Indianapolis, Indiana

From TheIndyChannel.com of April 30, 2006

Man Seriously Injured In Supermarket Shooting

A man was seriously wounded in a shooting at a Marsh Supermarket Saturday night on the city’s west side.

Police said a security guard shot the man as the man tried to rob a woman in the restroom of the Marsh at Lynhurst Drive and Rockville Road.

Officials said the security guard ordered the gunman to stop, but the man didnt comply. That’s when the guard shot the man.

Police said the man took off in a vehicle with others inside, but they were caught when they stopped in a Taco Bell parking lot nearby.

The man was listed in critical condition at a hospital on Saturday night. The woman police said the man was trying to rob was not hurt.

Rio Rancho, New Mexico

From the Rio Rancho Observer of April 29, 2006

DA decides August ‘05 killing in RR was self defense

Police are still investigating the Easter Sunday death of Rio Ranchoan Sarah Feeney in her Entrada Point apartment, but 13th Judicial District Attorney Lemuel Martinez was able to answer questions about one of 2005’s murders.

Matthew Durand, a 27-year-old Rio Rancho resident, was found dead in the front yard of a Sunflower Drive home last August. Although police investigated the case as a homicide, Martinez determined that the defendant had a “good case of self defense,” he said.

The potential defendant, whose name is being withheld because he was never charged, saw Durand in his front yard, acting weird and carrying an ice pick. The defendant then retrieved his gun and went into the yard to convince Durand to leave, Martinez said. He did not say what kind of gun the defendant had.

Durand then tried to take the gun, Martinez said, and the pair fought over it until the weapon discharged in Durand’s face.

The defendant then waited until police arrived to answer their questions; his wife had called 911 when the fighting began.

Martinez said that because there was “no real evidence of any wrongdoing,” he would not pursue the case.

He added that he was not necessarily satisfied that the case is closed.

“If there’s a neighbor who saw anything different and would like to come forward, we would be happy to look into it again,” Martinez said.

Albany, Georgia

From Atlanta’s WSBradio.com of April 29, 2006

Albany State Running Back Killed in Robbery

A star running back for Albany State University has been shot and killed after breaking into a house.

Albany police spokesman Lieutenant Kenn Singleton says 21 year old Antonio Atkins and another man are suspected of breaking into the house early yesterday morning.

Atkins would have begun his senior year at Albany State this fall.

Police say Atkins and the other man broke into the home of Johnathan Young, a barber at the Marine Corps Logistics Base-Albany. Young tells police he shot one man with a shotgun after the two entered the home’s front door by force.

The home’s other occupant, Michael R. Thomas, told police the men came into the house and tried to rob them.

Laredo, Texas

From the Laredo Morning Times of April 29, 2006

Laredo man allegedly shot during conflict

A Laredo man was transported to a local hospital in critical condition after he was allegedly shot in the back by an unidentified gunman who officials said claimed to have acted in self-defense.

Police said the gunman alleged he was merely defending himself from an armed burglar who was trying to break into his southeast Laredo home.

He further claimed he did not know the suspect-turned-victim.

The incident occurred Friday at 5:49 p.m. in the 2900 block of Rosario Street, when the suspect-turned-victim allegedly tried to gain illegal entry into the gunman’s home.

Instead, the suspect-turned-victim was met with gunfire.

Police said it appeared the armed burglar obviously did not know the homeowner was armed.

The suspect-turned-victim underwent emergency medical surgery Friday. Laredo police said he was in critical but stable condition Friday night at the Laredo Medical Center. No other injuries were reported.

Further details surrounding the case were not released. Officers did say charges against the alleged burglar were pending his release from the hospital.

The case was referred to the Laredo Police Department Crimes Against Persons Division for further investigation.

Tulsa, Oklahoma

From Oklahoma City’s ChannelOklahoma.com of April 29, 2006

Police: Tulsa Woman Justified In Fatally Shooting Boyfriend

Police here believe a woman fatally shot her boyfriend in self-defense but they’ve forwarded the findings of their investigation to Tulsa County prosecutors, who will determine whether charges should be filed.

Cornell Clemons’ death is the 29th homicide in Tulsa this year.

The shooting happened about 10:30 p.m. Thursday at the home Clemons shared with Jane Burns, Sgt. Kim Presley said. Officers found Burns, 22, standing over the 29-year-old outside the house.

She told police she had shot him in self-defense during a domestic argument. Medics pronounced Clemons, a registered sex offender, dead at the scene.

The couple had a history of domestic problems, Sgt. Mike Huff said.

“She had been a past victim of domestic violence by the same subject, and she was trying to leave the residence that evening,” Huff said. “He initially said that he was going to slash her tires, and then he lunged at her with the knife.” Burns shot Clemons once in the torso and then ran to a neighbor’s house screaming for help. A semiautomatic handgun and a knife were recovered from the house.

“She has been cooperative with the investigation, and her story is consistent with the physical evidence,” Huff said.

Burns was released after she was questioned Thursday night.

Clemons was charged in March 2004 with assaulting Burns when they lived at another location.

According to court records, he allegedly threw a can of air freshener at her face, hitting her right eye. A police officer who responded to the call said her eye was swollen and that her eyebrow was cut.

The case was dismissed in August 2004 at the request of the prosecution, court records show.

Clemons was arrested in March for failing to register as a sex offender, Presley said.

Update from the Fox23.com of April 29, 2006

Police Say Homicide Was Self Defense

Police say a woman who shot her boyfriend to death was acting in self defense. Police say the woman was defending herself from her boyfriend who was coming at her with a knife. Police say the couple did have a history of domestic problems. The man is a registered sex offender with a second degree rape conviction.

The shooting happened at about 10:30 pm on Thursday at the couple’s home around 7th and Xanthus. Police say after they have fully completed their investigation they will forward the case to the District Attorney’s Office so they can determine if charges will be filed. The man’s death was Tulsa’s 29th homicide this year.

Chicago, Illinois

From the April 25, 2006 Chicago Tribune:

homeowner on Chicago’s West Side shot two men Monday afternoon who refused to leave his front porch and then tried to hurt him, police said.

The homeowner, a 50-year-old man, was trying to leave his home in the 2600 block of West Wilcox Street but found two men, ages 21 and 22, loitering on his front porch, Officer John Mirabelli said. He asked them to leave, but the men threatened him and he went back inside, Mirabelli said.

When he came back out, the two men began to attack him.

The 21-year-old was hit in the groin and was in good condition at Stroger Hospital, police said. The 22-year-old was hit in the hip and right leg, and was also in good condition at Stroger.

Columbus, Ohio

From Columbus’ WBNS10tv.com of April 29, 2006

Two Dead After Home Invasion

One man is dead after a home invasion, and one of the suspects is also dead.

This all happened in West Columbus, when several people burst into a home just after 11 p.m. last night.

Police say the man who owned the home on South Cyprus shot one of the suspects before he died.

Police are still looking for other suspects they believe fled the scene.

Diana, Texas

From the Gilmer Mirror of April 28, 2006

Homeowner shoots and kills man at house

A Longview-area man was fatally shot by a homeowner at Diana early Sunday morning, Upshur County Sheriff Anthony Betterton said.

Sheriff Betterton said that on Sunday morning at sometime around midnight deputies responded to a residence in the Diana area concerning a call about a suspicious person.

“On arrival, deputies met with the homeowner. He said that he was alarmed by someone beating on the window of his house,” Betterton said. “He said that as he went outside to investigate an unidentified male was on the ground close to his front door begging for foregiveness.

“The homeowner then told the person to stay on the ground until the Sheriff’s Office could arrive, and he said the male subject got up and started towards him,” Betterton said.

“The homeowner backed away from the person, keeping a safe distance between the two. After several attempts to stay away from the subject an altercation occurred and the homeowner fatally shot the subject,” Betterton said.

Investigator David Dickerson identified the deceased as Clark Martin Thaddeus, 37, of Longview. The name of the homeowner was not released, pending the routine presentation of the case to the county Grand Jury.

Forest Lake, Minnesota

From the St. Paul Pioneer Press of April 28, 2006

Late-night visit leads to charges

Victim says he fired shot in self-defense

Three men face burglary charges after an alleged attempt to collect money in Forest Lake backfired and the supposed debtor shot one intruder in the leg with a shotgun.

Cody Joseph Mezzenga, 19, of Lino Lakes, Nicholas Adam Dereschuk, 19, of White Bear Lake, and Jeremy Scott Flom, 19, of Forest Lake will go to court in May accused of busting into 20-year-old Paul Rohde’s apartment.

But Rohde apparently turned the tables and shot Mezzenga in the leg as the others fled. The three suspects are charged with aiding and abetting burglary.

Prosecutors are not charging Rohde, who they say appears to have acted in self-defense.

First Assistant Washington County Attorney Sue Harris said Rohde warned the group he was armed, while the chaos of the situation prevented investigators from determining exactly when shots were fired.

Mezzenga’s attorney, Jeff DeGree, said his client probably shouldn’t have been at the apartment but was merely going along with the group.

The defendants and other defense lawyers did not immediately return messages or answer calls for comment.

According to a criminal complaint drafted by Washington County Prosecutor Kari Lindstrom from police reports, friends of Dereschuk told police Rohde had either stolen or borrowed at least $250 from him. About 1 a.m. March 2, Lindstrom wrote, Dereschuk, Mezzenga, Flom and about six others drove to Rohde’s North Shore Drive apartment to get the money back.

Rohde, who is not charged with a crime, told police he was sleeping when he heard the group trying to kick down his door. He grabbed a shotgun from under his bed, loaded it and walked out of his bedroom.

A witness told police that Rohde yelled out that he had a gun in the house and had the gun pointed at the group when the door was kicked in, authorities said.

The group fled; Rohde said one of the men pointed a handgun at him after he followed the group from the apartment. Rohde said he fired in the direction of the men, the complaint states, and the shot hit Mezzenga in the calf.

Mezzenga spent three weeks in the hospital, authorities said. DeGree, Mezzenga’s attorney, said his clinet has suffered “serious complications” and his relatives “don’t know whether he’ll be able to walk again or work.”

DeGree said Mezzenga’s relatives were upset prosecutors weren’t charging Rohde and challenged the idea he acted in self-defense, noting that no gun other than Rohde’s was recovered.

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

From the Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader of April 28, 2006

Cops: Robber shot during own holdup

An ex-con who authorities accused of aiding fugitive Sean Thomas Quinn in November was shot in a botched robbery attempt Thursday evening on High Street, police said.

Police said Richard Wayne Mills, 47, was shot in the leg by a woman he tried to rob. Minutes later, he was arrested on charges of aggravated assault, terroristic threats, robbery and other charges.

According to police:

Mills entered 264 Rear High St. just before 7 p.m. with a crowbar. Once through the door, he grabbed a samurai sword off the wall and tried to rob two men and a woman inside the house.

Amid the ensuing chaos, someone called 911 and the two men fled the residence.

When Mills tried to rob the woman, she pulled out a gun and shot Mills in the leg. Then she ran out of the house.

Detective Ron Foy said the woman, who police have not been able to locate since the shooting, had a permit to carry the weapon.

The names of the two men have also not been released.

Foy said Mills has a criminal rap sheet “as long as your sleeve,” and called the shooting “the perfect irony.”

Mills has said he served time in prison for armed robbery, writing bad checks and many drug and alcohol-related charges.

Clintwood, Virginia

From the Richmond Times-Dispatch of April 28, 2006

A home invasion, a secret, A DEATH

In a little house in Southwest Virginia, a brazen robbery was a license to kill

The evening sun has disappeared and the old man is dozing on the couch beside his wife when a fist banging on the back door jolts him awake. Almost before he can raise himself up, two men in black ski masks rush into the living room. One of them points a handgun at the couple and tells them to sit down and shut up or he will blow their brains out.

Meekly, Clyde and Ruby Colley comply. The most terrifying hour of their long life together has just begun.

Thus begins a very long article of interest. Read it all

Red Bank, Tennessee

From the Chattanoogan.com of April 27, 2006

Disabled Red Bank Man Gets Off 4 Shots At Home Invader

McCabe Had Been On Bond For Aggravated Robbery

A disabled Red Bank man foiled a home invasion early Thursday morning by getting off four shots at a man busting in his bedroom window.

Red Bank Police Lt. Jim Kyle said the incident happened at 1:30 a.m. at 203 Euclid Ave.

He said David McCutcheon was asleep in his bed when he heard his bedroom window breaking, then saw a masked man coming through the window.

Mr. McCutcheon reached for a .32-caliber revolver and began firing, causing the masked man to make a hasty retreat.

Lt. Kyle said Daniel “Spike” McCabe, 28, was found to have a gunshot wound later in the day in Soddy-Daisy when he was examined for a drug overdose.

He said McCabe, who is originally from Red Bank but now lives in Soddy-Daisy, has been charged in the Red Bank home invasion.

Lt. Kyle said one shot hit McCabe in the arm, two shots hit a bedroom wall and the fourth shot went through the window.

Officers went before General Sessions Court Judge Bob Moon after Red Bank Judge Gary Disheroon was not available. Judge Moon set a $500,000 bond for McCabe since he was on bond for aggravated robbery and aggravated assault.

Buxton, Maine

From Portland’s WCSH6.com of April 27, 2006

Arrest Made In Buxton Home Invasion

One man is under arrest and authorities are looking for another in connection with a violent home invasion late Wednesday night in Buxton.

Police say they received a call from Mark Luxton around 11:00 P.M.. He reported that two men had come to his home on Parker Farm Road, kicked in the door and fired shots into his bedroom. Luxton says he fired back, and during the exchange of gunfire his dog was shot in the chest.

A couple of hours later police tracked down David Nanos of Portland at Southern Maine Medical Center in Biddeford where he had apparently gone to get treatment for a gunshot wound to the hand.

Nanos is charged with attempted murder, burglary and criminal threatening with a firearm.

The other suspect is still on the loose.

The dog is being treated at a veterinary hospital and is expected to survive.

Henderson, North Carolina

From the Daily Dispatch of April 27, 2006

Accident leads to gunfire

A citizen’s attempt to check out a car-accident scene resulted in gunfire Wednesday afternoon.

Henderson police responded to a traffic accident call at the corner of Water and North Pinkston streets at approximately 3 p.m. Minutes later, the department received reports that a shooting had occurred there.

When officers arrived, they located an individual who reported he had shot another man, Antwan Crudup, 21, of 1843 lot 17 Vicksboro Road, in self-defense. The alleged shooter, whom Henderson Police Chief Glen B. Allen declined to identify since he might not face charges, reportedly claimed that Crudup aggressively approached him and tried to strike him after the accident (Allen said the alleged shooter says he left his vehicle to see what was going on in the collision); Allen said investigations indicate that possibly more than one person approached the alleged shooter at the time.

The alleged shooter voluntarily surrendered a .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol to police and Allen said the man has been cooperative throughout investigations.

Crudup reportedly sustained injuries, none life threatening, after being shot one time and was transported to Maria Parham Medical Center.

The alleged shooter was reportedly not involved in the car accident that spawned the resulting gunfire. Allen said Crudup was the passenger in a 1995 Mazda driven by Marcus Brown of Ponderbranch Trailer Park. Brown’s vehicle reportedly collided with a 1978 Chevy Camaro driven by Donald Ragland of North Pinkston Street. Allen said Brown faces charges of driving while impaired and exceeding safe speeds; Brown’s vehicle sustained $1,500 damage while Ragland’s vehicle sustained $3,500 damage.

Allen said that investigations by the Henderson Police Department are continuing and more information may be available later. No one was injured as a result of the car collision, according to Allen.

Warrington, Pennsylvania

From PhillyBurbs.com of April 27, 2006

Jury acquits pilot in gun-pointing incident

A Bucks County jury this week found a West Chester airline pilot not guilty of all charges stemming from an alleged gun-pointing incident that began with a fight over a parking spot.

Paul Daniels, 41, was acquitted of possessing an instrument of crime, simple assault, terroristic threats and recklessly endangering another person.

Police had charged Daniels after another customer at the Cold Stone Creamery ice cream store in Warrington accused him of threatening him with a gun. According to a police report, James Lamp, 40, of Horsham, said Daniels pointed a loaded 9mm Glock at his chest and said, “Leave or I’ll shoot you.”

Lamp’s girlfriend called 911 and the police arrived within minutes. Daniels put down the gun and was arrested.

His attorney, Michael Parlow, argued that Daniels wielded the gun in self-defense. Parlow said his client was simply protecting his family and had a permit to carry the weapon.

“There are times when persons who are licensed to carry a handgun are permitted to use their weapons. This was one of those times,” Parlow said. “My client is relieved to be cleared of all charges.”