Clarksdale, Mississippi

From My Fox Memphis of June 18, 2009

Clarksdale Store Owner Kills Robber

A Clarksdale, Miss. convenience store owner shot and killed an armed robber Wednesday evening.

According to Captain Robbie Linley with Clarksdale Police, 31-year old Joey Barron held up a store with a handgun on the 1600-block of N. State Street. Barron took cash and some prescription drugs, and was then shot once by the store’s owner.

Barron was transported to the Northwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center where he later died.

The store owner will not face any charges.

Arbitus, Maryland

From the Cantonsville Times of June 23, 2009

Guard shoots man during attempted grocery store robbery

An exchange of gunfire between a security guard and an alleged robber at the Mars Super Market on Maiden Choice Lane and Westland Boulevard, in Arbutus, Sunday evening left the alleged robber with several gunshot wounds, according to Baltimore County police.

It also left the store, at the Maiden Choice Shopping Center in the 1000 block of Maiden Choice Lane, without some of its front windows ? which were boarded up Monday morning.

Neither the guard nor any customers in the store were injured, police said.

At 6:52 p.m. June 21, Jamison Harvey Johnson, 40, entered the store and ?announced the robbery,? said Bill Toohey, a police spokesman.

Johnson then walked to the store?s customer service office, where he demanded and was given an undisclosed amount of cash, police said.

An armed security guard employed by Mars who was inside the store followed Johnson to the store?s entrance and confronted him, police said.

Johnson, whose address is listed as ?unknown? in court records, then shot at the guard, Toohey said.

The guard returned fire and Johnson then ran into the parking lot and got into a green Honda Accord, Toohey said.

As the gunman drove away, he again fired on the security guard, who again shot back, Toohey said.

The car was found a short time later at the end of Wilton Farm Drive, in Catonsville.

Police began searching the area, using a helicopter and a K-9 unit.

A man fitting Johnson?s description was spotted walking along Kenwood Avenue, in Catonsville, with several gunshot wounds by an officer involved in the search at about midnight, almost five hours after the gunfire occurred, Toohey said.

The man was caught after a brief foot chase, police said, and taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he received treatment for gunshot wounds.

Johnson was later charged with armed robbery, attempted murder and two handgun violations ? one for the possession of a firearm with a felony conviction.

In 1996, Johnson, then living in the 1800 block of West Pratt Street, in Baltimore, was found guilty of robbery with a deadly weapon, according to court records.

Bail has been denied, and Johnson is being held in the Baltimore County Detention Center, in Towson.

Toohey said another man ran from the store during the incident, which ?drew the interest of authorities.?

Police are ?checking to see if there is any evidence that can link him to what happened,? Toohey said.

Lumberton, North Carolina

From the Fayetteville Observer of June 29, 2009

Business owner shoots intruder

A store owner shot and wounded a man who broke into his business on West Fifth Street Monday morning, police said.

The names of the men involved were not available.

The shooting was reported between 3 and 4 a.m. at The Auction House, said Lt. Johnny Barnes of the Lumberton Police Department.

The man who broke in threatened the store owner with a tire iron, Barnes said. The owner then shot the man in the leg, Barnes said.

The wounded man was taken to Southeastern Regional Medical Center, Barnes said.

The wounded man will be charged with breaking and entering, Barnes said.

The district attorney will decide if any charges should be filed against the business owner, Barnes said.

Burlington, North Carolina

From the Burlington Times News of June 29, 2009

Homeowner wounds would-be burgler

A homeowner fired a shotgun after two people broke into his home on N.C. 54 early Monday and hit one of the suspects in the arm.

The gun scared the two men away, and one of them, 36-year-old Randy Stewart, of Morningside Drive, Burlington, showed up at Alamance Regional Medical later, according to an Alamance County Sheriff’s Department news release.

He was taken to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill for further treatment. His medical condition wasn’t immediately known.

The sheriff’s department obtained a warrant charging Stewart with first-degree burglary, but it still hasn’t been served. The second suspect remains at large and deputies continue to search for him.

The incident happened at about 12:30 a.m. Monday at a home on N.C. 54. The home owner, John Davis, told authorities that sometime after midnight he and his girlfriend were awakened by the dog barking. They heard noises outside the door of the home.

When Davis got out of bed to investigate, the two suspects allegedly shattered the door and entered the house.

“The victim was then confronted by the suspects as they proceeded through the kitchen of the residence,” the release states. “At that point, Mr. Davis had armed himself with a shotgun. As the suspects advanced toward him, he fired the weapon.”

Both suspects left the home. The investigation is ongoing. The sheriff’s department plans to confer with the District Attorney’s office, but it is unlikely that Davis will be charged.

Bath, South Carolina

From WRDW of June 27, 2009

Armed robbery at Twisters Ice Cream Shop, suspect arrested

A man from Bath was arrested for robbing Twisters Ice Cream Shop on 421 in Bath just after 6:45 Saturday night.

Witnesses said the suspect walked into the store armed with a gun and demanded money from the employee. He was given an undisclosed amount before being confronted by the owner’s son Shannon Labord.

The suspect shot at Labord hitting the counter. Labord fired back and chased the suspect while firing several more shots to a near by trailer.

23 year old Joey Taylor was arrested.

He is charged with armed robbery, assault and battery with intent to kill and possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime.

No one was injured during the incident.

Mira Loma, California

From the Inland Empire News of June 29, 2009

Mira Loma man kills home-invasion suspect

On Sunday at 8:11 a.m., deputies from the Jurupa Valley Station responded to a report of shots fired in the 31000 Block of Chardonnay Way in the community of Mira Loma. Deputies found a deceased male adult in the street.

Investigators from the Jurupa Valley Station and the Sheriff?s Central Homicide Unit responded to the location and assumed the investigation.

Investigators learned the victim of the homicide and a female companion had participated in a home invasion robbery. During the robbery, a struggle ensued between the suspects and the homeowners. The male suspect dropped his firearm during the struggle with the homeowner. The homeowner retrieved the firearm and fatally shot the suspect during the struggle for the weapon. The suspect attempted to flee the residence after he was shot, but collapsed in front of the residence.

The identity of the deceased male is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Update: The female suspect in the home invasion robbery was located by the Ontario Police Department in the area of Walnut and Cucamonga on Sunday at 7:15 p.m. The suspect was identified as Amy Schinzel (pictured), 30 years of age, from Ontario. She was arrested and booked for murder.

Summerfield, Florida

From the Ocala Star-Banner of June 26, 2009

Jewelry store manager fires shot at fleeing thief

Afer her father’s store, Bob’s Coins & Jewelry, was burglarized twice, and after hearing about jewelry stores being robbed recently in Ocala, Vickie Buxton decided to take precautions.

Buxton, general manager at the store, took concealed weapons classes and armed herself with guns she keeps at the business in case she encounters an intruder.

She did not have to wait long.

While working at the store, at 17860 S.E. 109th Ave., Suite 621, on Thursday, Buxton shot at a thief after the man entered the building with a hammer, broke a glass case and escaped with an official Vatican Treasury gold medallion worth $20,000.

“I hit the back of the truck,” Buxton said, describing a bluish-purple sports utility vehicle she said the robber got into.

She said before the robber entered the store, “The vehicle sat in front for several minutes, and then it drove around the parking lot some more.”

Then, she said, the suspect approached the business and pulled a bandana up to his face.

“I yell, ‘Gun!,’ meaning my employees know I’m going for the gun,” she said.

As the robber entered the store, Buxton said she told him, “I’m going to shoot.”

The man ignored her and smashed a display glass that contained coins.

Buxton tried to fire a .380-caliber handgun, but the weapon misfired.

The robber grabbed the medallion and as he was heading out the door, Buxton again tried to fire the gun, but it misfired a second time.

Buxton successfully fired a third shot, which struck the back of the SUV.

“He dropped the medallion on the ground. He then picked it up, and got in the truck,” she said.

Capt. Tommy Bibb said detectives are looking for the suspect, described as a white male approximately 6-foot tall, of medium build, who was wearing a white jacket or long-sleeved shirt and camouflage short pants.

Bibb said he also wants jewelry store owners to be aware of their surroundings and be mindful of anyone who appears to be suspicious. He said the vehicle in Thursday’s robbery did not have a tag.

Kansas City, Kansas

From the Kansas City Star of June 26, 2009

Clerk kills would-be robber and critically wounds another, police say

A Kansas City, Kan., corner-store clerk fought back when two men tried to rob him tonight, shooting and killing one suspect and critically injuring the other, police said.

Officers were called to the 5th Avenue Convenience Mart at Fifth Street and Quindaro Boulevard shortly before 7 p.m., Officer Mike Golden said.

The clerk told them two men with long guns entered the store and demanded money, Golden said. When one of the suspects fired a shot, the clerk grabbed a handgun from behind the counter and shot both suspects.

One ran halfway up the block before collapsing, dropping a gun in the middle of Quindaro. An ambulance took him to a hospital, but he died before arriving, Golden said.

The second suspect made it slightly farther and went to the hospital in a private vehicle.

The clerk, mildly injured in the scuffle, was checked by paramedics at the scene.

Detectives and crime-scene technicians were on scene investigating the incident ? the sixth homicide in five days for Kansas City, Kan.

?It?s been a very busy week,? Golden said. ?We don?t have an answer for why.?

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

From KOCO of June 25, 2009

Shop Owner Shoots Would-Be Robber

A jewelry store owner in Oklahoma City opened fire on a would-be robber on Thursday, sending him to the University of Oklahoma Medical Center.

Police said they were called to the scene of a shooting at Northwest 23rd Street and Villa Avenue.

?When officers arrived at this location, they did find evidence that there was some type of shooting inside this door,? said Oklahoma City police Sgt. Jennifer Wardlow. ?Shots were fired.?

Police said they believe the clerk pulled out a gun from behind the counter just after the robbery began. They said the clerk told them they thought he hit the would-be robber at least once. No one else in the store was hurt.

Officers said the would-be robber ran out of the store and got into a vehicle that was waiting for him. The driver of that car took the man to the hospital, where he was listed in critical condition late Thursday.

Police said they were looking for a maroon or dark red Chevrolet HHR with Oklahoma license plate number 762XNR. They said the driver was a black female wearing glasses and a pink shirt who had her hair pulled back. Police urged anyone who saw this woman not to approach her and to call police instead.

The shooting comes about six weeks after a similar robbery and shooting at Reliable Pharmacy. Pharmacist Jerome Ersland is charged with murder in the shooting because prosecutors said he continued to fire shots after victim Antwun Parker no longer posed a threat to him.

Wagram, North Carolina

From the Laurinburg Exchange of June 20, 2009

One dead after botched home invasion

Deputies say at least one gunman was killed in an early-morning home invasion near Wagram.

Anthony Martin, of Kale Street in Wagram, was shot to death in the failed robbery attempt while two others masked men fled, according to Shep Jones. The sheriff’s department did not have Martin’s age.

Investigators say one of the robbers was 40-year old William Anthony Strickland, according to Jones. The last-known address for Strickland is 9539 Springview Road in Charlotte. Jones would not say how Strickland was identified as a suspect.

Warrants were obtained for Stricklands arrest on charges of robbery, burglary and felony assault.

Investigators have not released information on the third suspect.

Jones said the trio entered the home of 62-year Edmond Cooper at 23296 Wagram Street at about 12:30 a.m. through the back door, which had been left unlocked.

Debbie Cooper, Edmond’s wife, was still up and a suspect knocked her out by striking her over the head. The men then entered the room of the Coopers’ 15-year old son. The suspects used ziploc ties to restrain the juvenile. The three men then entered the hallway of the residence, according to Jones.

“Edmond Cooper came out of the bedroom with a gun,” Jones said. “He fired several shots, hitting one of the suspects.”

He said the two suspects left standing returned fire, while fleeing from the residence.

“Mr. Cooper was shot in the hand,” Jones said.

Martin was dead when emergency personnel arrived on the scene, according to Jones. Edmond Cooper was taken to the hospital, where he was treated and released.

Jones said the two suspects may have fled with $1,000 from the residence.

“It shows the times we’re living in when families are at home, where they are supposed to be safe, and they are violated,” Jones said.

Wagram police have assisted the sheriff’s department in this case.

If you know the whereabouts of William Anthony Strickland or have information on the third suspect, contact the Scotland County Sheriff’s Department at 276-3385 or anonymously report your tip to Scotland Crime Stoppers at 291-3333.

Antioch, Tennessee

From WZTV of June 24, 2009

Gunman Shot to Death During Home Invasion

A home invasion turns deadly after one of the robbers is shot by the homeowner.

It happened on Moss Landing Drive in Antioch around 1:00 a.m.

Dennis Nicholson told detectives that he was confronted by 22 year old Elijah Minnard (pictured left) at the home.

Nicholson says Minnard had a shotgun, and 17 year old Jeremie Thomas (pictured right), had a pistol.

Police say the men forced Nicholson inside, and Minnard held Nicholson and 25 year old Lincoya Stephens at gunpoint upstairs while Thomas searched the downstairs area of the home.

Police say Stephens grabbed the shotgun to try and disarm Minnard, but Stephens was hit in the leg by a shotgun blast.

Police say Stephens and Nicholson still managed to get the gun away from Minnard.

Officers say Stephens then pulled a pistol that was concealed in his waistband and shot and killed Minnard.

Thomas, hearing the gunfire, went to check on Minnard.

Stephens opened fire on Thomas, and he fled the house.

At 2:15 a.m., police say Thomas, with gun in hand, jumped in front of a driver on Hamilton Church Road and yelled for her to stop.

The driver accelerated as she and her four passengers ducked.

Thomas was caught by officers a short time later.

Detectives say Thomas told them he and Minnard went to the home to commit a drug-related robbery.

No drugs were found in the residence.

Stephens is hospitalized with a gunshot wound to his leg and has not yet been interviewed by detectives.

The investigation is continuing.

Thomas is charged at Juvenile Court with two counts of aggravated robbery, two counts of unlawful weapon possession, attempted criminal homicide, four counts of aggravated assault, and attempted aggravated robbery.

Thomas is being held in juvenile detention pending a hearing.

Prince George’s County, Maryland

From the Washington Post of June 25, 2009

Woman Kills Husband in Apparent Self-Defense

A Prince George’s County woman fatally shot her husband in an apparent act of self-defense Saturday after he attacked her at the Capitol Heights duplex where the pair lived in separate units, according to police and neighbors.

Just after 8 a.m., authorities said, police were called to the home in the 700 block of Capitol Heights Boulevard on a report of a domestic dispute. In front of the house, they found Richard Marcellous Wilson, 30, with a gunshot wound. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.

Police said Wilson’s wife fired the fatal shot.

The circumstances of the incident are unclear, but police think that the shooting “appears to have been in self-defense,” said Cpl. Mike Rodriguez, a spokesman for the Prince George’s police department. Wilson, police said, had violated an active protective order when he attacked his wife.

Rodriguez declined to name the shooter because she is a victim in the case and has not been charged.

(More)

Saginaw, Michigan

From the Saginaw News of June 25, 2009

Neighborhood watch president shoots, kills dog; its owner disputes the need

Tensions are high on a Saginaw street where the neighborhood watch president shot and killed his neighbor’s dog.

Jose Barajas, Southwest Saginaw Neighborhood Association president, told police he shot Onyx, a 50-plus-pound pit bull and shar-pei mix, with a 40-caliber Glock after the dog broke its chain and charged him at 1223 Maple on June 18.

Barajas said he was working outside the house next door when he heard a resident crying for help. Diana M. Fick, 52, said she was mowing her backyard about 7:30 p.m. when neighbor Samantha A. Griffus’ dog lunged at her. Fick said Onyx perched atop the tailgate shell and jumped off toward her, breaking his chain. She said she screamed for the owner and used the lawnmower as a buffer to keep the dog at bay.

Griffus didn’t hear her, but Barajas did. When the dog turned on him, he said he shot it two times.

Barajas “didn’t have an option,” Fick said “He popped him.”

Griffus, 19, said the dog was on a 10-foot chain attached to a tailgate shell on the lawn. She said Barajas had no right to shoot her dog because it hadn’t left her property.

Splatters of the dog’s blood are still on the tailgate shell, Griffus said. She said she thinks Onyx was chained when Barajas shot him and broke the chain afterward. A few weeks ago, Barajas had threatened to “shoot the dog if it pooped in his yard again,” Griffus said.

Barajas has a permit to carry a concealed weapon and often patrols his neighborhood as part of its watch group.

Saginaw police investigated and cleared Barajas.

“If I wouldn’t have been there, that neighbor would have likely gone to the hospital,” he said.

Griffus went onto her porch overlooking the area where Onyx was chained after hearing the gunshots and her dog “yarp.” Onyx had run off; Barajas was standing in her yard, his cell phone to his ear, with his gun visible in its holster, she said.

Barajas is “the greatest guy you ever want to meet,” Fick said. “It’s not like he just goes around the neighborhood shooting dogs.”

Wounded in the face and abdomen, Onyx ran toward the front of the home, approached the front door — where blood stains remain on the concrete steps of the porch — and ran across the street. Griffus found him in a neighbor’s kennel with the chain still clipped to his collar, Griffus said.

She took it to Great Lakes Pet Emergencies in Carrollton Township but returned with the dog because she couldn’t afford the $1,275 bill to treat it or $289 to euthanize it. Onyx died at 11:30 p.m.

Eel River Valley, California

From the Humboldt Beacon of June 25, 2009

Man shoots and kills large rabid possum

A caller told police he had shot a large rabid possum in his front yard and was concerned that the possum might attack his dog. He was advised on discharging a firearm in city limits.

Des Moines, Iowa

From the Des Moines Register of June 25, 2009

Clerk’s gun scares off would-be robber

Dominic Mathew had always felt it was better to give an armed robber what they asked for.

His philosophy changed after his Food Pantry store on Lower Beaver Road was held up several times, one time with a thief behind the counter and holding a gun to his neck.

He got a handgun.

On Tuesday, the third time the store was held up, he and a robber were in a face-off with their weapons.

?The guy came in from the side (of the store)? and walked in the front door, Mathew said. ?That?s where they usually come from. The guy came in with a hoodie on. It was awfully warm on Tuesday, too warm for a hoodie.?

Mathew, 30, already had his gun drawn when the robber walked in, he said. The suspect lowered his gun immediately upon seeing the handgun.

The would-be robber ran out the door.

?I didn?t want to get to this point,? said Mathew. ?But there have been a lot of robberies. Times are tough. A lot of people are out of work.?

Police Chief Judy Bradshaw said detectives are still investigating. She said clerks can make a situation more dangerous by adding a second gun to the equation.

?Robbers don?t want to shoot,? Bradshaw said. ?They want what they came for. From a public safety perspective there are so many more possible outcomes when clerks arm themselves.?

On Tuesday three other convenience stores in the city reported thefts from cash registers. None of them were armed robberies. One man has been arrested and charged with all three incidents.

The armed robber who tried to steal from Mathew has not been caught.