Civilian Gun Self-Defense Blog

Property owner shoots at scrap metal thieves

Warren County Sheriff's deputies were investigating an attempted theft that led to one person being shot, said Sheriff Martin Pace.

A man who owns property on Standard Hill off Sherman Avenue saw two people, who had been dropped off by a third person, in the process of stealing scrap metal off his land. The property owner shot in their direction, which caused them to run off, and grabbed the driver of the vehicle. While he held the driver at gunpoint and waited for deputies to arrive, 911 received a report of a person having been shot in the leg on Sherman Avenue.

"Although the person who was shot is not admitting to trying to take the metal, it's clearly going to be related," Pace said.

What appears to be a bullet hole was also found in the vehicle, which has been impounded and will be part of the investigation. Pace said this morning that no one had been arrested, but deputies will retrieve statements from all who were involved and present them to District Attorney Ricky Smith, who then will determine if any charges will be filed against either the suspects or the property owner.

Labels: MS, trespassing

Homeowner Shoots Suspect After 2 Break-Ins

A southeast Houston homeowner shot a burglary suspect Thursday afternoon after he was victimized twice in a week, officials told KPRC Local 2.

Thomas Williamson lives in the 6000 block of Bois D'arc. He said he stayed home from work on Thursday after a burglar hit his home twice in a few days.

Williamson said he looked out his window at about 1 p.m. and saw a man walk across his back yard. The man went into Williamson's garage and tried to steal an air compressor, worth about $400, he said.

When the burglary suspect walked out of the garage with bolt cutters, Williamson said he grabbed his shotgun.

"He came to the door and I went, 'Get on the ground. Get on the ground.' He got on the ground and I told him, 'Do not move,'" he said. "I was shaking. I had him on the ground with my shotgun and I told him, 'Do not move.' I was even yelling. I fired one shot in the ground just to show him I meant business."

Williamson said he shot the man when he tried to run. The burglary suspect was taken to Ben Taub Hospital with a gunshot wound. His condition was not released.

The District Attorney's Office said charges would probably not be filed because Williamson was protecting his property.

Labels: trespassing, TX

Albertville homeowner shoots backyard prowler

A homeowner on Valley View Drive who found two men in his backyard early today shot one of them with a shotgun, according to Albertville police.

The resident woke up before 1:30 a.m. because of a noise in the backyard and saw two people with flashlights, said police Sgt. Jamie Smith.

The homeowner got a shotgun, confronted the pair from inside the house, Smith said, and fired.

Officers found a man in the backyard with a gunshot wound to his upper torso, but he was conscious and talking before he was flown to Huntsville Hospital, Smith said.

The shooting is still under investigation, said Smith, and it appears that no charges will be filed against the homeowner. Police are still looking for the other prowler.

Labels: AL, trespassing

Man says shooting was self defense

A man is claiming self defense after police say he shot and killed a Montgomery County man.

Police say 27-year-old Mike Dunn fatally shot 46-year-old Greg Rudd on Sunday. Dunn tells WKYT in Lexington that he had no choice but to shoot Rudd.

Dunn says Rudd pointed a gun at him and threatened to kill him before he fired.

He says he went to find out why Rudd and another man were on his property without his permission. And when he approached the men, he says they began arguing.

Police have not made an arrest in the case but they are still investigating.

Dunn says he hopes Rudd's family can forgive him.

Labels: altercation, KY, trespassing

Fort Bend homeowner shoots suspected thieves

Two men were shot Sunday when they allegedly tried to steal auto parts from in front of a home near Stafford in Fort Bend County.

The men, whose names were not immediately known, were shot about 2:30 a.m. in the 2700 block of Oakdale Court, said Fort Bend County Sheriff's spokeswoman Terriann Carlson.

Carlson said the homeowner heard unusual sounds coming from outside his house and then saw a man approaching his front door.

The homeowner got a weapon and told a woman in the house to call police.

"In an attempt to protect themselves and their property, several persons inside the residence discharged their weapons numerous times, hitting one suspect in the head area and the second in the back," Carlson said in a released statement.

One man was taken to Ben Taub General Hospital and another man was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital. Both were in serious condition.

The identities of the homeowner and the others who fired weapons were not released.

The case will be sent to the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office and then will be reviewed by a grand jury.

Labels: street property theft, trespassing, TX

Store owner fatally shot suspected thief

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

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

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

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

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

Labels: assault, trespassing, TX

Augusta homeowner shoots suspected burglary in leg

One man admits he shot another, but it's the man who was shot who went to jail.

The Thurman family says after two people stole from them they got a security system and a gun. Now, they say, they've both come in handy.

"As soon as [the motion sensor] went off, we were able to look out the window and see that he had opened the door to the truck," said Michael Thurman.

He says he thought it was a burglar.

So he grabbed his gun, ran downstairs and went outside.

"When I saw him right here I said hey what are you doing?" Thurman said.

An incident report shows the suspect, Jeffery Whitt, started to run to a dark part of the yard.

Thurman says he couldn't see him and was afraid he might be going to get a gun.

"Anything could've been in [the] area, so I did what I thought I needed to protect myself and my family. I fired a few shots,"

One of those shots into the dark hit the suspect in the leg.

Whitt kept running down the street and ended up at Macedonia Baptist Church.

Deputies arrested him and took him to MCG.

Thurman says his GPS system was missing and deputies found one between his house and the church.

Michael's wife says she's glad her husband stood up for her.

"I am proud that I have a husband that would protect his family," Angela Thurman said.

Michael's thankful his bullet only hurt the suspect, but even happier it helped deputies catch him.

But still, he says he and his wife may have some sleepless nights.

"I'm still shaking from the incident. Going through anything like that is horrible," Michael said.

Labels: GA, trespassing

Cross Hill Woman Comes Home, Kills Intruder

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

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

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

Labels: female, residence burglary, SC, trespassing

Police: Homeowner Shot, Beat Would-Be Burglar

A man shot and beat someone who was trying to break into his home on Indianapolis' east side early Thursday morning, police said.

Police said Donald Robertson, 53, was asleep just after midnight when he was awakened by the sound of breaking glass.

Robertson grabbed a shotgun and went outside, where he found Chester Burkett, 43, breaking one of the home's windows, police said.

Authorities said the two men struggled with each other, and Robertson fired his shotgun. Police said Robertson told them he wasn't sure if he'd hit Burkett, so he struck the would-be burglar several times with the butt of the shotgun.

Investigators said Robertson fired as many as two additional shots as Burkett ran to another home.

Burkett was arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary, residential entry and attempted theft. He was taken to Wishard Memorial Hospital with a shotgun wound to his thigh and several cuts on his head, police said.

Robertson was treated at the scene and released.

Further links:
New homeowner shoots intruder

Labels: home invasion, IN, trespassing

Man Charged After Being Shot

A Lincoln County man was charged with wanton endangerment after being shot by a man he threatened, Kentucky State Police said yesterday. Jerry Cornett, 48, of Kings Mountain was taken to the Lincoln County Jail after being treated at Fort Logan Hospital in Stanford. He is accused of threatening to kill Randall Taylor and going to Taylor's house on Martins Trail in Stanford shortly before 10:50 p.m. Monday with a gun he fired at the man inside the house. Taylor reportedly fired a shotgun, hitting Cornett in the arm and face. Cornett was arrested at the hospital Tuesday.

Labels: KY, trespassing

Homeowner shoots at armed burglary suspect

A Bakersfield home-owner shot at an armed burglary suspect, scaring off the would-be crook Monday night. Sheriff officials say the resident has the right to protect himself with deadly use of force.

The incident happened in the area of Gosford and Lindsey Roads south of Bakersfield. The home-owner told Eyewitness News his property had been the target of crime and attempted burglaries three times in the last 18 months -- that's why he was ready with a gun.

The resident says he spotted the suspect trying to break into a front window of the house he built on the property for his son. They were both at the father's house when they heard the dog bark, and went to investigate.

The home-owner then spotted an unfamiliar man in the yard. "As soon as the unfamiliar male saw the home-owner, he raised what appeared to be a handgun toward the home-owner," Sheriff's Sgt. Ed Komin told Eyewitness News. "The home-owner took one shot toward the suspect, and the suspect fled on foot."

Sgt. Komin says it appears that shot did not hit the suspect. Officers who immediately came to the scene found no blood or any other indicators where the suspect took off.

The resident told Eyewitness News he saw the would-be burglar raise a gun, and he didn't want to be shot -- so he fired at the suspect.
Sgt. Komin says a resident has the right to shoot an intruder to protect life.

"Certainly when the home-owner was threatened by what appeared to be a gun coming up toward him, it would be appropriate and prudent -- and that's the thing to do, is to use deadly force to protect yourself. That's the appropriate and legal thing to do."

Other neighbors say there have been several break-ins in the area. At one house, jewelry and computer equipment were stolen. Another neighbor came home to find suspects inside his house.

The suspect in the Monday night incident is described as a man of unknown race, about 5'9" and 170-pounds. Anyone with information can call the Sheriff's Department at 861-3110.

Sheriff officials confirm that there have been a number of burglaries and thefts. They do not know if this is the work of the same suspect.

The resident who shot at the suspect Monday night thinks the area is the target of crime because it's fairly rural. Neighbors say they have now started up a citizen patrol.

What can home-owners do to protect themselves and their property?

"Dogs are great, alarms are great -- lighting goes a long way and that sort of thing to protect property," says Sgt. Komin. "Now, once it crosses the line where a person is threatened -- then higher levels of force, of course, are appropriate."

Labels: CA, trespassing

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

Montgomery man shot, killed

An argument between neighbors ended with gunfire Sunday night, leaving one man dead and another with questions to answer.

The shooting occurred around 9:30 p.m. in the 4000 block of Pamela Way in Old Oak Estates, located off Texas 105 near Montgomery.

The deceased was identified as 43-year-old Dennis Clark.

Lt. Dan Norris, of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, said deputies arrived to find Clark was shot once in the abdomen while on a neighbor's property.

"The shooting incident occurred after Dennis Clark went to a neighbor's home, where an argument escalated from verbal to physical," Norris said. "The homeowner told investigators that Dennis Clark had been told repeatedly to leave, and when Dennis Clark came toward the homeowner in an aggressive manner, the homeowner shot Clark one time."

Clark was transported to Conroe Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Steve Kelley, who lives next door to the home where the shooting occurred, said he was surprised Monday morning when he heard about the shooting from his daughter-in-law, who also lives nearby.

"We didn't hear anything," Kelley said.

He and his wife, Joyce, knew of Clark, but did not know him personally.
Homes in the subdivision are scattered on large pieces of land in what Kelley says is a quiet neighborhood.

No charges have been filed against the homeowner, and the MCSO has not released his name.

More

Further links:
Authorities say man fatally shot neighbor during dispute

Labels: altercation, trespassing, TX

Suspect's case closed after owner held him at gunpoint

The state attorney's office will not pursue charges brought by Michael Joseph McCreary

An 18-year-old arrested in October for trespassing on another man’s property and breaking into his vehicles won’t get to press charges against the owner, who held him at gunpoint until lawmen arrived.

The teen, Michael Joseph McCreary, had his case closed last week by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.

He had approached deputies on Nov. 14 with his mother to file a complaint for aggravated assault and battery against the owner of the property on Reinke Drive — Victor E. Mikell — for using excessive force in detaining him in an Oct. 28 incident.

McCreary said Mikell hit him with the butt of a rifle, held the barrel at his head, drug him into a driveway and threatened to kill him while he waited for law enforcement to arrive.

But Mikell told investigators he had “heard shots” coming from the back of his property and went to investigate. That’s when he found McCreary and two other men fleeing after allegedly breaking into vehicles and stealing property from Mikell’s wooded land.

Mikell said he raised his rifle to his shoulder and yelled at McCreary to stop or he would shoot, and McCreary stopped.

But he soon became belligerent and acted like he might take off again, Mikell said, so he hit McCreary in the stomach with the butt of the rifle and marched him to the driveway, where he kept him face-down on the ground until lawmen arrived.

Mikell said this all took place while he was hearing gunfire from the woods on his property.

Sheriff’s deputy Jennifer Bellamy contacted assistant state attorney Bobby Elmore and gave both accounts of the incident, according to the report. But Elmore said his office would not file criminal charges against Mikell.

The case was approved closed on Nov. 15.

Labels: FL, residence burglary, trespassing

Security guard kills man in vacant building

Police this morning identified the private security guard who shot and killed a suspected intruder in an empty Eastside apartment Monday as a 22-year-old from Greenfield.

Nicholas B. House, who works for Trinity Security, told police he thought the man had a gun. The deceased had not been positively identified this morning, but the Marion County coroner's office suspects he might be a 30-year-old from Centerville, Ill. House, according to police, was patrolling the Spanish Oaks apartment complex in the 10300 block of Governours Lane when he noticed an open door to a vacant apartment shortly before 9 p.m. Monday.

House went inside, identified himself and encountered two men in a bedroom. Believing one man had a gun, police said House fired his handgun.

One man collapsed from the gunshot to the chest, police said. The other man ran. Police think others may have fled the apartment.

Sgt. Paul Thompson said House was not an off-duty police officer. House could not give a description of the man who ran.

Police have not yet said if they recovered a gun from the dead man.

Labels: IN, private security, trespassing

Homeowner fears shots were fatal as body investigated

Sherwood resident Larry Staley fears he may have shot a would-be burglar Tuesday morning, but he holds tightly to the hope that the man died when he slipped and fell into Gap Creek.

Police are investigating the event in which Staley, whose home on Arkansas 107 has been a frequent target of burglars, fired several shots in the direction of an intruder in his backyard early Tuesday. Though police found nothing when they searched the area just after the incident, his wife discovered a body Tuesday afternoon in the creek along the edge of the family’s property.

“I’m very much afraid that I shot the man,” Staley said Wednesday.

Sherwood police spokesman Ryan Baker identified the man as Bryant Cross, 18, of McAlmont but said investigators have not verified his involvement in the burglary attempt and are waiting for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Tuesday night, the Pulaski County coroner’s office verified that the death is being investigated as a homicide. Wednesday, Coroner Mark Malcolm said the autopsy results will be delayed because of a backlog of pending autopsies.

In the interim, Staley said he is trying to make sense of what happened. “I’m very confused as to how the man got there and when,” the former Marine said. “I certainly wasn’t trying to deliberately take a life.” Staley said Wednesday his family has been the target of burglars five times since February 2006. In July, he and his wife, Erlene, thwarted a group of burglars after the family’s fourwheelers by firing shots over their heads.

Around 1: 30 a. m. Tuesday, Erlene Staley woke to see two men running from their garage, Larry Staley said. She stayed awake to watch the men. When they returned 10 minutes later, she woke her husband and called 911.

Staley said that when he took up a position at the backdoor with a. 22 pistol in hand, he saw the two men — a black man in a black-hooded shirt who was walking toward his shed and a white man who stood at the back corner of the house.

Suddenly, he said, the white man ran toward him. The man kept running when he told him to “Freeze,” so Staley said he fired a few shots into the tops of a small stand of pine trees in his backyard. When the man crossed Gap Creek and ran up and an embankment, Staley fired a few more shots several feet to the left of the man, into the embankment.

According to police, four Sherwood off icers who arrived at the Staleys’ house around 1: 45 a. m. heard gun shots and saw someone running west, away from the house. They searched, with the help of a dog, for more than an hour, but they found no one.

During it all, Staley said he lost sight of the black man.

“I never saw the man with the hood again that night,” Staley said.

Tuesday afternoon, he did.

Staley said his wife told him she saw a body in the creek around 1: 30 p. m. He said he didn’t believe her at first but, after walking to the creek’s slippery, rocky banks, he saw the man. He said he recognized the black-hooded clothing he had seen early Tuesday, but he said he saw no blood or gunshot wound.

Regardless of the cause, Staley said that, while he was trying to protect his family and defend his property, he regrets what happened.

“I feel so bad that a man died out here,” Staley said.

Baker said investigators have located another man they believe was involved in the attempted burglary. He did not identify the man and no charges had been filed against anyone as of Wednesday afternoon.

“This is one of those cases that’s up in the air,” Baker said. “We’re trying to put the pieces together.”

Detectives will turn their investigation over to the Pulaski County prosecutor, who will determine what, if any, charges should be filed, Baker said.

Wednesday, Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney Larry Jegley said he had not received any information from Sherwood police.

He will review the reports once they are filed. He could make a determination then or ask detectives for some additional information, Jegley said.

Labels: AR, trespassing

East Memphis homeowner shoots burglar

An East Memphis homeowner shot a burglar who had been prowling around his home Sunday morning, police said.

Memphis police responded to the call at 3:20 a.m. in the 1700 block of Danville near Perkins and Mallory.

The 24-year-old suspect was taken to The Regional Medical Center in critical condition.

Labels: TN, trespassing

Man Who Shot Teen after Prank Acquitted

A Willcox man who shot and wounded a teenage girl after she and her friends banged on his windows in a late-night prank was acquitted of three felonies, but a jury couldn't reach a verdict on a fourth charge.

The Cochise County jury found Delbert "Cody" Evans not guilty of aggravated assault using a deadly weapon and endangering Kayla Shores, who was 14 when a bullet fired by Evans hit her in the back in February 2006. She has since recovered. Evans was also cleared of endangering another girl who was with a group of five teens on Evans' porch.

The jury was unable to reach a verdict on a charge of aggravated assault causing disfigurement. The verdicts came Friday after a three-day trial and eight hours of deliberations.

The teens had gone to Evans' rural home to get back at him for making a scary prank phone call, testimony showed. He had known Shores for years and they were friends.

Evans, 32, testified he had been threatened by a man over payment for a wood stove and thought he was shooting in self-defense at an assailant.

Prosecutor Vince Festa told jurors that Evans' actions were unjustified, saying Evans shot at ``fleeing shadowy figures'' that were not posing a threat.

Defense attorney Chuck Weninger said Evans would not have fired if he knew Shores was there, noting their long friendship.

A 13-person grand jury unanimously refused to indict Evans in 2006, infuriating some in the community, who accused Cochise County Attorney Ed Rheinheimer of bungling the case. A subsequent recall effort failed.

Rheinheimer eventually asked for a preliminary hearing, and a judge ordered Evans to stand trial on the four felony counts.

A hearing to decide if Evans will be retried on the remaining charge was set for Oct. 15.

Court dismisses final charge against Evans

A Cochise County Superior Court judge dismissed an aggravated assault count Monday against a man who shot a teenage Willcox girl in the back last year.

During a jury trial in late September, Delbert "Cody" Evans, 32, was found not guilty of one count of aggravated assault against Kayla Shores using a deadly weapon and not guilty of endangering the lives of Shores and her friend Shelby Fernandez.

The jury did not arrive at a verdict on a felony charge of aggravated assault against Shores by means of force that caused temporary but substantial disfigurement or loss or impairment of a body organ or part. On Feb. 18, 2006, Evans shot then-14-year-old Shores with a handgun after she and four other children had banged on the windows of his rural Willcox home at night in return for his making a scary prank phone call.

During a hearing Monday, Judge Stephen Desens dismissed the aggravated assault disfigurement count at the request of deputy county attorney Vince Festa.

Festa said the County Attorney's Office decided not to continue to prosecute Evans on the aggravated assault disfigurement count because of the small likelihood of getting a conviction on it.

He pointed out that according to a jury note, the eight-person panel had voted 7 to 1 on Sept. 28 for the acquittal of Evans on that count. Also, he said, during the summer of 2006, a grand jury had voted 13-0 against indicting Evans.

Based on those decisions, he said, it appears the people of Cochise County don't believe a crime was committed.

Sonny Shores, Kayla's father, said the outcome of the case is an "injustice."

"It's pretty sad that a guy can shoot a girl like that and face no consequences for it," he said.

He added that he wanted to thank all of the people who have helped support his family.

During the trial, Festa argued that Evans' actions violated the law. He said a person is allowed to act in self defense while there is apparent danger, but Evans shot at "fleeing shadowy figures" that were not posing a threat.

Defense attorney Chuck Weninger said Evans and Shores had been friends, and he would not have fired at her if he knew she was there. He explained that Evans thought he was shooting at Mark Rupert. He said Evans had been threatened by Rupert because Evans did not pay for a wood stove.

Neither Weninger nor Evans attended Monday's hearing. Also, both were unable to be reached for comment afterward.

Shores was seriously injured as a result of the shooting. She underwent surgery and was hospitalized for nine days.

She has scars from the wounds, and two bullet fragments remain lodged in her body.

Labels: AZ, trespassing

Shooting at business leaves man dead

Police are investigating a shooting that left a man dead early Wednesday morning at a Huntsville business.

Police said Wednesday that Terry Reginald Green, from Industry — some 18 miles south of Brenham — was found dead at around 4:30 a.m. at T.J. Burdett & Sons Recycling near the intersection of state Highway 75 and Interstate 45.

The business owner — whose name was not released as of late Wednesday night — shot the man in the chest with a shotgun after he suspected the man to be trespassing.

“The business owner confronted an intruder that had made his way into the locked fenced area of the closed business,” said Sgt. Jim Barnes with the Huntsville Police Department.

The owner told Green to stay put, but Barnes said the man refused. The owner then shot Green an unknown number of times in the chest.

“The business owner was armed with a shotgun and attempted to hold the intruder at gunpoint,” Barnes said. “The intruder failed to comply and was shot in the chest area.”

Green was pronounced dead at the scene by Precinct Justice of the Peace Janie Farris.

Further details were not immediately available, pending an investigation.

Labels: trespassing, TX

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.

(More)

Labels: LA, residence robbery, trespassing

A mentally disturbed man who authorities say approached a neighbor's home in a threatening manner was shot and critically wounded Thursday in South Hall County.

Authorities said David Klefforth, 20, had a history of violent criminal acts and suffered from unspecified mental health issues. Klefforth was in critical condition Thursday night at Grady Memorial Hospital with a gunshot wound to the abdomen.

Hall County Sheriff's Maj. Jeff Strickland said Klefforth and his parents had recently moved into a home behind the residence of Brian and Sandra Pannell, who live in the 5000 block of Blackberry Lane off McEver Road.

At about 8:10 a.m. Thursday, Klefforth approached the Pannells' home by walking up their driveway. The couple did not know him as a neighbor.

"They had never seen him before," Strickland said.

Sandra Pannell, who had just driven up to the house, saw the suspicious man and alerted her husband, who had her go inside the home while he came out with a small caliber handgun.

"He pointed the gun at (Klefforth) and ordered him to stop," Strickland said. Klefforth, who was unarmed, ignored the command and kept walking toward the front door of the home, Strickland said. After warning him several times, Brian Pannell fired one shot at the man's legs, which missed.

Strickland said Klefforth spoke to Pannell, though he declined to specify what was said.

"What put (Pannell) in fear of danger to his family is that (Klefforth) continued to make aggressive moves toward him after the first shot missed," Strickland said.

A second shot hit Klefforth in the abdomen, causing him to fall over.

Deputies and paramedics responded to the shooting scene within minutes and Klefforth was airlifted from a nearby industrial site off McEver Road.

As of Thursday night, Klefforth remained in "extremely critical" condition, Strickland said.

Pannell has not been charged with a crime. The case was forwarded to the office of Hall County District Attorney Lee Darragh for review.

"That's a standard procedure in any shooting where self-defense is in play," Strickland said.

Labels: altercation, GA, trespassing

Police: Father Protects Daughter, Shoots Alleged Intruder

The El Paso County Sheriff's Office investigated a shooting in Canutillo Saturday morning.

It happened on the 800 block of Anthony Road early Saturday morning, when deputies said a 21-year-old man attempted to cause damage or commit a theft.

The woman who lived in the home called her father, who lives a few houses away.

He showed up with a handgun and confronted the 21-year old outside.

Deputies said the father fired a warning shot first, and fired at the man when the 21-year old charged after him.

The 21-year-old was hit in the chest.

He was taken to the hospital.

Deputies have not released the names of anyone involved.

They said charges are pending.

Labels: trespassing, TX

Trespassers meet with gunfire

A landowner greeted trespassers with gunfire in Piute County on Sunday. No one was injured. About 6 p.m., nine people entered a gate with a "no trespassing" sign and proceeded toward the Kimberly Mill, according to the Piute County Sheriff's Office. As they rounded a turn to the mill, a man who owns the property fired a .40-caliber pistol, said Deputy Mike Gayler. Gayler said it is unclear whether the man was trying to harm anyone or just scare away the party. The party fled to the main road but along the way one man stopped and fired five pistol shots into an unfastened padlock, the sheriff's office said. Gayler said the man appeared to fire at the lock out of spite. The sheriff's office is referring the case to county prosecutors.

Labels: trespassing, UT

Business Owner Holds Alleged Crook At Gunpoint

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

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

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

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

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

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

Police arrested 24-year-old Richard Richardson.

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

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

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

Labels: assault, CO, trespassing

Man shoots trespasser twice in legs

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

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

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

The homeowner then shot the suspect twice in the legs.

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

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

Labels: assault, trespassing, TX

Homeowner kills suspected burglar

A homeowner shot and killed a suspected burglar this morning after finding him breaking into a car and a storage shed in his townhouse development.

Police said the homeowner tried to hold the burglar at bay until officers arrived, but the burglar tried to attack him.

The 49-year-old homeowner was questioned by police and released with no charges filed. The case will be sent to the district attorney for a decision on whether charges should be filed.

The shooting happened about 2:30 a.m. on Carlsbad Drive in far southeast Shreveport.

Killed was Jonathan Sternitzky, 19, who lived on nearby Monet Drive in the same development.

The homeowner said he saw the break-ins in progress, got a gun and went outside. He told police he tried to hold Sternitzky until officers got there but Sternitzky tried to attack him.

Police said the homeowner fired one shot, hitting Sternitzky in the chest.

Police said the mortally wounded man ran around the corner of the building before he collapsed and died.

Authorities did not release the name of the homeowner.

Clay Carroll backed his neighbor's action.

"Let people know that this ain't gonna be an area where it's tolerated," Carroll said. "We need to keep the crime out."

D.A. says shooting of burglar by homeowner was justified

A homeowner acted in self-defense when he fatally shot a man after catching him breaking into a car in his Shreveport townhouse development, Caddo District Attorney Paul Carmouche said today.

Prosecutors reviewed the findings of a police investigation and autopsy results before concluding the homeowner -- who was trying to hold the burglar at bay until police arrived -- was being attacked by the burglar when he fired, Carmouche said.

Carmouche said the 49-year-old homeowner was sitting on his Carlsbad Drive patio about 3 a.m. on June 26 when he heard someone breaking into a car. The homeowner got a gun from his house and confronted the burglar.

The burglar tried to convince the homeowner to let him go, then told him he had previous arrests and "nothing to lose" and charged the homeowner, Carmouche said. The homeowner fell back and fired one shot, hitting the other man in the chest.

Mortally wounded Jonathan Sternitzky, 19, ran around the corner of the building before he collapsed and died.

Sternitzky lived on nearby Monet Drive in the same development. Autopsy results showed Sternitzky had multiple drugs in his system, Carmouche said.

"Based on the autopsy report, the homeowner's statements and the facts, it is a justifiable homicide," Carmouche said.

Labels: LA, street property theft, trespassing

Murder victim shot at prowler months before he was killed

About 18 months before he was murdered, Jack Reid stepped from his home early one November morning, armed with a .357-caliber Magnum, and fired at an intruder crouching between two vehicles on his property, according to police reports.

On Nov. 8, 2003, two Londonderry police officers responded to 47 Rockingham Road, where Reid was living at the time. One used a police dog to track the prowler into the woods.

Reid told police he fired five shots at a man dressed in dark clothing, who stood up between the two vehicles and yelled "Jack!" before running into the woods. Reid said the man was hiding between a station wagon and a moving van.

State police who are investigating Reid's murder in June 2005 have made the three-year-old incident part of their investigation. On Tuesday, authorities charged John Brooks, 54, formerly of 68 High Range Road in Londonderry, and three other men with conspiring to kill Reid near 145 North Road in Deerfield, N.H.

The state attorney general's office has refused to disclose a motive for the killing, saying only police are still gathering evidence. Reid, 57, was living in a trailer in Derry at 25 Scobie Pond Road when he went missing June 27, 2005. His body was found a week later in a dump truck parked behind a Target department store in Saugus, about 40 miles from his home. The truck was one Reid used for his salvage collection business.

Londonderry police Officer Scott Balukonis and K-9 Officer John Perry wrote separate reports about the Nov. 8, 2003, incident. Those reports detail their actions in response to Reid's call to police, made around 1:06 a.m. Reid told police his dog, tied up outside his trailer, woke him up.

Zip, the police dog that responded to Reid's call, located a human scent where Reid said he spotted the man. He described the intruder to police as 5 feet 10 inches tall, wearing black clothing and a black hat. Reid said he did not recognize the prowler, even though the man had yelled his first name.

"Zip began to track strongly between the two vehicles," Perry wrote. The officer spotted fresh footprints and disturbed leaves through the woods as the police dog followed the scent.

Reid's longtime friend Paul Mackey told The Eagle-Tribune in a June 2006 interview that Reid "never got a good look at the person. He had an idea of who it could have been."

The reports make no mention of Reid telling police he suspected the identity of the prowler.

Balukonis advised Reid to lock his firearm inside the trailer prior to the officers arriving at the home. The department later cleared Reid of any wrongdoing.

Reid said he told the prowler to stop before the man stood up between the vehicles, Balukonis wrote. After the man stood, Reid told police, he started shooting.

(More)

Labels: NH, trespassing

Alleged Intruder Held At Gunpoint By Homeowner

A Depoe Bay homeowner took matters into his own hands Friday morning when he found an intruder in his house.

Lincoln County Sheriff''s deputies responded to a home on Breeze Street shortly after 1:30 a.m. Friday after the homeowner called police to report that he was holding a suspected intruder at gunpoint.

The homeowner told police he saw the man trespassing in the back yard and that the man entered his home without permission. There were three people inside the home, one of which was a small child.

Authorities took 25-year-old Justin James of Portland into custody on charges of first- and second-degree criminal trespassing.

Stewart is being held in the Lincoln County Jail on $10,000 bail.

Labels: intruder, OR, trespassing

Homeowner confronts burglar

A man is in custody after a homeowner found a suspected burglar inside his house near 16th Street and Maryland Avenue Wednesday morning.

A neighbor became suspicious when he saw a man walking around his neighbor's property.

The neighbor called the property owner, who returned home armed with a gun. The homeowner confronted the suspected burglar, whom he let go.

Police say the homeowner did the right thing.

The homeowner was able to provide a vehicle description and the suspect was arrested in a stolen car shortly after the incident.

Labels: AZ, trespassing