Axton, Virginia

From the Roanoke Times of March 31, 2007

Police: Man in N.C. hospital after being shot

An Axton man is in fair condition at a North Carolina hospital after he was shot Thursday night, an official said.

Herbert Howard Cline, 23, suffered a gunshot wound to his back following a dispute in Axton, said Lt. Kimmy Nester of the Henry County Sheriff’s Office.

Cline was taken to Memorial Hospital of Martinsville and Henry County and then was transferred to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Investigators have talked with a person who admitted to firing shots in self-defense after seeing Cline pull a weapon, Nester said. That person has not been charged because authorities are still investigating the shooting.

Vista, California

From NBCSanDiego.com of March 30, 2007

Clerks With Machete, Handgun Can’t Stop Robbers With AK-47

Two men, one armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, robbed a Vista market but not before taking on two clerks, one of them armed with a machete.

Sheriff’s deputies said the suspects walked into the El Leno Market on South Santa Fe Avenue on Thursday night. One jumped over the counter and grabbed a bag with money in it.

Meanwhile, a clerk pulled out a machete, and another employee took out a handgun and fired a shot into the ceiling.

The robbers were able to get away with about $3,500, police said, and no one was hurt.

Cleveland, Ohio

From March 30, 2007 WKYC channel 3:

A suspect attempted to rob someone.

The “victim” turned the tables, snatched the gun from the suspect and shot the suspect.

An off-duty officer came upon the scene, was able to disarm the robbery victim who had the gun. Then the off-duty commandeered a vehicle and chased down the initial robbery suspect.

Arlington, Texas

From March 30, 2007 Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

FORT WORTH — In December, Darrell Roberson fatally shot a man outside his Arlington home after finding the man and his wife in a compromising position inside a pickup.

But Roberson is no longer in trouble with the law.

His wife, Tracy Denise Roberson, is now the one facing criminal prosecution in connection with the killing.

On Wednesday, a Tarrant County grand jury declined to indict Darrell Roberson, 38, on a murder charge in the death of 32-year-old Devin LaSalle.

Instead, the panel on Thursday returned an indictment against Tracy Roberson on a charge of manslaughter, stemming from allegations that she recklessly caused LaSalle’s death by falsely claiming that she was being raped, prompting her husband to shoot LaSalle.

Tracy Roberson, 35, was also indicted on a charge of making a false report to a police officer on accusations that she also lied to Arlington police, telling them she was being raped when, officials said, she had actually been having an affair with LaSalle. A warrant for her arrest was issued Thursday.

Hobbs, New Mexico

From KAMC of March 30, 2007

Elderly Hobbs Man Shoots Intruder

Hobbs police say they rarely hear of burglaries when people are home and it`s even rarer for a victim to fire shots.

Residents of Hobbs say Jerald Hanson has been around the town forever. He?s a guy you can see riding around town on his motorcycle who never puts up with much from anybody. He?s known by most as Pac Rat but ever since early Friday morning he?s been known for a lot more.

“Lying in bed, heard some funny noises you know? And this guy was in my house. He had a knife and he says give me all your money or I`ll kill you! That`s where he made a mistake, he started counting it. It just gave me enough time to go under my pillow and get my gun. I shot at him.”

That?s the account from Hanson after police say 36 year old Rodney Rudy broke into his home around 3:30 Friday morning.

“Here we have an instance where a gentleman is 76-years old and you have a suspect that`s 36-years old in a lot better shape, a lot younger, obviously standing over with a knife, surprising someone that was asleep. So it`s a situation that doesn`t happen often” says Captain Donnie Graham with the Hobbs Police Department.

Hanson fired two shots at the suspect, one of those hit Rudy in the left abdomen and back area. He then ran to a nearby home. Police found him and took him to Lea Regional Hospital. He was later taken to University Medical Center in Lubbock where he remains in stable condition. Police say when he recovers he could face some serious charges including robbery or aggravated burglary. Both are second degree felonies.

Hobbs police say New Mexico citizens are allowed to take reasonable and necessary steps to protect themselves or their property and they will investigate what happened at Hanson?s house.

Mobile, Alabama

From the Mobile Press-Register of March 30, 2007

Armed woman holds suspected burglar

A mother who had just dropped off her daughters at school Wednesday morning held a suspected robber at gunpoint after she returned home to find him in her south Mobile driveway, Mobile police said.

Lelia Richardson left her Parkway Drive home at about 7 a.m. to take her two daughters to school, police spokesman Officer Eric Gallichant said Thursday.

When she returned about 50 minutes later, she saw an unfamiliar car under her carport and the door to her home open. The door frame was busted and splintered from where someone had apparently kicked it in, Richardson said.

“That’s when I knew exactly what was going on,” Richardson said. “I called 911 before I got out of the car and then I got my pistol … just in case he tried to do something to me.”

Richardson pulled into her driveway and blocked in the unknown car and a man she had “never seen before in my life” walked out of her home, she said.

“I saw him coming out of the house, and he walked up toward me to see who I was and that’s when it all happened,” Richardson said.

Richardson asked the man who he was, and he told her that he lived there, she said.

“I said, ‘Not unless you moved in during the last hour,’” Richardson said.

The woman drew her pistol — “I always carry it for protection,” she said — and told the man not to move until police arrived.

“He told me, ‘Please don’t shoot,’ and he said he was going to put everything he took back in (the house),” Richardson said. “And he did. He put it all back in my den.”

Richardson kept her weapon drawn while the man returned her things, she said, and kept her pistol on him until officers arrived and arrested him.

“You just have to be prepared for anything,” she said. “I like to make sure if anything happens that I’m able to protect me and my kids.”

Richardson said that through the whole ordeal, she was never once scared for her life.

“Because I knew if he came to me, I was going to shoot him,” she said. “I didn’t want to hurt him. I didn’t want to shoot him, but I didn’t want him to do anything to me.”

Investigators found some stolen property from inside Richardson’s home and a small amount of marijuana in the man’s car, Gallichant said.

Jedadhai Powell, 20, of Mobile, was charged with third-degree burglary and second-degree marijuana possession, Gallichant said.

Powell was being held Thursday at Mobile County Metro Jail in lieu of $3,500 bail, the jail log showed.

Memphis, Tennessee

From Memphis? WMCtv.com of March 29, 2007

Attacker strikes same place twice, but runs out of luck

A man who stopped a kidnapping and the woman he saved are telling their stories.

Their stories begin with a tale of a man who came looking for his ex-girlfriend. He threatened her life and took her money. He got away with it once.

He was not so lucky the second time around.

Sharon Hamblin worked as a caregiver for 85-year-old Louise Hardin.

Last week, Hamblin’s past came back to haunt her.

“I came here to kill you but I changed my mind” were the words she remembered coming from her ex-boyfriend, Gary Stewart, who police say broke into the home through a bedroom window.

“He said give me all the money you got,” she recounted.

Stewart then forced her and Hardin into the car and made them drive to West Memphis so Hamblin could cash a check for nearly $300.

Stewart took the money and let the two of them go.

“Officer first on the scene told me it’s possible this man may come back,” said Louise Hardin’s son Kent. He came to live in the house to protect his mother and her caregiver.

Three days later, as the officer had warned, Gary Stewart was back after breaking the glass on this garage door.

“I woke up and looked out and saw the perpetrator with a knife to the caregivers throat,” said Kent Hardin.

That’s when Hardin grabbed his gun. Meanwhile, Hamblin was being forced to the car again.

“I was backing up and I saw Kent come out the back door,” she said.

“I ran out with the gun, opened up the car door and stuck it in his face,” added Kent Hardin.

“I put the car in gear and I jumped out of the car and got on the ground,” said Hamblin.

Kent Hardin added, “When he looked up and saw the gun he just kind of faded, melted.”

“He told Gary Stewart, get out of the car get out of the car!” said Hamblin.

“He just rolled out of the car and laid down here in the garage floor put his arms in front of him, his feet back and I held the gun on him.”

Hardin says five minutes later, the police arrived.

Stewart is charged with kidnapping, assault and burglary. He also faces robbery charges in West Memphis.

On top of that, he could face federal charges as well. His court date is set for April 13th.

Sharon Hamblin says her biggest mistake was telling Stewart where she worked. Hamblin is no longer working for the Hardin family.

Lawrence, Massachusetts

From the North Andover Eagle-Tribune of March 30, 2007

Vigilante cabbie cleared of attempted murder charge

A Lawrence cab driver, who took the law into his own hands and shot an alleged robber in the back, has been cleared of attempted murder charges.

Bienvenido Rodriguez shot the man with a semiautomatic handgun after being robbed at knifepoint on Parker Street in January.

Police disagreed with Rodriguez’s vigilante action and charged him with attempted murder.

But this week, the Essex County grand jury in Salem declined to indict Rodriguez, 36, of Camden Street, Methuen.

However, the same grand jury indicted the man who was shot.

Herman Irene, 36, of 25 Foster St., Lawrence, faces a charge of armed robbery, said Stephen O’Connell, spokesman for the Essex County district attorney’s office.

“There will be no prosecution of Mr. Rodriguez,” O’Connell said.

Yesterday, Lawrence police Chief John Romero said Rodriguez would have been facing less serious charges if he had pulled his gun while the robbery was being committed, instead of waiting until Irene was running away and no longer a threat.

Irene was running down Parker Street when Rodriguez drew his .40-caliber Smith &Wesson semiautomatic pistol and fired at him.

The bullet passed through Irene’s body narrowly missing his spine and major arteries.

He was taken to Lawrence General Hospital then airlifted to Brigham and Women’s Hospital were he underwent surgery.

Police charged Irene with armed robbery and assault with a dangerous weapon.

Rodriguez was charged with armed assault with intent to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and discharging a firearm within city limits.

Rodriguez told investigators immediately after the shooting that he did not deliberately try to hit Irene and only shot to scare him, police said.

Romero said yesterday he was not surprised the grand jury did not indict Rodriguez, but said it would be up to Methuen police Chief Joseph Solomon to decide whether to restore Rodriguez’s license to carry firearms. Methuen issued the gun license originally.

(More)

In many states, this action by Rodriguez would probably be prosecuted.

Athens, Alabama

From the Decatur Daily of March 30, 2007

Burglary halted with a gun

Athens man captures suspect, accidentally shoots window of neighboring cleaners

After two nights of someone breaking into his downtown business and stealing antiques, Steve Bauer armed himself with a plastic cola bottle and a .44 Magnum and spent Wednesday night at his office.

Bauer’s son knew his father was staying the night at the office to protect his property.

“My son was leaving his girlfriend’s house about midnight and saw all the cop cars,” Bauer said. “He said he thought, ‘Daddy’s done shot somebody.’ ”

Bauer, 51, put the cola bottle at the back door so it would make a noise when opened. He laid on a cot in a room adjacent to his office, the gun within reach.

His office, Steve Bauer Properties, is a house on North Clinton Street across from Calvin’s Cleaners.

“I fell asleep sometime after 11,” he said. “I woke up when I heard the bottle fall. I could hear papers shuffling in my office.”

Bauer peeked into his office and saw a woman with a flashlight looking through his desk. He asked the woman what she was doing, and the woman called him by name and replied that she was looking for a house to rent.

Bauer buys, sells and rents property.

“I said, ‘Ma’am, it’s midnight, and you have a flashlight. I don’t believe so. I believe you need to lay down on the ground.’”

Bauer called Athens police. While he was on the phone, he heard someone outside. The woman’s boyfriend was in a pickup truck.

“I ordered him to get out and put his hands on the truck,” Bauer said. “I told him I had a gun and was on the phone with police, but he cranked the truck and took off.”

Trying to shoot at tires

Bauer shot at the truck’s back tires. A bullet ricocheted off the roadway and hit a window at Calvin’s Cleaners.

“I wish I hadn’t shot, but it was a spur-of-the-moment thing,” Bauer said. “I thought he was going to plumb get away.”
Bauer said police responded quickly.

“I’ve got to thank them for doing an outstanding job,” he said. “Floyd Johnson (lieutenant) was the investigator, and he did a good job. I want them all to know I’m thankful.”

An officer handcuffed the woman, who remained on the floor, while others searched for the pickup.

“A .44 Magnum’s a big gun,” Bauer said. “It probably looked like a cannon to her. I think it scared her into staying put.”

Capt. Marty Bruce said officer Jay Looney spotted the pickup at Beaty and Pryor streets and tried to stop the driver. The driver refused and drove to his home at 707 Frazier St.

Bruce identified the driver as 46-year-old Daniel Stubbs. Bruce identified Stubbs’ girlfriend as Daphne Watkins, 43, of 1205 Seventh Ave.

Police charged Stubbs with felony driving under the influence, possession of a controlled substance for allegedly having four Xanax pills, third-degree burglary, attempting to elude, driving with a suspended license and having an open container.

Stubbs is out of the Limestone County Jail on $8,000 bond.

Police charged Watkins with two counts of third-degree burglary. She is out of jail on $4,000 bond.

(More)

Sevier County, Tennessee

From Sevierville?s The Mountain Press of March 30, 2007

Attempted home invasion probed

Sevier County sheriff’s deputies searched the area around East Madison Drive Wednesday after a homeowner allegedly fired a weapon at a person who threw a flower pot through the window of the home.

Sheriff Ron Seals confirmed that deputies were summoned to the area after the homeowner called to report the incident. The intruder allegedly fled in an SUV as the homeowner approached; it wasn’t clear if any shots struck the person or the vehicle.

Cullman, Alabama

From the Cullman Times of March 30, 2007

Man shot, killed by ex-wife

Local authorities were still investigating Thursday the death of a Welti man, who was allegedly shot four times by his ex-wife, according Sheriff?s reports.

Sheril Dingler, 38, of Welti, allegedly shot her former husband, 38-year-old Rickey A. Dingler, with a .40-caliber Glock late Wednesday at her son?s home.

The shots were allegedly fired after Mr. Dingler reportedly kicked in the front door of the residence, which Mrs. Dingler had fled to during a heated argument with her former husband.

Mr. Dingler died on the scene.

According to Sheriff Tyler Roden, Mrs. Dingler was not arrested or charged for the shooting on the grounds it may have been an act of self defense.

?She was treated for injuries,? he said. ?We are still investigating it at this time, and we?ll make a determination later.?

According to reports, while the two were divorced, they lived together at a residence about 200 yards from the scene of the shooting.

Roden said they had been in an argument since Mr. Dingler arrived home late Wednesday evening, and that he had allegedly assaulted his ex-wife with his fists and threatened her during the argument.

When Mrs. Dingler fled the house for her son?s, Mr. Dingler allegedly followed her and assaulted her again with his fists. The shooting occurred at approximately 11 p.m.

As of Thursday, it was not clear who owned the weapon used in the shooting. Roden said it was kept at the residence where the shooting occurred.

It is not known where the bullets struck the victim or what the two were arguing about.

Milwaukie, Oregon

From Portland?s KGW.com of March 29, 2007

Store owner tackles armed teen robbery suspect

A store owner wrestled an armed 15-year-old robbery suspect to the ground Thursday afternoon and held him at gunpoint until deputies arrived, authorities said.

The incident happened about 2:20 p.m. at the S-n-K Market located at 4791 SE Thiessen Road.

The teen suspect came into the store acting nervous and as he approached the counter with a soda, the store owner noticed a gun, according to Detective Jeffrey Green with the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.

?The store owner and suspect got into a wrestling match for the weapon, which the store owner was able to take from the suspect,? Green said.

Deputies later found a mask, gloves and a demand note. The weapon, a black powder handgun, was not loaded at the time of the robbery.

The teen?s name was not released.

He was taken to a juvenile detention facility. Charges were still being decided.

North Little Rock, Arkansas

From Little Rock?s KATV.com of March 29, 2007

Homeowner Claims Self Defense in North Little Rock Shooting

It happened early Thursday morning near Haywood and Water Street. Police say a man has admitted to shooting at another man, but claims it was in self-defense.

(Sharea Yancy, Neighbor) “I knew there was somebody over there laying down because I seen the white sheet.”

When Sharea Yancy got home early Thursday morning, her North Little Rock neighborhood was full of police, and the coroner was on the scene. Across the street from her house a man lay dead on the ground.

(Yancy) “It’s just shocking. I was kind of shaken. It just shocked me.”

When police responded to a shots-fired call around 12:30 a.m., they found the body of 22-year-old Erroll Bernard Robinson, Jr. on the front porch of a vacant home on Water Street.

A resident around the corner, 43-year-old Myron Doss, told investigators he fired twice in self-defense, and the man ran away.

(Officer Carmen Green, North Little Rock Police Dept.) “The resident heard glass break outside his residence. When he opened the door he saw a black male crouched down behind his vehicle. When he stepped out onto his porch that’s when the individual stood up turned towards him and fired one shot. And returned? Yes and he returned fire.”

So far, police have not made any arrests.

(Yancy) “If it was me, I would have done the same thing if everything was legit and everything went like he said it was. People are just getting tired. It’s like you stay at your house and I’ll stay at mine and leave other people’s things alone.”

The man who was found dead had been arrested previously on robbery charges. Police say the investigation is ongoing.

From Little Rock?s CWArkansas.com of March 30, 2007

Homeowner Kills Suspect

A North Little Rock neighborhood that’s out of control. That’s what some people are saying after an overnight shooting in the Rose City area that left one man dead. But North Little Rock police believe it’s a case of self-defense.

Mickie Brown likes her neighborhood, one that is usually quiet the silence broken by gunfire early this morning. “Shocked I thought I slept through this. I live across the street, one of the bullets could have ricocheted and hit me,” says Brown.

North Little Rock police say someone was trying to break into a car parked in front of a house. When the homeowner came out, he was armed and approached the man. The suspect fired at him and the homeowner shot back… 21 year old Bernard Robinson died on the steps of this vacant home a block away. “They need more patrol, watch more and cut down on the gang bangers,” says Brown.

Brown says this part of Rose City isn’t a bad area they just need a little help. “it’s a proud neighborhood, I’ve been here seven years and never had a problem. The police need to step up and get some of the bad elements out of the neighborhood,” says Brown.

The homicide is too much for Akika Perkins and her small children. “They aren’t going to grow up around here, not if this is going to happen,” says Perkins.

It’s the fifth homicide for the city, but it’s the first for this east-end neighborhood. Brown says it’s a preventable tragedy. “Here we sit today with a 22 year old who didn’t get to finish his life out,” says Brown.

North Little Rock detectives are not done in this case. Investigating tonight whether what happened last night was a justified shooting or a crime. Meanwhile those living in the area want something to change. Investigators are looking at the shooting as being justified since the suspect was invading the homeowner?s property. The last decision will come from the prosecutor’s office on whether to file charges. The homeowner was questioned and released.

Tieton, Washington

From the Yakima Herald of March 29, 2007

Deputies investigate Tieton shooting

Yakima County sheriff’s deputies said a Tieton man shot his 35-year-old son in the abdomen early this morning in a possible case of self-defense.

The shooting took place at 4 a.m. at a home in the 1100 block of Beffa Road in the Tieton area, according to information from sheriff’s Chief of Detectives Stew Graham.

Graham said Dennis G. Strain, 59, shot his son, Dennis J. Strain, once in the abdomen after they argued and the younger man charged his father.

The younger man was taken to Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, where he underwent surgery. Graham said the wound is not considered life-threatening.

No arrests have been made, and the investigation is continuing, Graham added.

Everett, Washington

From Everett?s HeraldNet.com of March 28, 2007

Shooting appears to be self-defense

A fatal shooting in Everett on Tuesday night may be a case of self-defense, according to a neighbor who heard the gunshots.

The violence erupted in the 2300 block of Wetmore at 8:22 p.m. Tuesday, police said.

Gretchen Galstad said she heard the gunfire and later spoke with a neighbor who witnessed the events unfold in the home where the shooting occurred.

Apparently a man kicked in the front door at the same time another man was leaving the century-old building, Galstad said.

The intruder hit the man with a handgun, went up the front stairs and fired a few shots, she said. Galstad lives in the downstairs unit in the building where the shooting took place.

The man who was struck with the gun, a friend of the building?s upstairs tenant, managed to wrestle the weapon away and shoot the intruder, she said.

From the The Seattle Times of March XX, 2007

Gun wrestled away; intruder is killed

An armed intruder who kicked in the door of a house near downtown Everett was killed with his own gun Tuesday night, a resident said.

Everett police detained and then released a man they described as an acquaintance of a man who rented the upstairs portion of the house in the 2300 block of Wetmore Avenue. The shooting happened in the interior stairwell leading from the front door up to the resident’s living quarters, said Gretchen Galstad, who rents the lower unit.

Galstad said the intruder, whom police have not identified, kicked in the door and then encountered the renter’s acquaintance on the stairs. The intruder fired at least two shots before the other man wrestled the gun away and shot the intruder with it, she said.

Police spokesman Sgt. Robert Goetz said “probable cause does not exist at this time” to arrest the acquaintance. Goetz said the incident “does not appear to be random” and the investigation is continuing.