Orlando, Florida

From December 25, 2008 WESH:

ORLANDO, Fla. – Police continue to search for two men who tried to grab a woman?s purse as she walked toward the Fashion Square Mall on Tuesday.

A third man was shot and arrested, apparently by a bystander who saw the robbery, police said Wednesday. Willie Keys-Fairclough, 29, who is hospitalized with minor injuries, was arrested in connection with the incident.

The incident began about 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday when the woman got off a LYNX bus and walked to an ATM to check her balance. She then continued toward the mall.

?She felt people come up to her, maybe one, maybe two,? Sgt. Barb Jones of the Orlando Police Department said. ?They tried to grab her purse…She resisted. She started yelling, that’s when everything started unfolding.”

One shopper, who saw the men with guns, got his own.

?You had a citizen engage the suspects,? Jones said Wednesday. ?There were some rounds fired.”

The suspects ran across the street, and police said they found one man hiding behind a dumpster. The man had been shot in the leg but didn’t know it.

The man, later identified by police as Keys-Fairclough, is charged with armed robbery and aggravated assault with a gun. Two other suspects remain on the run.

Columbia, South Carolina

From December 15, 2008 WIS channel 10:

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – The Richland County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a shooting on Shakespeare Road Wednesday in Columbia.

“I hope he don’t die and if he comes back and look around, don’t touch nothing else,” says Sam Banks, talking candidly about the man he says tried to steal from his store. “I didn’t go into business to lose money. We aren’t making that much now, but I’m not about that losing.”

The retired veteran wasn’t at the store he co-owns with his wife Wednesday afternoon.

Deputies says around 3:00pm a man came in, tried to walk out with some liquor and got shot.

“I think they should respect the store owners property and their rights,” says Banks.

Banks’ wife, too shaken to talk on camera, said she was knitting a blanket when a young man walked into the S&H ABC Package Store on Shakespeare Road.

She says the man asked the price of a bottle of liquor. When she told him, he backed away from the counter and started to look around.

She says the man then crossed the employees-only chain, grabbed two bottles and headed toward her.

That’s when she grabbed her .38 and fired two shots.

At least one person agrees with how she handled it.

“We have too many robbers in this neighborhood, all over the place. They’re robbing for money, so the lady protected herself. She did the right thing,” says Barbra Simmons.

The store has been around 10 years, and Banks says this is not the first time someone has tried to steal from him.

He has some advice for other would-be robbers: “The good book says thou shall not steal. Don’t do that,” he says.

Deputies say 28-year-old Oxvaria Ingram will be charged with strong-arm robbery.

As for the store owner, investigators haven’t determined if she will face any charges.

Lincoln County, Nebraska

From December 19, 2008 KSBI channel 52:

Lincoln County, Okla. — A man who was shot is in jail himself. The incident happened Thursday night in Lincoln County.

Sheriff’s deputies say it stems from an incident that happened last week.

Officials say Joshua Starkey broke into the man’s house last week. The homeowner spotted him Thursday night while driving and followed him.

Starkey eventually stopped, got out of the car and started to run. That’s when the homeowner fired the shot at Starkey’s vehicle. Starkey was hit in the shoulder by a fragment. Starkey was arrested shortly after.

The homeowner was not arrested.

Officials say Starkey is responsible for other burglaries in the area and he also had $3,600 in warrants out against him.

A second suspect, Jason Cornett, was arrested last week for allegedly breaking into the home along with Starkey.

Nashville, Tennessee

From the December 1, 2008 Nashville Tennessean:

A 22-year-old uniformed security guard who was buying gasoline at a Murfreesboro Pike station on Sunday shot and killed a robbery suspect carrying an air gun.

Metro detectives are ruling the death of Jamie L. Sullivan, 37, a justifiable homicide.

Wearing a mask and carrying what appeared to be a pistol, Sullivan entered the Mapco market at 2101 Murfreesboro Pike at 1:45 a.m.

Eric Gordon, 22, was also in the market. Sullivan pointed his pistol at Gordon’s head and threatened to kill him. Sullivan told Gordon to surrender his holstered gun and a struggle ensued. Gordon drew his 9-millimeter weapon and shot Sullivan once in the face. Sullivan died at the scene.

Shortly after, detectives discovered that Sullivan’s gun was a BB pistol that looked like a real gun.

Metro police had charged Sullivan with 146 offenses since June 1989. His last arrest was for trespassing Nov. 20.

Gainesville, Missouri

From December 8, 2008 Springfield, Missouri channel 3:

GAINESVILLE, Mo. — The Ozark County prosecuting attorney says the shooting death of a man from Dora was a case of justifiable homicide. He dropped murder charges against Floyd Russell, 24, who was charged with killing his uncle, Terry Russell, in October.

A coroner’s jury found the death was the result of an ongoing family feud that turned violent with another relative.

Columbus, Ohio

From the December 23, 2008 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer:

Ludwig Leonard Grudisher, the Columbus man fatally shot Saturday night at a Reese Road home, had been arrested two weeks earlier for firing a gun at the same house.

Columbus police said Grudisher, 52, was hit by a shotgun blast fired by his stepson around 9:45 p.m. Saturday night. He was accused of burglarizing the stepson?s home and then trying to run him down with his truck when he was shot.

Two weeks earlier, police say Grudisher was at the house. An arrest report from Dec. 7 states Grudisher, who lived less than 150 feet from his stepson?s home, fired several shots at the home and then fled in his vehicle.

The stepson saw Grudisher fire at his home, police said. Grudisher was arrested at 6:30 p.m. that day outside Grace Baptist Church. He appeared in Columbus Recorders Court the next day and was given a $10,000 bond.

Grudisher was out on a property bond at the time of his death, court records show.

Police have not filed any charges in the Saturday case, though it will be forwarded to the district attorney?s office.

Walhalla, South Carolina

From December 23, 2008 UpstateToday.com:

WALHALLA ? The Oconee County Sheriff?s Department incident report lists Donnie Murphy as the victim, but it appears the suspect arrested for the burglary of Murphy?s house might have gotten the worst end of the deal.

Sheriff?s deputies responded Sunday afternoon to a burglary call at 163 Murphy Drive in Walhalla and learned that Murphy had shot a burglar in the buttocks. Kirby Alan Ridley was later brought into custody on burglary charges at a Ranger Road home in Walhalla and sent to Oconee Medical Center for treatment of his wound.

The report summary states Murphy told officers he was in the bathroom when he heard a noise near his kitchen. He then walked out of the bathroom, retrieved his .22 pistol from his closet, and discovered a man standing in front of his fireplace. After telling the burglar to stop, the subject allegedly reached into his pocket as if to get a gun or weapon and began walking back towards the kitchen, at which point Murphy shot him.

Deputies located Kirby, called an ambulance and followed him to Oconee Medical Center.

Deltona, Florida

From December 15, 2008 WFTV channel 9:

DELTONA — Bullets went flying in Deltona early Sunday morning, after the victim of a chaotic home invasion fought back, apparently shooting one of the suspect’s in his groin as he fled the crime scene.

It started just before 1:00am, when three men burst into Julio Blanco’s home on Lackland Drive and forced him, his mother and girlfriend to the ground and robbed them. Volusia County sheriff’s deputies said the suspects pistol-whipped Blanco and grabbed a safe, loaded it into their dark Ford Explorer and took off.

During the escape, the suspects and Blanco started firing shots back and forth in the middle of the neighborhood. The other victims and neighbors called 911 and Sgt. Thomas Dane quickly spotted the vehicle and initiated a pursuit. Deputies said the suspects crashed within two minutes and the vehicle rolled over and came to rest at Ft. Smith Boluevard and Outrigger Drive.

Deputies found four people in the vehicle. Suspected driver, 17-year-old Brandon Prather, was transported by ambulance to Orange City’s Florida Hospital Fish Memorial and released. The passengers, 30-year-old Adam Salgado, and two teen girls were taken into custody for questioning.

A third scene emerged at 1:30am, when deputies received a 911 call reporting a man suffering from a gunshot in a front yard on the 2100 block of Puerto Rico Drive. Deputies identified him as Patrick Lauby, 33, and determined he suffered the gunshot wound during the course of the robbery he was involved in.

Deputies weren’t sure if Lauby accidently shot himself during his escape or if Blanco hit him during the gun fight. Lauby was airlifted by Sheriff’s helicopter to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach.

Deputies questioned all five suspects before determining what charges to file. So far, they’ve charged Prather with home invasion with a firearm, aggravated battery and fleeing and eluding. They believe Prather is the suspect who pistol-whipped Blanco.

As of last check, Lauby was still at Halifax Health Medical Center being treated for his non life-threatening gunshot wound. He is being charged with home invasion and aggravated assault.

Adam Salgado, 30, was also charged with home invasion.

Lillington, North Carolina

From December 19, 2008 WRAL:

Lillington, N.C. ? Harnett County authorities are investigating a shooting that happened late Thursday night during a home invasion in Lillington.

Sheriff Larry Rollins said Derrick Womack, 31, was at home with his wife and stepson around 10 p.m. when four men entered his home at 232 Tacia Drive and tried to rob them.

Womack said he heard banging on the door and that when he opened it, he saw a man pointing a handgun at him.

Womack said he wrestled the gun away from the man and that in the process the gun went off.

He noticed another man on his porch and two others in his yard and with the gun, started shooting. He also said he believed another assailant had a shotgun and might have shot a third assailant.

Rollins would not say how many guns were involved or how many shots were fired. He said Womack did not have a gun.

Womack, who was shot in the hand, was taken to a hospital, treated and later released.

Oak Park, Illinois

From December 22, 2008 Chicago Breaking News:

Oak Park police said a would-be armed robber got more than he bargained for when he attempted to steal a leather jacket from another man in the near-west suburb Sunday night.

The owner of the leather jacket, after being approached, shot the 25-year-old in the face, the arm and the pelvis near North Lombard and North Avenues, police said.

The man underwent surgery for his wounds Sunday night at Stroger Hospital in Chicago and is expected to survive, Cmdr. Clement Harbour said.

Police are seeking the gunman, and no charges have been filed in the case as of Monday, Harbour said.

Adair County, Oklahoma

From the December 19, 2008 Muskogee [Oklahoma] Phoenix:

A Westville man remained in critical condition in a Tulsa hospital Thursday from a gunshot wound to the head, Adair County Sheriff?s Investigator Jack Smithson said.

Darrel Fouse, 39, was shot after he violated a protective order and entered his rural home and allegedly began assaulting his wife, Smithson said.

Fouse?s wife, Marilyn Fouse, 39, told law enforcement her estranged husband entered the home about 2 p.m. Tuesday, hit her in the head, grabbed her arm and was assaulting her when a gun fell out of his fanny pack.

?She grabbed it and shot him,? Smithson said.

?She put a blanket over him, got her two girls (ages 11 and 14) out of their bedroom, and they ran across a field to a great-grandmother?s house.?

No charges have been filed. The shooting remains under investigation, Smithson said. An employee in the Adair County District Court Clerk?s Office said a protective order was filed Oct. 10 and that records show it was served on Darrel Fouse.

Conroe, Texas

From the Houston Chronicle of December 20, 2008

Domestic dispute ends in a deadly shooting

A woman’s 80-year-old grandfather fatally shot her estranged husband after he tried to take their two children from the grandparents’ house, Conroe police said Saturday.

Brice Wade Boudreaux, 32, died Friday evening at the home on Silver Creek Drive in Conroe, police said in a statement.

The investigation was ongoing Saturday, and it was not immediately clear whether the grandfather would face charges. He was questioned by police and released.

According to police, Boudreaux’s estranged wife and children have been living with her grandparents for about five months.

When Boudreaux arrived Friday and tried to take the children, the grandfather intervened and ordered him to leave. Boudreaux refused, pushing the man out of the way, the statement said.

The grandfather then allegedly retrieved a revolver from another room and placed it in his back pocket before again advising Boudreaux, who was aware the older man had a gun, to leave, police said.

As the two left the home out to the driveway, Boudreaux again pushed the older man and allegedly struck him in the chest area where he recently had a pacemaker inserted, police said.

Fearing for his life, police said the older man then allegedly shot Boudreaux once, killing him.

Ocoee, Florida

From the Orlando Sentinel of December 25, 2008

Ocoee man, 91, shoots at, repels home invaders who threatened his wife

Charles Johnson is a man of his word.

On Oct. 4, 1936, then 19, Johnson promised to love and protect his bride, Berlie Mae.

On Tuesday, he did.

Now 91, he scared off two home invaders with his 38-caliber revolver when the men threatened his wife of 72 years at their home east of Ocoee.

“I was going to kill him either way,” the retired jack-of-all-trades said Wednesday. “She’s all I’ve got to live for . . . Why would I want to live?”

Terror erupted in the Johnsons’ heavily barred house on Lake Stanley Road shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday as the couple watched TV news. She was sitting in her wheelchair. He was sitting nearby on the sofa.

That’s when a stranger stepped through the back door.

“What are you doing? What are you doing?” Berlie Mae Johnson, 90, remembered asking as the man stepped on her shiny-clean tile floor. “By then, he had the gun to my head. I don’t know what all I said.”

The man ordered the couple: “Be quiet. Don’t say a word. Don’t move.”

Overcome by shock and fear, Berlie Mae Johnson said she couldn’t move as a second man wearing a stocking over his face started to come through a sliding-glass door from the backyard.

“It’s terrible. You don’t know what [they're] going to do. You expect at any moment . . .” she said, her voice breaking. “I can’t hold up. My nerves are shot. He’d probably have killed me.”

But the love of her life was ready.

Her husband, who goes by Johnny, had his stainless-steel Police Special revolver tucked under a cushion on the sofa. He has been protective, she said, ever since they met at a Church of God service in Cocoa during the Great Depression.

“You don’t think, man. You do what you have to do,” Johnson said of how he grabbed his revolver as the second intruder entered. “He saw the gun and, boy, he was gone.”

Shifting his aim, Johnson fired at the man still holding a gun to his wife’s head.

“I shot as plain in his middle as I could have,” said Johnson, describing how the man jumped and ran out the door. “I think I missed.”

Orange County deputy sheriffs began arriving within three minutes of Johnson’s 911 call. The response was delayed slightly because the home invaders tore out the Johnsons’ telephone, so Johnson had to walk next door to call for help.

A K-9 tracked the home invaders’ scent until it disappeared through a neighborhood on the south shore of Lake Stanley. Local hospital emergency rooms were notified to be on the lookout for a man suffering from an unexplained bullet wound.

Johnson bought his revolver for protection decades ago. A former citrus grove manager and plumber, Johnson said, “I’m still active. I still garden. We want to get a message out to other people. Be prepared. Keep your doors locked. And be alert.”

His wife added, “And have a gun ready.”

The Johnsons weren’t worried that the home invaders might return.

“If he comes back he’ll be sorry,” Johnson said. “I’m ready for him.”

Federal Way, Washington

From the Federal Way Mirror of December 14, 2008

Federal Way man dies after wife shoots in self-defense

At about 3:55 a.m. Dec. 13, Federal Way police responded to a shooting at the Mariposa Apartment Complex, 28120 18 Ave. S, Federal Way.

A 24-year-old white female called 911 to report she had shot her 40-year-old white male husband. Both are residents of Federal Way.

Upon arrival police contacted both subjects inside the apartment. The unresponsive male was on the bedroom floor with multiple gunshot wounds. South King County Fire and Rescue responded along with paramedics from King County Medic One in an attempt to revive the male, but pronounced him dead at approximately 4:43 a.m. The King County Medical Examiner later responded and took control of the body.

Upon initial interview of the female, she stated she had been separated from her husband for several weeks and that they each had a protection order against the other. The female was later transported to St. Francis Hospital by ambulance for minor head injuries and related pain. After treatment, the female was transported to the Federal Way Police Department for interviewing and is cooperating with the investigation.

Preliminary investigation indicates the shooting was in self-defense. The scene was processed by the Federal Way Police Department with the assistance of the Washington State Patrol Crime Scene Team.

Federal Way police are currently following leads from witnesses and other involved parties in an attempt to further investigate this incident.

The department encourages anyone who has any information regarding this incident to call 911.

Anniston, Alabama

From the Huntsville Times of December 25, 2008

Robbery suspect shot dead, alleged accomplice wounded

A would-be robber was shot dead overnight Wednesday and his alleged accomplice was wounded after they attempted to rob the owner of a gas station near Anniston.

Calhoun County Sheriff Larry Amerson said the gun-toting suspects and the owner got into a shootout around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Fuller’s Oil Company on U.S. 431.

Amerson said 21-year-old Takeem Pope of Anniston appeared to have died of a single gunshot wound. The other man, 19-year-old Blake Jackson, also of Anniston, was shot in the arm.

Amerson declined to name the owner, but said he acted in self-defense. He was not injured. Authorities said charges are pending against Jackson, who was taken to UAB Hospital for treatment.