Wiggins, Colorado

From the Fort Morgan Times of January 30, 2004

Auto theft suspect nabbed after chase

A man on foot kept law officers busy Wednesday as they tracked him with dogs and put up a perimeter to find him after he allegedly tried to take autos in Wiggins.

It was teamwork among law enforcement agencies and Wiggins area residents which finally resulted in a man being taken into custody Thursday morning. The suspect was captured after an incident that began Wednesday when he abandoned one stolen vehicle northwest of Wiggins, tried to steal two others and entered an occupied residence where he was confronted at gunpoint by one of the homeowners, said Morgan County Sheriff Jim Crone.

The suspect fled that residence and managed to elude law enforcement until early Thursday morning when he was caught after an attempt to steal yet another vehicle.

The man, who has yet to be positively identified, was captured in the Kiowa Creek bottom just west of Wiggins at approximately 6 a.m. after Wiggins Police Chief Leroy Dilka and Morgan County Sheriff’s Deputy David Kallweit pursued the man on foot for about half a mile before he was tackled and taken into custody.

Spokane, Washington

From Spokane’s KHQ-TV of January 30, 2004

Burglary Suspect Arrested After Earlier Shots Fired

An attempted burglary, gunfire, and a suspect on the run. It all started at a house at 26th and Havana Thursday morning.

It all started just before 7am Thursday morning.Sheriff’s deputies rush to a home at 26th and Havana, after the homeowner tries to stop a burglar.Sheriff Mark Sterk said, “He confronted the suspect, ran, struggled, pulled shotgun. At least one round went off.”

The suspect got away, witnesses say in this white commercial van. A short time later deputies responded to a home on south Ferrell near 8th, where the suspect allegedly dumped the van. “He went in the house, told them he’d been shot, and needed to borrow the car, he left in the green Cadillac,” Sterk said.

About four hours later that green Cadillac was tracked to a home near 6th and Conklin. Officers surrounded it and called for the suspect to come out.

Forty-four year old Phillip Moore appeared, dressed in a suit, yelling out to officers down the street, before finally surrendering. The sheriff says there’s strong evidence tying Moore to the Havana burglary. “He does have a minor injury to one of his legs, so it does tie him to the information we’ve got,” Sterk said.

Moore is in jail, facing first-degree burglary and firearm charges. But detectives say given the crime scene is spread out over three neighborhoods, this investigation is far from over.

Mesa, Arizona

From the Mesa East Valley Tribune of January 30, 2004

Mesa resident cuffs intruder at front door

Dan Adams has been burglarized not once, not twice, but three times since Jan. 14. By Thursday afternoon he’d had it.

So when he was awakened by someone walking into his Mesa home about 1 p.m., he grabbed his semiautomatic and headed down the hallway.

Standing just inside his front door was a stranger, a young man in a red shirt and shorts tentatively calling out “Hello? Anyone home?”

Adams said he carefully slid the slide back on his .40-caliber handgun and confronted the man.

“The guy was surprised to say the least,” said Adams, 38.

Within seconds Adams had the intruder handcuffed and trapped in a bathroom, a gun pointed straight at him. He called 911 and waited for Mesa police to arrive.

“I told him about 10 times that I was going to kill him and he tried to talk his way out of it, he kept saying he knew how to get my stuff back,” Adams said.

A longtime Mesa resident, Adams said he moved into his home in the 800 block of North Quail about three months ago. The area, near Greenfield and Adobe roads, is a nice one, even with the burglaries, he said.

About $5,000 worth of electronics and tools has been stolen in the burglaries, Adams said. The last burglary, on Wednesday, netted the burglar a carton of cigarettes and Adams’ albino ferret, Ferret.

Adams, who restores homes for a living, said he stayed up until 4 a.m. Thursday setting up four surveillance cameras in the hopes of catching the burglar in the act the next time around. He set out the handcuffs he bought when he was a security guard and one of his guns.

Indianapolis, Indiana

From the Indianapolis Star of January 29, 2004

Alleged burglary attempt leaves 1 dead; 3 arrested

Indianapolis police arrested three men in connection with an apparent burglary on the Near Northside that resulted in the death of another suspect, authorities said.

Police who responded to a disturbance in the 1400 block of West 34th Street on Tuesday afternoon encountered a resident who said he had shot an intruder, said Indianapolis Police Department spokesman Lt. Paul Ciesielski.

Antoine Moffett, 21, 3100 block of North Barnes Avenue, was declared dead at Methodist Hospital after the shooting, police said.

He and three other men, Antwain Coleman, 22, Ulysses Poston, 22, and Roddell Green, 21, entered the house shortly after 2 p.m., Ciesielski said.

The owner, Jaon Barlow, 41, opened fire with a shotgun, hitting Moffett, who also was armed, police said.

The three other suspects took Moffett to Methodist, police said, where he died a short time later.

Coleman, Poston and Green face preliminary charges of burglary and felony murder, Ciesielski said.

Charges were not expected to be filed against Barlow.

Somerville, Massachusetts

From the January 23, 2004 Boston Herald:

A Somerville homeowner shot and wounded a man who broke into his home near Davis Square yesterday afternoon, police said.

The homeowner, whom police declined to identify, told detectives he had just come out of the shower shortly before 1 p.m. when he heard the back door being forced open.

The homeowner, who is licensed to possess firearms, confronted the burglar and shot him in the shoulder, according to police.

The burglar ran, and police followed a trail of blood to the nearby Davis Square MBTA station. The suspect was arrested minutes later outside the Porter Square MBTA station.

Stephen P. Callinan, 37, of Somerville was being treated at Massachusetts General Hospital and was expected to be charged with breaking and entering, police said. Police did not say whether Callinan was armed.

UPDATE: A little more detail about Callinan from the January 29, 2004 Somerville Journal, and it isn’t surprising:

The intruder, 37-year-old ex-con Stephen P. Callinan of 127 North St., has a history of arrests and convictions for construction scams and break-ins. He was formally arrested by Somerville Police on charges of breaking and entering and malicious destruction of property Sunday after being released from the hospital for his gunshot wound.

Houston, Texas

From Houston’s Click2Houston.com of January 22, 2004

Homeowner Reportedly Fires Shots At Intruders

A northeast Harris County homeowner opened fire on two people who invaded his home early Thursday morning.

Officials told News2Houston the intruders broke into a home in the 21800 block of Baumgartner Drive around 2:15 a.m. The intruders reportedly made it into the man’s bedroom where the homeowner and a woman were asleep.

The man woke up, grabbed his gun and started shooting as he chased the two intruders outside.

Authorities said one of the intruders fled in a vehicle; the other on foot.

Officials were not sure if either of the intruders were hit by a bullet.

Houston, Texas

From Houston’s Click2Houston.com of January 22, 2004

Customer Shoots, Kills Auto Shop Robber

Police told News2Houston three men wearing masks, carrying guns, kicked in the front door of Pawn’s Tire and Wheelz on West Little York at Stuebner Airline in north Houston around 6:30 p.m.

“One of the suspects went to the rear of the business. There was a shooting between one of the customers and a suspect,” Houston Police Department investigator Steve Straughter said.

The other two robbers ran away.

Several other customers were in the business at the time, but none of them were injured.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

From the Philadelphia Inquirer of January 22, 2004

Robber fatally shot by store owner in North Phila.

A store owner shot and killed a would-be robber last night inside his shop in North Philadelphia, police said.

Police said the robber entered the grocery store on the 1400 block of North Franklin Street about 7:30 p.m., brandished a gun, and announced the robbery. He shot one employee in the hip before being shot in the head by the store owner, police said.

The employee was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition. The robber was pronounced dead at Jefferson. The names of all those involved were not released last night.

Tallahassee, Florida

From the Tallahassee Democrat of January 22, 2004

Bullets fly during home invasion

Professional football player Corey Fuller wants to know who shot up his Tallahassee house while trying to rob him. And he’s willing to pay $10,000 for the information.

Fuller, a former Florida State University and Rickards High standout, announced Wednesday a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest, prosecution and conviction of the man who accosted him earlier in the day.

….

Fuller, who formerly played for the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns, said he went out to his Range Rover sometime after 2 a.m. with a friend who was staying with him. He heard a rustling in the bushes next to the house, then a man’s voice yelling at them to “get down,” he said.

Fuller ran into the house, and the would-be robber kicked in the side door and began firing what Fuller thinks was a .40-caliber handgun, he said.

Another friend who was inside installing Fuller’s new television pulled a gun from Fuller’s nearby safe and returned fire, Fuller said.

Fuller also told The Associated Press that the gunman had someone inside a waiting getaway car and that he returned fire with a .38-caliber revolver, which also was inside the safe.

More than a dozen bullet holes could be seen in the walls of the kitchen and one of the bedrooms, including in a bed headboard. No one was injured, Tallahassee police said.

Adelphi, Maryland

From Washington’s WTOPNews.com of January 20, 2004

Homeowner Shoots, Kills Intruder in Maryland

A would-be burglar is dead after the owner of the home he was trying to break into shot him. Police say at this point no charges have been filed against the homeowner, but police will be consulting with the Maryland state attorney.

Police in Prince George’s County got a 911 call Tuesday morning from a man who lives in the 1900 block of Ruatan Street in Adelphi.

He allegedly got out a ladder and tried to get into an upstairs window.

“He advised us that someone was trying to break into his home,” said Corporal Fred Merkle. “The suspect placed the ladder against the side of the victim’s home and we believe he was attempting to gain entry into the home”

Police say the homeowner came outside and confronted the burglar, then shot him once in the chest. The burglar died at Washington Hospital Center.

Investigators are still trying to determine if the homeowner will be charged.

Charlotte, North Carolina

From Charlotte’s WCNC.com of January 19, 2004 (requires registration)

Clerk fires shot at suspect after armed robbery, police say

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police are looking for a second suspect involved in a late night robbery and shooting.

The incident happened just before midnight when police said two men walked in to the Union 76 gas station at the intersection of Monroe Road and North Wendover. They robbed the station and shot the clerk in the arm.

The employee shot back and hit one suspect, the other fled, according to police.

Both victims were taken to Carolinas Medical Center.

Boise, Idaho

From KTVB Channel 7’s website for January 13, 2004:

BOISE – Ada County Sheriff’s detectives say they know who fired shots that wounded two men in the leg at a south Boise home Monday night. But, it may be a little while before they can put all the pieces of the crime together, because some witnesses are not cooperating in the investigation.

Two men were hospitalized with gunshot wounds following a shooting at 5245 Chaps Place that occured shortly after 5 p.m. Monday. The victims have been identified as 20-year-old Travis Tucker and 22-year-old Shane Tucker. Their injuries are not life-threatening.

According to Undersheriff Gary Raney, the two men went to the home to settle a dispute over ownership of a gun with Vance Thumm. The dispute moved outside into the front yard where the 23-year-old Thumm fired shots from a 9mm assault pistol, striking Shane and Travis Tucker.

…

Deputies learned that the two men discarded a firearm behind the residence. A revolver, that was later determined to be stolen, was recovered in the front yard along with several empty casings.

Bartlesville, Oklahoma

From Tulsa’s KOTV.com of January 19, 2004

Bartlesville homeowner shoots and kills burglary suspect

The investigation continues into the weekend shooting death of a would-be burglar.

Bartlesville Police say early Saturday morning a homeowner shot and killed a man he caught breaking into his home. The homeowner’s wife was on the phone with police dispatchers when it happened.

The name of the homeowner and the man who was killed have not been released.

Jackson, Mississippi

From the Jackson Clarion Ledger of January 19, 2004

Shooting of intruder won’t bring charges

Jackson resident Sinartha Bradfield won’t face charges for killing a suspected burglar in September.

A Hinds County grand jury has decided Bradfield should not be indicted in the death of ex-con Anthony Mayers, 31.

“It was best for the grand jury to decide the facts of the case,” Hinds County District Attorney Faye Peterson said. “It was an independent body of citizens who looked at it.”

The case was reviewed in December.

The district attorney’s office has yet to ask grand jurors to hear the case of a second Jackson homeowner who shot to death a suspected burglar. That shooting occurred about seven weeks after Bradfield’s shooting.

Bradfield, 31, said he fired his shotgun through his bedroom window at 1807 Linda Lane when he heard the glass being broken out on Sept. 3.

…

State law says a homicide is considered justifiable if a person is protecting himself from being killed or from becoming the victim of a felony.

Indianapolis, Indiana

From the Indianapolis Star of January 17, 2004

Patron shot by bartender is in serious condition

An Indianapolis man remained in serious condition Friday after a bartender shot him in a case that police say was self-defense.

Police say Cecil D. Sanders, 29, and another person had an altercation with a patron at the Sports Bench Tavern, 2023 Southeastern Ave., on Wednesday night. Police say Sanders then threatened to harm the bartender, John E. Hansen. As Sanders was coming over the bar, Hansen, 31, shot Sanders once in the chest.

Depending on his medical prognosis, police intend to arrest Sanders on a preliminary battery charge, said IPD spokesman Sgt. Steve Staletovich. Sanders was being cared for at Methodist Hospital.

Staletovich said three witnesses and a videotape of the encounter support Hansen’s story.