Lima, Ohio

From the May 8, 2009 LimaOhio.com:

LIMA – A wannabe burglar may be walking around with a lead reminder of a Friday break-in.

Lima Police believe the man who reportedly broke into a home in the 800 block of West Wayne Street early Friday morning may have been shot by the home’s owner.

The incident occurred just before 4 a.m. Friday, according to Lima Police Detective Kent Miller. The home’s owner was sitting in his living room, just about an hour after coming home from working third shift, when he heard a bang from the next room. He walked in and saw a man in his house by the front door. The homeowner turned around and grabbed his .22 revolver and yelled at the intruder, who then rushed at him, Miller said. He fired one shot before the would-be burglar fled.

Police believe the bullet may have struck the intruder, but found no blood or other evidence of injury at the scene.

“We think he hit him mainly because of the distance between them. He was just three or four feet away, but we didn’t find any blood,” Miller said.

Police have notified hospitals around the region to keep an eye out for a man seeking treatment for a gunshot wound. Miller said he believes if the man is wounded he may try to treat himself or ask friends for help.

Columbia, South Carolina

From the May 28, 2009 Columbia The State:

A 29-year-old woman who broke windows at a house behind Dorn VA Medical Center in Columbia was shot in the head by the homeowner, a Richland County sheriff?s spokesman said.

The bullet grazed the woman, who was slightly injured, the spokesman said Tuesday.

The woman who broke the windows at the house at 618 Hatrick Road was trying to get in and will face charges, the spokesman said.

if ($(‘#story_assets’).length == 0 && $(‘#assets_ad #yahoo_300×250_ipbtf div’).length == 0) { $(‘#assets_ad’).hide (); }

The homeowner will not face charges, the spokesman said. Officials did not disclose the names since no charges had been filed.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

From May 19, 2009 KFOR channel 4:

OKLAHOMA CITY — One burglar may be considering a different profession after nearly losing his life during a break-in, last Wednesday.

Heather Fitzgerald says she was checking e-mail in her garage with the garage partially open. Shortly before 3:00 a.m., however, an intruder crawled in.

Heather immediately worried for her children, who were sleeping inside the home. She grabbed her 9-milimeter pistol and fired two shots at the man.

Police do not believe he was hit because they found no blood at the scene. As he was running away, she says she lined up the gun’s laser sight on his back, but did not pull the trigger again, most likely sparing his life.

“I just, I couldn’t do it,” Fitzgerald says. “And it took everything that I had, not to. Seems like you should be able to be in your own garage at night when it’s dark and not have to worry about that kind of stuff.”

San Antonio, Texas

From the May 27, 2009 San Antonio Express-News:

An attempted robbery at a North Side pharmacy turned deadly Wednesday morning when the business owner pulled out a gun and shot the suspected robber.

No other injuries were reported at the incident that happened about 10 a.m. at Babcock Square Pharmacy, located at the intersection of Babcock and Huebner Roads.

Police Chief William McManus said the suspect handed an employee behind the counter a note that demanded the narcotic drug OxyContin. The chief said the employee was somehow able to alert the pharmacy’s owner, who retrieved his gun and confronted the suspect.

?The suspect saw his gun, and said, ?Let’s get it on,’? McManus said.

The owner, who saw a cocked revolver in the suspect’s hand, pointed his gun at the suspect and shot him point-blank, McManus said. Only the owner, his wife, an employee and the robbery suspect were inside the store at the time of the shooting, according to authorities.

The chief said no charges would be filed against the owner, who was not immediately identified.

?He was in fear of his life, so this appears to be justified,? McManus said.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

From the May 27, 2009 Oklahoma City Oklahoman:

Police identified a man fatally shot Tuesday inside an Oklahoma City man?s home as Ronald Penn, 29.

Penn and another person had broken into the house of Scott Henson, 41, in the 2200 block of SW 57 when Henson came home for his lunch break about 11:30 a.m., police said. Henson, whose wife said has a concealed weapons permit, pulled out a handgun and shot Penn to death.

The second person inside the home ran away, police said.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

From the May 22, 2009 Oklahoma City Oklahoman:

Jerome Ersland was back at work Thursday filling prescriptions and hoping that by taking the life of a 16-year-old boy two days earlier, he had saved others.

Rubbing an oversized bandage on his left forearm, where he said he was grazed by a robber?s bullet, Ersland related details of what he said was a highly organized hit on the Reliable Discount Pharmacy.

“I just regret anybody would get killed,? Ersland said. “But if I wouldn?t have been here, there would have been three people killed ? the other pharmacist and the two techs.?

…

After the pharmacy near SW 59 and Pennsylvania was robbed two years ago, the owner installed new security measures to try to make sure his employees would never again be forced to a back room and pistol-whipped.

“We have a very good security system,? Ersland said, motioning to the magnetic door locks that won?t let anyone in or out of the store without permission. “The door locks, and they (robbers) knew that. They had cased it because they knew exactly what time to hit us when we?d have all of our narcotics out and our money out.?

About 10 minutes before 6 p.m., Ersland said, two robbers wearing ski masks waited for someone to leave the pharmacy and then grabbed the open door and threw down a board to stop the door from closing.

The robbers went in cursing and yelling, ordering employees to give them money and drugs, Ersland said.

Two women who were working behind the counter ran for a back room where they would be safe, but Ersland said he couldn?t run. Ersland said he?s a veteran with disabilities from wounds he received in Operation Desert Storm, wears a cumbersome back brace and just had his latest back surgery six weeks ago.

“All of a sudden, they started shooting,? he said. “They were attempting to kill me, but they didn?t know I had a gun. They said, ?You?re gonna die.? That?s when one of them shot at me, and that?s when he got my hand.?

Ersland said he was thrown against a wall, but managed to go for the semiautomatic in his pocket.

“And that?s when I started defending myself,? he said. “The first shot got him in the head, and that slowed him down so I could get my other gun.?

But as one robber hit the floor, Ersland said, a bullet from the other robber whizzed past his ear.

The pharmacist said he then got his second gun from a nearby drawer, a Taurus “Judge.?

After he had the big gun, Ersland said, the second robber ran.

But as he started to chase after the second robber, Ersland said, he looked back to see the 16-year-old he had shot in the head getting up again. Ersland said he then emptied the Kel-Tec .380 into the boy?s chest as he kept going after the second robber.

“I went after the other guy, but he was real fast and I?m crippled,? Ersland said.

Outside the pharmacy, he said he saw what he thought was a third black male in a car with the engine running and reaching for what appeared to be a shotgun.

“I pulled out my ?Judge? and pointed it right between his eyes and he floored it,? Ersland said.

UPDATE: From the May 27, 2009 Oklahoma City Oklahoman:

The charge alleges Ersland shot Antwun Parker, 16, while he was incapacitated and lying on his back. Ersland?s account of the incident doesn?t match the video or the evidence collected at the scene, according to the affidavit written by Oklahoma City Police Detective David Jacobson.

Parker was shot once in the head and five times in the stomach area. The autopsy found Parker was still alive after the head shot and died from the stomach wounds.

The surveillance video does seem to confirm that while the first shot was in self-defense, subsequent shots were not even close to being in self-defense. Nonetheless, the initial use was lawful self-defense.

Sacramento County, California

From the May 21, 2009 Sacramento Bee:

A 17-year-old boy stands accused of killing a man Tuesday morning, though detectives now believe the shooting was justified, authorities said Wednesday.

Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies arrested the boy, whose name has not been released because he is a juvenile, late Tuesday night on suspicion of murder, said sheriff’s Sgt. Tim Curran.

Detectives made the arrest based on information they had gathered about the fatal shooting that morning of 30-year-old James Davis on the 2800 block of La Quinta Drive, Curran said.

But after interviewing the boy, Curran said, detectives learned that he had acted in self-defense ? and in defense of his mother, Davis’ girlfriend, who had been “beaten severely” before the fatal confrontation.

The boy was booked into juvenile hall on a murder charge but later released ? though the murder charge still stands, Curran said. The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office is reviewing the case and will decide if it was justifiable homicide.

Deputies were called to La Quinta Drive, near Folsom Boulevard in south Sacramento about 5 a.m. after reports of gunshots and a woman screaming. They found Davis’ body on the sidewalk, and paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. The Sheriff’s Department is not releasing the woman’s name because she is not a suspect and is a victim of domestic violence.

Curran said the victim and his girlfriend had had a “violent fight,” witnessed by the 17-year-old boy, who followed Davis outside and shot him, Curran said. …

Davis had a history of domestic violence in Sacramento County, according to Superior Court records. Most recently, he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor domestic violence in September 2004 and was sentenced to 365 days in jail.

Macon, Georgia

From May 18, 2009 WMAZ channel 13:

A Central Georgia man is recovering from a gunshot wound; he got shot after robbing a Macon liquor store at gun point.

A news release from Sgt. Melanie Hofmann with the Macon Police says 50-year-old Ricky Nell Johnson robbed the ABC Liquor Store at 1194 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. on Saturday.

The release says Johnson entered the store around 6:45 p.m. wearing a wig and skirt. It says he showed a handgun, jumped on the counter and demanded money.

After getting some cash, Johnson fired a shot and ran out of the liquor store. The release says an employee returned fire.

According to the release, Johnson was found near a parking deck at the Medical Center. He was taken by ambulance to the emergency room, where doctors treated him for a gunshot wound to the torso near the buttocks.

From looking at the picture–I doubt anyone was fooled by the wig and skirt.

Berkeley Heights, New Jersey

From the May 12, 2009 New Jersey Star-Ledger:

BERKELEY HEIGHTS — A resident shot a man last night when the would-be intruder tried to enter a home in the Deserted Village of Feltville, authorities said.

The shooting in the secluded section of Watchung Reservation occurred around 9 p.m. on Cataract Hollow Road, Union County Police Chief Dan Vaniska said. He said the victim, whose name and address were not available, was taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital and was listed in stable condition.

“An unwanted guest forced himself into the residence and a resident responded by shooting him,” Vaniska said at the scene.

Details were scant last night, but Vaniska said the home’s residents were brought to county police headquarters, where they were being questioned.

It was not known where on the premises the shooting occurred, but a sedan parked near the porch of the two-story, wood-frame house had a shattered left rear window.

Cataract Hollow Road is part of the historic Deserted Village of Feltville. The site in Watchung Reservation was inhabited by small businesses, a mill and families on and off from 1845 to 1916. Visitors can stroll the village, which includes homes the county leases.

Sacramento, California

From the May 18, 2009 Sacramento Bee:

Sacramento County sheriff’s detectives continue to investigate the fatal shooting this morning of a man they say was breaking into a coin and jewelry.

The suspect was killed by the owner of the store on the 4900 block of Marconi Avenue. The 65-year-old owner has not been arrested, a sheriff’s spokesman said.

The district attorney will determine if any charges are filed against the owner, based on results of the sheriff’s investigation.

The shop owner was inside the store when the incident began at about 4:15 a.m. Investigators are gathering evidence that will help determine if the shooting was justified.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Tim Curran said two men approached the store, which had been the target of another break-in on April 29. This time, the owner was inside and called the sheriff’s department to report two men in their mid-20s and wearing black ski masks trying to enter.

Curran said that as the owner spoke on the phone with department personnel, the person taking the call heard several gunshots.

“Then the business owner said one subject was down in the parking lot,” Curran said.

Deputies arrived to find a body in the park

ing lot. Fire department emergency personnel pronounced the man dead at the scene.

Tampa, Florida

From May 15, 2009 Tampa ABC affiliate:

TAMPA, FL — A Tampa woman refused to be a carjacking victim when she was approached by an armed man who jumped into her car on Thursday.

The woman, who only wants to be identified as Adrianna, pulled out her own gun. “I just leaned forward and punched him in the forehead with my gun,” she said. The man “screamed like a girl and almost dropped his gun” as he ran away, she added.

Tampa Police have arrested one suspect so far in what they see as a pattern of carjackings. A-Keem Carr was arrested on related charges, but two others are believed to be preying on motorists in the Westshore area.

Azle, Texas

From the Azle News Online of May 9, 2009

Armed citizen takes out tires as shoplifters flee

A citizen with a ?concealed-carry? handgun license shot out a tire on a car full of fleeing shoplifters, then followed them in his own vehicle Wednesday morning, helping Azle police apprehend four people who were subsequently charged with robbery.

Police officers from at least three agencies caught up with everyone in a neighborhood behind Allsup?s convenience store off Highway 199 west of Azle.

Four accused shoplifters had been spotted by employees of Albertsons grocery store and were attempting a getaway with less than $50 worth of miscellaneous items when they were spotted by a citizen in the parking lot. The citizen was carrying a properly licensed concealed weapon, Azle police chief Steve Myers said Wednesday afternoon.

The fleeing driver seemed to be headed straight for the citizen, who fired at the vehicle, striking a front tire.

Another citizen called 911 and reported ?an undercover officer shooting at someone who tried to run him down,? Myers said.

That ?undercover officer?, it was later discovered, was the armed citizen, Myers said. Both the caller and the ?shooter? remained unidentified by police in the interest of their safety.

However, the man with the handgun got in a pickup and followed the suspect vehicle, which could no longer be driven by the time it arrived in the neighborhood, Myers said.

?I guess they thought they could turn off the highway and get lost out in the county,? he said.

However, that area is made up of just a few interconnected streets, with no other way out besides the highway, he said.

Arrested were Michael Reiser, 38, of San Angelo; Kyle Scott, 21 of Fort Worth; Jennifer Jeffrey, 35, of San Angelo; and Tami Mickey, 32, of Fort Worth.

Three of the four were apprehended at the vehicle by Azle police in the 400 block of Oakwood Street. Reiser, the driver, was caught by Azle officer Chris Negrete and a DPS trooper about 30 minutes later in the 1600 block of Willowwood Drive.

Both are off of Pearson Lane, north of the highway.

The four reportedly discarded the shoplifted items as they drove from the scene.

They will be charged with robbery, a felony, instead of shoplifting, a misdemeanor, because the car was used as a deadly weapon in their escape, Myers said.

Albertson?s is in Tarrant County, so charges will be filed with the Tarrant County District Attorney?s office even though the suspects were caught in Parker County. Azle police, Parker County Sheriff?s deputies and at least two Department of Public Safety troopers helped in the chase, Myers said.

The chief has mixed feelings about the help officers received from an armed citizen.

?Our concern in a situation like that is the number of people in the immediate vicinity of an individual who don?t have a way to know who or what he is,? Myers said.

?A uniformed officer is easily identifiable. But the public doesn?t know who (a citizen with a handgun) is, or how to help.?

On the other hand, this particular citizen did choose the most restrained use of his weapon, firing only at the tires of the vehicle and ultimately helping catch a car full of suspects.

Detroit, Michigan

From the Detroit Free Press of May 13, 2009

Detroit woman fires shots through window at would-be intruders

A homeowner on the Detroit’s east side thwarted three robbers by firing out of her bedroom as the men made their way up the steps inside her home, according to police.

A neighbor at 5 a.m. today noticed the three men breaking in the kitchen window of the home in the 900 block of Algonquin, according to Detroit Police.

He called the cell phone of the man who lives there, who was on his way home from work. The homeowner then called his wife, woke her and told her to get their gun.

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, she fired a number of shots, missing the thieves. The husband arrived home just as the men were climbing back out of the window, and they escaped.

Wilbraham, Massachusetts

From The Republican of May 9, 2009

No charges in neighbor’s death

A Boston Road condominium owner who shot and killed a neighbor Thursday night at present faces no charges because the shooting appears to be in self defense, Police Chief Allen M. Stratton said Friday.

Stratton said the Woodcrest Condominium resident, whose name was not released, told police he shot twice at a man who came into his apartment without permission, refused to leave and then became aggressive. The shooting took place just before 8:30 p.m.

The intruder turned out to be the owner of a neighboring condominium unit. He was identified as David P. Gatti, 29, of unit C25, police said.

Gatti, a star football and lacrosse player more than a decade ago at Minnechaug Regional High School, sold insurance with his parent’s agency in Springfield.

He was shot twice and pronounced dead at Baystate Medical Center, police said.

Friends of Gatti said Friday the account of the shooting simply does not jibe with the gentle, non-violent man they’ve known for years.

“He didn’t have an aggressive bone in his body,” said Samuel O’Neil of Springfield.

According to police reports, the condo resident was home sometime after 8 p.m. when he heard someone trying to enter the front door. He went to the door, opened it and saw Gatti, who stepped inside uninvited.

The resident told police he did not recognize him, and when asked to leave, Gatti refused and became “threatening in nature,” police said.

Police Chief Stratton said Gatti did not have a weapon and never laid his hands on the condo owner. The owner described him as yelling and gesturing in such a way that he felt threatened.

The resident told police he retreated into the condo and armed himself, and when Gatti reportedly followed him, he opened fire, police said.

Stratton said the initial investigation so far indicates the “control, possession and use of the firearm was defensive in nature and consistent with Massachusetts General Laws.”

Hampden County District Attorney William M. Bennett said his office will review the circumstances but it appears the shooting is justified within state law.

(More)

St. Petersberg, Florida

From Tampa Bay Online of May 11, 2009

Police: St. Pete homeowner with shotgun confronts burglar

A homeowner confronted a burglar this morning, smashing the intruder across the face with the butt end of a shotgun, St. Petersburg police said.

The burglar, identified by police as Justin Masse, 22, at first fled, then turned around and started toward homeowner Michael Lowry, a U.S. Navy veteran, police said. That’s when Lowry fired a shell in the ground, and Masse ran off, police said.

A newspaper delivery person spotted Masse unconscious two blocks away in a front yard, police said. Masse received stitches and was eventually transported to the Pinellas County Jail on a charge of residential burglary, police said.

The attempted break-in occurred about 4 a.m. at Lowry’s home, in the 5000 block of Second Avenue South, police said. Lowry spotted Masse in his detached garage and confronted Masse with the 12-gauge shotgun.

During a fight that followed, Masse was struck in the face with the butt of the weapon, apparently considered continuing the struggle and then ran off before falling unconscious, police said.