owns it and by Texas law, you have the right to defend your property and yourself," Miller said.
Crayton ran out the apartment and to his apartment, less than a mile away. An hour later, Crayton called police and reported that he had been a victim of a robbery. When police arrived, Crayton told them he had been shot in the stomach in this parking lot, which was located right outside his apartment.
Officers realized Crayton fit the description of the man who robbed those in a nearby apartment. Crayton was taken to the hospital and later arrested for robbery with a deadly weapon. The victim who shot him won't be charged.
Labels: residence robbery, TX
10/9/08
Kilgore, Texas
From KLTV of October 7, 2008
Kilgore homeowner fights off armed invader
A would-be robber invaded an East Texas home while the homeowner fights to keep him and his son alive.
The home invasion happened in the 4500 block of FM 2204, east of Kilgore, around 7:00 this morning. Gregg County officials say an armed man entered the home in search of money, but left empty handed. Tuesday afternoon, the homeowner showed KLTV 7 LaKecia Shockley step by step how he survived his home invasion.
"I slammed him into this wall here and I think that's when we fell on the floor. I wasn't going to let go of him. I had him...I wasn't going to let go of his gun hand."
Mark Dickey is a brave and lucky man.
Mark says he was in his living room when a man armed with a nine millimeter gun walked through his front door with a demand.
"The door comes open, I see a silver plated gun and a guy behind it with a blue bandanna on...so I was just in shock," Dickey told us Tuesday.
"He says, 'Where do you keep your money?' And I said well, we don't keep any money in the house and he says well where's your wallet...at that point I thought if I turned here and gave him my wallet he's going to shoot me for sure. He'd already told me he would."
Mark told the robber his wallet was in the bedroom. That's when he decided to act.
"I bought myself a little time and walked into my bedroom and came back and I got close enough to him in my front room where I could grab him," said Mark.
"I grabbed his gun hand and we started tussling and we came this way towards my kitchen...we came this way and he was hitting me and I was hitting him and I pushed him into my wife's mirror right there."
Mark says thanks to his second degree black belt in karate, he was able to get a hold on the gun.
"I had his wrist and he was trying to get that gun pointed down to where he could shoot me but he couldn't get it down because I had his wrist locked," described Mark. "He fired a shot and as you can tell we looked for it and the police finally found it right here out my kitchen window."
During the struggle, Mark's 14 year old son was hiding in a closet. Mark yelled for his help, hoping it would scare off the intruder.
"I called for my son to get my gun and I think that he knew that somebody else was in here so he left," said Mark.
"The only thing that was going through my mind was my son's safety, you know. None of us know how we would react with a gun pointed at us so that was my first time, but I can tell you I wouldn't relish the thought of that happening again. I can tell you that," said Mark.
Deputies are looking for a black male believed to be in his late teens to early twenties. He was last seen wearing a blue bandana, dark shirt, and blue jeans. If you have any information, call the Gregg County Sherrif's department.
Labels: home invasion, residence robbery, TX
10/7/08
Moultrie, Georgia
From September 29, 2008 WXFL channel 31:
Moultrie Police say three men trying to rob a home got an unpleasant surprise when the man who lives there started shooting at them.
Police say 18-year-old Apondrea Marshall, 21-year-old Darnell Slaughter, and 19-year-old Calvin Suggs tried to rob Ivan Hightower’s home on 26th Avenue Saturday night. Hightower told police he looked out the window, saw the men with guns, and started shooting at them with his own weapon. Slaughter and Suggs were hit. Slaughter was treated and released, but Suggs is still in the hospital.
All three men are charged with attempted robbery. Hightower has not been charged with any crime.
Labels: GA, residence robbery
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
From the October 2, 2008 Tuscaloosa News:
TUSCALOOSA | A burglary suspect remains in the hospital after a Crabtree Road resident shot him Sunday afternoon.
Shawn Lincoln, 22, of York is suspected of trying to burglarize the home around 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
Investigators charged Lincoln with first-degree burglary Tuesday. He will be booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail when he is released from DCH Regional Medical Center, said Capt. Loyd Baker, commander of the Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit.
Baker said Lincoln approached three people in a yard and asked whether they had drugs. Baker said they told him no, and Lincoln then pulled a gun and forced them into the home. The 22-year-old resident had armed himself by the time they came inside and gunfire was exchanged.
Labels: AL, home invasion, residence robbery
9/4/08
Nashville, Tennessee
August 18, 2008 Nashville Police Department press release:
West Precinct detectives continue to investigating Sunday morning’s shooting death of Michael Antwan Wilson inside a home on Mercomatic Drive as a likely justifiable homicide.
The investigation to this point shows that Wilson, 24, who was armed with a pistol, kicked in the front door of the residence in what detectives believe was part of a robbery plan. Homeowner Jeffrey Ham, 42, retrieved a gun and exchanged shots with Wilson. Wilson was fatally wounded and died at the scene.
Labels: home invasion, residence robbery, TN
8/16/08
Kansas City, Missouri
From KCTV5 of August 15, 2008
Family Fights Back In Home Invasion
A family fought back against a group of armed intruders that broke into a Kansas City, Kan., home early Friday morning, police said.
Police received a 911 call from a house near North 74th Court and Oakland Avenue just after midnight.
A man who lives in the house said when the men burst into the house, his son was able to escape and get help while he and his brother were held at gunpoint.
"These guys had us in there for about 20 minutes. One of them came outside and tried to get in my Escalade. When that guy went outside, my brother, who was here with me, jumped up and grabbed the gun from him. I went downstairs and grabbed my gun, and the shootout was on after that," the man said.
Two of the alleged intruders were wounded in the shooting.
Police took three of the four suspected home invaders into custody.
The homeowner said he thinks these were the same men who broke into his home days earlier. Following that incident, the family decided to get an alarm installed. It was scheduled to be activated on Friday.
Labels: criminal's gun taken away and used against him, home invasion, KS, residence robbery
Hemet, California
From KNBC of August 15, 2008
Police: Hemet Woman, 93, Misfires At Burglar
A 93-year-old Hemet woman shot at an intruder who entered her home, but she missed and the bullet went through a window and over a neighbor's home, Hemet police said Friday.
The woman shot at the intruder who entered her home in the 300 block of South Street shortly before 11 p.m. Thursday, Lt. Duane Wisehart said.
She called police and they surrounded the home until she came out without the weapon, Wisehart said.
The woman told police she heard someone in her home and armed herself with a pistol, then shot at the intruder as the man walked down her hall toward her.
The bullet went through a kitchen window of the small, two-bedroom home, through a shade structure and over a house next door, Wisehart said.
The intruder took some pieces of jewelry and a watch, Wisehart said.
The woman told police that two men had come to her door earlier in the day and offered her an ADT alarm system. The woman said she had an alarm but it was broken and they offered to fix it for cash, Wisehart said.
The woman said she didn't have the cash to fix it and the men left, Wisehart said.
Police said they did not know if that contact was connected to the intruder. They found a bicycle nearby, Wisehart said, and a neighbor said he had seen two men, one on a bicycle and the other on foot, running east on Acacia from the home.
The home's garage door was pulled open from the outside, but the intruder or intruders entered through an open window.
"She's been given the security talk," Wisehart said.
The woman will not be facing charges, Wisehart said.
Police Friday cautioned residents to be careful of such contacts with strangers.
Labels: CA, female, home invasion, residence robbery, senior
8/7/08
Pomona, California
From the San Gabriel Valley Tribune of July 30, 2008
First suspect, then victim: shooting said self-defense
In a span of two days, Brett Nichols went from being accused of attempted murder to becoming the victim in the same incident.
The 48-year-old Phillips Ranch resident was arrested Monday morning on suspicion of attempted murder. Police said he had shot a man and dumped the body in the hills near his home.
But Nichols was released from jail Wednesday afternoon after police determined he was acting in self-defense when he shot David Rotela, a 22-year-old Rosemead resident who survived the ordeal, authorities said.
"It was a dumb move for me to do that, to dump his body, but I didn't know what to do," said Nichols outside his Edgebrook Drive home.
Sgt. Robert Baker said "The (Los Angeles County district attorney) declined to prosecute for that incident."
"Nichols is no longer a suspect," Baker said.
According to Nichols, the shooting evolved from a home invasion robbery about 1:30 a.m. Monday.
Five people live in the house owned by Nichols, who said he was waiting for his girlfriend to come home when he heard a commotion in a bedroom.
He armed himself with a gun, "just in case something got out of hand," and went to find the source of the noise, Nichols said.
Nichols said he discovered a man holding a shotgun and wearing a ski mask who ordered him and three other residents to lie under a mattress.
Rotela and a second man took cell phones, cameras and car keys from the residents, authorities said.
As the men left the room, Nichols followed them. When Rotela got to the front door, he swung around and pointed his shotgun at Nichols.
Nichols fired at Rotela who then fell back onto the front walkway while the second man escaped with the stolen goods, authorities said.
Nichols, with a felony drug conviction from the 1990s and no license for the gun, said, "I thought, `A felon with a gun, this isn't good."'
He said he took Rotela and drove him to the hills adjacent to his home and left him there.
"He was paralyzed - he knew it. He said he didn't want to live like that, so I took him out and laid him under the stars like he wanted," Nichols said.
Afterward, Nichols said, he went to 7-Eleven to get a drink and cleaned his truck and the walkway of his house. He also cut out the blood stains from the carpet, leaving square holes, he said.
Police came to the house six hours later to talk to Nichols about a report of shots fired, and he led them to Rotela, who was still alive. Rotela was flown to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center. He was listed in critical condition.
Baker said the the investigation is still ongoing, but Rotela could face charges.
Nichols said he had never had contact with Rotela before and did not intend to shoot him.
"I was protecting my home," he said. "If he hadn't turned on me, I probably wouldn't have shot him."
***Note***
No matter how unusual the circumstances may seem, the Civilian Gun Defense Blog operates based on police and government decisions. In this case, the police determined the actions to be in self-defense. This standard works both ways - a shooting may seem justified, but if a person is charged, the incident is disqualified from being used on the site.
Labels: CA, residence robbery
8/1/08
Huntington, West Virginia
From the Huntington News of July 26, 2008
Apartment Resident, Would Be Robber Trade Gunfire on Huntington Avenue
Huntington needs a superhero. Following a shooting during the afternoon of Friday, June 25, in the 1100 block of Huntington Avenue, a frustrated citizen posted on a TV website that the city needs a real Batman to give the criminals an enema [sic??].
As details have been pieced together from dispatch, police and TV websites, apparently, one man attempted to rob another inside his apartment. The would be victim shot the intruder; the intruder shot back too.
Two men --- identified as Justin Stapleton and Wayne Cook Junior by WSAZ.com --- sustained serious wounds. A passing physician treated them in the yard outside the residence. A posting indicated that one of the men took three shots to the stomach. Law enforcement do not believe either man to have life threatening injuries.
Labels: residence robbery, WV
7/15/08
Bainbridge, Georiga
From the Post-Searchlight of July 15, 2008
Armed man scares away robber
A Bainbridge man refused to be robbed when he was accosted around 5 a.m. Saturday morning.
The complainant, a resident of Spruce Street, told BPS that he was sitting on his front porch smoking a cigar and drinking a cup of coffee. According to the resident, a man wearing a mask and carrying a large knife approached and demanded that he hand over his wallet.
The citizen said he told the masked robber that he had to go inside the house to get the wallet.
The homeowner returned, not with his wallet in hand, but instead wielding a pistol, which sent the robber off running.
Officer Gary Hines attempted to locate a suspect but was unsuccessful.
Georgia is one of several states that does not require people who are attacked or threatened to retreat before using deadly force to protect themselves, other persons or a property, according to Sgt. Ryan Wimberly of BPS. In fact, Georgia law gives legal immunity to people who "stand their ground" in self-defense but does require that a person can only use deadly force if they believe a human life is in danger or to prevent a forcible felony, Sgt. Wimberly said. Forcible felonies, which involve the use or threat of physical force or violence, include crimes ranging from rape to armed robbery.
Labels: GA, residence robbery
6/9/08
Lawrence, Kansas
From the Witchita Eagle of June 9, 2008
Attempted robbery led to Lawrence shooting deaths, police say
Police say an attempted robbery led to Saturday’s double homicide, and a 16-year-old boy arrested in the crime is likely to have his first court appearance today.
Police also identified one of the deceased as Gage Hauk, 18, of nearby McLouth in Jefferson County. Police said Hauk and the 16-year-old suspect attempted to rob the residence just after 2:30 a.m. Saturday when the 20-year-old resident shot Hauk with a shotgun.
The 16-year-old, who has not been identified, then allegedly shot the resident before fleeing on foot, said Lawrence Police Sgt. Paul Fellers. A firearm believed to have been used in the incident was found a block away.
The resident has not yet been identified, Fellers said, pending identification by the coroner.
The two would-be robbers were acquainted with the resident, Fellers said.
The teen was arrested Sunday on suspicion of felony murder, conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery and attempted aggravated robbery, Fellers said. He is being held at the county’s juvenile detention center.
Douglas County Deputy District Attorney David Melton said it’s possible the suspect could be charged as an adult. Charges are expected to be filed in a preliminary hearing at 4 p.m. today.
Police responded to the home where the incident occurred after several neighbors reported gunshots. One of the bodies was found inside the residence, in the 1300 block of Delaware Street. The other man was found outside.
Labels: defender killed, KS, minor offender, residence robbery
4/25/08
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
From the Hattiesburg American of April 11, 2008
Suspect shot during robbery
The Ellisville Police Department is investigating a Tuesday morning robbery that left one of the suspects wounded.
Police arrested Ronald Hinton, 18, of Richton, Thomas Hardy, 22, and Matthew King, 19, both of Ellisville.
Investigator Christy Carona said the three men broke into the storage home of Jack Busby on the 200 block of Cleveland Street and attempted to take two air-conditioning units.
She said Busby found the men and held them at gunpoint until police arrived. Busby later shot King in the lower back after he attempted to flee the scene.
Carona said King was transported to South Central Regional Medical Center's emergency room where he was treated and released.
All three men were charged with grand larceny and taken to the Jones County Adult Detention Center on a $5,000 bond each.
Carona said King has made bond and that the other men remained at the detention center.
Labels: MS, residence robbery
4/23/08
Cleveland, Tennessee
From the April 21, 2008 Cleveland [Tennessee] Daily Banner:
One person was shot today during an alleged kidnapping and robbery which unfolded at an Oak Street address. The victim of the kidnapping and robbery was apparently the person who struggled with one of the alleged offenders and caused a gun to go off.
Police were called to 383 Oak St. SW after being alerted of the incident.
Luis Velasquez was found bleeding from his head and face, according to reports. Josh Dunn, 20, has been charged with especially aggravated kidnapping and especially aggravated robbery.
A second suspect has not been charged; however, warrants are pending against Josh Snyder, 19.
Snyder was reportedly shot when Velasquez began to try to wrestle the gun away from Snyder.
According to reports, the suspects went to Velasquez' door and asked him to help them jump start a vehicle.
One of the suspects pulled a gun, then forced Velasquez back into his home.
At that point, Dunn and Snyder allegedly demanded money from Velasquez.
Reports indicated the suspects began to beat Velasquez after he stated he had only a small amount of cash.
During the alleged beating, Snyder apparently cut his hand and had placed the gun under his arm while attempting to clean blood from his hand.
Velasquez then went for the gun and it discharged, according to reports.
Labels: assault, criminal's gun taken away and used against him, kidnapping, residence robbery, TN
Queens, New York
From the New York Daily News of April 23, 2008
Robbery victim kills intruder
The victim of a robbery in Queens fatally shot one of the three intruders early Tuesday morning with a gun they left behind, police said.
A man and his girlfriend were returning to their Middle Village apartment about 4:50 a.m. when they were confronted by three men, police said.
According to the victim, the men forced the couple into the apartment, where they tied them up with plans to rob the place, cops said.
Somehow, the victim was able to get loose and grab a gun one of the suspects had left unattended, he told police. He shot one of his attackers in the head, killing him.
The other two fled.
No arrests had been made last night.
Police continued to question the victim, who neighbors said kept odd hours and was unfriendly.
"We didn't think they belonged in a neighborhood like this," said one neighbor in the family friendly area. "No one ever said hello or goodbye to them, and we preferred it that way."
Labels: criminal's gun taken away and used against him, home invasion, NY, residence robbery
3/19/08
Anton, New York
From the Anton News of March 7, 2008
Resident Shoots at Suspects
A resident of Elmont shot at two suspects who broke into his residence in an attempted burglary.
According to police, at approximately 1:25 a.m. on Feb. 28, two male suspects kicked open the side door of a Post Avenue home and ordered the 36-year-old male resident not to move.
Police said the suspects then removed cash that was on a piece of furniture in the living room. Police said the resident was a licensed pistol permit holder and produced a handgun. The resident then chased after the suspects, firing one shot, police said. It is not known whether one of the suspects was struck.
One of the suspects is described as a black male, wearing a black, puffy jacket and a dark skullcap.
Labels: concealed carry permit, home invasion, NY, residence robbery
3/17/08
Harrison County, Kentucky
From WLEX of March 10, 2008
Burglar Shot By Homeowner, Arrested
An alleged burglar who was shot by a homeowner in Harrison County Sunday night is now behind bars.
The incident happened at about 9:30 p.m. at a home on Old Lair Road. Police say Thomas Perysian, 25, of Cynthiana was discovered by homeowner Kevin Landrum, who shot Perysian in his right hand and forearm with a shotgun. Police say Landrum called them from a cell phone while holding the gun on Perysian.
Police say Perysian was treated and released from UK Hospital. He is now being held in the Grant County Detention Center on first-degree burglary charges.
Labels: KY, residence robbery
3/14/08
Hildalgo County, Texas
From March 12, 2008 KRGV channel 5:
HIDALGO COUNTY - Two gunmen involved in a home invasion were chased away by the victim's wife.
"I was in shock. I'm still in shock. I can't believe this happened," she tells us. We're hiding the woman's identity and will call her "Michelle."
She tells us her husband is extremely careful on who he lets on his property. But last night's incident started when the homeowner went outside to close the gate.
According to "Michelle," two masked men pulled into the driveway with guns in hand, demanding drugs and money.
She tells us, "He said, 'I don't have anything. I don't know what you're talking about. I just have children and my wife inside. Y'all need to leave.'"
The men reportedly tried to force "Michelle's" husband to open the door to his home. But the former security guard fought back.
"Michelle" says she was watching it all from inside her home.
She tells us, "I reached for the gun. It was up here. Then I got some shells from in here."
She says, "I keep telling him, 'Duck and I'll shoot! Duck and I'll shoot.' And he said, 'No, don't! Don't!' And I was debating whether to shoot or not."
"Then i just shot that way. The truck was right there."
The shots spooked the intruders and forced them to flee. A tree outside is still marked by the pellets.
"You hear about thing like this happening, but you never think it will happen to you," "Michelle" tells us.
The shotgun was taken by deputies for the investigation. But the couple says they'll be buying another gun.
"We should feel at home in our own home. We shouldn't feel frightened or afraid of anybody. This is our home," says "Michelle."
Labels: female, residence robbery, TX
2/28/08
West Hazleton, Pennsylvania
From the Standard Speaker of February 28, 2008
W. Hazleton woman scares off intruder
A burglar fled a West Hazleton home when a resident got a pistol and took a shot at the man Tuesday evening, borough police said.
The incident happened at an East Broad Street home just before 7 p.m., according to the victim, Terri Gavinski. She and her husband, Dave Gavinski, who was at work when the home invasion occurred, talked about her frightening experience Tuesday night.
Terri Gavinski she was relaxing watching TV, when she heard a noise and saw the figure of a man standing at the edge of the hallway leading into her living room.
She said to the man, “Please don’t hurt me.” He responsed by referring to her in a derogatory manner.
She said the man’s head was completely covered with a forest green bandana and it partially covered his face. He also wore dark gloves, possibly black and dark pants, she said.
Terri Gavinski estimated he was roughly 6 feet tall and a bit more muscular. The intruder apparently gained entrance through the side door of their home in the 200 block of East Broad Street.
Terri Gavinski said he demanded cash and valuables.
She again asked him not to hurt her and said her husband had coins and guns that he used for hunting in a case upstairs. He ordered her upstairs and continued to tell her not to withhold any money she might have.
He ordered her to put the coins in bags. While she was doing that, he began to ransack the upstairs.
“He was just throwing our stuff around and opening up drawers. He didn’t seem interested in his rifles in the gun case,” Gavinski said.
The victim said that while the intruder went through their stuff, she went into another bedroom where she spotted a loaded gun her husband had on the gun cabinet.
“At this point I’m a bit foggy about what happened, but he didn’t see me pick up the gun and we walked downstairs with these heavy bags of coins. He had one bag and I had the other and he ordered me to bring it into the kitchen,” she said.
As he was about to go out the side entrance where he came in, she said she took the gun out of her housecoat, raised it and fired a round. The intruder, she said, dropped the bag of coins and ran out.
She knew she didn’t hit him, but she scared him enough to flee to a car parked in the rear of their home, she said.
Her husband said the bullet exited the home through the rear kitchen window into the back garage.
“I called 911 and within a minute the West Hazleton police arrived,” she said.
Later, Hazleton police and state police were at her home helping out. After calling police she called her husband at work and he was home within minutes.
It is a night Terri Gavinski won’t soon forget.
“I am not a gun person. My husband is. He is a hunter and always keeps two loaded guns in the house,” she said.
Labels: home invasion, PA, residence robbery
2/12/08
Allsbroom, South Carolina
From the Allsbroom man disarms would-be robber of February 12, 2008
Allsbroom man disarms would-be robber
Last Friday was an evening for break-ins in Loris, bringing victims to believe they might be related.
Bill Kaufmann, owner of The Sod Farm, was in bed like any other evening, when he heard a knock on his front door the evening of Jan. 25.
"They were waiting on us to shut our lights off," Kaufman said.
Thinking it was his foreman, Ronnie Thompson, Kaufmann opened the door, only to find a man holding a knife and threatening to kill him.
Kaufmann, who used to train police officers, managed to get the knife away from the suspect, and get to his shotgun that he kept in his bedroom.
"I could tell by the way he was holding the knife that he had never done this kind of thing before," Kaufmann said.
When the suspect saw the gun, he ran out of the house, just about the same time that three others suspects had broken a door down to get into the trailer Kaufmann uses for the Sod Farm's office.
"They had to know where we kept the petty cash, because they went right for that drawer, but we had happened to move it, so they didn't get cash, just deposit slips," Kaufmann said.
The burglary took place just across U.S. 701 from another burglary that happened earlier that morning on Barrett St., where safe and other items had been stolen. Two suspects were arrested following that break-in.
While there have been no reports that the two are related, one of the suspects that was arrested for the Barrett St. burglary, is listed as a possible suspect on the police report for The Sod Farm break-in.
Kaufmann believes that it was someone who worked for him previously because they knew exactly where the money was kept.
"They had to know where we kept the money, we have some idea of who it could be," Kaufmann said.
As for now, Kaufmann said that they have upgraded their security system at their home and office, and hope that it will keep them safe in the future.
"It was a wake up call to us, we though the deadbolts would be enough, and it wasn't," he said.
"It was quite an alarming experience," He said.
Kaufmann, who said that he could have shot the suspect, but didn't, said that people in the area need to know what is happening so they can protect themselves as well.
"People need to know that these kids are going around, busting in on people, the next person might shoot them," Kaufmann said.
Labels: home invasion, residence robbery, SC
1/20/08
Ann Arbor, Michigan
From the January 19, 2008 Detroit Free Press:
Andrew Myrick, a 28-year-old University of Michigan student, was inside his house in the 1500 block of Jones Drive on Wednesday night when David Copeland, 29, of Ypsilanti and three other men broke in, Ann Arbor Deputy Police Chief Greg O'Dell said.
Two of the suspected intruders were arrested Thursday and charged with robbery. But on Thursday, the Washtenaw County prosecutor called Copeland's death "justifiable homicide," O'Dell said.
Labels: home invasion, MI, residence robbery, student defender
1/9/08
Jackson, Tennessee
From the Jackson Sun of January 9, 2008
Charges unlikely after shooting of would-be robber
Jackson police and the district attorney general say at this time they do not expect to charge a Jackson woman who fatally shot a man after he tried to rob her boyfriend inside her home last week.
Justin Cheatham, 24, was shot multiple times by Jennifer Owens around 8 p.m. Wednesday at 51 B Leland Lane, according to a police press release.
Police have said Cheatham and two other men - Antonio Long and Christopher Smith - went to the duplex to buy marijuana from Kenneth Bond. Bond is Owen's boyfriend and also lives at the residence.
According to an account of the incident in an affidavit of complaint, Bond left the three men in the living room and went into the kitchen. He then heard a voice behind him say, "You might as well drop it off."
"He turned around to find Cheatham armed with a handgun," the affidavit states. "Bond grabbed at the gun and a struggle ensued. At that point, Antonio Long came into the kitchen and pointed a long gun at Bond."
Bond told the two men they could take whatever they wanted, but he refused to release the hold he had on Cheatham's gun, "out of fear of being shot," the affidavit states.
Owens heard the struggle from her bedroom and went into the kitchen to find out what was happening. Long momentarily diverted his attention away from Bond and pointed his gun at Owens, telling her to move over to where Bond and Cheatham were, the affidavit states.
Owens told then told Cheatham and Long that her 5-year-old child was in the residence and that they needed to leave.
Police said that another struggle occurred and Owens grabbed a handgun and fired, striking Cheatham several times.
Cheatham collapsed outside the home and was pronounced dead at the scene. Long and Smith also ran out of the home, police have said.
Long, 22, was arrested and has been arraigned on charges of attempted aggravated robbery and aggravated assault. He remains in jail on a $100,000 bond and is also being held on parole violation. He is scheduled to appear in court next at 9:30 a.m. Jan. 17.
Owens and Bond are not facing any charges. Smith, who police have said was in another room when the attempted robbery took place, also has not been charged.
Lt. Mike Holt of the Jackson Police Department's Violent Crimes Unit said Tuesday that it appears that Owens shot Cheatham as he was leaving and just outside the house, in the area around the front door.
"At this time we do not anticipate filing any additional charges with respect to Ms. Jennifer Owens in this case," he said.
Holt said that police met with District Attorney General Jerry Woodall and explained the circumstances of the case as they relate to Owens, "as we now know them."
"He did not feel that it would be appropriate to charge her based with the information we have at this point and we don't disagree with him," Holt said. "Any additional charges in this case will be made at the grand jury after completion of the investigation when all of the facts can be presented in their entirety to the District Attorney's Office for review."
Labels: residence robbery, TN
1/8/08
Summerfield, Florida
From Local6 of January 8, 2008
Police: Victim Fired AK-47 At Home Invader
A man fired shots from his AK-47 at an armed man who stormed into his house through the garage, interrupted a group of friends playing cards, shot into the ceiling of the home and demanded money.
The incident happened Tuesday morning at 3085 SE 159th Lane Road in Summerfield.
According to Marion County sheriff's deputies, three men, one of whom was armed with a silver revolver, stormed into the home and fired shots into the ceiling while searching for money and weapons.
One of the invaders entered a bedroom where the father of one of the victims playing cards was sleeping, deputies said. The father, who had been awakened by the commotion and gunfire, retrieved his AK-47 from behind his bed, causing two of the assailants to run out of the front door of the house, deputies said.
The invader with the revolver fired shots at the father, who returned fire, according to a Marion County sheriff's report. The culprit ran into a bedroom, broke a window and fled, deputies said. It is not known if he was struck.
The armed assailant was described as a white man wearing blue jeans, a flannel shirt and a blue jean jacket. Deputies said he may be injured and seeking medical treatment. A second culprit had blonde hair and was wearing all dark clothing. The third invader was only described as a Hispanic man.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to call Crime Stoppers. The Marion County Sheriff's Office is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Further links:
Homeowner shoots back at intruders
Labels: assault weapon defense, FL, home invasion, residence robbery
1/1/08
Vicksburg, Mississippi
From the Vicksburg Post of January 1, 2008
Teen kills intruder in county's 1st homicide of the year
A teen shot and killed a home intruder Sunday night, stopping a theft in progress and sending the intruder's accomplices scurrying, said Sheriff Martin Pace.
Found dead in front of a mobile home in South Warren County was Jonathan Bruce, 21, 3341 Sunnybrook Drive in Jackson, said Coroner Doug Huskey.
Bruce had been shot once with a .410 shotgun and had stumbled out of the mobile home, Pace said.
The teen, who was not identified, was not arrested or charged. Pace said details of the investigation will be presented to the district attorney, but it appeared the shooting -- Warren County's first homicide of the year -- will be deemed justifiable.
Pace said the adults who lived in the home where Bruce was shot made a living as street vendors. He said Bruce and two other men had forced their way into the mobile home at 25 Red Oak Drive about 7 p.m. after inquiring about purchasing shoes. The teen and several other juveniles were alone when the trio entered.
Pace said after the men got inside, they started "loading up merchandise" until the teen got a shotgun and fired it at Bruce, who had a handgun in his pocket. After being shot, Bruce turned and walked out onto the lawn, where he was found when deputies arrived. The other men fled in a sedan.
Pace said Warren County officers were working with counterparts in the Jackson Police Department to identify Bruce's companions, said to have been in a white sedan without a tag.
The City of Vicksburg recorded 10 homicides in 2007. Until the next-to-the-last night of the year, Warren County outside Vicksburg had recorded none.
Labels: MS, residence robbery
12/24/07
Fort Mitchell, Georgia
From WRBL of December 24, 2007
Man Shot After Invading Home
A man ended up in the hospital on this Christmas Eve because of a shooting.
The shooting happened just after noon off of Bradley Road in Fort Mitchell in Russell County.
The Russell County Sheriff's Department tells News Three, two men entered the home with weapons drawn.
The men took off with some items, and then, the homeowner and the men had an altercation.
The homeowner shot one of the men.
Sheriff's Deputies say the two tried to get away in a stolen vehicle from Columbus but the vehicle was shot at as well.
The vehicle was found in a ditch on the homeowner’s property.
The men ran to the neighbor's yard, and the neighbor called 9-1-1.
“A man called saying there was a black male that had been shot, appeared to be by a shotgun, laying in his yard,” says Lt. Heath Taylor of the Russell County Sheriff’s Department.
One of the men is in critical condition at a local hospital.
Both men are in custody.
Labels: GA, residence robbery
12/15/07
Knoxville, Tennessee
From the Knoxville News Sentinel of December 16, 2007
Man shoots and kills fleeing burglar
A Powell man coming to his grandson's rescue shot and killed a fleeing burglar Saturday, authorities said.
Tilvis Coffey, 42, of Knoxville died at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knox County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Martha Dooley said. His record shows an "extensive" criminal history, including arrests for theft, aggravated burglary and probation violation, she said.
Officers haven't filed any charges against Harry Smith, 58. Smith, who has a gun permit, shot Coffey once in the head with a revolver as Coffey ran from the house at 103 Copeland Road, Dooley said.
Coffey didn't have a weapon at the time, she said.
Coffey showed up at the house just after noon while Smith's 14-year-old grandson was there alone, Dooley said.
"A man came to the door he didn't know," she said. "He called his mother, who told him to hide in the closet."
Coffey kicked in two doors and made his way inside, Dooley said. The boy called 911 from the closet. Meanwhile, his mother called Smith, her father. Smith, who lives nearby, headed to the house and confronted Coffey inside, Dooley said.
Coffey ran out just as the boy's grandmother stepped out of her car, Dooley said.
"Smith told the man to stop or he'd shoot," Dooley said.
She said she didn't know how far away Coffey was when Smith fired.
The boy and his grandmother weren't hurt, Dooley said. Their names weren't available Saturday night, and Smith couldn't be reached.
Further links:
Knox Co. man kills intruder at daughter’s home
Labels: concealed carry permit, home invasion, residence robbery, TN
Campbell, Ohio
From the Youngstown Vindicator of December 15, 2007
Campbell cops call homicide justified
Police do not plan to charge Nicholas Galanses in the Wednesday night shooting death of Ronald G. Harrison II.
"I discussed it with Law Director Mark Kolmacic, and unless something new comes up, we're looking at it as a justifiable homicide," Detective Sgt. Gus Nicolaou said Friday.
Kolmacic said a person may defend himself if he believes he is in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm. The duty to retreat does not apply if a person is in his home, he said.
"We're taking a close look" at the results of a breath test that showed Galanses had a blood alcohol level of .156. That is above the legal limit of .08 to drive a vehicle, but there is no law against drinking in one's own home, Kolmacic said.
Further, the law director said, there is nothing in the police reports to indicate his alcohol level caused any reckless behavior.
Galanses, 40, shot Harrison three times shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday in his (Galanses') garage, which is attached to his home in the 300 Block of Porter Ave.
Harrison, 19, of Bright Avenue, was hit in the stomach, the right arm between his wrist and elbow, and in the back just below his left shoulder blade, but at an angle indicating he was turning when the bullet struck, Nicolaou said.
Nicolaou said Harrison, whom Galanses said was raising a pistol at him, was shot at a distance of 5 to 10 feet, judging from where Harrison's weapon, which turned out to be a Daisy air pellet gun, was found.
Harrison, who was found lying in the street in front of 332 Porter, was wearing a nylon stocking cap over his head and face, according to the police report.
"It's definite he went to rob. He had stolen the pellet gun from a friend's house about an hour earlier," Nicolaou said of Harrison.
The Mahoning County Coroner's report on the shooting contained no new details, and said the circumstances surrounding the homicide are pending investigation. Harrison's body was sent to Cleveland to be autopsied.
The night of the shooting, Galanses told police he went to the garage door after the front door bell rang and asked, "Who's out there?"
On his way to the garage door, Galanses, who said he never answers his front door, picked up his .357 magnum revolver from his dining room hutch.
When he opened the door to the attached garage, he saw a man run into the garage from the front porch side of the driveway, raise a black handgun toward him and yell, "Give me the money ...!"
Galanses, standing halfway inside the dining room and halfway in the garage, said he feared he was going to be shot. He raised the .357 magnum and fired several shots at the intruder.
If the shooting is ruled a justifiable homicide, it will be the first in the area since October 2005, when Walter Swita used a German Luger 9 mm pistol to shoot an intruder in the head and chest in the living room of Swita's home on South Avenue.
Labels: OH, residence robbery
12/7/07
DeKalb County, Georgia
From December 7, 2007 WSB channel 2:
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. -- A father protecting his family during a hold up shot and killed a robber late Thursday night.The family of four had just returned home from a school recital. After parking in their driveway the family was walking up the front walk at their house on Stardust Circle when three robbers stopped them.During the confrontation the father pulled out a gun and opened fire, killing one of the robbers. The other men ran off."It was a home invasion, but this time the invasion was on the other foot," said one neighbor.The neighbor says the wounded man died in the family's yard and the other two men fled on foot.That same neighbor told police that she heard her dog attack one of the robbers as he ran through her backyard.Also covered at December 7, 2007 channel 11.
More details at the December 7, 2007 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer:
DECATUR, Ga. -- DeKalb County police continued Friday to look for two suspects after a man shot and killed a third attacker who tried to rob his family as they returned home from a school event.
DeKalb Police spokesman Jonathon Ware said Ronald Johnson, 36, and his family were returning to their home in south DeKalb County and getting out of their vehicle when the suspects, armed with a handgun and a shotgun, attempted to rob them shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday.
Johnson pulled his own gun and killed one of the suspects, Ware said, and the other two men fled on foot.
Ware said Friday that police had not yet identified the dead man.
He said the shooting "has been deemed justified," and no charges will be filed against Johnson.
Neither Johnson, nor his family - whom Ware identified as Lekeysha Mattox, 34, and two girls ages 16 and 4 - were injured in the attack.
Labels: GA, home invasion, residence robbery
11/29/07
Porter, Texas
From ABC13 WTRK of November 29, 2007
Homeowner shoots and kills suspected burglar in Porter
A homeowner in Porter shot and killed a suspected burglar Thursday. And the situation became so intense that the homeowner himself was taken to the hospital.
We're also learning there have been other problems with crime in the neighborhood on West Hammond near Highway 59.
Around 1:30pm, property owner Gary Southworth called 911 and said that he'd shot a man who was stealing from him and that he needed help. Paramedics rushed the suspected thief to Kingwood Hospital, but he died from his wounds.
Paramedics had to also take Southworth to the hospital after the shooting because the 60-year-old was having chest pains. Meanwhile, his wife, Alberta Southworth, says thieves had hit them several times recently.
"It's beyond awful," she said. "It's our whole life, I mean, he's been so sick and all we have left to live on is what they've stolen. We have nothing now. They took our bank account basically."
"He had reported two thefts in the past two days that had occurred in the nighttime hours," said Sgt. Bill Bucks with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department. "It's my understanding that this is not his primary residence, but he does own the property. He came back to watch and make sure nobody stole anything from his house."
A new law that just went into effect in September allows Texans to defend themselves with deadly force in their homes, cars and work places. The Castle Doctrine removes the requirement that a person must attempt to retreat before using deadly force.
It's important to note that the deputy told us that when Southworth called 911, he was requesting help for the man he just shot.
Southworth is in stable condition.
Further links:
Porter man suffers chest pains after killing theft suspect
Labels: residence robbery, trespassing, TX
11/27/07
East Point, Georgia
From WSBTV of November 27, 2007
Businessman Wounded, Suspect Killed In Shootout
One suspect is dead and another man wounded after a shoot out during a home invasion robbery in East Point early Tuesday morning.
Police said two men burst into an apartment at 3029 Dobbs Way around midnight and held several people at gunpoint.
The armed men started ransacking the apartment.
At some point a woman who lives at the apartment, but was outside during the attack called her father for help.
The father, who police describe as a well-known local businessman, rushed to the apartment with his own gun.
When he entered the apartment a gun battle broke out with both the home invaders and the father trading shots. One of the suspects was shot and killed. The father also was hit and wounded.
The apartment residents then attacked the surviving robber and held him until police arrived.
Investigators have not released the names of those involved.
Labels: defender shot, home invasion, residence robbery
11/19/07
Augusta, Georgia
From Augusta’s WRDW.com of November 19, 2007
Homeowner sends burglars to hospital
Investigators say two armed burglars invaded a home Friday night around 8:30pm on the 3000-block of Tate Rd.
A struggle occurred between the homeowner and one of the men. The homeowner was shot in the arm, but was able to get the gun away from the burglars to shoot back.
The two burglars drove themselves to the hospital where they were arrested.
The two men have been identified as Montrelle Teasley and Marcus Turner. Both will be charged with armed robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during a crime.
Teasley is a juvenile, but will be charged as an adult.
Labels: criminal's gun taken away and used against him, defender shot, GA, home invasion, residence robbery
11/18/07
Dayton, Ohio
From Dayton’s WHIOtv.com of November 18, 2007
Man Tries To Break-In Home, Gets Shot
A Dayton homeowner shot a suspected burglar Saturday morning.
Police responded to the 4000 block of Pleasantview early Saturday morning.
Police said a man tried kicking in the back door of the home and that is when the homeowner shot him.
The burglar was taken to Miami Valley Hospital and is in critical condition
Labels: home invasion, OH, residence robbery
11/12/07
Knox County, Tennessee
From Knoxville’s WATE.com of November 12, 2007
Knox Co. homeowner fights back, shoots would-be burglar
A homeowner in south Knox County stopped a home invasion robbery by shooting a would-be burglar.
Deputies with the Knox County Sheriff's Office say just before midnight Sunday, a pair of men kicked in the door of an elderly couple's home on Chestnut Street.
The homeowner opened fire, wounding one of the robbers. The pair then fled without taking anything from the home.
The wounded suspect turned up a few minutes later outside UT Medical Center. The other suspect apparently dropped off their partner and then fled.
Deputies are still searching for the second suspect. The sheriff's office has yet to release a description of that suspect.
It isn't clear if the homeowner was injured in the incident.
Labels: home invasion, residence robbery, TN
11/1/07
Yucca Valley, California
From Palm Springs’ MyDesert.com of November 1, 2007
Juvenile shot, killed during Yucca Valley burglary
A juvenile was shot and killed while attempting to burglarize a Yucca Valley home Wednesday evening, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
The incident happened about 6:30 p.m. in the 2800 block of Longview Avenue when the teenager and another juvenile tried to break into a home.
A third suspect, 18-year-old Duncan Nicholson, waited outside in a getaway vehicle, according to the sheriff's department.
An investigation determined the homeowner pulled out a gun when he heard somone knocking at his door. He armed himself because his home was robbed several times in the past month.
The juvenile and two suspects are suspected of committing the burglaries, according to the sheriff's department.
The homeowner fired his gun when the two juveniles forced their way into the home, killing one of them and hitting the second suspect in his arm.
The two remaining suspects fled the scene, but later returned with the juvenile's father.
The younger suspect was booked into a local juvenile hall and Nicholson was taken to the Morongo Basin Jail, both on murder charges.
Labels: CA, home invasion, residence robbery
Bridge City, Texas
From Port Arthur’s PANews.com of November 1, 2007
Bridge City police looking for burglar, homeowner recovering from self-inflicted wound
Bridge City police continued their search Thursday for a man who reportedly tried to burglarize a home with the homeowner still inside.
Meanwhile, the homeowner is recuperating from surgery after accidentally shooting himself in the foot; an injury he received while trying to keep the burglar from entering the home.
The quiet town of Bridge City is not known for such residential burglaries and BCPD Chief Steve Faircloth said he cannot remember the last time the city had a home robbery.
Police received the call of a residential burglary in progress at about 12:51 a.m. Oct. 30 in the 300 block of Rachel. According to a press release, the suspect forced open the front door of the home and the homeowner fired several shots at the suspect with a semi-automatic pistol. The suspect then left the scene on foot and has not been identified. There is no indication the suspect was shot during the incident.
“This continues to be investigated thoroughly and vigorously,” Faircloth said.
Faircloth said nothing was taken during the crime.
The suspect is described as a white male with thin build and a long goatee. He was last seen wearing a dark jacket and jeans.
Labels: defender shot, home invasion, residence robbery, TX
10/31/07
Jacksonville, Florida
From News4Jax.com of October 31, 2007
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
10/30/07
Lutz, Florida
From Tampa Bay’s TBO.com of October 30, 2007
3 Men Sought In Home Invasions In Hillsborough
Hillsborough County deputies are searching for three men suspected in a string of armed home invasions and the shooting of a resident who defended himself and nearly caught one of the suspects.
Arrest warrants on charges of armed home robbery were issued today for Cedric Stephens, 20, Derrick Grady, 19, and Ronnie Bolden, 18. Stephens also faces one count of attempted murder.
On Friday morning, the suspects forced their way into an apartment at 15101 Buckhorn Court in Lutz, sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said. They demanded money and threatened to shoot the four victims. The men left in a newer model red vehicle after taking cash and personal property.
On Sunday morning, the same suspects knocked on an apartment door at 5427 Ginger Cove in Tampa, Carter said. After a victim opened the door, the suspects produced a gun and left with various items of personal property.
Four hours later, the suspects forced open a door at 2608 Rustic Ridge Loop in Lutz, Carter said. They pointed a handgun at a 34-year-old man and took his cash and a video game player, also leaving in a red car.
As they left, the robbers doused the victim's face with pepper spray, Carter said. The victim grabbed a rifle from in the apartment and chased after them. He caught up to one of the men and began to escort him back to the apartment when one of the other suspects came up behind him and fired a shot in the back of his neck, Carter said.
The suspects drove away in a red 2008 Chevrolet, Carter said. The victim chased after the vehicle on foot and then fired one shot at the vehicle.
The suspects abandoned the car and ran west out of the complex, she said. The victim was rushed to Tampa General Hospital with injuries that weren't life-threatening and was released.
Labels: FL, residence robbery
10/26/07
Bardstown, Kentucky
From Bardstown’s The Kentucky Standard of October 26, 2007
Homeowner shoots a would-be robber twice
An alleged robber was shot at least twice by a local homeowner early Wednesday morning. The injured man has been charged with several crimes . The suspect was hospitalized but those in the home were unharmed.
Nelson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Major Keith Greene said about 2 a.m. a call was received reporting a shooting at a residence at 1325 Plum Run Road. At least one suspect, armed with a handgun, forced his way into the home and allegedly demanded drugs. One of the residents then fired a small caliber handgun at the intruder, hitting him at least twice, Greene said. No one else was injured.
The suspect, later identified as Chaylin Montgomery, 30, Bardstown, was transported to a Louisville-area hospital for treatment. He was charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment. Montgomery is already under indictment for his alleged role in the beating and injury of a man earlier this year in a parking lot.
The names of the resident who shot the suspect and those inside the home at the time of the incident were not released by police.
The investigation into the shooting and events that led up to it are ongoing, Greene said. No charges have been filed against those who were in the home during the incident.
Labels: home invasion, KY, residence robbery
10/23/07
Spartanburg, South Carolina
From Greenville’s WYFF4.com of October 23, 2007
Deputies: Homeowner Shoots 2 BurglarsFrom the MyrtleBeachOnline.com of October 24, 2007
Spartanburg County deputies said two home invasion robbers were shot early Tuesday morning by the man who lived in the home they tried to burglarize.
Deputies said that the men forced their way into the home on Harley Court about 4 a.m. The man who lives in the home said that he got his pistol and fired several shots at the men, who ran away.
Investigators said that Lashawn D. Miller, 22, and Haldane D. Oden, 21, were located a short time later in the emergency room at Mary Black Hospital. Both men had gunshot wounds.
The sheriff's office said that Miller and Oden will be charged with first-degree burglary.
There was no immediate word on the extent of their injuries.
Homeowner who shoots would-be robbers faces no charges
A 31-year-old man will not face charges for shooting two men who broke into his home, authorities said.
Lamont Dawkins said he grabbed his pistol and hid behind his refrigerator after hearing glass break and his back door being kicked about 4 a.m. Tuesday.
Dawkins said he fired several rounds as two men entered, and they ran away. Investigators found Lashawn Miller, 22, and Haldane Oden, 21, both of Spartanburg, in a hospital emergency room.
"I was scared at first, but now I feel good. I just didn't want nothing to happen to me," Dawkins told WYFF News 4.
Miller was treated for a gunshot wound to his right arm and Oden was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the chest.
Authorities said both face first-degree burglary charges.
Dawkins will not be charged because he used the weapon to defend himself, authorities said.
Labels: residence robbery, SC
East Liberty, Pennsylvania
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette of October 22, 2007
Man killed in E. Liberty home invasion
An armed man was shot and killed early this morning after he and another man broke into a residence in East Liberty, police said. Shawn Davis, 18, of Duquesne, died of a shotgun blast to the head inside an apartment at 300 North Negley Avenue. He was shot at 3:15 a.m. and pronounced dead at the scene 10 minutes later. Police said he and his accomplice, Rashawn Gibson, 20, of Garfield, tried to rob the occupants of the apartment.
"It was definitely a home invasion," said Cmdr. Thomas Stangrecki, head of Major Crimes. "We're still sorting it out."
Detectives said Mr. Davis pointed his gun at the occupants and ordered them onto the floor. He and Mr. Gibson walked one victim to the rear of the apartment at gunpoint, then returned to the living room and approached the other victims who were hiding in the kitchen.
When Mr. Davis pointed a gun at one of them, the man shot him in the head with a shotgun.
Mr. Gibson jumped through a window to get away, but police caught him.
He is charged with burglary, robbery and criminal conspiracy.
Labels: PA, residence robbery
10/22/07
Friendship, Pennsylvania
From the Pittsburg Tribune-Review of October 22, 2007
Police: Friendship home invader fatally shot
A man in a Friendship apartment fatally shot one of two men who broke into the home early this morning, Pittsburgh police said.
The two invaders, one of whom had a gun, entered the apartment at 300 North Negley Avenue about 3:15 a.m., Cmdr. Thomas Stangrecki said. A man in the apartment grabbed a shotgun and shot one of the intruders in the side of the head, Stangrecki said.
The man died at the scene, Stangrecki said. The other intruder ran away and was still being sought. Police did not identify anyone involved and no charges were filed this morning.
Labels: PA, residence robbery
10/17/07
Orange County, Florida
From Orlando’s WESH.com of October 17, 2007
Police: Stripper-Involved Death Was Self-Defense
Authorities are investigating a twist in the shooting on Tuesday night involving a stripper.
Orange County investigators said the stripper was part of a setup to rob the people who hired her.
One of the intended victims shot and killed a man who detectives now say was there to rob him, and had a gun of his own.
The exotic dancer was invited to a private home, but it seems she was part of a larger, Internet-based scheme to rob the two men who invited her, investigators believe.
"It's very weird," neighbor Maria Fernandez said.
Area residents first became concerned after they heard the shooting was the result of an argument over an exotic dancer.
"People have parties, and they have these strippers come to the house in your own neighborhood. You know, i'ts like, unbelievable," Fernandez said.
Then authorities discovered a new twist in the case on Wednesday afternoon.
"You have two individuals that were just looking for a night of entertainment, unfortunately, they called in the wrong act," Sgt. Alan Lee of the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.
Homicide detectives said the two men had responded to an ad for an exotic dancer on Craigslist.
"A lot of times there is inherent risk with that. A lot of times these ads, it's a setup for you to be robbed," Lee said.
Detectives said the woman went to the house first to scope it out in order to determine for her accomplice if it was worth robbing.
The dancer's accomplice showed up with a gun and the homeowner returned fire with his own weapon and killed the man.
Authorities said neither of the two residents of the home will be charged.
"They were acting in self-defense," Lee said.
Detectives have been working to try to figure out the identity of the man who was shot to death. They strongly suspect the man has a criminal record.
The police are encouraging victims of similar crimes to contact them directly.
Labels: FL, home invasion, residence robbery
10/14/07
Jackson, Mississippi
From Jackson’s WAPT.com of October 14, 2007
Police Say Would-Be Robber Shot, HospitalizedFrom the Jackson Clarion-Ledger of October 15, 2007
A would-be robber was hospitalized early Sunday morning after his alleged victim shot him multiple times, Jackson police said.
Jerriod Peters knocked on the door of a home on McKee Street at about 5:30 a.m., officers said. But when the homeowner answered, he apparently took the handgun from the [sic] Peters and shot him.
Peters is listed in critical condition at University Medical Center.
The homeowner hasn't been charged in the shooting.
man shot in alleged robbery dies
The latest in a spate of suspected criminals to encounter an armed Jackson resident died Monday morning.
Jerriod Peters, 21, was the second man to die in just over two weeks after being shot during an apparent botched robbery.
Police haven't released the name of the man who shot Peters. They've said the man reported Peters knocked on his door, in the 300 block of McKee Street, about 5:30 a.m. Sunday.
Peters and the homeowner had guns, and they exchanged fire. Peters was hit multiple times and died shortly after midnight at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
Hinds County Coroner Sharon Grisham-Stewart said autopsy results are pending.
No one in the neighborhood would talk about the incident on Monday. Several men outside the duplex where it happened said they knew nothing about the shooting.
Labels: criminal's gun taken away and used against him, MS, residence robbery
10/5/07
Gainesville, Florida
From Gainesville‘s WCJB.com of October 5, 2007
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
10/4/07
Louisville, Kentucky
From the Louisville Courier-Journal of October 3, 2007
Robbery attempt leads to shooting of 2, including bystander
Two Louisville men -- one a bystander -- were shot during an attempted robbery early yesterday, police said.
Officers from the 4th Division were called to an apartment in the 700 block of South Clay Street just before 1 a.m. on the report of a robbery and shooting, said Alicia Smiley, spokeswoman for Louisville Metro Police.
The two people who live in the apartment, Jonathon Postell, 29, and Chiquita Cooper, 23, told police that they both shot at a man who broke in and tried to rob them, Smiley said. The intruder fired back, striking Postell in the ankle and the buttocks, she said.
Postell was transported to University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Smiley said.
Hearing the shooting, a neighbor ran out of his apartment to get his juvenile nephew inside and was hit in the shoulder, Smiley said. The wounded neighbor, who was not identified, later walked about five blocks to University Hospital, where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, she said.
It was not immediately clear which of the people firing shots wounded the neighbor, Smiley said.
Police are looking for the man Postell and Cooper said tried to rob them, Smiley said.
Meanwhile, Postell has been charged with possession of a handgun by a felon; and both he and Cooper have been charged with trafficking in a controlled substance, wanted endangerment, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, Smiley said.
Labels: defender shot, home invasion, KY, residence robbery
10/2/07
Frayser, Tennessee
From Memphis’ MyEyewitnessNews.com of October 2, 2007
Frayser Home Invasion: Man Fights Back
A man fights back three robbers after being forced inside his Frayser home at gunpoint.
It happened just after 11 a.m. on Tuesday, October 2, 2007 at a home in the 700 block of Frayser Drive.
Family members say 31 year-old Kevin Hill was approached by a guy with a gun while getting out of his SUV after running some morning errands.
That's when two other guys came up and forced Hill inside his home and up into the attic to rob him.
Police say Hill struggled with his attackers and managed to take away one of their guns and fire.
Police say no one was hit but several shots were fired inside of the home.
The robbers ran from the home, jumped in Hill's SUV and sped off. Police later found the SUV after the trio crashed it on Syndey Street in North Memphis.
Officers were able to take all three robbers into custody.
The Robbery Division is investigating. So far no charges have been filed.
Labels: criminal's gun taken away and used against him, home invasion, residence robbery, TN
10/1/07
Jackson, Mississippi
From the Clarion-Ledger of October 1, 2007
Police: Jackson homeowner shoots, kills man during robbery attempt
A homeowner shot and killed a man who he said was trying to rob him early this morning, police said.
Jackson police Sgt. Jeffery Scott said two men tried to rob a homeowner in the 4900 block of Rosehaven Drive, near Clinton Boulevard and Dixon Road about 1 a.m.
The homeowner, whom police did not identify, retrieved a gun and fired one shot.
Hinds County Coroner Sharon Grisham-Stewart said Kenneth Stewman, 20, of Jackson died at the scene. He suffered a single gunshot wound to the chest.
The second alleged robber escaped. Police had no specific description of him or any getaway car.
From WLBT of October 1, 2007
Homeowner Will Not Face Charges for Fatal Shooting
Tonight WLBT news has uncovered new information about a deadly encounter early this morning in west Jackson.
A homeowner shot a man who he said was attempting to rob him. 20- year old Kenneth Stewman was killed around 1 a.m.
According to police a homeowner on Rosehaven Drive was approached by two armed men. The unidentified homeowner retrieved a gun and opened fire, killing Stewman. Today, he declined to talk with us about the fatal shooting.
We have learned, the suspected robber lived less than a block away. A family member says, the Hinds Community College student would never rob his neighbor. The crime victim and robber knew each other.
"He probably acted on impulse. We've seen some strange faces around here lately, so we really don't know and at night time I guess you really can't distinguish if you really know somebody," says Kenya Stewman, Sister.
Stewman's grieving sister said police have not talked with the family about the incident. The search for a second man continues. According to investigators, the unidentified homeowner will not face any charges.
Labels: MS, residence robbery
9/30/07
McKeesport, Pennsylvania
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette of September 30, 2007
Intruders shot, one fatally, in McKeesport
Two suspected robbers were shot, one of them fatally, during an apparent home invasion on Grover Street in McKeesport last night, police said.
Police were called at 10:10 p.m. to a home in the 2900 block of Grover, where a resident resisted an apparent robbery.
One suspect was killed, and the other was hospitalized with at least one gunshot wound, police said.
The extent of his injuries was not immediately known.
Labels: home invasion, PA, residence robbery
9/26/07
San Antonio, Texas
From San Antonio’s WOAI.com of September 26, 2007
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
9/25/07
Clare County, Michigan
From Cadillac’s 9and10News.com of September 25, 2007
Clare Couple Fights Off Armed Attacker
The quick thinking of a Clare County couple helped them fight off a man who broke into their home and held them at gunpoint.
It happened just before 4 a.m. on Monday on Edgewood drive in Hayes Township of Clare County.
Helen Barker and Jeff Haley were sitting in the living room of Barker's home when a 24 year-old Travis Howell broke through the window, pointed a gun to Haley's head and demanded money and pills.
Haley was able to wrestle the gun away from Howell while Barker called the police.
Howell ran from the home, but was arrested shortly after by police.
Labels: criminal's gun taken away and used against him, MI, residence robbery
Lydia, South Carolina
From Myrtle Beach’s WPDE.com of September 24, 2007
Attempted robbery suspect shot and killedFrom Florence’s SCNow.com of September 26, 2007
Police say the suspect in an attempted robbery was shot and killed by one of his intended victims. Police say two men tried to rob a group of people inside a home on Berry Lane in the Lydia Community of Darlington County Sunday night.
They say one of the people in the home shot and killed one of the suspects. The other suspect, 17-year old Demario Hickmon from Bishopville, is charged with burglary and armed robbery.
Police say no charges will be filed against the person who shot the other suspect.
Darlington County home invasion suspect shot to death
Series of incidents under investigation
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Meanwhile, a home invasion that happened Sunday night on Berry Road in Lydia, where a suspect was shot and later died, remains under investigation.
Christopher Stephenson, 20, of Lydia was pronounced dead after undergoing surgery at a local hospital, Hardee said.
Investigators think Stephenson was armed when, about 8 p.m., he and another man intended to rob four people playing cards inside the residence, Darlington County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Tom Gainey said Monday.
One person at the home had a concealed weapons permit and shot Stephenson with a handgun, according to the sheriff’s office.
Authorities have filed no charges against the person who shot Stephenson. That person has given a statement to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies arrested the other suspect in the home invasion, 17-year-old Demario J. Hickmon of Felder Lane in Bishopville. He faces charges of first-degree burglary, armed robbery and criminal conspiracy. He remains at the Darlington County Detention Center awaiting a bond hearing.
Labels: home invasion, residence robbery, SC
9/20/07
LaVergne, Tennessee
From Nashville’s WSMV.com of September 20, 2007
Resident Fights Off Intruder
A LaVergne man pulled a gun on a would-be robber Wednesday night.
The incident happened at a home on Jean Drive, officials said.
According to police, the homeowner was lying on the couch when a man with a knife burst through the door.
Police are still searching for the intruder.
The 62-year-old victim, who asked to remain anonymous, suffers from emphysema.
The man said his fight to live became more desperate when a knife-wielding robber entered his home.
“After the initial shock wore off, I’m mad,” he said.
According to the man, the intruder walked into his house through his unlocked front door.
“His words were, ‘Money. Uh, I want your money,’” he said.
The father of two said he managed to pull a .380 semi-automatic pistol from underneath the sofa cushions.
"And I just reached back and grabbed the gun, and then I brought it up. He’s trying to get out the door and I fired,” he said.
He said the results might have been different if he hadn’t had a gun.
“He would have got what little I had, and I would have been at his mercy,” he said.
The man said he believes the intruder was waiting outside his house and had been watching him for a while to learn his routine.
Neighbors said the man is almost always propped up on the couch to breathe better with his door unlocked.
“This neighborhood has always been safe. I can never recall anything like this happening,” he said.
The man said the intruder wore a mask and spoke with an accent. He said it was too dark to be able to see well enough to give police a description.
Labels: residence robbery, TN
9/12/07
Memphis, Tennessee
From Memphis’ WREG.com of September 12, 2007
Two men shot during botched robbery
Police have cleared crime scene tape, but the investigation is far from over. Dried blood on a neighbor's front stoop is a reminder of the struggle that happened on Edith in south Memphis early Wednesday morning. Two people were shot during an apparent home invasion robbery. One victim was one of the men held at gunpoint. The other was the gunman.
"When someone pulls a gun on you demanding property, which is the definition of a robbery, anything can happen," say Lt. Joe Scott of the Memphis Police Department. Investigators tell us they responded to a call at 536 Edith around 2:30 Wednesday morning. Initial reports say a man knocked on the door asking to use a telephone. Someone inside answered the door and stepped away.
Lt. Scott says, "When the individual came back to the door, the suspect displayed a firearm. Another individual there began to struggle with the suspect and was shot." The man who answered the door managed to strip the gunman's weapon away and shot him. Both shooting victims were taken to the Med in critical condition.
Labels: criminal's gun taken away and used against him, residence robbery, TN
9/10/07
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
From KPLC of September 6, 2007
Two Men Arrested for Attempted Murder
Nestled in the woods of central Moss Bluff, Tanglewood Drive is by all accounts a quiet neighborhood. But it was here around 1 a.m. Wednesday that Calcasieu sheriff's detectives say 18-year-old Robert Willis and 25-year-old Jesse Graham began a crime spree. The sheriff's office says both men have a long criminal record and knew the game well. They say one of them knocks on the door, asking to speak with someone, while the other hides nearby.
"They asked the homeowner to speak with someone, he said nobody lives here by that name... And then one stepped around the corner with a shotgun. At that point, the homeowner who had a gun, pointed the gun at them and they fled," said Calcasieu Sheriff Tony Mancuso.
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Labels: LA, residence robbery, trespassing
9/7/07
Tomé, New Mexico
From the Valencia County News-Bulletin of September 7, 2007
Two men who were shot charged with felonies
A shooting last week that left two Los Lunas men injured has been determined by deputies to be justified, and the pair are now facing multiple felony counts in connection with the incident.
On Tuesday, Aug. 28, deputies found Arthur Lovato Jr. and Sean Viviani, both 23, suffering from gunshot wounds they received at a house in Tomé. On Friday, Lovato was arrested. Viviani remains in the hospital recovering from his injuries. Deputies say Viviani will be taken into custody after he's released.
Valencia County Sheriff's Detective Sgt. John Gordon said that after speaking to the homeowner, Fred Christanelli, and his wife, Susie, and conducting an investigation into the shooting, deputies determined the shooting was justified and done in self-defense. Christanelli, who police say shot Lovato and Viviani, will not be charged, Gordon said.
Instead, Lovato and Viviani have been charged with a total of 18 felony counts including aggravated burglary, two counts of armed robbery, extortion, attempted criminal sexual penetration, attempted aggravated burglary and several counts of accessory and conspiracy.
Gordon said Lovato, who was shot once in the leg and whose head a bullet grazed, was arrested Friday morning during a court hearing in District Judge John Pope's courtroom.
"We put the arrest warrants out for Mr. Lovato and Mr. Viviani, and we learned that he (Lovato) had a court hearing this morning," Gordon said. "We arrested him, and he gave us a statement."
According to the detective, the Christanellis told deputies a few days after the shooting that they were in debt and were unable to pay their bill.
The person to whom they owed money "sent Viviani and Lovato to collect the $400 debt," Gordon said. "The first time they went over there, Mr. Christanelli wasn't home, and they spoke to his wife, Susie. They left and waited on the ditchbank until the husband returned home about 30 minutes later."
The detective said Lovato and Viviani confronted the couple and demanded the money. Gordon alleged that when the Christanellis told them they didn't have it, Lovato and Viviani went inside and ransacked the house looking for money. They found a little more than $100, the detective said.
"While still in the house, Lovato produced a knife and Viviani a handgun," Gordon said. "They threatened the couple and told them that they needed to get more money."
The detective said when the two men walked outside and into the front yard, Viviani demanded the couple's cell phone, When Fred Christanelli told him no, both men allegedly threatened to sexually assault his wife, Gordon said.
"They (Lovato and Viviani) were approaching the house again when Mr. Christanelli got a gun from inside his house and shot both of them at close range," Gordon said. "At that time, everyone fled the scene,"
Deputies initially believed that the two men left the scene in a car being driven by a third party, but Gordon said he now thinks Lovato was the driver.
"There was no third person," Gordon said. "Mr. Viviani (who was shot in the chest) was afraid he was going to die, demanded to be let out of the car."
Lovato dropped Viviani at a home on Patricio Road and then drove himself to a house where he was staying on N.M. 47. Gordon said when Lovato arrived, an unknown person left in the vehicle.
Neither Fred Christanelli nor his wife, Susie, was injured during the incident.
Lovato is currently being held on a $500,000 cash-only bond at the Valencia County Adult Detention Center in Los Lunas. He is scheduled to appear before Magistrate Tina Gallegos for an arraignment hearing on Monday.
Labels: NM, residence robbery
9/4/07
Hilliard, Florida
From Jacksonville’s News4Jax.com of September 4, 2007
Victim Uses Gun To Scare Suspects From Home
Sheriff Arrests 3 Men, 1 Juvenile
The victim of an attempted home invasion robbery in Hilliard, Fla., fired a single shot and scared four men from his property on Labor Day, Nassau County officers said.
According to the Nassau County Sheriff's Office, Louis Steinritz, Alex Hastie, Ryan Jeffers and a juvenile went to the home of Randy Nutty and after knocking on the door, struck Nutty in the head and shoved the victim back into the home.
The victim received further injuries during a struggle with the four suspects, officers said. They said one of the suspects knew Nutty.
The suspects were looking for money, authorities said, but when none was found, they went outside and were attempting to steal a vehicle when Nutty exited the home with a handgun and fired one shot into the ground.
The suspects fled the residence, but were captured by police a short time later.
Steinritz, Hastie and Jeffers were booked into the Nassau County Jail on charges of attempted home invasion robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. The men's bonds were set at $75,006.
The juvenile was charged with the same crimes as the adults. He was turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice and was booked in the Duval Detention Center.
Nutty was taken to Shands-Jacksonville Medical Center, where he was treated for his injuries and then released.
Labels: FL, home invasion, residence robbery
9/3/07
Brunswick, Georgia
From Jacksonville’s (FL) Fox30Online.com of September 3, 2007
Residents Shoot Home Invaders in BrunswickFrom the Brunswick News of September 4, 2007
Brunswick police are investigating a deadly home invasion. In this case, however, police say the intended targets fought back and shot the suspects.
One man is dead and another seriously injured.
Brunswick police received a 9-1-1 call about a home invasion, just after 1:30 Monday morning. When officers arrived at the house on Wolfe Street, they found an 18 year old sitting on the porch, with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Another man had been shot inside the house. He died at a local hospital. The man who was shot in the stomach will be facing criminal charges, according to police.
Police say the two men who were shot broke into the home and tried to rob the residents at gunpoint.
Robbery target won't be victim, kills intruder
When two armed men allegedly attempted to rob a house full of young adults in Brunswick early Monday morning, their victims fought back.
A man visiting the house at 601 Wolfe St. in the city's south end pulled a handgun from the front of his pants and shot the two would-be robbers, killing one of them and wounding the other, police said.
Police did not release the names of the two suspects. No charges had been filed Monday.
The renters of the house, Leah Whitman, 18, Robert Herd, 20, and Josh Stout, 20, had been living there almost three months and had spent all day Sunday moving out their furniture and personal things, Whitman said.
That evening, the three planned to hang out on the front porch one last time with friends and enjoy the Labor Day weekend.
At about 1:30 a.m. Monday, the three, accompanied by two other friends, were sitting on the porch of the two-story, yellow house when the two would-be robbers jumped onto the porch and pulled out a gun.
Whitman said they had been watching the two suspects canvass the neighborhood before the attack.
"They walked up and down the block a couple of times," she said. "We honestly didn't have any idea they were going (to rob) us, though."
Whitman said the two armed men walked her and the others, most of whom were in their early 20s, to the back of the house adjacent to the kitchen.
"They made us take off our shoes and empty our pockets, and stole all of our cell phones," Whitman said. "When they couldn't find cash, they began stealing our change and counting it right there in front of us."
She said the two then demanded car keys.
"They kept joking with us the whole time, telling us they had just smoked crack and that we are poor kids," Whitman said. "One of the robbers said that (his accomplice) had just gotten out of prison, and not to mind him because it was his first time robbing anybody."
At one point, one of the robbers went outside and returned carrying a shotgun, Whitman said.
Whitman said no one knows where the shotgun came from, but believe the robbers might have taken it out of a vehicle belonging to one of her friends.
"One of the robbers who took my car keys even went into the front console of my car and stole all the pennies I had laying there," Stout said.
Every time a new visitor showed up at the house, they were greeted by the robbers, frisked for money and taken to the back room.
The two men became aggravated when more people kept showing up, Whitman said.
About that time, Hector, a friend of the Wolfe Street renters, whose last name they would not reveal, happened to show up at the house.
Hector had never been to the house before and none of the other guests had any idea he was going to drop by for a visit, they said.
"When Hector showed up, (the robbers) walked him to the back room, too," Whitman said.
She said the two made Hector empty out his pockets and take off his shoes just like everybody else. What the two didn't realize was that Hector had a .45 caliber pistol tucked in the front of his jeans.
One of the attackers was in the kitchen area and the other in the front hallway when Hector began shooting.
It played out just like a scene from a movie, Whitman said.
"When the robber tried to rob (Hector), he emptied his pockets, then said, 'I don't know who you think you're robbing,'" she said Monday afternoon. "That's when he pulled out his gun and began shooting them."
Hector allegedly fired two shots at the suspect in the kitchen and three at the suspect in the hallway.
"He took both of them out before either had a chance to shoot back," Herd said. "It all happened so fast ... It's a blur."
The suspect in the kitchen was shot in the abdomen; the one in the hallway was fatally shot in the right side.
"After Hector shot (the robbers), we all crawled out the windows of the house, and (Hector) stayed inside to make sure we got out safe," Whitman said.
The suspect who was fatally shot tried to run up the stairs after he was wounded and died at the top of the staircase, said witnesses at the home on Monday.
The other suspect managed to walk out to the front porch, where he was found by city police and rushed to the emergency room of the Brunswick hospital of Southeast Georgia Health System.
Whitman, thinking back on the incident Monday afternoon, said she feels lucky to be alive.
She said neither of the suspects wore bandanas or masks to cover their faces.
"They were completely unmasked and I think they would have shot us because they wouldn't have wanted to leave any witnesses," she said. "(Hector) really saved our lives."
Everett Clark, who lives across from the house on Wolfe Street, said he hopes the shooting is a warning to any would-be robbers in Brunswick.
"Maybe this will send a message that we're sick of all these robberies and violence, and we're not going to take it anymore," he said.
Labels: GA, home invasion, residence robbery
8/31/07
Wayne County, North Carolina
From Raleigh’s NBC17.com of August 31, 2007
Victim In Home Invasion Shoots, Kills Intruder
One of three men accused of breaking into a home and holding the residents at gunpoint was shot and killed early Friday morning by one of the residents.
Wayne County Sheriff's Department officials said three black males broke into a home in the Dudley community at about 12:30 a.m.
There were two adults and four small children -- ages 4, 5,5 and 8 -- at the home at 2546 Old Mount Olive Highway at the time.
According to officials, the three men broke through a front door, ransacked the home and held the people inside at gunpoint. Apparently at one point one of the intruders fired at someone in the home at which point the man who lived there was able to find his own firearm and shot back. That intruder was pronounced dead at the scene.
The other two men escaped the home in a dark-colored vehicle. Investigators with the sheriff's department and the Mount Olive Police Department are both investigating.
Labels: home invasion, NC, residence robbery
8/22/07
Columbus, Georgia
From Columbus’ WRBL.com of August 22, 2007
Homeowner Shoots Burglar
According to police, a morning shooting in Columbus was a case of self defense.
Around 9:30 Wednesday morning police say a man armed with a gun entered a home on Patch drive.
Authorities say the homeowner pulled his own gun to defend himself. Sergeant Harvey Hatcher with the Columbus Police Department tells News Three this was a clear case of self defense. Hatcher says "right now the preliminary investigation shows the homeowner who lives here was confronted by a subject with a gun. The homeowner was able to retrieve his own weapon and fired shots at the suspect". Hatcher says the attacker was shot in the arm and was taken to The hospital. After the shooting the culprit ran one block away to Eddy street where he was taken into custody.
The case is being handled as an attempted burglary. The homeowner was not charged.
Labels: GA, residence robbery
8/21/07
Toledo, Washington
From the Longview Daily News of August 21, 2007
Suspected burglar can't escape Toledo homeowner
Hal Durrett of Toledo was getting ready to take a shower Friday afternoon when he glanced outside and saw a strange man hanging around his vehicles. A white van with a septic maintenance logo was parked in his driveway.
Fuming from the loss of heirlooms when his Toledo rental home was burglarized last year, Durrett, 24, got his 40-caliber semiautomatic pistol and went downstairs just as the stranger pushed open the screen door.
The man's story about running out of gas seemed rehearsed. Durrett ordered him to lie on the floor and kept the gun trained on him as he dialed 911.
"That's when he got gutsy," Durrett said by phone Monday afternoon.
The stranger hurled himself on Durrett and tried to wrestle the gun away as they rolled. With Durrett, an ironworker, weighing 255 pounds to the stranger's estimated 160, the match was no contest, but the guy managed to get outside. He jumped into his van and backed out onto State Route 505.
Durrett fired three shots at the tires, flattening one of them, he said.
Lewis County sheriff's deputies found the van about a quarter-mile down the road and arrested Joel Anthony Anderson, 44, of Puyallup, Wash., without incident. "There was plenty of gas," Durrett said.
Anderson was booked in lieu of $50,000 bail on suspicion of first-degree burglary. He also had two warrants from outside Lewis County.
Durrett said he often imagined what it would be like to confront a burglar, but reality was nothing like he pictured.
"The guy didn't have a hood on and a mask," he said. "He just came walking in like he knew me, like we were old pals or something."
The incident had a different outcome than the 2002 fatal shooting of burglary suspect David Cline by Oliver Hooker of Centralia, who had been burglarized 10 times before the shooting. Hooker was tried for first-degree manslaughter. Although a jury found him innocent, Hooker said the ordeal left him bitter and broken.
Durrett said he wouldn't have shot the unarmed suspect at his house Friday, although people told him he would have been within his legal rights to defend himself once the man touched him.
"He wasn't going to kill me," Durrett said. "He was just wanting to steal stuff. I'm not one of those hang 'em high type of people. But on the other hard, I don't think a guy defending his own property should be put on trial."
Durrett said the suspect is lucky his girlfriend, Tiffani Alexander, wasn't home. "Tiffani has her own shotguns," he said. "And she's got more temper."
Labels: residence robbery, WA
8/20/07
Killeen, Texas
From Waco’s KWTX.com of August 20, 2007
Resident Dies In Home Invasion Robbery; Intruder in Critical Condition
Anthony Jerome Hemingway Sr., 43, died early Monday morning in an exchange of gunfire with a man who kicked in the door of his apartment in Killeen.
The intruder, who was not identified, was in critical condition Monday after he was airlifted to Scott & White Hospital in Temple.
It happened around 6:30 a.m. Monday at an apartment in the 1500 block of Windward Drive.
Officers said an armed man kicked in the back door, entered the apartment and shot Hemingway, who returned fire, wounding his attacker.
Labels: defender killed, home invasion, residence robbery, TX
8/18/07
Pensacola, Florida
From the Pensacola News Journal of August 17, 2007
76-year-old man wrestles gun away from robber
A 76-year-old Pensacola man wrestled a gun from a 64-year-old man trying to rob him Friday, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to reports of an armed robbery at Tall Oaks Campground about 11 a.m. and found Jay Robbins, 64, of Pensacola being held at gunpoint by Paul Ehler, 76.
According to investigators, Ehler said he was sitting in his office chair when Roberts walked in and said he was going to rob Ehler.
Ehler told investigators Roberts wanted him to sit in a chair to be bound. But when the suspect fumbled with the rope, Ehler came around the desk and attacked him, the report said.
After a brief struggle, Ehler got the gun away from the suspect and held him until deputies arrived.
Robbins was arrested for one count of armed robbery and taken to Escambia County Jail where he is being held on $50,000 bond.
Labels: criminal's gun taken away and used against him, FL, residence robbery, senior
8/17/07
Bay Shore, New York
From New York City’s WNBC.com of August 17, 2007
Intruder Fatally Shot During L.I. Home Invasion
A homeowner fatally shot one intruder and another escaped after a home invasion on Long Island on Thursday night.
Police said two men broke into a home in Bay Shore around 10 p.m. and demanded cash and drugs from the homeowner.
A struggle broke out and the homeowner shot one of the men and the other suspect fled the scene on foot, according to police. The intruder died at the scene.
Police are searching for the second suspect of the home invasion, but they do not have a description. Police are also checking into the background of the homeowner.
Labels: home invasion, NY, residence robbery
8/14/07
Las Vegas, Nevada
From Las Vegas’ KTNV.com of August 14, 2007
2 Shot In Coral Ribbon Home InvasionFrom LasVegasNow.com of August 14, 2007
Police are investigating a home invasion shooting at a home on Coral Ribbon, near Lindell and Robindale.
Metro police tell Action News, a woman came home around 5 AM this morning and was accosted by three African American men.
Her husband came to her aid, and shots were exchanged between the husband and the suspects.
One suspect was hit and died at the scene. The woman was also shot and taken to the hospital.
There is no word yet on her condition.
Police say the other two suspects are now at large.
Homeowner, Suspect Shot During Home Invasion, More Suspects SoughtCity, State
A home invasion early this morning ended with a gun battle in a gated community in the southwest valley near Robindale and Lindell.
Metro says a woman was shot several times inside her home before her boyfriend killed one of the suspects. But two suspects are still at large and police say they are armed and dangerous.
Normally a quiet neighborhood, the Encantana gated community turned into a huge crime scene just before day break.
Metro spokesman Bill Cassell said, "Bullets struck several nearby residences."
Police say when the woman arrived home, she was accosted by three men.
"Her husband, who was inside the residence, came to her assistance and there was an exchange of gunfire inside the residence," Bill Cassell continued.
The woman was caught in the crossfire. She was shot and injured. One suspect was shot dead at the home. The two other suspects took off.
Police say the woman is hospitalized with multiple wounds, but is expected to survive.
Cassell said, "It's unknown at this point who fired the rounds that struck her."
From Las Vegas’ KLAS-tv.com of August 16, 2007
Identity Learned of Killed Home Invasion Suspect
The suspect shot and killed in reported home invasion this week has been identified. His name is Leland Todd Jordan.
The 28-year-old was killed during a shootout in a gated community. The homeowner reportedly told police he woke up to find his girlfriend being attacked by three armed men. He opened fire hitting one suspect.
The other two got away. The woman was also hit by gunfire in the shoulder and neck -- but her injuries were non-life threatening.
Labels: home invasion, NV, residence robbery
8/1/07
Dallas, Texas
From Dallas’ NBC5i.com of August 1, 2007
Police: Homeowner Shoots, Kills RobbersFrom the Dallas Morning News of August 1, 2007
An overnight robbery went awry when a North Dallas homeowner came out shooting.
Police said four men broke into a home in the 9000 block of Woodshore Drive in a robbery attempt. The men approached the homeowner and demanded cash, according to police.
The homeowner pulled out a gun and shot two of the robbers, police said. One man died before police arrived and the other was taken to the Baylor Medical Center in critical condition.
The shooting continued outside the home while the two other robbers ran off.
"We know there were a total of four suspects,” Dallas police Sgt. Jamie Matthews said. “One that is deceased, one that is in critical condition at Baylor, one that is in custody and a fourth that is at large."
One of the men called 911 for help, saying that they were walking down the street when someone started shooting at them, according to police. Police said the homeowner also called 911 and chased after the men.
Police said they recovered several weapons from the suspect vehicle.
Police said they aren’t sure if there’s a connection between the homeowners and his attackers.
Armed homeowner thwarts home invaders
A robbery gone bad in northeast Dallas turned into a gunbattle early Wednesday that ended with one man dead, another injured and another facing charges.
Police found small amounts of marijuana during their investigation and were looking into whether the events were drug-related.
Police said Wednesday afternoon they had not confirmed the identity of the man who died.
It started about 2 a.m. at a home on the 9000 block of Woodshore Drive, in a neighborhood near where Greenville Avenue intersects Royal Lane. Four or five intruders broke into the home and surprised its owner, 25-year-old Mark Stinson, while he was sleeping.
They forced him at gunpoint to open a safe containing several thousands of dollars, police say, and then they tried to flee in an SUV. But Mr. Stinson had a gun of his own and fired it as they tried to drive away.
It was unclear whether they fired back, Dallas police homicide Sgt. Larry Lewis said. “But we did pick up different caliber rounds out there so we know at least more than one gun was being shot.”
The sergeant said at least 30 rounds were fired in all.
Less then a mile away, the occupants of the SUV pulled over because tires were shot out. They called 911 as one of the occupants died of gunshot wounds. Another, a 17-year-old boy, was arrested at the scene. The others fled.
Another man, 18-year-old Davane Jones, soon showed up at a local hospital with gunshot wounds. Police arrested him and the 17-year-old on charges of aggravated robbery.
As for the homeowner, Mr. Stinson, police say they will leave any possible charges up to the district attorney’s office and a grand jury. “Even though by our investigation it appears he was justified under Texas law to defend his house and his property...we don’t make that decision,” Sgt. Lewis said.
Labels: home invasion, residence robbery, TX
7/27/07
Memphis, Tennessee
From Memphis’ MyEyewitnessNews.com of July 27, 2007
Senior Citizen Fights Back Against Burglar
Eyewitness News Everywhere uncovers a 79 year-old man who took crime-fighting into his own hands.
Just after 4:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 26, 2007, a burglar tried to break into Arthur Thornton's home at 332 Essex in South Memphis. Thornton is legally blind and lives alone. The guy tried to get in through the front window. He even cut out the screen. But little did he know, Mr. Thornton was waiting for him behind the door with his rifle.
He said, “I'd do it again if it happened tonight, and I would hope I wouldn't miss. I would like to be around to tell the story like I am today, cause it's going to be me or you.”
Thornton said he was in bed when he heard a noise up in the front room, “I heard this zip, zip and I thought what kind of noise is that, but I found he was cutting the screen with a knife.”
Thornton grabbed his gun and got into position. He said, “I said he'll break through there and I'll hit him across the head with this rifle, and split his head. I have the evil spirit when somebody trying to do something to me.”
But the man never came through the window. Thornton said, “So I opened the wood door and peeped out. He was at the door, and I said get away from my window. When he started across the driveway I shot down towards his feet. When he got out to the sidewalk I shot again.”
He missed, but as you heard him say, Mr. Thornton has absolutely no regrets about pulling the trigger. He said at 4 am, there is no question, it's him or me.
He said, “If a person comes up to your house at 4 in the morning and attempt to come in a window, he's prepared to do whatever he has to do to cover up his dirt, so it's best that you take care of him before he take care of you. I don't think nobody's coming to pay a visit to you at 4 o'clock in the morning, nope, that's not a friendly visit.”
Police did respond to Thornton's house. Unfortunately, because of his poor vision, he wasn't able to get a very good look at the burglar.
Labels: residence robbery, TN
El Dorado, Arkansas
From the Pine Bluff Commercial of July 27, 2007
Police: El Dorado man, 93, shoots robber after beating
An elderly man beaten unconscious by an assailant wielding a soda can later awoke and shot the man during an attempted robbery, police said.
Willie Lee Hill, 93, told police he saw the robber while in his bedroom Wednesday night. Hill confronted Douglas B. Williams Jr., 24, of El Dorado, who struck the elderly man at least 50 times, kknocking him out, police said.
Hill, covered in blood from the attack, regained consciousness and pulled a .38-caliber handgun on Williams. Williams saw the gun and charged Hill, who fired one round, police said. The bullet struck Williams in the throat.
When police arrived, officers said Williams told them, "I can't feel my legs and I got what I deserved."
Paramedics took Hill and Williams to the Medical Center of South Arkansas for treatment. Doctors later sent Williams to the Louisiana State University Medical Center at Shreveport, where he was listed in critical condition Friday.
Employees at the Medical Center of South Arkansas refused to give Hill's condition or say if he'd been discharged from the hospital Friday, citing medical privacy laws.
Officers reported finding a set of keys, two hearing aids, a CD player, an MP3 player, a Craftsman drill bit set and three pocket knives inside Williams' pockets. Police plan to charge Williams with residential burglary, second-degree battery, theft of property and theft by receiving.
Labels: AR, home invasion, residence robbery
7/25/07
Leavenworth, Washington
From the Seattle Times of July 25, 2007
Would-be victim sends armed robbers running in Leavenworth
A 57-year-old Leavenworth man turned the tables on two armed robbers who invaded his home Tuesday.
Authorities say that when two masked men armed with handguns got into the man's home Tuesday night, he confronted them, grabbed one of their guns and shot one in the hand.
The two masked men then fled, said Chelan County Undersheriff Greg Meinzer.
Two men from Snohomish County were later arrested after one of them flagged down an ambulance.
The wounded man, 24, from Everett, was treated at Central Washington Hospital. The other suspect, a 24-year-old Lake Stevens man, is charged with first-degree assault and burglary. The wounded man was not immediately charged.
Meinzer did not release the homeowner's name and says he isn't sure whether the homeowner knew the masked men or if the attempted robbery was a random crime.
Labels: criminal's gun taken away and used against him, home invasion, residence robbery, WA
Nashville, Tennessee
From Nashville’s WSMV.com of July 25, 2007
Pets Help Resident Fight Back Intruder
Police said a mother and her family pets fought back a gunman who tried to rob her at her south Nashville home.
The incident happened on Martin Street, just a few blocks from the state fairgrounds around 10 p.m. Tuesday.
Ronda Hill said she, her 2-year-old son and her mother were walking inside their house when a man jumped a fence, pointed a gun at them and demanded their belongings.
Hill said her dogs then went after the intruder.
"When they attacked him, he dropped the gun, and I picked it up, and I fired at him. He then took off running," said Hill.
She said she fired the gun two times and is not sure if any of the bullets struck the robber.
Police are still searching for the intruder.
Labels: criminal's gun taken away and used against him, home invasion, residence robbery, TN
7/18/07
Moss Point, Mississippi
From Pasagoula’s The Mississippi Press of July 18, 2007
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
Oroville, California
From the Enterprise-Record of July 13, 2007
Man who held gun on teens won't be charged
After further investigation: authorities said Wednesday that no criminal charges will be filed against a Helltown Road man who held a gun on two teenagers he suspected of trying to steal his medical marijuana.
"I think he was in the right; justice has been done" said the father of the arrested homeowner, Carl Coleman Jr., 37.
The younger Coleman was arrested early Monday morning after one of the two youths he caught on his property and held at gunpoint, fled and later claimed Coleman had assaulted them.
District Attorney Mike Ramsey said Wednesday further investigation by the Butte County Sheriff's Office was unable to disprove Coleman's claims he was lawfully protecting his property.
Unaware of the decision not to file any criminal charges against his son, Coleman's father earlier Wednesday had sought a court writ, challenging the arrest as unconstitutional.
Gordon Dise, a self-professed "legal strategy consultant" and local medical marijuana proponent who accompanied several of Coleman's relatives and friends to court Wednesday afternoon, praised the decision not to prosecute the homeowner.
"I think the district attorney is doing the right thing and pursuing the thieves, instead of the victims, who are medical marijuana patients," the local activist stated.
"You have an absolute right to defend your life, your liberty or property with all force necessary," added Dise, even to the point of pursuing a suspected felon who tries to avoid being turned over to the police.
According to Ramsey, Coleman told authorities he had returned to his Helltown Road home Sunday to find it had been burglarized earlier in the day and that several items were taken.
Relatives say among the stolen property was Coleman's lawful medical marijuana.
He was waiting for the suspects to return, armed with a shotgun, when the homeowner said that one of the two teenage boys started to walk into his back yard late at night.
Grabbing and holding the first youth, Coleman told authorities how he pursued a second teen a short distance, knocking him off his motorcycle, with a blow to his helmet with a flashlight.
Ramsey said at that point, Coleman telephoned his 15-year-old son to come over, though it was uncertain whether that would get the youths to leave, help hold them for police or "possibly to administer some street justice."
Outside of court Wednesday, the homeowner's son, Carl Coleman III, denied reports that he was also armed that night.
He said his father had called him because he knew the two youth.
The two teens were able to get away, one of them calling a family member on his cellular phone claiming he had been physically assaulted by two persons at a Helltown Road home.
When sheriff's deputies and California Highway Patrol officers found the boy in Butte Creek, he told them that the second teen was still being held at gunpoint at the residence.
Deputies reported that they forced entry into Coleman's home after they got no response to knocks on the front door.
Following questioning, the two youths were subsequently confined to the Butte County Juvenile Hall on charges of suspicion of attempted burglary.
Coleman was booked into the Butte County Jail on felony charges of assault with a deadly weapon and false imprisonment.
Ramsey said Wednesday that after asking the sheriff's deputies to do further investigation, "it was the combined opinion that we could not overcome any defense of property or self," claimed the arrested homeowner.
"Although it does appear that Mr. Coleman may have gone a bit beyond the reasonableness standard, we don't believe we could prove it (to a jury)," added Ramsey.
According to family members, they were told late Wednesday afternoon that the jail was in "lockdown" and that Coleman may not be released until sometime today.
Labels: CA, residence robbery
7/15/07
Fairfield, California
From the Vacaville Reporter of July 15, 2007
Suspect injured in failed robbery
A robbery suspect wound up at NorthBay Medical Center Friday night, according to Fairfield police, who report that he was shot with his own gun.
The suspect was identified as 18-year-old Vedell Chew, a Fairfield resident. At approximately 6:30 p.m., the suspect reportedly approached a group of people who were gambling in the backyard of a residence in the 1800 block of Barbour Drive, according to police.
Police allege that as he attempted a robbery, one of the people in the group struggled with the suspect and grabbed his gun.
Meanwhile, several of the gamblers hit and kicked the suspect, according to police.
During the struggle, the suspect was shot in the leg with his own gun by one of his intended victims, according to police.
He was transported to NorthBay Medical Center by a waiting car.
The suspect's injuries are reportedly not life-threatening, and police intend to charge Chew with counts of robbery and assault with a deadly weapon, police said.
Labels: CA, criminal's gun taken away and used against him, residence robbery
Jackson, Michigan
From the Jackson Citizen-Patriot of July 15, 2007
Police seek man who was shot during alleged robbery
A Detroit man, 21, is wanted on three felony counts in connection with an attempted robbery.
The man allegedly tried to rob a house in the 100 block of Second Street armed with a handgun about 11:39 p.m. Thursday, the Jackson Police Department said.
During a struggle, the resident and a friend took the gun away from the man and shot him, but the wound wasn't life threatening, police said.
Jackson Police are still trying to find the man, whose name is not being released. Charges of assault with intent to rob while armed, felony possession of a firearm and using a firearm to commit a felony are pending.
Labels: criminal's gun taken away and used against him, MI, residence robbery
7/14/07
Houston, Texas
From July 14, 2007 KPRC channel 2:
HOUSTON -- A robber was killed when one of his victims shot him early Saturday, officials told KPRC Local 2.
Houston police said two armed men jumped out of a car and tried to rob four men at a home on Keel Street near O'Donnell Drive at about 1:30 a.m.
One of the victims pulled out a gun and a shootout ensued, officials said.
Investigators said both of the robbers were shot.
Detectives said one robber was shot in the torso and transported to Doctor's Hospital. He was later transported by helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where he died. His identity was not released.
The second robber was shot in the leg and was transported to St. Joseph's Hospital.
One of the robbery victims was also shot and transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital in stable condition.
Labels: residence robbery, TX
7/13/07
San Antonio, Texas
From the San Antonio Express of July 13, 2007
Suspect killed in early morning kidnapping
The suspect in a carjacking was killed after one of the victims he kidnapped shot him Friday morning at the victim's house.
A man described as a 25 year-old Hispanic male carjacked the couple at a nightclub, according to Bexar County deputies.
The suspect then demanded money from the couple, but they told the suspect that they did not have any cash. Then, the suspect demanded to be taken to the victims' home in the 1100 block of Buckskin Bend.
One of the victims said that as the suspect was loading items from the house into a suitcase, he got a gun and shot the suspect in the head. Deputies were called to the scene of the shooting about 4:30 this morning.
Deputies do not believe the couple will be arrested. They will be taken downtown to give statements.
Labels: carjacking, residence robbery, TX
7/11/07
Jacksonville, Florida
From News4Jax.com of July 11, 2007
Police: Homeowner Shoots IntruderFrom the Jacksonville.com of July 12, 2007
A 24-year-old man was shot several times in an exchange of gunfire with a Panama Park homeowner Wednesday morning during what police described as a home invasion robbery.
Just after 9 a.m., police responding to a burglar alarm at 7100 block of Elwood Avenue found the door of kicked in and Jonathan Comas shot several times.
Investigators said Comas and Donovan Thomas, 21, broke into the house, waking up Johnny Johnson.
Johnson grabbed his gun and got to the living room in time to see two men turning around to leave.
"I was the first person to shoot, I guarantee it, because they were in my house," Johnson said. "I look up, see the guy and I shoot twice, then I start hearing shots."
Johnson said he fired five or six shots, then dived for cover when he heard gunfire coming from outside.
Police said Comas, who was shot several times, was taken to Shands-Jacksonville Medical Center by Thomas and Sandra Flood, 27, who officers said was driving the vehicle used in the incident. Comas remains in critical condition.
Johnson's mother, who wasn't home at the time, got a call from her son.
"He said 'Mom, somebody broke into the house. I think they're still in here,'" Joann Christopher said. "As he's talking to me, I'm hearing gunshots."
Johnson told Channel 4's Dan Leveton that he thinks the men turned around and started to leave because there wasn't much in the house.
"I'm lucky to be alive," Johnson said. "Somebody could have died, and I could have been me."
Police said Comas, Thomas and Flood will be arrested and charged with home-invasion robbery.
Intruder shot in home invasion
A man is in critical condition at Shands Jacksonville. Police say he broke into the house.
Don't be a hero, Johnny Johnson's mom begged her 28-year-old son in a phone call Wednesday morning as gunfire exploded in the background.
"Stay low and don't hang up the telephone," Jo Ann Christopher said while at least one robber was inside their Jacksonville home with him.
But armed with outrage and a 9mm Smith and Wesson, her 6-foot-5, 260-pound son didn't wait to see what the people who kicked in his family's front door wanted.
"I was the first person to shoot. I guarantee that," Johnson told the Times-Union later.
Surprising one of the intruders in a hallway, he squeezed the trigger as he tried to understand: "Why are these guys in my house" and "which one of these guys is shooting at me?"
After the gunfire exchange, the intruders fled, one while suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Police believe Jonathan River Comas, 24, of Jacksonville was the intruder who was shot. They said Comas was at Shands Jacksonville hospital in critical condition.
Homicide Sgt. Derrick Lewis said police aren't yet sure if Johnson's gunshots hit Comas or if bullets from another suspect, identified as Donovan Portez Thomas, 21, of St. Augustine, got him in the crossfire. Police said the intruders were armed and believe one fired into the house from outside.
Thomas and Sandra Jean Flood, 27, of Jacksonville have been charged with home invasion robbery. Police said Flood acted as the getaway car driver.
Police said Thomas and Flood dropped off Comas at the hospital and tried to leave while pretending not to know him.
Johnson said police told him there were two other break-ins Wednesday near their home in the 7000 block of Elwood Avenue.
Detectives think the suspects could have meant to target a different home but got the address wrong.
Crime scene tape looped around the tan, one-story residence near the Trout River for most of Wednesday. Bullet holes pocked the walls and blood spatter stained the floor of the house Christopher said she bought late last year.
Still stuck in the front lawn was a placard from the alarm company whose security system blared a warning and alerted the Sheriff's Office when the intruders burst in the front door and woke up Johnson about 9 a.m.
He works as a landscaper but took college courses in criminal justice and has thought about becoming a federal marshal.
"I'm in the right. Because it's either me or them," he said while waiting for police to let his family back in their home. "... You got a right to protect yourself in Florida."
And while Johnson gave his mother a scare, when it was over, police agreed.
Labels: FL, home invasion, residence robbery
7/2/07
Hagerstown, Maryland
From the Hagerstown Herald-Mail of July 2, 2007
Inturder shot, killed in apartment
A 32-year-old Hagerstown man is dead and a 21-year-old man faces 18 charges after an apparent attempted robbery early Sunday at Youngstoun Court turned violent, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff's deputies were called to an apartment on Youngstoun Court shortly after 3:30 a.m. Sunday for a report of a shooting, according to a news release. Deputies found James Michael Conely, of 329 Central Ave., dead in a bedroom, allegedly shot and stabbed by one of the apartment's residents during a struggle.
Michael John Watkins, of 42 East Ave., has been charged with first-, third- and fourth-degree burglary; first-, third- and fourth-degree conspiracy to commit burglary; and two counts each of attempted armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, attempted robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, attempted theft and conspiracy to commit theft.
According to charging documents, the apartment's occupants - Carri Humphrey, 22, and Michelle Reeder, 24 - were preparing for bed at about 3 a.m. Sunday when someone knocked at their door. Humphrey said she looked through the peephole and saw a man who looked like another resident of their building.
She opened the door, and Conely, carrying a rifle and covering his face with a red bandanna, rushed in to the apartment, documents state. Humphrey said she screamed to Reeder to get her handgun. Conely then pushed Humphrey into a closet door, hit her in the face and head with his fist, and pointed his gun at her, documents state.
Reeder retrieved a handgun she owned, ran into the living room and saw Conely holding his gun to Humphrey's head, documents state. Reeder said she took cover behind a couch and attempted to fire a warning shot, but her gun's safety was still on. As she turned it off, Conely pointed his gun at her and said he was going to kill her, documents state.
Reeder said she fired several shots at him, but couldn't tell whether she hit him because he was still coming toward her. Police said Conely suffered a gunshot wound to the upper torso.
Reeder said Conely struck her on the head with his gun, and she briefly blacked out. Then, she said, he chased her into her bedroom, where they struggled, documents state.
Humphrey said she locked herself in the bathroom to call 911, and, hearing the fighting in the bedroom, ran to that room. Reeder told her to "get me my knife," she said, so Humphrey got the knife and gave it to her roommate. Reeder stabbed Conely in the back, and the women fled to a neighbor's residence, documents state.
A deputy responding to the call spotted a man on Mount Aetna Road who matched the description of the one who allegedly knocked on the women's door. He took the man into custody.
Watkins told police that he had been at Conely's residence Saturday night, and that Conely had said he knew of an apartment where they could find drugs and money, documents state. Watkins said the men then planned a robbery, and Conely directed Watkins to the women's apartment. Watkins said he didn't know Conely had a gun, according to the charging documents.
The women were treated at Washington County Hospital and released, a hospital spokeswoman said Sunday.
Labels: home invasion, MD, residence robbery
