State of Ohio

An interesting article recapping the first 18 months of Ohio’s Concealed Handgun Law, including a partial listing of Gun Self-Defense incidents, appears at the Buckeye Firearms Association website.

Kansas City, Missouri

From the Kansas City Star of December 31, 2005

Slaying of intruder raises KC toll to 127

A 50-year-old Kansas City man died Friday when he was shot after returning to the house of a woman who had a full order of protection against him.

Police said the shooter apparently acted in self-defense after the man forced his way into a house in the 11300 block of Orchard Road in south Kansas City and threatened several residents.

According to police, the man entered the home about 9:30 p.m. Thursday and threatened residents with a knife. One of the residents began struggling with the man, and a second resident shot the intruder in the leg.

The intruder was taken to a hospital, where he died Friday morning. His identity was not released Friday. The Jackson County prosecutor’s office will review the case to see if any charges should be filed.

The slaying marked the 127th homicide in Kansas City this year, compared with 90 at the same time last year.

Police said that one of the residents had obtained a Jackson County Circuit Court order of protection against the man who was shot.

Court records show that in March, a woman living at the house filed a request for a protection order, alleging that a man she identified as her spouse had “repeatedly” struck her in the face with an open hand and threatened her. She wrote in the request that the man “is taking his paranoia out on me.”

He was served with the order, removed from the residence on Orchard and ordered to have no contact with the woman, according to the court documents.

But the next day he allegedly made a phone call to her from the Orchard address and told her “you better not come around here.” Police were summoned, and officers found him hiding in the attic.

Columbus, Ohio

From Columbus’ 10TV.com of December 30, 2005

Intruder Shot to Death

A woman fires at an intruder in her home. A half a mile away, a teenager dies from a gun shot. Police now say the dead teenager was the intruder.

The young man was 19 year old Kahlief Tye who was out on bond, awaiting trial for another aggravated robbery just a few blocks away.

This time, Tye broke into a home and found a woman with a gun.

The intruders simply broke the glass on the side door of this Perdue Avenue home and let themselves in. When they confronted the woman living there, she shot at Kahlief Tye.

They fled through back yards and Tye made it about three fourths of a mile to an apartment building owned by Clinton Crankfield Junior.

Tye was still able to talk, and he asked Crankfield to call his mother. But when Crankfield saw all the blood, he called 911 instead.

Kahlief Tye lived right around the corner with his mother and after he died she went to see Clinton Crankfield.

As soon as Crankfield told her that her son asked him to call his mother, she started to cry. Kahleif is her second son killed by gunfire. 2 years ago, Kahlief’s 19 year old brother, A Mifflin student, was shot to death in a house in Huntington, West Virginia.

Tye was taken to the hospital where he died. His bloodstained jacket was still lying on Mr. Crankfield’s floor. The homeowner who fired the gun was brought there and identified it as the intruder’s.

Kansas City, Missouri

From TheKansasCityChannel.com of December 30, 2005

Clerk Pulls Gun, Foils Would-Be Robber

A clerk at the Fast Stop convenience store at 75th Street and Holmes Road pulled a fast one on a would-be robber Friday afternoon.

Police said the clerk thought a man who walked into the store about 4:30 p.m. looked suspicious. The clerk pulled out a gun about the same time as the man. Investigators said the pair exchanged shots, but that no one was hurt.

The man fled the store. No arrests have been made.

College Park, Georgia

From Atlanta’s WSBtv.com of December 30, 2005

Robbery Attempt Foiled When Victim Shoots Suspect

A potential robbery plot turned deadly when the robbery victim pulled a gun on the two robbery suspects.

College Park police say a man was invited to the Biscayne Apartments on Old National Highway in College Park by two women. When the man arrived at the apartment, two men burst into the apartment and demanded money, jewelry and clothing from the man. The man refused and that is when the robbery suspects attacked him. The man pulled out a gun and shot one of the robbers–who died at the scene. The other suspect escaped on foot.

Police are still investigating.

New Albany, Indiana

From Evansville’s 14WFIE.com of December 30, 2005

IN McDonald’s Employee Shoots At Robber

An employee of a New Albany McDonald’s has been suspended from his job for shooting at a woman who was robbing the place.

Police say Clifton Brown Junior violated no laws last week when he shot at the woman who stuck up another employee outside the restaurant, then robbed the drive-up window.

Brown told police that he pulled his gun out and ordered the fleeing robber to stop. She then raised her own gun and he fired two shots, which apparently missed. The woman escaped on foot.

Brown has a permit to carry the handgun, but the restaurant owner says he considers Brown’s actions inappropriate. He’s suspended Brown until the shooting is reviewed.

Brown couldn’t be reached for comment.

Wichita, Kansas

From Topeka’s WIBW.com of December 28, 2005

No Charges Expected Against Teen in Salina Woman’s Death

Authorities in Wichita call the death of a 41-year-old Salina woman “justifiable homicide.”

Elizabeth White was shot near the heart Tuesday by a pellet gun fired by her 14-year-old son. Police say White had started a violent argument with her parents, and the boy fired to defend his 73-year-old grandfather.

White drove away after being shot and crashed her car a few blocks away.

Wichita police say the 14-year-old and his brother had been living with their maternal grandparents in the city. The fight broke out sometime after White arrived yesterday from Salina.

No charges are expected to be filed against White’s son.

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

From Manchester’s TheWMURchannel.com of December 29, 2005

Store Clerk Says He’ll Continue To Carry Gun

Clerk Fired From Previous Job After Pulling Gun On Thief

A store clerk fired for bringing a gun to work has a new job at another store.

Bruce Soiett said that he always brings his .45-caliber handgun to work. He used to work at a Cumberland Farms in Greenland, and on Dec. 7, the store was robbed at gunpoint. When the thief ran, Soiett followed him.

“I yelled at him to stop, and he turned with the gun,” Soiett said. “I fired two quick shots because I thought he was going to shoot at me.”

No one was hit, and the robber was never caught. Soiett lost his job because Cumberland Farms has a no-weapon policy. The owner of the Exit 3 Travel Stop in Portsmouth was happy to hire him.

“We feel more comfortable having people who can stand up for themselves,” store owner Bharat Batel said.

Greenland Police Chief Mike Maloney said that while Soiett has every right to pack heat at work, he has some concerns.

“The clerk might get killed over $200,” Maloney said. “I find, in my opinion, it’s just best to let us do our jobs.”

Soiett said that as long as he has a job at a convenience store, his gun will be loaded, just in case.

“If you come in and rob from me, you may get more than your money,” he said.

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

From WSFA channel 6:

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — One man is dead and another is in police custody today after an attempted robbery at a Tuscaloosa gas station.
Surveillance video shows the two men entering the Raceway on McFarland Boulevard wearing ski masks around 2:45 Thursday morning.

The store owner says one of them, a 19-year-old man, put a gun to his head and demanded money.

That’s when the owner says he grabbed his own gun and started shooting, killing the 19-year-old.

The owner then pointed his gun at 22-year-old Jamie Marcus Witherspoon and told him to get on the ground where he held him until police arrived.

Lieutenant Lloyd Baker with the Tuscaloosa Homicide unit says the owner is not being charged with any crime because it was a case of self-defense.

Also at December 29, 2005 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer:

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – A gas station clerk shot and killed a robbery suspect early Thursday and held a second man until Tuscaloosa police arrived.

Lt. Loyd Baker, commander of the Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit, said the shooting occurred about 2:15 a.m. at the Raceway station on McFarland Boulevard.

Eric Dewayne Baggett, 19, was killed. An alleged accomplice, Jaime Marcus Witherspoon, 22, of Moundville, was charged with first-degree robbery and held at the Tuscaloosa County Jail on $20,000 bail.

Baker said Witherspoon and Baggett, wearing a ski mask, allegedly demanded money as the two entered the store, Baker said.

Baker said the 29-year-old clerk, who was counting cash when the two suspects entered, grabbed his own handgun fired at the masked gunman.

“When the suspect points his pistol at clerk, the clerk shoots and kills one of the suspects,” Baker said.

UPDATE: From January 17, 2006 channel 13:

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A grand jury has cleared a Tuscaloosa convenience store manager who shot and killed a would-be robber.

The panel found that the manager, who was working as a clerk at the time, acted in self-defense when he shot 19-year-old Eric Dewayne Baggett on December 29 at the Raceway station on McFarland Boulevard.

The report also notes that the clerk did not kill alleged accomplice Jaime Marcus Witherspoon of Moundville, but rather held him at gunpoint until police arrived. The 22-year-old Witherspoon was arrested at the scene. He is charged with first-degree robbery and remains at the Tuscaloosa County Jail on $20,000 bail Monday.

Raleigh, North Carolina

From Raleigh’s NBC17.com of December 29, 2005

Would-Be Robbery Victim Fights Back

Two suspected robbers got more than they bargained for Wednesday night when their intended victim fought back and wounded one of them, police said.

Damian Powell was headed to an apartment on Farrington Drive, off Six Forks Road in north Raleigh, at about 8 p.m. Wednesday when two teens approached him, police said. One of the teens flashed a gun, and they demanded money, police said.

Powell wasn’t about to become a victim. He knocked the gun out of the teen’s hand and ran to his car to get his own gun, police said.

He and the would-be robbers then exchanged gunfire in the apartment complex parking lot, and Powell apparently wounded one of them as they fled, police said.

“I was talking on the phone, and I heard gunshots,” witness Raffaela Kinsley said. “The person I was talking to heard it as well.”

Cesar Solorzano appeared at the emergency room of Duke Health Raleigh Hospital a short time later with a gunshot wound to the shoulder, police said.

Solorzano and Antoine Sanders, both 18, were later charged with attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon, police said.

Powell had a permit for the gun in his car, police said.

Pompano Beach, Florida

From the Miami Herald of December 29, 2005

BSO: Dead Pompano man fired the first shots in gunfight

A man who died in a fatal shooting Wednesday night was involved in a gunfight and fired the first shots, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office.

Randolph Canion, 50, was shot and killed in front of his home at 710 NW 19th Avenue in Pompano Beach at 6:36 p.m. Wednesday, BSO said.

Detectives have determined that the shooting stemmed from a long-running neighborhood feud that surfaced several weeks ago when two children got into a fight on a school bus.

At about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, the dead man’s son, Randolph Canion, Jr., 30, got involved in a verbal dispute with several men standing at the corner of NW 19th Avenue and 7th Street, BSO said.

Standing about 50 feet apart, Randolph Jr. and the other men shouted angrily at each other. According to witnesses, Randolph Sr. came out of his yard, carrying a handgun, and opened fire, shooting several times at the men arguing with his son, but hitting no one, according to the sheriff’s office.

Two of the men on the corner, Jonathan ”Kooda” Smith, 24, and Ricky McKinnis, 28, drew their own handguns, BSO said. McKinnis and Smith both fired. Randolph Canion, Sr. was hit twice and died, BSO said.

Both Smith and McKinnis have valid Florida concealed firearm permits. Smith ran to a nearby house, dialed 911 and said he had been involved in a shooting, directing deputies to his location where he turned over his weapon and surrendered, BSO said.

McKinnis also remained on scene and surrendered. Both men gave statements to homicide detectives and were released, BSO said.

The investigation is continuing. Upon completion, the case will be forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office to determine whether any charges should be filed.

MacClenny, Florida

From Jacksonville’s FirstCoastNews.com of December 29, 2005

Man Shoots Suspect in Home Invasion

Police say a suspect was shot early Thursday morning by a man who was protecting his home and his pregnant wife.

Police are calling it a home invasion robbery.

A 17-year-old boy is in police custody, while his brother is in the hospital in critical condition.

The two men allegedly parked their vehicle a few hundred yards from a home near a row of trees in MacClenny. They turned off the electricity to the home and unplugged the phone connection.

Police say the suspects then walked up to the home and stole an anchor that was inside of a boat in a shed. They say the pair then used it to break the glass door in the back of the home.

According to a police report, the owner of the home heard a noise and grabbed his gun from inside the house. Police say he stayed upstairs in the bedroom with his wife who is pregnant.

The suspect then allegedly walked up the stairs to the bedroom with a flashlight and opened the bedroom door. That’s when, police say, the victim fired his gun and shot the suspect.

Officers arrived on the scene as the 17-year old was running to his vehicle. He is now in police custody.

Police are investigating whether the suspect ever fired his gun inside the home. He is in critical condition at Shands Jacksonville.

From Jacksonville’s News4Jax.com of January 4, 2006

Baker County Man Shot During Home Invasion Dies

The Macclenny man shot by a homeowner during what Baker County authorities said was a home invasion robbery last week has died.

Richard Munoz, 23, was shot early Thursday morning as he entered the homeowners’ bedroom, Sheriff Joey Dobson said. Munoz died three days later at Shands-Jacksonville Medical Center.

According to Dobson, Munoz had a gun, loaded and cocked, when he was shot.

Munoz’ 17-year-old brother, who was arrested while running away from the same house, remains jailed on charges of home invasion, burglary and aggravated assault. The state attorney’s office could charge him as an adult.

According to the police report, the younger brother told investigators: “Me and Richard were just riding around and Richard told me he wanted to go break into somebody’s home.”

Hardeman County, Tennessee

From the Jackson Sun of December 29, 2005

Officials probe death of burglary suspect

A Hardeman County shooting that left a suspected burglar dead on the morning of Christmas Eve is still under investigation, according to Hardeman County Sheriff Delphus Hicks.

Ricky Cossar, 42, of Hardeman County, allegedly broke into a home in the 200 block of Brint Chapel Road, near Middleton, through the front door. After Cossar entered the house, he was shot by the homeowner, Gene Doles, 36, according to the Sheriff’s Department. Doles’ wife also was at home at the time of the shooting.

Hicks said that Doles is not in custody and that after the investigation is completed, it will be up to the district attorney general to decide whether charges should be filed.

The sheriff’s office received a call about the shooting around 2 a.m. Christmas Eve, and deputies arrived on the scene shortly after. Cossar was rushed to Bolivar General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

UPDATE: This is a little less clear-cut of a case than the first press accounts suggests. From the January 11, 2006 Jackson Sun:

A fatal shooting case involving a Hardeman County woman was bound over to grand jury Tuesday, according to Sheriff Delphus Hicks.

Rebecca Doles, of Hardeman County, is facing a felony charge of tampering with or fabricating evidence concerning the shooting death of Ricky Cossar, 42, of Hardeman County. Doles remains in Hardeman County Jail on a $20,000 bond. She is scheduled to appear in court next on Feb. 7.

…

Hicks would not elaborate on how Rebecca Doles allegedly tampered with evidence or on the type of gun that Gene Doles used. He did say, however, that Gene Doles has not been charged with anything and that after his department’s investigation, it will be up to the district attorney general to decide whether charges should be filed against him.

Charges were dropped according to this February 9, 2006 Jackson Sun article:

A Hardeman County woman accused of tampering with evidence in a man’s shooting death has been released from jail after charges against her were dropped Tuesday.

Assistant District Attorney Joe Van Dyke told those present in Hardeman County General Sessions Court on Tuesday that the state did not have enough proof to go ahead with the charges against Rebecca Doles, according to her attorney, Steve Farese Jr., of Mississippi.

“At that time I made a motion for charges to be dismissed due to failure to prosecute,” Farese said in a phone interview Wednesday.
“The judge granted the motion.”

But Farese said it is possible that the district attorney’s office could choose to re-file charges against Doles by presenting the case to the grand jury at a later date.

A private investigator who is familiar with the facts and some of the participants in this case tells me that this case may not be as clean as first appeared.

From a Report from the Hardeman County Sheriff’s Office, created by Chief Investigator Trent Wilhelm, dated August 28, 2006

This report concludes with:

Initial survey of the scene revealed an SKS rifle leaning against a table in the kitchen just outside the master bedroom door. One SKS shell casing On the floor near the butt of the rifle and one SKS shell casing on the floor just inside the main bedroom, A search of the scene revealed a live SKS round on the floor slightly under the chair just inside the main bedroom and another SKS shell casing in the bedroom at the other end of the trailer near the front door. The autopsy report revealed that Ricky had in fact been shot three times instead of two, and subsequent interviews of Rebecca and Gene revealed that they had tampered with evidence by moving the rifle and two shell casings to the master bedroom from the bedroom at the other end of the trailer where Gene had actually fired the rifle. These findings led Special Agent Steve Stanley with West TN Violent Crimes & drug Task Force to determine whether he could reach the inside knob of the front door from the window above and he found that he could not. Ricky was not as tall as Agent Stanley and had shorter arms. This finding has led me to believe, in my professional opinion, that Ricky did not break into the home of Rebecca and Gene and that the homicide may not have been in self-defense. The case is still under investigation.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel of December 27, 2005

Police treating shooting at club as self-defense
(Scroll down)

A shooting that left one man dead and another critically injured in a bar early Saturday is being treated as a self-defense case, police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said Tuesday.

LaCharles Hester, 27, was killed and another man, 23, who was not identified, was wounded in the chest by a bartender at Club Lush, 2529 N. Hopkins St., Schwartz said. The case has been referred to the Milwaukee County district attorney’s office as justified but it will be up to prosecutors to rule on whether charges will be filed in the case, she said.

The bar owner was trying to clear the bar when Hester pulled out a gun, fired into the ceiling and pointed the gun at the bartender and other people in the bar, Schwartz said. The bartender, 36, who was not identified, drew a gun from his holster and shot Hester in the back of the head, she said.

The 23-year-old man then tried to take the gun away from the bartender and it fired, hitting the 23-year-old in the chest, Schwartz said.

Toledo, Ohio

From Toledo’s WTVG of December 28, 2005

Robber Caught on Surveillance Video

Gas station clerk shoots at man who tried to grab the cash out of the register.

We have exclusive surveillance video of a north Toledo gas station clerk shooting at a man who snatched money from the cash register.

As the crook tried to get away, the clerk fired one shot. The bullet shattered the front door.

It all went down at a Citgo on East Manhattan Street. Police say the thief walked in and picked up a piece of candy. He told the clerk he was buying it for his girl.

As the clerk counted the change and attempted to put it in the register, the crook tried to grab the cash and run. That’s when the clerk grabbed a handgun and pulled the trigger.

Store manager Edward Eid says his employee missed and no one got hurt. “He tried to scare him to stop, but this guy here kept running outside.” Detectives believe the suspect ran down Harvey Street when he left the store.