Portsmouth, Virginia



From the November 4, 2003, Virginian-Pilot:

PORTSMOUTH — Somewhere between a Food Lion and home, Temesha Greene noticed a van following her.



When she got to her driveway that August night, a man pulled out a gun.



Greene pulled out her own gun.



The man fired at her.



She fired back.



He missed.



She didn’t.



That night, officers found Emmitt M. Warren, 34, in a van near Greene’s house, suffering from gunshot wounds, according to court records. He was taken to a hospital and eventually was charged with attempted murder and weapons violations.



...



No charges were filed against Greene. The incident happened Aug. 9, shortly after Greene bought a house alarm system and her first gun.



The 26-year-old mother began worrying about the safety of her Peachtree neighborhood after she heard about several break-ins.



She ordered the .40-caliber Glock pistol in late July, and it arrived a few days later. She shot it for the first time at a range on Aug. 9.



At first, she said, holding the weapon felt strange. It scared her.



Then she started imagining the target picture was someone coming after her, and she felt more comfortable.



Later that night, someone did, according to court records and testimony Monday. Greene, her two sons and her boyfriend arrived home from a Food Lion about 11 p.m., according to testimony.