Mobile, Alabama

From AL.com of September 30, 2006

Clerk shoots would-be robber

The clerk at Tommy’s Quick-Stop on Dauphin Island Parkway said he saw his store was about to be robbed Thursday night when two men, one with a pistol in his hand, unsuccessfully tried to push open a pull-only door.

Lay “Bruce” Khat, 36, said he pulled his gun from behind the counter and shot at the men, hitting one of them in the shoulder, when they walked in with a gun pointed at his head.

“Right away I knew something was wrong,” Khat said. “They pushed the door instead of pulling it, and I knew something was wrong.

“They just walked in here with guns pointed, they were pointed like this,” said Khat, gesturing that one of the men, arm stretched out, held the gun sideways. “I saw them when they pushed (the door), and (I) reached for my gun.”

Above the handle of the door is a sign: “Pull.”

Shots were exchanged, but Khat said that in the adrenaline-fueled shootout, it was unclear who fired first.

“They were aiming at my head,” he said. “I felt good at the time, not nervous or anything. I couldn’t take a chance, it was either him or me. So I just grabbed my gun and ‘pop,’” said Khat, using his hand as a gun to demonstrate. “I think my gun jammed, that’s when they got away.”

After one of the robbers was shot during the 9 p.m. incident, the pair ran out of the store — located near the intersection of Halls Mill Road and Dauphin Island Parkway — said Officer Eric Gallichant, a police spokesman.

Khat was not injured in the shooting and is not being charged, police said, because he acted in self-defense.

Saginaw, Michigan

From the Saginaw News of September 30, 2006

Police log

A 24-year-old Saginaw man shot outside a West Side home this week will face a court date and possibly time behind bars once he emerges from the Intensive Care Unit at Covenant Medical Center.

The man suffered at least one gunshot wound on the porch of a home on Throop near North Bond in Saginaw about 12:40 a.m. Friday, Police Chief Gerald H. Cliff said.

Officials at Covenant said they could not release information about the victim’s condition, but Cliff said he “will survive” the shooting.

Detectives determined the shooter, whom they declined to identify, acted in self-defense, Cliff said.

Sinking Springs, Pennsylvania

From the Reading Eagle of September 29, 2006

Couple tell of battle against coyote

?It was scary,? says a Lower Heidelberg Township man who eventually shot and killed the rabid animal.

A rabid coyote terrorized a Lower Heidelberg Township couple attacking one of their dogs and trying to break into their house before homeowner Craig S. Luckenbill killed it with a shotgun.

Luckenbill said his wife, Jenny, played a key role in the battle, trapping the coyote by slamming the front door on its neck as it snarled and tried to force its way into the house on Brownsville Road near Blue Marsh Lake.

The couple’s two Labrador retrievers, Annie and Cali, both fought with the coyote, trying to protect the Luckenbills.

?It was scary,? Craig Luckenbill said Thursday about the Sept. 21 encounter.

The 40-pound male coyote was the first ever to test positive for rabies in Pennsylvania, according to the state Game Commission.

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Midland, Pennsylvania

From the Allegheny Times of September 28, 2006

82-year-old bar owner chases off robber with gun of her own

So this guy with a sawed-off shotgun walks into Josephine’s Bar in Midland around 9 p.m. Thursday

But the punchline is: What the guy apparently wasn’t expecting was that 82-year-old owner Josephine Slater had a gun of her own, and ordered him to beat feet out of the bar with less than $10 in hand.

To make things even worse: Slater, 82, said that about two hours later, the gunman came back to the bar to have a beer.

“I don’t take anything from anybody,” Slater, 82, of Ohioville, said Thursday afternoon, seemingly proud and embarrassed at the same time about all the attention she’s getting. “I’m not taking anything from these druggies. I was just standing up for my rights.”

Midland police apparently have a suspect in mind for the robbery, but hadn’t charged anyone as of Thursday evening. Midland Police Chief Ronald Bongivengo did not return a phone message seeking additional information.

The complete story will appear in tomorrow’s Times.

Lexington, North Carolina

From the Lexington Dispatch of September 28, 2006

Lexington man shoots home intruders

A Jessup Street homeowner shot two men who were trying to break into his house early this morning, Lexington police said.

Investigators say they have information that the home invasion stemmed from a previous domestic violence incident.

“It wasn’t random,” said Lexington Police Lt. Jon Hicks. “They knew the victim.”

When the two men allegedly made entry into the home, Delaise Ander Eller went for his shotgun and fired on Shedarrius Pate, 18, of Link Circle, and Kannell Leach, 21, of Greensboro, police said.

A third suspect, Cyrus Clifford Butler, 24, of Greensboro, was waiting outside in a car.

Pate and Leach, the two men who were shot, ran out of the house and jumped into the car, and all three men sped off, police said.

“They didn’t make it even two miles,” Hicks said. “Officers arriving on the scene observed the car fleeing from the scene.”

Butler, the driver, was arrested and charged with first-degree breaking and entering and placed in the Davidson County Detention Center under a $10,000 secured bond. He is scheduled to appear in Lexington District Court Nov. 13.

Pate and Leach were in the back of the car bleeding when police stopped it. Paramedics drove them to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem where they were being treated for gunshot wounds to the arm, elbow and abdomen.

Warrants for breaking and entering were obtained for Pate and Leach, who are listed in fair condition at the hospital.

Police officials say the district attorney’s office will now determine whether Eller shot the intruders in self-defense.

Fayette County, Pennsylvania

From the Pittsburgh Tribune Review of September 26, 2006

Woman fights off 2 masked robbers

Dan Brown said he’s not too surprised his 110-pound wife, Sheri, held her own Friday when two masked men attempted to rob the family’s Fayette County auto repair shop.

The couple, both in their 30s and married 17 years, opened DSB Auto Service four years ago on Three Mile Hill, Bullskin Township, not far from Mt. Pleasant.

They had no trouble with crime until Friday.

Shortly after Dan Brown left the family business at 10 a.m., his wife was confronted by two masked thieves who pulled up to the garage and demanded money.

State police at Uniontown said the victim “chased off the actors” after a brief struggle.

“There was a big guy and a small guy. She was alone when they came up to her and told her to give them all the money. She grabbed a pole we use to prop up a car hood and smacked the big one. He then hit her in the head, but she was able to get away,” Brown said. “She started throwing chairs and stuff in front of her to keep them away from her while she tried to get to the office.

“She got there and pulled out the gun we keep in the drawer for protection.”

As soon as the mother of two pulled out the family’s .357-caliber Magnum, the thieves fled, Dan Brown said. The suspects did not display a weapon, he said.

He said he and his wife are comfortable around guns and are accomplished marksmen.

“If she would have had to shoot, she would have nailed them,” he said.

Brown said the gun was kept on the premises because the business is in a remote, rural location.

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Indianapolis, Indiana

From Indianapolis? WISHtv.com of September 27, 2006

Attempted Jewelry Store Robbery Leaves One Suspect Dead

A robbery ended in gunfire at an east side jewelry store, in the 5400 block of East Washington. It happened around 10:30 this morning at the Rosco Jewelry Store.

In the process of the attempted robbery the owner took out a handgun and shots were exchanged. One of the suspects was hit and died at the scene. Police say the second suspect tried to escape by running upstairs in the building, but is now in police custody.

The two suspects were brothers. Two other employees were in the store at the time of the robbery and the owner is cooperating with police.

The jewelry store is located across the street from George W. Julian Elementary School, School #57. Police are searching for a bullet near the school. One of the bullets from the shooting went through the front door of the store and across the street hitting a car. Joseph Blackburn is an interpreter at the school and the owner of the car.

“I guess there was at least a dozen of them, and they brought their shotguns and they circled back and all around and they were running around and all of a sudden they stopped and one lady, one of the police lady had a shotgun and went in that door over there,” said Blackburn.

He says as soon as the gunfire was exchanged the school went on lockdown and has remained on lockdown since.

Neighborhood residents say the store has been around for about 30 years and with the on-going violence on the east side, IPD Chief Spears feels enough is enough.

“Its very upsetting to us as a police department, I’m sure it’s very upsetting to the community because as you noted the business right across the street is a day care center, or youth center,” said Chief Spears.

From Indianapolis? WTHR,com of September 28, 2006

Accused pawn shop robber says it wasn’t his idea

Eyewitness News has learned more about what happened inside an east side jewelry store when the owner shot and killed a robbery suspect Wednesday morning. It’s a harrowing story of survival, and we also hear the suspects’ side of the story.

Roscoe Parmley is back in his jewelry store. He feels lucky after surviving a hold-up that ended with Parmley killing one of the two robbers.

“I was only trying to keep my brother from making a mistake,” said Nicholas Artry.

That mistake put Nicholas Artry in jail and claimed the life of his 18-year-old brother Corey. Nicholas insists he didn’t know about the hold-up until they got to the store. He says he then tried talking his brother out of it.

“I made the best effort that I could and he decided to go in there and at the time I’m just thinking like, I can’t let my brother go in here and just die,” said Artry.

Detectives say it looked as if someone would die. “basically they just stormed in,” said Det. Marcus Kennedy, Indianapolis Police Department. “The one with the gun, he actually put the gun to the heads of the three people that work here.”

When Corey Artry’s attention turned from Parmley, “he just noticed that was his opportune moment to strike back and that’s when he started firing,” Kennedy said.

Nicholas Artry denies holding a knife to an employee’s throat, insisting he tried to protect the worker, and when the shooting was over, hid in the suspended ceiling. He says he was glad when the police showed up “because when the police came I knew that they weren’t just gonna kill me on site,” he said.

The brothers were in the store the day before – Nicholas Artry says shopping, but police say they were casing it. Even knowing workers were well armed, two brothers with no criminal records investigators say went ahead with the robbery.

Meanwhile, Parmley will likely not face charges in the shooting death of Corey Artry. Police say it looks like Parmley fired in self defense.

Another article about this incident dated September 30 appears here.

Thomasville, Georgia

From Albany?s WALB.com of September 25, 2006

Store owner fights back against burglar

A close call with a burglar’s bullet a few months ago prepared Jimmy Washington to defend himself and his Southside Foods store in Thomasville. Over the weekend, a burglar struck again, but this time he didn’t get away.

Neighbors near Southside Foods were surprised to hear its owner was bold enough to take justice in his own hands when someone broke in. “I was very much shocked to hear what happened, because I couldn’t believe that he shot him, or whatever,” said Neighbor Precious Smith.

Owner Jimmy Washington who spoke with us off camera said he was watching TV inside his home, which is connected to the store, around 3:00AM Sunday, when he heard a noise.

Washington called police then decided to check his store. “He actually heard something happening, like glass breaking, so he goes to investigate. He had his gun [a pistol] with him and he goes to the store,” said Thomasville Police Sgt. Ricky Singletary.

It was in the tiny area near the store’s front door that the intruder brushed Washington’s right leg that’s when he fired. “He was shot in the leg, the liver, and one of the bullets is in his lung,” said Singletary.

Fifteen minutes, later police found 22-year-old Terrance Smith on a nearby porch. He’s charged with burglary.

Georgia law allows you to defend your property, so Singletary said that no charges will be levied against Washington.

“He had to protect himself, this is his home, his home is part of the store so he had to do what he had to do, I mean I feel bad for him because his life was at stake,” said Precious Smith.

While some have called Washington a hero, he wants no part of that. He told us he just wants to feel safe inside his home and store.

Terrance Smith remains hospitalized. He was released from jail earlier this month after serving 16 days for burglary.

KALB’s title for the accompanying video: Citizen exercises gun control – Jimmy Washington hit what he aimed at: a criminal inside his property.

Shreveport, Louisiana

From Shreveport?s KTBS.com of September 25, 2006

Cab driver shoots would-be robber

A Shreveport teenager remains hospitalized after police say he was shot several times by a Casino Cab driver Saturday night.

“With one of them not having a mask on at all, having his face completely exposed, I felt as they were going to get my money and kill me,” said the cab driver who asked not to be identified.

Detectives say the cab driver was called to the 3500 block of Ninock Street to pick up a fare. They say Arthur Joseph, 20, got into the back driver-side seat. Seconds later, another man wearing a mask over his face got into the back passanger-side seat, pointed a gun at the driver and demanded money.

The driver pulled out his handgun and opened fire. “I came up with my 9mm and started shooting. I shot him five times,” he said.

The wounded would-be robber was identified as Alexander Johnson, 18. He was rushed to the hospital and is listed in good condition.

Detective Chris Yarborough says when he interviewed Johnson, the teen was awake, very coherent and very talkative. “I got a full confession from him,” Yarborough said.

Police say the teens also confessed to trying to rob another cab driver earlier the same night, but that planned failed when the driver got spooked and didn’t stop. An hour later, the second driver was called. “They intended on robbing someone that night. They just got into the wrong cab,” the driver said.

Johnson and Joseph are both charged with armed robbery.

Inwood, New York

From New York?s WCBStv.com of September 24, 2006

Cops: 9-Year-Old Shot In Home Robbery Attempt

A 9-year-old boy was in extremely critical condition Sunday after he was caught in a shootout during an attempted robbery on Long Island, police said.

Nassau County police said the boy and a 22-year-old man were both shot late Saturday when three would-be robbers entered a home in Inwood. The home’s owner, a licensed gun owner, opened fire, and the robbers fled.

The relationship between the homeowner and the injured people was not immediately known. Police said one of the would-be robbers may have been shot.

The 9-year-old was being treated at Saint John’s Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway. The 22-year-old’s injury was not life threatening, police said.

The names of the shooting victims and the homeowner were not immediately released.

A subsequent news item reports that the boy was shot by the intruders, not the resident: Boy shot by intruders remains critical

From Long Island?s Newsday of October 4, 2006

Arrest made in home invasion shooting

Nassau County police announced today the arrest of a Brooklyn man shot in last month’s botched Inwood home invasion that left a 9-year-old boy wounded.

Tyreek Williams, 21, will be arraigned today at Brooklyn’s Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center, where he has been since suffering multiple gunshot wounds in the Sept. 23 attempted robbery-turned-shoot out, Det. Lt. Dennis Farrell announced at a news conference in Mineola.

Farrell, commander of Nassau’s Homicide Squad, said Williams was charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree assault and criminal use of a firearm. He said he will be arraigned at the hospital and later transferred to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow.

Farrell declined further comment, but said investigators are following new leads on the case.

Williams, with wounds to the face, leg and hand, showed up at the hospital 45 minutes after the gunbattle at Inwood home on West End Avenue home.

Police said Williams was with two other men who exchanged gunfire with a license pistol owner who lived at the Inwood home after a robbery attempt.

Williams was shot by that resident.

A bullet from one of the intruders’ gun hit John Henry Romano Jr. who was visiting a cousin at the time of the shooting. Last week, John’s mother said her son has regained consciousness and started speaking with his family.

John is listed in critical but stable condition at Schneider Children’s Hospital in New Hyde Park. The bullet penetrated his brain and left him partially paralyzed on his left side.

Pensacola, Florida

From the Pensacola News Journal of September 22, 2006

Store owners stand ground

Woman fires at would-be robber

Vivian Deen had never fired a gun.

But Friday morning she didn’t hesitate to shoot at an armed robber threatening her husband, William.

The Deens own Magee Field Grocery, a neighborhood grocery store, at North Davis Highway and East Yonge Street and were confronted by a man who wanted their money.

William Deen, 60, was on the telephone about 10 a.m. when he said the man came in with a stocking over his face. He was dressed in black.

“He kind of eased in, and when I looked up, he said, ‘This is a stickup,’ ” Deen said. “I thought it was some kind of joke, but then he put a gun in my face.”

Deen said the man again demanded money and tried to crawl behind the counter. The two then struggled for the gun.

“All I could see was his pistol in my face, but I wasn’t giving up anything,” Deen said. “I work too hard for that. He was going to have to come and take it.”

Deen said he didn’t want his wife to get involved.

However, Vivian Deen, 45, grabbed a handgun kept behind the counter and fired at the robber’s shoulder.

“I’ve never even fired a gun before. But when I saw the gun pointing at my husband, I didn’t waste any time,” she said.

She fired again but missed. The man ran from the business without getting any money. He also wore a skull cap and a zippered sweat jacket with a blue- or white-striped hood.

City police said the Deens will not be charged.

Although it is self-defense, Assistant Chief Chip Simmons said the Pensacola Police Department does not encourage this type of behavior.

“We certainly don’t want everyone to be drawing weapons,” Simmons said. “However, if someone is inclined to rob a store or an individual, they should be cognizant that that person may be armed.”

The Deens say they will continue to keep a gun at their store for protection.

“It just makes me sick to my stomach that a person would kill you for a dollar,” Vivian Deen said. “We know most everyone who comes in here. You think they’re nice, but you just never know.”

Austin, Minnesota

From Austin?s KAALtv.com of September 22, 2006

Charges dropped against Lutzi

Olmsted County Attorney Ray Schmitz is dropping attempted 2nd degree murder charges in the case against 20-year-old Jade Allen Lutzi.

Police say Jade Lutzi allegedly shot his roommate Joshua Krukow and another man, Carl Sanford, after hearing about a noise violation at his apartment.

Until recently, police had not been able to interview the victims.

Once they had, Schmitz says he believes Lutzi was actually shooting in self-defense after he was assaulted by one of the men.

The man says he assaulted Lutzi, then forced his way into a bedroom where Lutzi was hiding with the intention of continuing the assault.

Lutzi fired the shots as the man entered the room.

Lutzi was released from custody earlier this week.

Wichita Falls, Texas

From the Wichita Falls Times Record News of September 22, 2006

Fighting back

Woman defends herself from attack with gun

A 38-year-old woman staying at the Homewood Suites in Wichita Falls turned the tables Tuesday night on a potential attacker in the parking lot.

The woman’s father said she pulled her .380 automatic pistol on the man, who came up behind her as she was getting sinus medicine from her van about 9 p.m.

He gave the following information about the incident:

The man asked her, “Do you have anything good in that van?”

The woman knew she was in trouble. She told him yes and moved to the front passenger-side door.

She pulled out her pistol and heard a knife click open.

When she looked back, she saw the man was holding a knife pointed downward in his hand.

She quickly turned, pointed the gun right at him and asked, “Are you really sure you want to do whatever you’re going to do?”

He took off running, the father said.

The woman immediately went back inside the hotel, alerted the staff, and they called police.

Her father said she was calm at the time, going into “auto-pilot” and remembering everything she had learned in the classes she took to get her gun permit, he said.

“Of course, three hours later she was a basket case,” he said. “She felt violated and real anxious.”

This wasn’t the first time the woman had faced a trying situation.

Her father said her fiance was involved in a shootout in Houston, which made her realize she needed to take precautions herself.

(More background)

Atlanta, Georgia

From Atlanta?s WSBtv.com of September 21, 2006

Woman Found Not Guilty Of Killing Her Brother

A woman who had been accused of killing her brother has been found not guilty on all counts.

Jurors deliberated again today after staying late last night trying to decide if Deborah Joyce was guilty or if it was a case of self-defense.

Joyce says she killed her brother, Anthony Scofield, as he came at her with a hammer in May of 2003.

Her attorneys say she was battered and suffering from post-traumatic stress.

Prosecutors say she was trying to gain control of the family’s estate and had grown tired of his demands when she shot him 8 times.

Joyce’s younger brother, Charles Scofield, testified against her in the trial. He says their brother was mentally ill, but not dangerous.

Durant, Oklahoma

From the Durant Democrat of September 21, 2006

Shooting leaves two injured

Two were injured when an ex-husband drove his truck through a metal gate and peppered his ex-wife’s mobile home with .22-caliber slugs, according to Durant Police.

Durant Police Chief Gary Rudick, who was at the scene, said that Travis Wigington, 47, drove through the gate of property located at 2909 Cemetery Road, pulled out a .22-caliber rifle, and began firing at a travel trailer occupied by Carol Annette Johnson, 45, and her 6-year-old daughter.

According to police, Johnson yelled at Wigington to stop shooting and that the child was inside. Rudick said Johnson returned fire with a handgun.

The incident was heard by a police dispatcher when Johnson called at 5:05.

?She called us and said, ?He’s shooting at us,’ and finally, she said, ?I shot him,’? Rudick said.

Johnson was hit in the right shoulder, and Wigington was shot in the groin area. Both were taken to the Medical Center of Southeastern Oklahoma where they are listed in stable condition, according to a hospital spokesperson.

(More detail)