Stones Crossing, Indiana



From Indianapolis' WTHR.com of March 30, 2004:

Police investigate Johnson County shooting



The Johnson County sheriff's department is calling Monday night's fatal shooting an apparent case of self-defense.



The shooting happened in the 72-hundred block of Stones Crossing Road.



Investigators say Daniel Floyd confronted 44-year-old Bruce Mills, who Floyd said was breaking the windows out of a trailer.



When Mills approached him with an ax handle, Floyd shot him twice and killed him.



Police told Eyewitness News that Mills was upset because his mother died from cancer earlier in the day.



Toxicology reports on Mills are not back. His autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday.



Prosecutors are considering charges against Floyd.

Gresham, Oregon

From Portland's KGW.com of March 31, 2004:

Police investigate shooting in Gresham

Police are investigating a shooting that they said involved a custody dispute in Gresham.

Investigators said a babysitter shot Tommy Doyle Massagee at an apartment in the Gresham Heights apartment complex at 301 NW Eastman Parkway Monday afternoon.

Massagee was transported to Oregon Health and Science University with a single gunshot wound to his lower, left chest, according to Grant McCormick, a spokesperson for the Gresham Police Department. Updated information about Massagee’s condition has not been released.

Officers said Massagee was trying to pick up his 6-month-old child at the apartment but the baby’s mother had obtained a domestic violence restraining order against him.

The babysitter, James Alan Ooms, told police he got in a fight with Massagee and shot him. McCormick said officers questioned Ooms after the shooting and released him without any charges.

The Gresham-Multnomah County Major Crimes Team is handling the investigation and a grand jury will evaluate the case for possible criminal charges, McCormick said.

Tazewell, Tennessee



From the Knoxville News-Sentinel of March 31, 2004:

Tazewell man acquitted in road rage case



A Tazewell man who admitted shooting and killing an Alabama truck driver after a road rage incident in Hamblen County last year was acquitted Tuesday afternoon of four charges related to the shooting.



Patrick Marsh was found not guilty after a two-day trial in Hamblen County Criminal Court. Jurors spent nearly three hours deliberating before deciding the 47-year-old Marsh acted in self-defense when he pulled his pistol and shot Billy Ray Snipes near Exit 8 off Interstate 81.



Marsh's attorney, Herbert S. Moncier, said that on Feb. 11, 2003, Snipes ran Marsh off the highway with his tractor-trailer while the two were driving. Snipes then motioned Marsh off the highway "like there was some type of collision," Moncier said.



After the two exited their vehicles, an argument began. Marsh told authorities Snipes attacked him.



"He was cursing (Marsh), and then (Snipes) swung a punch," Moncier said.



That's when Marsh pulled his gun and shot Snipes, who died shortly afterward. Marsh was arrested, charged and released on $50,000 bond. He was acquitted Tuesday of voluntary manslaughter, reckless homicide, negligent homicide and second-degree murder.



"He was very pleased and appreciative," Moncier said of Marsh. "He expressed remorse to the Snipes family and was very gracious."

...



Bell said the issue of self-defense was the central focus of the trial.



"The jury obviously studied it very carefully, and I compliment them on their hard work," Bell said.



...



Moncier said Marsh plans to put the incident behind him and return his attention to running his antiques business in Tazewell

Houston, Texas



From Houston's Click2Houston.com of March 30, 2004:

Renter Fires Gun During Alleged Home Invasion



A woman and her husband were arrested and put behind bars early Tuesday morning after an alleged early morning home invasion failed in northwest Houston.



Investigators said the couple, along with four other men, forced their way into a northwest Houston apartment around 1 a.m. Tuesday and ransacked the apartment.



The renter told officials the intruders demanded money and drugs.



Officials told News2Houston the homeowner grabbed a gun and fired shots, causing the home invaders to run away.



Houston police said no one was hit by the gunfire and no injuries were reported.Officers caught up with the woman and her husband down the street. They were arrested and put in jail.



The four other men escaped.

Largo, Florida



From the St. Petersburg Times of March 27, 2004:



It sounds like the victim isn't going to win any awards for good citizenship.

One suspect in home invasion arrested



Josie Golden has raised 23 children over the years, only eight of them her own. The rest have been nieces and nephews and grandkids.



Many have turned into good people. One is studying pharmacy at Florida A&M right now. Another works at a local nursing home.



But some haven't turned out so well. And one of the worst, Golden said, is Antonio.



He began disobeying her in his early teens. He dropped out of school a year or two later. Then he moved out. Since then, Antonio Golden, now 22, has had 28 criminal charges lodged against him, many of them for drug possession.



On Thursday night, Golden found himself in deeper trouble than ever. Largo police booked him into the Pinellas County Jail on attempted murder and home-invasion robbery charges. And authorities are considering charging him with murder.



Police say Golden was an accomplice of Greg V. Hall, 26, who was shot to death during a robbery attempt early Thursday morning. Hall, Golden and a 17-year-old, Henry Echols, broke into an apartment at 330 Fourth St. SW in search of drugs or money, police said. One of them held a gun.



But whoever was inside heard them breaking in and armed himself. He fired several shots, striking Hall in the head, Golden in the arm and Echols in the lower back. Hall fell dead to the floor.



Golden and Echols ran away and later went to a local hospital, where they were treated and released.



Police say the trio, possibly with a fourth person in tow, also tried to commit a home invasion robbery earlier Thursday morning at the Chaparral Apartments at 601 Rosery Road.



...



The charges filed against Golden on Thursday night were in connection with the Chaparral hold-up. He was being held at the Pinellas County Jail on Friday in lieu of $50,000 bail.



Police did not arrest Echols, but continue to investigate him, said police Chief Lester Aradi.



Authorities are considering whether to charge Golden and Echols with murder in connection with Hall's death. Under Florida law, people involved in robberies in which someone dies, even if it's an accomplice, can be charged with murder.



...



Aradi said detectives are trying to determine whether the shooter should face charges or if he acted in self-defense. He did not identify the shooter.

Memphis, Tennessee



From the Memphis Commercial Appeal of March 29, 2004:

Fatal heist was 'like a bad dream'



Ahmed Ismail said Sunday he was still trying to shake off a bad dream that began when a man walked into his tobacco store and put a gun in his face.



Within seconds of being confronted about 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Ismail fired his own pistol from behind the counter of Cigarettes for Cheap at 1260 Getwell, killing the would-be robber.



Police identified the man as Alpochino Antonio Jackson, 20, who was rushed to the Regional Medical Center at Memphis. He was pronounced dead just before 10 p.m. Saturday.



The gunman, a bandanna across his face, flung open the door, gun in hand, and started screaming at Ismail for the store receipts.



"It was all like a bad dream. I can't believe it," Ismail said. "I knew he was coming to kill me . . . I had to do something," Ismail said.



After Ismail shot him, the man left his pistol and shoes behind, and collapsed in the parking lot, Ahmed said.



"I'm not proud of what happened," Ahmed said. "But I had no other choice. . . I knew he was going to shoot me."

...



Police said Sunday they were looking for a second man to question, but did not know yet if Jackson had an accomplice.



Jackson's gun and Ismail's gun were recovered by police, homicide Lt. Joe Scott said Sunday.



The investigation into what happened continues, Scott said, but nothing has emerged to cast doubt on Ismail's account.



Police reports list at least one other witness in the store.



The results of the investigation will be turned over to the District Attorney General's Office, which will decide whether criminal charges are filed against Ismail.

Springfield, Missouri



From Springfield's KY3.com of March 28, 2004:

Shoot out sends two to hospital



Police say situation could have been much worse



Police continue ot investigate a shoot out that put two men in a local hospital--one in critical condition. Police say a fight over a woman Saturday morning in another part of springfield led two men to this home in the 700 block of West Edgewood where they burst inside and started shooting at three other men. Police say several neighbors saw it happen--two men with guns drawn went into this house and started shooting. One of the three men inside the house was also armed.



Sgt. Dave Zuhlke of the Springfield Police Department said, "A third male already in the residence stepped out of the bedroom with a pistol and fired back at the gunmen." That man hit one of the suspects four times in the chest--the other suspect was hit just once. Police say they're considering the man who returned fire a victim.



"Citizens have the right to use whatever force necessary to protect themselves whenever someone is coming at them with a deadly weapon and that was the situation here," said Sgt. Zuhlke. Police say the incident could have been much worse. "We're really lucky we don't have a couple of bodies laying out here maybe as many as four or five bodies," said Zuhlke.

Mobile, Alabama



From Mobile's WPMI.com of March 28, 2004:

Mobile Police say teenager kills mom's abusive boyfriend



Authorities say that 12 years after his mother stabbed her abusive husband to death, her 18-year-old son shot her abusive boyfriend to death as he tried to break into their Crichton area apartment.



Mobile police say 38-year-old Samuel Parker was killed late Friday night after trying to break into the residence of Terry Giles and her son, Joseph.



Terry Giles says Parker was intent on killing her son because Parker believed that the teenage boy had set Parker's house on fire several weeks ago.



Police say Parker was armed with a knife when he tried to force his way in the front door of the apartment on Palm Street.



Authorities say Joseph Giles was NOT arrested in the shooting, though the case will be presented to a grand jury.

La Jolla, California



From the San Diego Union-Tribune of March 27, 2004:

Workers beat, try to rob homeowner



Two construction workers beat and tried to rob their client in his home yesterday, but he chased them off by grabbing a gun and shooting at them, police said.



The workers pistol-whipped the victim and at one point handcuffed him and covered his mouth with duct tape, police said.



"They figured he was rich, and they would rip him off," said San Diego police Sgt. Rich Nemetz. "They all know each other."



The victim, in his 50s, had hired a contracting firm to work on his house. Two workers came to the home on Avenida Chamnez about 5 p.m. and first talked about the job, Nemetz said. Then, when the man left the room and returned, one worker pistol-whipped him.



At some point, the victim's wife drove up with their two children. Her husband got outside, but the robbers caught him again and threatened the wife with a gun, Nemetz said. The woman and children drove away and called police.



Meanwhile, Nemetz said, the robbers ordered the homeowner to open his safe and give them money. He opened the safe, but pulled out a handgun.



The robbers ran outside, toward Via Espana, with the victim behind firing his gun, police said. Neighbors called police after hearing two shots and seeing him return home with his head bleeding.



Robbery detectives were investigating last night. No arrests had been made by press time.

UPDATE: See this discussion here from a supposed witness.

Roseville, California



From the Roseville Press-Tribune of March 24, 2004:

A would-be burglar was detained at gunpoint Thursday morning by an alert homeowner in the Woodcreek Oaks area, police say.



The homeowner was awakened after midnight, and heard the sound of a vehicle door slamming. Having forgotten to close his garage door, the resident looked out an upstairs window and spotted a man walking into his garage, and a white sport utility vehicle cruising in the cul-de-sac.



The resident then got his handgun and confronted the man, police say, inside his truck, noting that three garage door openers in his vehicle had been moved from the driver’s side visor to a seat in the truck. The resident ordered the suspect to lie down while dialing police on his cell phone.



Roseville Police took David Owen Cerniglia, 21, into custody without incident on suspicion of burglary. He is currently being held in the Placer County Jail on $25,000 bail. His listed address is Sacramento.



“I strongly encourage residents to keep their vehicles inside their locked garages at night if at all possible,” said Joel Neves, Roseville Police Chief. “If you must leave a vehicle parked outside at night, do not leave any valuable items or garage door openers inside the vehicle.”



The arrest comes after a series of burglaries in the west Roseville area, where police believe thieves break into vehicles parked outside of residences and use garage door openers to gain access to items.

Queens, New York



From the New York Post of March 25, 2004:

CLERK SHOOTS HOLD-UP MAN



An attempted robbery at a Queens bodega led to gunplay last night when an armed clerk shot the bandit in the head, police said.



Devin Keitt, 26, allegedly tried to rob at gunpoint the Ramon Food Market on 107th Avenue in Ozone Park at 8 p.m., cops said.



But he was foiled by Edwin Marte, 35, who shot Keitt once in the head with an unlicensed gun, police sources said.



Keitt managed to run almost a block and a half from the bodega before collapsing, according to a police source.



He was rushed to Jamaica Hospital in critical condition.



Police sources said Marte is facing a weapons charge and Keitt is facing attempted robbery and weapons charges.

In most of America, of course, having a gun in one's store would not be a criminal act.

Ft. Gratiot Township, Michigan

From the Detroit Free Press of March 23, 2004:

Gun toters halt robbery attempts

1 is shot, 5 arrested in two separate incidents

Applying the school-yard axiom that turnabout is fair play, would-be robbery victims thwarted their attackers in two recent separate incidents -- one by facing down the alleged bandit in a standoff, the other by shooting a man in the butt.

The self-defense actions drew praise but also caution about returning to Dodge City-style six-gun justice.

Farmington Hills police said a 32-year-old Novi woman, who had a permit to carry a small-caliber pistol in her purse, stopped a man armed with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun from taking her $40,000 diamond ring and Rolex watch.

[This incident is covered below on March 20]
...

Dwyer said the incident is making him rethink his opposition to the state law that eased concealed weapons permit regulations.

Two other men -- a father-son team accused of trying to rob a 65-year-old retiree -- are expected to be arraigned this morning in St. Clair County.

The men already had robbed one woman before being stopped by the home owner's bullet on Friday, police said.

The Ft. Gratiot Township home owner answered his door on Keewahdin Road about 8 p.m. and was accosted by a 20-year-old Worth Township man armed with a handgun. When the young man's attention was diverted, police said the home owner grabbed his own .38-caliber handgun and fired.

"The round ended up coming out of his buttocks, so I'm sure he'll be thinking about that old man every time he sits down for a while," said Detective Lt. Mike Bloomfield of the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department.

The man fled with his 45-year-old father and with $100 from the home owner's wallet, police said.

The two were arrested after seeking treatment late Friday at a Huron County hospital, claiming to be victims of a road-rage incident, police said.

Bloomfield said he didn't know whether the home owner had a permit for his weapon.

"This is one of those ones that you hear as a policeman and you go, 'All right!' " Bloomfield said. "I mean, a guy breaks into a man's house armed, prepared to do harm, and the man defends himself. That's great."

The pair also are suspected in a Sanilac County armed robbery in which an elderly woman was tied up in her home and robbed.

State Sen. Gilda Jacobs, D-Huntington Woods, reacted guardedly to the two self-defense cases.

"We have to be careful we don't end up having the wild, wild west," she said.

"People should feel able to protect themselves in their own homes, there's some argument there," said Jacobs, who as a state representative voted against the concealed weapons law in 2002. "But do we want a bunch of vigilantes running around with guns to do the police's work?"

The Senator Gilda's of the world just don't get it, and some never will.

Salinas, California



From Salinas' KSBWChannel.com of March 22, 2004:

1 Dead In Salinas Home Invasion



Victim Shoots, Kills Alleged Robber



An early-morning home-invasion robbery turned deadly for one of the alleged robbers Monday.

...



Police said three people were involved in the invasion -- two men and a woman.



Investigators said the woman was the one to get the victim to open his door, and once he did, the two men forced their way inside -- at least one of them armed with a gun.



The 23-year-old resident was then tied up."He was tied up and left in a room. He able to get out ... there was a gun in the room that belonged to him. From what it looks like ... he came out into the room where the others were kind of ransacking ... and when he came back out he shot one of the people that had a gun," Salinas Police Department Sgt. Mike Groves said.



The woman and the other man fled the apartment and remain at large.

...



Authorities said the shooting appears to be justified and that they don't plan to charge the victim with murder.

Springfield, Ohio

From the Springfield News Sun of March 22, 2004:

Woman kills intruder

A Springfield woman shot and killed a 21-year-old man early Sunday, reportedly after the victim and a companion broke into her Chestnut Avenue home, police said.

Matthew J. Marino, 21, whose address was not immediately available, was pronounced dead at Mercy Medical Center at 3:45 a.m., Springfield police Lt. Michael Hill said. Officers found Marino lying on the driveway at 346 Chestnut Ave. with a gunshot wound in his abdomen.
...

Springfield police received a call at 2:50 a.m. from Melany Yancey, 49, of the Chestnut Avenue address, Hill said. She told them that while she was home alone, two men wearing bandannas kicked in her front door and came upstairs.

Yancey told police she sealed herself in her bedroom, but the two men tried to break in. She took her .40-caliber handgun and fired a shot in the direction of the door, she said, and someone fired back.

Yancey reportedly said she heard the intruders move into the bedroom of one of her two adult sons, neither of whom were at home. She ran out of the room, attempting to escape, and fired two rounds at the intruders, she said. One of bullets hit Marino.

Yancey told police she ran to a neighbor's house where she dialed 911.

Hill said police had not found the gun reportedly carried by the intruders, but officers did find a shell casing from a weapon other than Yancey's handgun.

Police did not expect to charge Yancey with any crime, Hill said.

Moncks Corner, South Carolina



From the Charleston Post and Courier of March 20, 2004:

(Requires Registration)

Berkeley jury acquits man in fatal shooting



Eagerton claimed self-defense in confrontation with victim



A Berkeley County jury acquitted an Alvin man Friday, saying he acted in self-defense when he fatally shot an unarmed man in the back two years ago.



The jury deliberated about two hours before clearing Archie Clifford Eagerton III, 26, of voluntary manslaughter in the April 1, 2002, death of Justin Maurice, 20, of Carnes Crossroads.



Eagerton claimed self-defense, while prosecutors said Maurice was trying to remove himself from a hostile situation and was shot as he turned away.



The two men did not know each other.

...



Eagerton said he had stopped by the Santee River the day of the shooting and gave some people he barely knew a ride.



One of them, Perry Howard, had a previous dispute with some people the victim was with at the Laurel Hill Boat Landing, Eagerton said. They wanted to attack Howard, and by association, Eagerton.



Eagerton drove off in his truck and was pursued by Maurice and four of his friends in a Chevrolet Beretta. Eagerton was chased nearly 12 miles to his rural Berkeley County home.

...



Eagerton said Maurice picked up his pregnant wife in the back yard of their Recluse Lane home and threw her to the ground.



"We were telling them to leave and that we didn't want any trouble," Eagerton said. "It was five against one. I had to do what I had to do."



Sheriff's investigators originally charged Eagerton with murder. That charge was dismissed during a preliminary hearing by a magistrate who didn't think the crime fit the statutory requirements of the charge.



Eagerton's attorney, Beau Seaton, said the case should never have gone to trial.

...



"Based on all the evidence, the jury felt Mr. Eagerton was in fear for his life and so he acted in self-defense," Deputy Solicitor Blair Jennings said. "I respect the jury's decision."

Erwin, Tennessee



From the Johnson City Press of January 28, 2004:

(Requires Registration)

Break-in foiled - Woman holds man at gunpoint in attempt



A 56-year-old woman who was at home when a man attempted to kick in her front door late Tuesday afternoon confronted the man and held him at gunpoint until deputies arrived.



Kersten Von Seebach, 41, 2941 Smith Road, Mars Hill, N.C., was being held at gunpoint in the front yard at 138 Spivey Mountain Road when deputies arrived. Unicoi County Sheriff’s Department officials did not release the name of the woman involved.



Unicoi County Sheriff Kent Harris said dispatchers received a call from the woman, who was on a cordless phone outside her house while holding the man.



“Investigator Regan Tilson took the call and made it to the house in about six minutes,” Harris said. “She was holding him and she meant business. When the call came in, she told us she had shot at him once and would do more if she had to.”

...



Seebach was charged with aggravated burglary, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of schedule II drugs.



“This man has an extensive record. (Seebach) has charges going back to the 1980s, and they include terrorist-type threats. He has bullet holes in the side of his Jeep and has told us he has shot at people and cars."

Farmington Hills, Michigan



From Detroit's ClickOnDetroit.com of March 19, 2004:

Woman Stops Robbery With Own Gun



Farmington Hills Office Robbers Surprised



A woman in Farmington Hills stopped a robbery Friday with a concealed weapon she was carrying.



Police tell Local 4 the woman was entering an office building around 6:30 a.m. when two men confronted her. She reportedly pulled the gun and called 911.



Police responded and arrested the two men.



The woman has a concealed weapons permit for the gun.

Houston, Texas



From Houston's Click2Houston.com of March 19, 2004:

Resident Fights Back At Suspected Car Robbers



Man Hears People Breaking Into Cars, Fires Gun At Suspects



A resident fought back, shooting three people he caught breaking into cars early Friday morning, News2Houston reported.



Sheriff's deputies said the man heard a neighbor's car being broken into on Debeney near Aldine Mail Route Road around 3:15 a.m. Friday.



The man told officials he fired a gun after he stepped outside and saw five men reportedly breaking into several vehicles.Three of the five robbers were hit by gunshots.



Officials said the injured suspects drove themselves to the Houston Community Hospital to be treated for minor gunshot injuries; they were listed in stable condition.



Sheriff's deputies said the men who went to the hospital were placed in police custody and face several charges. Two men remain on the loose.

Fargo, North Dakota



From the Fargo Forum of March 17, 2004:

Man shot at, arrested after North Fargo break-in



He may have been drowsy after getting roused from bed, but Chad Hinkley said he knew exactly what he was doing when he shot at an old friend Tuesday.



Hinkley said screams outside his home at 808 N. University Drive awakened him about 3:15 a.m., but he didn’t respond. He said he knew it was Trent Lehman, a former roommate who a few weeks ago began accusing Hinkley of dating an ex-girlfriend.



“I knew he wasn’t there to be nice to me,” Hinkley, 28, said.



So when Lehman, 30, crashed through his front door, Hinkley went for his 9 mm pistol. The two men met in the house, separated by an entryway between rooms.



Hinkley said he drew his gun and fired, missing intentionally by about three feet, when Lehman kept walking toward him.



“I wasn’t going to take any chances when he comes kicking my door in at three in the morning,” said Hinkley.



Lehman, who lives in Dwight, N.D., left after the shot, and both men called police.



After investigating the incident, police arrested Lehman, and Cass County prosecutors charged him with felony criminal trespassing and misdemeanor criminal trespass. A message left Tuesday morning at the Cass County Jail for Lehman went unreturned.



Sgt. Kevin Volrath said Hinkley might face a city ordinance violation for discharging a firearm in Fargo, but it didn’t appear he broke any laws.



“He was defending his own property,” Volrath said.

Houston, Texas



From Click2Houston, March 16, 2004:

HOUSTON -- A security guard shot two men as they ambushed and tried to rob him Tuesday afternoon on a northwest Harris County street, officials said.



Homicide detectives told News2Houston the security guard, Eduardo Gutierrez, was transporting money when his vehicle was surrounded around 1:30 p.m. on Ella at Kuykendahl.



"They had a vehicle in front, a vehicle behind and one on the side is my understanding. When he came to a stop to go no further, some of the (men) exited the vehicles, jumped out and went around to begin to demand money, at which time, he pulled his weapon and shot," said Bruce Williams, with the Harris County Sheriff's Department.



Two gunmen were hit. Lifeflight transported one man to Memorial Hermann Hospital, while an ambulance took the other to Ben Taub Hospital. There's no word yet on their conditions.

Memphis, Tennessee



From AP via Memphis' WMC TV of March 16, 2004:

Memphis man, 96, shoots intruder after fourth robbery in a week



Virgil Kindig turned the other cheek three times. The fourth time the same intruders broke into his home in Memphis in less than a week, the 96-year-old man shot one of them.



Police say the thieves used a phone cord and extension cords to tie Kindig, but the victim got loose and grabbed a pistol he'd hidden nearby, firing twice.



Both shots hit one of the robbers, who was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Police haven't released his name.



Kindig and his 93-year-old wife Ruby weren't hurt.

...



Police haven't decided whether to charge Kindig.

Carrollton County, Mississippi



From the Jackson Clarion-Ledger of March 15, 2004:

Store owner surprises robbers, kills 1



Warning shot not enough to halt suspects, sheriff says



A Carrollton County store owner arriving at work early Sunday morning fatally shot an unarmed man following a robbery, authorities said.



Subramonia Pillai, owner of the 1782 Quik Stop at U.S. 82 and Mississippi 17, said he shot the unidentified man in self-defense after he and and two other men robbed his store and were approaching him, Carrollton County Sheriff Donald Gray said.



The two men escaped uninjured, fleeing in a sport utility vehicle, Gray said. They also apparently were unarmed, he said.



Pillai was not charged, but the incident is being investigated and the case will be turned over to a grand jury, Gray said.

El Sereno, California



From the Los Angeles Times of March 14, 2004:

(Requires Registration)

Fatal Shooting at Bar Deemed Self-Defense



A security guard who was attacked and beaten by at least two patrons at a bar early Saturday shot one of them to death in self-defense, police said.



The shooting occurred about 1:15 a.m. in the 4600 block of Huntington Drive in El Sereno, the Los Angeles Police Department said.



The security guard, whose name was not released, was not arrested.

St. Louis, Missouri



From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch of March 11, 2004:

Man repels 3 robbers by firing hidden pistol



Robbers pointed a gun at Bryan Rutherford and demanded that he hand over valuables from his pickup Tuesday evening in Lemay.



Rutherford didn't pull out cash or jewelry. He pulled out a .22-caliber pistol hidden in his vehicle and opened fire in what authorities believe is the first instance of self-defense with a concealed firearm since the Missouri Legislature loosened the state's gun laws.



The man holding what turned out to be a BB gun on Rutherford was hit several times in the torso before he and two accomplices fled. Three suspects were later captured and charged.



Rutherford was uninjured.



The precise status of the concealed carry law at the time Rutherford fired is cloudy. But in any event, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch said Thursday that Rutherford would not be charged.

Canton, Ohio



From the Akron Beacon-Journal of March 12, 2004:

Man shot to death in Canton



The first time Carolyn Warren called police, she wanted to be rescued from a man she said was trying to break in her door.



Three minutes later, she called back to say the man was in her apartment, but she didn't need to be rescued anymore.



The man was shot dead.



Kenneth G. Riggs, 38, died about 12:30 a.m. Thursday of a gunshot wound to the head. He was shot inside Warren's apartment on Mahoning Road Northeast, less than a block from his home.



Canton Police Lt. Tom Thomas said the two women in the apartment knew Riggs, but he declined to describe their relationship. Police say the shooter is a 31-year-old woman, who Thomas said was identified in the 911 call as Warren's daughter.



The mother apparently made the calls and the daughter allegedly fired a .22 rifle at Riggs twice after he forced his way into the apartment.



Police did not arrest the woman. Thomas said information from the shooting investigation will be turned over to the Stark County prosecutor.



A telephone number listed for Warren was out of order Thursday.



Riggs, who lived in the 2600 block of Mahoning Road Northeast, had a history of arrests in Stark County that stretched back to the late 1980s. Court records include a one-year prison sentence for illegal possession of a firearm and using a weapon while intoxicated. The records also list multiple arrests on charges of assault, aggravated burglary, menacing, drug abuse and violating a protection order.

South Vienna, Ohio



From the Dayton Daily News of March 10, 2004:

Wounded man caught, arrested



A Mechanicsburg man who rode away on a bicycle after being shot in the neck Tuesday with a .45-caliber revolver during a domestic argument with his wife and her brother was later arrested on violence-related charges.



Eric Champlin, 22, of 8546 Brigner Road was released from Community Hospital after being treated for the gunshot wound.



He was shot at 5485 Lundy Lane and arrested at 5295 Lundy Lane, where he had fled, deputies said.



He was charged with felonious assault, felony domestic violence and aggravated burglary. He is to be arraigned today in Municipal Court.



Sheriff's Lt. Rusty Garman said Kelly Champlin, 22, told deputies she shot her husband when he reportedly kicked open a rear door of her mother's home at 5485 Lundy Lane.



As Eric Champlin tried to enter the house, his wife's brother, Chad Day, 20, tried to stop him and a struggle ensued, Garman said. During the struggle Eric Champlin punched Day in the face and struck his wife, Garman said.



Eric Champlin continued to fight with Day and threatened to stab him with a knife even after he had been shot. Kelly Champlin, who told deputies she shot him after seeing the knife, said the gun belonged to her husband.



Deputies found a knife on Eric Champlin upon his arrest, Garman said.



Kelly Champlin and her brother were treated at a hospital and released.

Houston, Texas



From Houston's KPRC TV of March 11, 2004:

Van Owner Allegedly Shoots Suspected Burglar



A suspected car burglar was shot by the vehicle's owner late Thursday night.



The incident happened at the North Point Apartment Complex on Lyerly near Fulton around 10 p.m.



Police said the owner heard a noise outside his apartment and decided to check on his van.



When the man rushed outside with his gun, he told officers the burglar attacked him with a screwdriver.



The van's owner fired his gun, shooting the suspect in the chest.Officials said the victim was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital. He is expected to be OK.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma



From Oklahoma City's KOCO TV of March 11, 2004:

Burglar Shot By Homeowner



A potential thief was injured Thursday morning when he was shot by the man whose home he was attempting to burglarize.



The incident happened at a home located near Northwest 12th Street and Portland Avenue.



Police said the homeowner shot Jason Wayne Wolf, 21, in the arm with a shotgun.According to Eyewitness News 5's Rachel Kim, Wolf ran out the back door of the home and got in a car with two other men.



The men then left Wolf at a police training center near the home, where he received medical treatment.



Meanwhile, police said the homeowner was booked on charges unrelated to the shooting, which they are still investigating. The homeowner told Eyewitness News 5 that he had seen Wolf on the street before.



Wolf's prior criminal record shows only minor traffic violations from December 2002.

Missoula, Montana



From MSNBC March 9, 2004:

Authorities in Missoula say a 21-year-old University of Montana student grabbed her attacker's gun, and jumped from a moving truck, after being kidnapped and raped by a man on Saturday.



...



MISSOULA (AP) - Sheriff's Lieutenant Rich Maricelli says the woman parked her pickup truck in a lot on campus, and a man asked if she could give him a lift to his vehicle and maybe jump-start it for him. She agreed. But the man pulled a handgun out of his jacket and told her to drive up Deer Creek. [too graphic description of the rape deleted] He set the gun down between the seats; and she managed to free her hands, get the gun, leap from the truck and roll down an embankment. She later told detectives she was prepared to use the gun if the man came back for her.

This is only marginally a gun self-defense use, because she didn't actually threaten or shoot the guy (although she should have).

Syracuse, New York



From Syracuse's WIXT.com of March 7, 2004:

Robbery Suspect Shot in Apartment



Police say a Syracuse man has been shot after breaking into an apartment for the second time in four days. Police have arrested Willie Cooper for breaking into a Presidential Plaza apartment on Wednesday, and stealing a TV and clothing from the man living inside. Cooper came back to steal again Saturday night with two teens. But, when they broke in this time, the man heard them grabbed his shotgun and starting firing.



Cooper was hit and was taken to the hospital, where he was also later arrested. The two teens are also facing burglary charges. The man who shot at them is not; police say he was acting in self defense.

Anderson, South Carolina



From Greenville's CarolinaChannel.com of March 8, 2004:

Intruder Shot, Killed In Anderson Home



One man is dead after a shooting in Anderson late Sunday night.



Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore said the shooting happened just before midnight at 1208A N. Main St.



Shore said a man broke into the apartment looking for money and found an ax. The man living in the apartment grabbed a gun and shot the intruder in the neck when the intruder came at him with the ax.



The intruder, Earnest Leroy Miles, 41, of Anderson, died at Anderson Area Medical Center a short time later.



Detectives said the apartment resident, Lance Myers, will not face charges.

Update from the Anderson SC Independent Mail of May 29, 2004

Solicitor rules shooting self-defense



Tenth Circuit Solicitor Druanne White agreed with investigators’ initial assessment of a March 7 shooting and said she will not prosecute Lance Myers, of Anderson, for killing an ax-wielding man who broke into his house.



Ms. White said the evidence in the case showed that Mr. Myers had acted in self-defense when he killed Ernest Leroy Miles, 41.

...



Under South Carolina law, the break-in gave Mr. Myers the right to shoot in self-defense as long as he reasonably feared bodily harm or death, and hadn’t instigated the attack, she said.



"We always hear about how guns kill innocent people, but we don’t seem to hear about the ones where it ends up saving your life," Ms. White said Friday.

Memphis, Tennessee



From Memphis' WMCTV.com of March 7, 2004:

Mid-South man shoots intruder



Police have a suspect in custody and a possible accomplice. Police caught up with the pair after they drove to a firestation on the corner of Whitney and Trezevant for help.



Police say an elderly woman was working in her back yard when she noticed a man in her neighbor’s back yard. She questioned the man; then went and told her husband what was going on; and continued working in her yard.



Police say that's when the suspect sneaked inside the couple's home through a back door and got more than he bargained for. According to Memphis police officer Lt. Roy Tidwell, “It happened that her husband was inside the home and he had seen the reflection of him coming in the door so he picked up his pistol and met him at the kitchen and was shot at twice in the kitchen.”



Police say someone drove the suspect to a nearby fire station and that's where police detained the suspect and the driver. This is not the first time a home owner shot a burglary suspect.

Sacramento, California



From the Contra Costa [California] Times of March 7, 2004:

Sacramento - Police have no plans to arrest a Sacramento man who fatally shot two intruders who were trying to break into his son's store early yesterday morning.



Chong Her was camping out overnight in his son's small Southeast Asian market in Sacramento when two men jumped into the building and rushed toward him.



Her fired two shots. The men were dead shortly after 3 a.m. yesterday.



Chong's son, Bee Her, says his 67-year-old father had been sleeping in the store since a burglar broke in through the roof two weeks ago.



Police say they have no plans to arrest Her because he was firing in fear of his life.

Lacey's Spring, Alabama



From Huntsville's WAFF.com of March 7, 2004:

No Charges Expected In Shooting



No charges are expected to be filed what police are calling a self-defense shooting that left one man dead Friday night.



It happened in the Lacey's Spring community. That's in East Morgan County south of Huntsville.



Morgan County Sheriff Greg Bartlett says two brother-in-laws were arguing at a house. One shot and killed the other in self-defense. Sheriff Bartlett says a surveillance tape backs up that claim. Investigators haven't released details of their investigation. However one neighbor tells WAFF 48 News the argument may have been over a dog.



Although Bartlett says as far as he's concerned no charges will be filed, he also indicated the evidence will be turned over to Morgan County's next grand jury for review.

Tulsa, Oklahoma



From Tulsa's KOTV.com of March 4, 2004:

Tulsa homeowner shoots intruder



A homeowner defends his home with extreme force. It happened at a home located on East 7th Place around 1 AM Thursday.



Tulsa Police were checking on a call of gunfire in the neighborhood when they were called to the home. It seems the homeowner took action when an unknown man under the influence of alcohol or drugs threatened his family.



Tulsa Police Captain GB Poindexter: "He had a gun in his hand, pointed at the resident who opened the door. The resident's father came out and shot the bad guy one time in the right side."



The man was taken to a local hospital, his injuries are not life threatening. No one in the home was arrested.



The District Attorney will determine whether to file charges.

Washington, D.C.



From Washington's WTOPnews.com of March 3, 2004:

Police (sic) Shoot Would-be Robber of Armored Car



Investigators are swarming over a D.C. bank where authorities say a would-be armored car robber was shot.



It happened outside the Chevy Chase Bank on 15th Street, near "I" Street Wednesday afternoon.



A Dunbar Armored Car was parked in front of the bank, and one of the guards was delivering cash, says Commander Tom McGuire of D.C. Police.



The guard was confronted by a shotgun-toting suspect in a hallway outside the main part of the bank. But the guard turned the tables and shot the man in the leg.



A scuffle followed, spilling out onto the sidewalk.



The suspect was taken to George Washington University Hospital with non-life-threatening wounds. Police and the FBI are talking to witnesses.

Of course, armored car guards aren't police. They are civilians protecting a corporation's property. It is a shame that if you live in Washington, and want to protect something far less valuable--like your life--you can't get permission to carry a gun.