Missouri City, Texas

From the Houston Chronicle of December 30, 2004

Pair sought in shooting of teen during break-in

Wounded boy’s aunt exchanges fire with intruders

Police are searching for two men who forced their way into a home Thursday and shot and wounded a 16-year-old boy who was asleep.

After the break-in, the teen’s aunt, Malika Leverette, 30, grabbed her .45-caliber pistol.

“She exchanged gunfire with them as they were fleeing the home. They escaped,” said Missouri City Police Chief Ron Echols.

Echols said the men demanded to see someone who previously lived at the address.

The youth, whose name was not immediately available, was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital where he was treated and released, Echols said.

The incident occurred about 3 a.m. in the 500 block of Reecewood. Echols said one of the intruders, armed with a 9 mm pistol, fired a shot at the teen who was sleeping on the couch. He was struck in both arms. The youth is from California and was visiting relatives.

Alta Vista, California

From San Diego’s 10News.com of December 22, 2004

Alta Vista Homeowner Shoots Suspected Burglar

An Alta Vista homeowner shot and wounded a burglar Wednesday, 10News reported.

The man fired a warning shot from a handgun when he heard someone trying to break in through the front door of his house in the 1400 block of South 58th Street around 1:30 a.m., Sgt. Bob Dare said.

He fired several more rounds when the burglar broke a window and climbed through, Dare said.

The homeowner then called authorities to report the attempted break-in and shooting.

The burglar, whose name was not immediately reported, was taken to a San Diego hospital and treated for his wounds, Dare said. He is expected to survive.

Hamtramck, Michigan

From Detroit’s ClickOnDetroit.com of December 27, 2004

Clerk Exchanges Shots With Robber At Neighborhood Store

Reward Being Offered For Arrest

Shots were fired during a robbery at a Hamtramck store Sunday afternoon, police said.

Police said a pair of masked men entered Sam’s Market and ordered customers to the ground while one of them fired shots in the air.

“We could have had dead bodies everywhere,” said Detective Jacqueline Crachiola, of the Hamtramck Police Department.

One of the men allegedly hopped over the counter and entered an office in back of the store, Local 4 reported.

At some point, the store clerk reportedly started wrestling with the gunman behind the counter.

The robbers fled the store with an undisclosed amount of money, but one of the men returned and took aim at the clerk, police said.

A bullet pierced a copy machine and another grazed the collar of the clerk’s jacket, the station reported.

Police said the clerk then pulled out a gun and fired back at the robber.

No one was injured during the gunfire, but customers were upset that the nearly 30-year-old market was targeted.

Durham, North Carolina

From the Raleigh·Durham News-Observer of November 15, 2004

Man injured in shooting

A security officer shot and injured a man after a disturbance Saturday night.

Police responded to a disturbance call at the Pueblo Express restaurant at 2721 Guess Road about 10 p.m. and found a man had been shot by a security officer, police said.

One shot had been fired, striking the man in the arm and chest. The victim was taken to Duke Hospital, police said.

Police did not release the names of the security officer or the victim. No arrests had been made late Sunday.

No subsequent stories about this incident were found.

Sparks, Nevada

From the Las Vegas Sun of December 24, 2004

Ex-boyfriend killed in Sparks during confrontation

A man broke into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment and threatened her and a friend before he was shot and killed early Friday, Sparks police said.

The name of the deceased was withheld until relatives are notified.

The incident began around 2:40 a.m. when police received a call regarding an unwanted ex-boyfriend at an apartment on Beacon Hill Court, officers said.

When officers arrived they found the ex-boyfriend in an upstairs bedroom with multiple gunshot wounds. He died later at Washoe Medical Center, police said.

Authorities said the man had moved out of the apartment he shared with the woman in late November.

On Thursday, the woman asked a co-worker to help her get a restraining order against her former boyfriend, police said. A restraining order was issued but investigators don’t think it had been served yet.

The co-worker, Charles Ketcham, fell asleep at the woman’s residence and was there when the ex-boyfriend kicked down the door, police said.

Ketcham was beaten on the head with a metal lamp, police said. The intruder reportedly then attacked the woman, and Ketcham shot him with a handgun.

Ketcham was treated at the hospital for head wounds. The woman refused medical treatment, police said.

An investigation continued.

Sandlick, Virginia

From Dickenson County’s Coalfield.com of December 22, 2004

Elderly victim shoots intruder

After being shot in the leg and scared that he and his wife would would be killed by the two men who had held them hostage for two hours as they ransacked their home, Clyde Colley decided to defend his life and home, investigators say.

Now, one Kentucky man is dead and another is in jail on a long list of charges. Colley, 84, is in Dickenson Community Hospital recovering from the gunshot wound.

At about 8:40 p.m. on Dec. 14, a caller reported to 911 dispatch that a man had been shot at the Colley residence. Dickenson County sheriff’s deputies were sent to the home on Route 80 between Haysi High School and Birchleaf.

When officers Scottie Owens and Brett Stallard arrived at the Colley home, they found Hubert Howard Jr., 39, of Letcher County, Ky., dead from a gunshot wound to the head. Police say the shot was fired from a .38-caliber special that belongs to Colley.

Colley was also wounded, suffering a shot to his calf from a .25 caliber gun allegedly fired by one of the intruders. The man accused of shooting Colley, 24-year-old Mazel Sexton, also of Letcher County, had fled the home but was later arrested by local authorities in Kentucky, according to sheriff’s investigator John Hall.

Sexton is charged with two counts of robbery, two counts of abduction, two counts of burglary, maliciously shooting with intent to kill, use of a firearm while committing a felony and unlawfully shooting Colley in the commission of a felony.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

From Lancaster‘s TheWGALChannel of December 22, 2004

Shop Owner, Customer Shoot At Would-Be Robber

An attempted robbery at barber shop in Lancaster led to a shoot-out with the owner and a customer.

Lancaster police said a man armed with a gun held up the Final Fade Barber Shop on North Plum Street around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.

When the man demanded money, police said the shop owner and a customer shot at the robber.

The would-be robber got away and it’s not known if he was injured.

Waterford, California

From Palm Springs’ KESQ.com of December 22, 2004

Authorities: Waterford woman kills live-in boyfriend in self-defense

Stanislaus County authorities say a woman shot and killed the man she lived with early yesterday, apparently after he had beaten her.

The coroner’s office identified the dead man as 49-year-old Daniel Hollenbeck of Waterford. The woman’s name was not released, and authorities are calling her a domestic violence victim.

Neighbors say the woman often had bruises on her face and body, and Hollenbeck had been repeatedly arrested on domestic violence allegations.

The woman called nine-one-one and told dispatchers she had just shot Hollenbeck. She said she did it to stop him from beating her, according to the sheriff.

The woman was treated at a local hospital, but she was not arrested.

Salinas, California

From Salinas‘ TheKSBWchannel.com of December 21, 2004

Salinas Homeowner Shoots, Kills Alleged Robber

A Salinas man took his family’s safety into his own hands Tuesday morning when an alleged robber broke into his home.

Police say that two men armed with weapons broke into the Salinas home on Powell Street around 9 a.m., but the homeowner was still inside, along with his three children.

The homeowner shot one alleged robber. The man was taken to a Salinas hospital, where he later died. The other man is still on the loose.

After the homeowner shot the robbery suspect, he says he ran over to his neighbor’s house to call the police and an ambulance.

Neither the homeowner nor his three children were hurt.

Aldine, Texas

From the Houston Chronicle of December 21, 2004

Homeowner shoots, kills intruder in Aldine

A 79-year-old homeowner shot and killed a man who broke into his Aldine area home early today, Houston police said.

The intruder, Robert Hinojosa, 19, of the 200 block of Gulf Bank, was shot one time in the abdomen and died later at Ben Taub Hospital, investigators said.

Hinojosa was burglarizing the residence in the 500 block of Turney near the North Freeway when the homeowner woke up around 1:30 a.m., police reports show. The elderly man repeatedly told Hinojosa to leave, but Hinojosa would not.

The man then shot Hinojosa once while both were still inside the house, police said. No charges have been filed, and the case will be referred to a Harris County grand jury for review.

Oak Hill, Ohio

From the Jackson County Times-Journal of October 11, 2004

Robbery attempt thwarted by homeowner

A robbery attempt, committed on Riegel Ridge Road in Oak Hill, was aborted, Tuesday, after the homeowner fired a gun on one of the intruders.

According to reports from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, 911 dispatchers received a hang up call from 905 Riegel Ridge Road.

While en route to the scene, the responding officer was advised that there were two more 911 calls received from the residence and that a female had called advising that her father had called her from that address and told her that someone had broke in the house and the garage while he was in the garage.

Upon arriving at the scene, the officer checked and cleared the house and then went to the garage. He observed that the garage door had been kicked several times and the window, of the door, had been knocked out and was on the garage floor.

The officer entered the garage and found the resident, Roy Lundy Sr., 61, holding a large revolver in his hand which he immediately put away in a tool box. The officer asked Lundy if he was okay and he responded yes.

According to the report, Lundy informed the officer that he had been sitting in his wheelchair in the garage when he observed a white Lincoln pull into his driveway, turn around and back up to the house. He saw two white males go toward the back of the house.

At that time, someone began kicking the garage door and Lundy backed his wheelchair into a back corner of the garage. Lundy said that the window was knocked out and a black male entered the garage through the hole in the door where the window once was.

Lundy fired one shot at the intruder and he jumped back through the hole exiting the garage.

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Cleveland, Ohio

From Cleveland‘s ActionNewsNow.com of December 17, 2004

Claiming self-defense, Cleveland grocer kills suspected robber

The operator of a grocery store shot and killed a suspected robber three nights after a gunman killed a clerk and customer at another deli in the city.

Jessie Buchanan, 19, of Lakewood, walked into a grocery Thursday evening with a gun, demanded money and threatened the five people inside. Nadim Shalamy, 71, of Lakewood, shot the robber in the head, police said.

The robber had fired at least one shot, witnesses said.

“He shot a shot, and he missed, and my father didn’t miss,” said Jeff Shalamy. “If my father didn’t shoot him, he would’ve killed all of them.”

Police arrested two men who were waiting in a suspected getaway car. Their names weren’t immediately released.

Talladega, Alabama

From the Talladega Daily Home of December 14, 2004

Apparent family dispute leads to shooting death

An apparent family dispute in the Fayetteville community Sunday night left one person dead and has prompted an investigation by the Talladega County Sheriff’s Department.

Martin Benjamin Embry, 24, was pronounced dead at the scene at 5529 Old Fayetteville Road. He was killed by a single shotgun blast to the chest.

Although the investigation remained ongoing Monday afternoon, Chief Deputy Jimmy Kilgore said statements from the numerous eyewitnesses to the incident indicated that Embry had come to his grandfather’s residence, where the shooting occurred, looking for his wife and 2-year-old daughter.

“He made several threats over the course of the evening,” Kilgore said, “finally telling everyone there that he was going home, and if his wife and daughter weren’t home with him by 9 p.m., he was going to come back and kill everybody there.”

In addition to the wife and child, Talladega County District Attorney Steve Giddens said he believed all of Embry’s grandparents and at least two of his siblings were also in the house at the time.

Embry returned to the house, as promised, at 9 p.m., carrying a rifle, Kilgore said.

“Based on what we’ve found out so far, the grandfather told him several times to put the gun down,” according to Kilgore. “Embry then pointed the gun at his grandfather, and the grandfather fired a shotgun and wounded him fatally.”

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Houston, Texas

From Houston’s abc13.com of December 11, 2004

Homeowner and neighbor fire back against home invasion suspects

Shots fired inside a home in The Heights during a violent home invasion. Moments later, the victim’s neighbor tried to help and he started shooting, too.

Police are still looking for suspects. It happened on 23rd at Baylor. Neighbors are still shocked over the incident that left more than a little mark on this quiet neighborhood.

Neighbor Benny Grable said, “A little bit before seven it sounded like a war zone out here.”

It was a scene Benny and his wife Alice won’t soon forget..

“Of course, I was scared,” said Alice Grable. “It’s not something you have happen every Saturday morning when you’re still asleep.”

Gunfire erupted just yards from their front door. Bullets piercing walls, trees — almost anything that got in the way.

HPD Officer Keith Lovelace said, “A lot we’re not sure the total, but several shots fired.”

Police say it all began with a home invasion. Three people were home when two suspects broke through a glass window to gain entry into the house. Once inside, that’s when police say the gun battle began.

“Inside the house they exchanged gunfire with the owner,” explained Officer Lovelace.

The tenant fought off the intruders for several minutes. That’s when police say others got involved. Shortly after the break in, a neighbor who lives just one door away came running over to this house. That’s when he exchanged fire with the suspects.

Officer Lovelace said, “Neighbor never goes inside, he exchanges gunfire from outside the residence.”

Cornered, the suspects fled the scene. The tenant who fired back was shot once in the arm. Those who know him couldn’t believe what had happened.

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Buffalo, New York

From the Buffalo News of December 16, 2004

Would-be burglar shot by owner, police say

A would-be burglar was shot twice by the owner of a Best Street home he apparently was trying to break into Wednesday evening. He was listed in very critical condition in Erie County Medical Center, police said.

The 28-year-old man allegedly was trying to enter a home at 761 Best St. with another man at about 8:30 p.m. when they were approached by the owner, who pulled out a gun and began firing. The wounded man was shot in the chest and buttocks. His companion fled.

The wounded man was found by Ferry-Fillmore District police officers lying in the street near 33 Myers St. a short time later.

Police were interviewing witnesses, including the alleged shooter, according to reports.

The wounded man is expected to be charged in the incident. Initial reports by police indicate that the shooting appeared justified, but detectives said further investigation into the incident is required.