Nashville, Tennessee

From the Nashville Tennessean of April 30, 2004:

Three charged in robbery at house

Metro police yesterday arrested three people in connection with a home invasion Wednesday in east Nashville.

Police identified them as Angel Annette Raymer, 31, of Eagan Circle; Thurman Dillon, 23, of Dupont Avenue; and Jason Bruce Lynn, 22, of Kirkland Avenue. They are charged with aggravated robbery.

Police said the three suspects kicked in the door of Richard Frazier’s home at 1703 Porter Road at 6 p.m. and demanded his money. Investigators said Raymer, an acquaintance of Frazier, had visited him just before the robbery.

Police gave this account of what happened next: Soon after the visit, two men kicked in the door, fought with Frazier, 51, and took his wallet and other items. During the robbery, Frazier broke free, got a pistol that he keeps in the home, and exchanged shots with the suspects. No one was hit.

Two officers spotted the getaway vehicle yesterday outside a home on Maplewood Lane. The officers and robbery detectives waited for the three suspects to come out and arrested them without incident.

Phoenix, Arizona

From the Arizona Republic of April 29, 2004:

Homeowner shoots, kills intruder, 38

A 63-year-old homeowner fatally shot one of two brothers who were trying to break into his south Phoenix home, police said.

The man, whose name was not released, heard a living- room window shatter and saw an arm come through the glass Tuesday afternoon at his home in the 1600 block of West Donner Drive, said Sgt. Randy Force, a spokesman for the Phoenix Police Department.

“He’s fearful, he knows there have been a lot of burglaries in the area,” Force said.

The man grabbed a handgun and fired at the two men, hitting Ronald Freese, 38.

Police said Freese’s brother Rudy, 40, ran to his nearby home to get relatives so they could check on Ronald.

Ronald Freese was declared dead at Maricopa County Medical Center.

Meanwhile, Rudy, who wasn’t injured, returned to the shooting site while police were still on the scene.

Officers arrested him, and he is being held in connection with the attempted burglary.

Rudy could face first- degree murder charges if prosecutors allege he was involved in a crime that resulted in a death.

The homeowner wasn’t available for comment.

Force said the home is in a new development, and the homeowner had only recently moved in.

“He and his wife were already considering moving,” Force said.

St. Paul, Minnesota

From the Twin Cities Pioneer Press of April 29, 2004:

OF THE PEOPLE: Gun law turns 1 year old

David Haagensen drives to work with his gun on the seat next to him, and he says it came in handy one night a few weeks ago.

Haagensen, attending one of two competing events Wednesday that commemorated the passage of the state’s new gun law, said he foiled an attempted carjacking as he was on his way to work the late shift at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.

“I pointed it at his head, because he was trying to open my locked door, and he was pointing a gun at me,” he said. “He ran away. I drove to work and called the cops.”

Bossier City, Louisiana

From Shreveport’s KTBS.com of April 27, 2004:

Homeowner shoots burglar

A Bossier City homeowner shot an intruder early today after he came home and found the man burglarizing his house, police said.

Police said they would not arrest the homeowner.

The shooting happened just after 3 a.m. at a house on Lillian Street near Isle of Capri Casino. Police said the homeowner caught a man rummaging through his belongings, got a handgun and fired a shot, hitting the intruder in the lower part of the leg.

Police said the burglar ran off but an officer followed a trail of blood and found him in the back yard of a house on nearby Robert E. Lee Place.

Ronald Reeder, 44, of Bossier City was taken to LSU Hospital for treatment. Police said he had lost a lot of blood but is expected to recover.

Reeder will be booked for aggravated burglary when he’s released from the hospital, police said. Aggravated burglary charges will be filed because Reeder stole a gun from the house, police said.

Detroit, Michigan

From the Detroit Free Press of April 27, 2004:

Apparent break-in at church ends in death

A man who police said was trying to break into a church Monday morning was fatally shot by someone inside, Detroit police said.

Church leaders at the Bible Believing Baptist Church in Detroit told police that there had been at least eight break-ins since they moved to the 16000 block of 8 Mile on the city’s west side eight months ago. In response, they had placed people in the store-front church to guard it.

Around 4 a.m., someone called a deacon and said, “You don’t have to worry anymore about the person who is breaking into the church,” Officer Derek Jones said. When officers arrived, they found Rodney Rowe, 41, of the 19000 block of Forrer partially inside the church.

He had been shot at least once in the head, said Sgt. Kenneth Gardner of the department’s homicide unit.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators are trying to determine who the shooter is, Gardner said.

Swanton Township, Ohio

From the Toledo Blade of April 25, 2004:

Widow had good reason to apply for gun permit

Mary Lou Krause, a 73-year-old widow who lives in Swanton Township, is among recent graduates of firearms training and has applied to the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office for a concealed-carry permit.

She has good reason. She was involved in a shooting during a break-in at her home in 1998, in which she shot and wounded an armed intruder and was herself shot in return.

“It’s primarily for protection – for some freedom from fear. So I can go out to shopping malls, movies, dinner. So I do not have to worry about being mugged or hijacked.”

Mrs. Krause, a retired cook from the Maumee Youth Center, briefly recalled the burglary-shooting, in which she was grazed in the hip.

Her late husband, Jerry, had gone to the back door and had stepped outside to address a stranger who had come knocking. She went for a handgun. “We had a plan – just like it says in the [current training] book,” she said.

Their cautious preparation proved prudent.

An accomplice of the stranger jumped Mr. Krause, and they dragged him inside. Mrs. Krause peeked around the corner of a cinder-block interior wall. “All I could see was a forearm and a gun. I stepped out and fired immediately.”

The thug, wounded in the shoulder, returned fire, slightly injuring Mrs. Krause. He ran outside, firing. His partner had disappeared. Authorities caught up with the gunman later at the hospital and arrested him. Eventually, “they got them both,” Mrs. Krause recalled.

Sheriff James Telb said at the time the shooting was justified.

Towanda, New York

From the Elmira Star-Gazette of April 24, 2004

Chemung man killed after apartment break-in

A Chemung man was shot to death Friday morning after breaking into another man’s home in Towanda — the fourth shooting death in the county in a month and the second in two days.

Arthur Croteau, 50, whose estranged wife was at the shooting scene, broke into Tim Philmeck’s apartment at 112 Bridge St. in Towanda by forcing open a kitchen window, state police said.

When he realized that the window was being opened, Philmeck, 57, retrieved a .357-caliber Magnum from an end table, according to a police report.

Police said that as Croteau approached Philmeck, Philmeck shot him about three times in the hand, chest and neck. It was unknown whether Croteau brandished a weapon.

Croteau collapsed on a bed in the apartment, police said.

Philmeck then called 911 and waited for police and emergency medical services to come to the apartment.

No charges have been filed in the case.

From Pennsylvania’s Sayre Morning Times of April 20, 2006

No charges to be filed in shooting death of Chemung man

No charges will be filed against a former employee of the Bradford County Assistance Office who shot a 50-year old Chemung, N.Y., resident in April of 2004, according to a report published Wednesday by the Rocket Courier newspaper in Wyalusing on its Web site.

Arthur Croteau of Chemung was shot and killed April 23, 2004 after allegedly crawling through the window of an apartment being rented by Timothy Philmeck, the one time Executive Director of the Bradford County Assistance Office.

Police initially reported that Philmeck had shot Croteau with a .357 magnum as Croteau crawled through the window.

Inside Philmeck’s house, according to police reports, was Croteau’s estranged wife, Victoria “Vicki” Sindoni.

Police said Philmeck told them he heard the window being opened, picked up a .357 magnum revolver from an end table and fired the weapon three times as Croteau approached him. Croteau was struck in the hand, the chest area, and the neck.

After the shooting, Philmeck reportedly called 911, and waited for the police and emergency personnel to arrive on scene.

A letter has been sent to the parties involved in the incident advising them that Philmeck will not be prosecuted for criminal homicide, manslaughter or even reckless endangerment, according to the Rocket Courier report.

Bradford County District Attorney Stephen Downs told a Rocket reporter that the basis for the lack of charges is “unlawful intrusion” on the part of Croteau, but did not elaborate further.

Attempts by the Morning Times to reach Downs and Waverly Attorney Todd Miller, who is representing the Croteau family, were unsuccessful Wednesday.

Miller declined to offer a formal statement to the Rocket Courier until he speaks to family members, but he was quoted as saying, “I guess that means you can get away with murder in Bradford County.”

Fort Worth, Texas

From Dallas’ nbc5i.com of April 20, 2004:

Resident Who Shoots Suspected Burglar Will Not Be Charged

No charges are expected after a Fort Worth resident shot a man breaking into his home.

The homeowner reportedly woke up and heard someone breaking into his home on Balliol Lane around 1 a.m. Tuesday. He then shot the burglar in the leg, police said.

Police showed up and arrested the burglar and another man waiting in the car.

The suspect’s injuries are not serious.

Walnut Grove, Georgia

From the Atlanta’s WXIA11.com of April 20, 2004:

Man Kills Nephew in Self Defense

An 18-year-old man died at the hands of his uncle early Tuesday after he tried to run his uncle down with a pickup truck. No charges were planned in what authorities described as a justified killing.

“All the indications of the investigation right now (is) it appears that he shot him in self defense. It appears that the 18-year-old was trying to run over his uncle. He had already held him at gunpoint and took the keys to the truck away from his uncle,” said Walton County Sheriff Al Yarbrough.

Deputies first received a call between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. about a possible suicide threat on County Farm Road. When they arrived, they found the teen had been shot dead while behind the wheel of his uncle’s pickup.

The deceased, Jeremy Woods, first showed up at his mother’s home in Stone Mountain Monday night after skipping a required nightly visit to jail.

“He was part of a Rockdale County work release. He did not turn himself in last night at the work release center,” Sheriff Yarbrough said on 11Alive News at Noon.

Woods had been jailed on charges involving drugs, reckless driving, no proof of insurance, possession of a weapon by a minor, and giving police a false name.

Woods and his mother got into an argument when she tried to convince him to report to the jail. Woods then showed up at his father’s house in Walnut Grove Tuesday morning. He broke into the house, smashed open gun cases, and stole a shotgun. Relatives told authorities that the teen then threatened to kill his family members. He held the shotgun on his uncle, who had arrived from a nearby home to help, before stealing his uncle’s truck.

The uncle opened fire with a handgun when Woods tried to run him down with the truck.

Jackson, Mississippi

From the Jackson Clarion-Ledger of April 20, 2004:

Police search for wounded suspect

Jackson man shoots intruder on property

Jackson police are searching for a burglary suspect who was shot in the arm early Monday by a property owner.

Hector Johnson, 56, owner of the unoccupied house at 149 Livingston Road, found the unidentified man sleeping in the doorway of his property, said Jackson Police Department spokesman Robert Graham.

Johnson told the man to freeze because he was calling the police, but the man got up and began moving toward a flower pot on the front porch, Graham said. Johnson fired his handgun once, striking the man in the arm, Graham said.

“The homeowner didn’t know if he had a weapon in the pot or not,” Graham said.

The injured suspect then fled the scene, Graham said.

In addition to breaking a side window to gain entry into the home, Graham said the suspect is believed to have stolen a small freezer. He said it appears he left and came back before creating a makeshift bed near the door.

No charges have been filed against the homeowner, Graham said. An investigation is continuing.

Jackson, Mississippi

From the Jackson Clarion-Ledger of April 20, 2004:

Homeowner not indicted in killing

A Jackson homeowner who fatally shot a man who broke into his home last year should not be prosecuted, a Hinds County grand jury has determined.

“The grand jury didn’t indict,” said Hinds County Chief Assistant District Attorney Robert Taylor.

Tommy Christian, 53, of 5933 Floral Drive, shot and killed Christopher Stiff, 31, of 3811 Mosley Ave., after finding Stiff inside his back door on Oct. 21, police said.

Christian couldn’t be reached for comment Monday. He has said he shot Stiff because he didn’t know what Stiff’s intentions were after he broke into his home.

Christian’s neighbor, James E. Bibbs, said he feels good knowing Christian won’t face charges.

“Maybe it will send a message,” Bibbs said, adding a person should be able to protect his home.

The grand jury considered the case earlier this year, Taylor said. He revealed the grand jury’s decision when asked about the case Monday.

Stiff had been arrested more than 30 times since his first arrest on a burglary charge on July 26, 1990.

A different grand jury in December opted against indicting another Jackson homeowner who shot and killed a man after hearing glass shattering in one of his bedrooms. Sinartha Bradfield, 31, of 1807 Linda Lane, shot Anthony Mayers, 31, of 304 Jennings St., on Sept. 3. Mayers also had an extensive criminal record.

Columbus, Ohio

From nbc4Columbus.com of April 18, 2004:

Burglar Shot During Break-In

A would-be robber was shot while trying to break into a home on East 26th Avenue, authorities said.

Once inside, the alleged robber was shot twice.

One bullet grazed his head and another hit him in the shoulder, NewsChannel 4 reported.

The man was eventually taken to jail, NewsChannel 4 reported.

Mobile, Alabama

From Mobile’s WPMI.com of April 17, 2004:

Mobile Police: Murphy High player allegedly involved in robbery at time of slaying

Police have filed no charges against a man in the shooting death of an 18-year-old Murphy High School football player because the shooting at a Mobile housing complex occurred during an alleged robbery attempt.

Greg Murphy, 18, was killed about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and 17-year-old Samuel Williams was slightly wounded.

In a statement Friday, police said Roderick Demond Solomon fired the shots while defending himself during a robbery attempt.

Police spokesman Officer Eric Gallichant said the investigation found that Murphy was involved in the robbery attempt and no charges have been filed against Solomon at this time. However, the investigation continues and further details were not released.

Tampa, Florida

From the Tampa Tribune of January 10, 2004

(No permanent link)

Would-Be Robber Flees When Clerk Raises Gun

A liquor store clerk foiled an attempted robbery Thursday night after pulling a gun on the armed robber, police said.

As the masked robber approached the counter with a silver handgun pointed at the clerk, the clerk pulled his handgun from under the counter and aimed at the robber, who fled empty-handed.

The attempted robbery occurred at 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Latam Wines & Liquor.

Lubbock, Texas

From LubbockOnline.com of April 9, 2004:

Homeless woman awaits ruling in shooting death

Every month, a frail, elderly woman paid her $70 for the tiny concrete closet she rented at a local storage facility. Inside the 5-foot by 10-foot unit, she kept clothing, a shopping cart and often herself and a beloved dog, police say.

Those regular payments and the wording of her lease may now protect the 80-year-old homeless woman from murder charges, according to state law.

The woman is accused of fatally shooting Lino Torres, 45, as he apparently tried to break into the storage unit where she was sleeping early Wednesday morning.

Torres was on parole for burglary of a building. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 1988 and to a 10-day jail sentence for unlawfully carrying a club the following year, court records show.

He was found lying face down in front of the woman’s storage unit, wearing a ski mask and gloves. A crowbar also was found nearby, police said.

The case is under investigation, Sgt. Tony Gribben said Thursday. It will eventually be presented to a grand jury, which will determine whether the woman should face criminal charges.

Followup from LubbockOnline.com of May 26, 2004

Grand jury clears woman in shooting

A Lubbock grand jury declined Tuesday to indict an 80-year-old woman accused of killing a man who apparently tried to break into a storage unit that doubled as her home.

Fay S. Ralston was cleared on all charges connected to the April 7 fatal shooting of Lino Torres, 45, outside a storage unit at 408 Ave. T.

…

State law allows people to defend their homes with deadly force. Police said they believe Ralston did not know she was firing at officers when she shot from inside the storage unit.

Ralston was later turned over to the care of Adult Protective Services.