East Chicago, IN

From 11/08/14 NWI Times:

EAST CHICAGO | A 34-year-old Hammond man was shot and killed in East Chicago on Saturday afternoon in a case police believe was an act of self-defense.

Isaac R. Thomas, of the 7200 block of Arkansas Avenue, was pronounced dead at St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago at 12:48 p.m. Saturday, Lake County coroner's office investigators said.

The cause of death was listed as a gunshot wound suffered in a homicide in the 4000 block of Grand Boulevard in East Chicago.

East Chicago Police Chief Mark Becker the shooting appeared to be in retaliation for a domestic disturbance Friday in Hammond. A woman was assaulted in the Hammond case, he said.

Rio Rancho, NM

From 06/30/15 KRQE:

SANDOVAL COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – A Sandoval County jury has ruled that a woman who shot and killed a man in the middle of a busy Rio Rancho street pulled the trigger in self-defense.

Amanda Jo Lucero was facing a first-degree murder charge for shooting Andrew Anderson two years ago. Her attorney argued that she had no other choice to shoot Anderson when he threatened Lucero and her cousin with rocks and a pair of scissors.

The jury agreed and announced a not guilty verdict Monday.

Bend, OR

From 08/07/15 KTVZ:

Norquist told investigators he went past his front door and upstairs, grabbing his gun when he heard Cordes coming.

"The whole time he was here downstairs, he's telling me he wants to kill me," Norquist said.
Norquist said Cordes followed him upstairs.

"I'm yelling to him 'Don't come! Don't come!' And he comes," Norquist recalled.

Throughout the video, Norquist maintains he didn't believe he was in danger until that moment Cordes came up the stairs.

"I didn't know he was going to come for me," Norquist said, rubbing his eyes. "There's been so many times before he's told me he wants to kill me -- this was another time -- and he was drunk, and just yelling, being aggressive."...

District Attorney John Hummel told NewsChannel 21 that his team presented the evidence to a grand jury for two days.

"We did not complete the presentation of the evidence when I decided to dismiss the charges," Hummel said.
Hummel determined Norquist had made a terrible mistake, but did not break the law.

"He wasn't deceptive. He was telling the truth," Hummel said. "Based on that -- based on Oregon law and based on the evidence, I determined this case should be dismissed."

It was ruled as justifiable homicide; self-defense.

Milwaukee, WI

From 8/22/15 Fox channel 6:

Police say the incident began moments prior in the 1500 block of W. Scott Street. The victim, now identified as Gabriel Velazquez had an argument with two unknown people outside a tavern.

After the fight, Velazquez got into his car and attempted to run over the suspects, police say. That's when one of the male suspects shot at the car, striking Velazquez.

Police say Velazquez then drove to 16th and National Avenue, where he died from his injury after crashing his vehicle.

Suspects?  Even if they were behaving badly at the club, running them over is a criminal act.  Amazingly the mayor decided that this defensive use was an argument for gun control:

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is dismayed by all the violence.

"What we've seen is people lose their tempers. Sometimes alcohol is involved. Sometimes drugs are involved. Somebody feels they've been dissed and the guns come out. It's about controlling emotions," Mayor Barrett said.

Barrett urges members of the community to get more engaged and help get illegal guns away from their loved ones.

North Las Vegas, NV

From 10/30/15 Fox channel 5:

NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV (FOX5) -
A North Las Vegas teen is being hailed a hero after scaring home invaders away with a rifle and protecting his young brother and sister in the process.

The break-in occurred in the middle of the day at a home located near Ann Road and Aliante Parkway.
It was a call that Kiewa Mason said he’d hoped to never get from his son.

“I said, ‘Is everything OK? And he said, ‘No, someone has broken into our house,’” Mason said.
Kiewa Mason’s 14-year-old son Andrew Mason was home with his brother and sister, both 6 years old.
“I went upstairs and grabbed my brother and told him to hide in the closet. I grabbed a cell phone off my dad’s dresser, grabbed my rifle and hid in the closet with my brother,” Andrew Mason said....

Andrew Mason said he came face to face with one of the home invaders.
 “I had my gun loaded and ready to shoot, but when he saw me he just took off running,” he said.

Read more: http://www.fox5vegas.com/story/29848005/nlv-teen-credited-with-scaring-off-home-invaders#ixzz3vSgXuxpf

Billings, MT: Something is Missing From This News Account

From 08/10/15 KTVQ:

BILLINGS -
A coroner's inquest jury on Wednesday determined a Billings teen acted in self-defense when he shot and killed his friend.

The Yellowstone County Attorney's Office called for the inquest, with was held held in Yellowstone County District Court.

According to police,17-year-old Seth Culver shot 15-year-old MacKeon Schulte when he and a friend threw pebbles at Culver's window on May 17.

The seven-person jury took about an hour to reach a verdict after hearing testimony throughout the day.

Lt. Bill Jones, Yellowstone County Coroner, read the verdict that was a justifiable homicide and not by criminal means.

 I am not going to question the inquest's verdict, but there must be more to this than throwing pebbles.

Charleston, WV: Serial Killer Chose Poorly

Fron 07/23/15 Fox channel 12:

CHARLESTON, W. VA (KPTV) - Police in Charleston, West Virginia are investigating whether an Oregon man killed after he attacked a woman is connected to some violent, unsolved murders.

Police said Neal Falls, 45, from Springfield, met up with a woman in West Virginia using the website Backpage.com, which offers escort services.

When he met up with the woman, police said he tried to strangle the woman, but she fought back. The woman told police that she grabbed Falls' gun after he put the weapon down and shot him once, killing him.
Police said investigators found a cache of weapons in his trunk. Falls had several axes, a shovel, bleach, knives, a machete and other items in his vehicle. Falls also had handcuffs and a pistol in his pocket.
The shooting was self-defense, according to police.

While the shooting happened in West Virginia, police in Ohio are keeping an eye on the case.

They aren't officially connecting the cases, but they are looking to see if Falls may be connected to the mysterious deaths and disappearances of six women. Some have been linked to prostitution.

Read more: http://www.kptv.com/story/29611664/police-oregon-man-killed-by-victim-during-attack-may-be-connected-to-other-crimes#ixzz3vSdBQvCv

Chicago, IL

From 07/31/15 DNAInfo:

NEAR WEST SIDE — The man exonerated of murder after spending 17 years in jail — only to be shot dead on the Near West Side this week — was killed by his alleged drug-dealing partner in a robbery gone bad, a top police source told DNAinfo.com.

And the man who pulled the trigger will not be charged with murder — because it was Alprentiss Nash who had first tried to rob the shooter and pulled a gun, the source said.

Detectives view it as a case of self-defense, the source said.

San Jose, CA

From 02/21/14 San Jose Mercury-News:

SAN JOSE -- Gunfire shook a quiet neighborhood in the East San Jose foothills Thursday night when a resident claiming self-defense shot and killed a would-be intruder.

As a precaution while they sort out the facts, San Jose police preliminarily listed the shooting as the city's eighth homicide of the year.

The shots rang out just before 8 p.m. on Pine Ridge Way, nestled off Clayton Road. The man believed to have fired some of the shots called police and met them at his home, and told officers an unknown person had tried to break in and fired shots into the residence.

"He said somebody had attempted to break into his home, and at some point he saw some shadows or silhouettes of a person," said Officer Albert Morales, a San Jose police spokesman. "He armed himself with a firearm that belonged to him and returned fire in the direction of where this subject was, in defense of his life."


The resident and witnesses saw the two men get into a car and speed away. A short time later, a man suffering from at least one gunshot wound was dropped off at a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators said evidence including bullet casings appear to initially corroborate the resident's version of events. It was not immediately clear why the home was targeted 

East Nashville, TN

From 12/13/15 Tennesseans:

Metro police are investigating a fatal Saturday shooting in East Nashville as possible self-defense.

Jarmane Southern, 42, was fatally shot inside a home in the 700 block of Douglas Avenue at 10 p.m. Saturday, according to a news release from Metro police.

Metro police at this point believe acquaintances Southern and DeMarcus Wellington, 41, were having a dispute when Southern allegedly pulled a knife. Wellington then fired a gun, according to the release.

Wellington has not been charged as the investigation continues, the release states.

Houston, TX

From 12/14/15 KTRK:

HOUSTON (KTRK) --

A robbery suspect is in critical condition after one of his victims pulled out a gun in Houston.

The shooting happened at about 2am on Washington Avenue near Heights Boulevard.

Officers say four people were leaving work at a nearby club Monday morning when three men pulled up in a white car.

Witnesses tell police at least two of those men had guns drawn.

As the suspects were taking one of the victim's purses, one of the workers reached into his own car, pulled out a gun and began shooting.

The brother of the victim who shot the suspect did not want to give us his name, but he did tell us he and his brothers both served in the army.

"It wasn't scary. We're private service military guys so this was just like a regular reaction."

Officers say one of the suspects, 17-year-old Dante Grant, was shot several times and is in critical condition. Another suspect may have been hit as well, but managed to get away after jumping into a waiting car.

Gwinnet County, GA

From 12/09/15 Fox 29:

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA (FOX 5) Armed Gwinnett County residents packing heat, took action after hearing a man's cries for help. They credit their guns with saving the elderly man's life.

"Help, he is trying to kill me, help me, help me." Those are the chilling words Karen Duncan heard as she walked up her friend's driveway in Lawrenceville Monday afternoon.

"She kind of started running towards the house," said her friend, Ron Childress. "I could tell something was wrong and she hit the doorbell in a panic."

Childress said when he opened the door he heard the same terrifying words. Duncan said she grabbed her purse with her gun inside and took off to find the man. "As I got closer I realized that there is this elderly gentleman laying on the ground with a younger man on top of him with a knife," said Duncan.  "I see blood and this big old knife."

Duncan said the man was trying to stab another man around 90-years-old. She said she told him to stop, but he did not listen.

"Finally I said, 'I'm getting ready to shoot you' and then he stopped and he looked at me and he tossed the knife away," said Duncan.  Her friend, Childress, who is a former law enforcement officer showed up right behind her.

"I said 'put your arms out, put your legs out and stay right where you are, do not move,'" said Childress.  While Childress pointed his gun at the man Duncan called 911.

Childress said he is convinced that if Duncan had not shown up when she did, the elderly man would have been killed and credits being armed with saving the man’s life.

Brooklyn, NY

From 12/16/15 New York Daily News:

A teen robber who was shot and killed during a Brooklyn home invasion was trying to steal the shooter’s marijuana stash, authorities said Tuesday.

Melvin Richie, 16, and an accomplice pushed their way into Ricardo Cameron’s first-floor apartment on Church Ave. and E. 91st St. in East Flatbush on Sunday, authorities said. One intruder had a pistol, but Cameron, 37, managed to get to his own gun and shot Richie in the head, prosecutors said.

Investigators believe Cameron acted in self-defense, but he had two guns — one licensed, one not, sources said.

He tried to hide one of the weapons and the marijuana, by sticking them into a bag and telling another resident to get rid of it, according to a criminal complaint. Cops found the bag in the building’s laundry room.

Adamsville, AL: Bringing a Gun to a Rape Is Bad Idea For Rapist

From Dec. 16, 2015 WVTM:

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. —Authorities have determined that a woman who shot and killed her accused abductor and rapist acted in self-defense.

The incident was reported at 6 p.m. Nov. 3  in the 2800 block of Pebble Creek Parkway in Forestdale. Adamsville police were asked to help located a 26-year-old woman who had been reported abducted earlier in the day.

The woman was found in the parking lot. Jeremy Arnold Ford, 25, was found dead in an apartment. He had suffered an apparent gunshot wound.

Investigators said the woman had been abducted at gunpoint, raped, driven to locations the suspect wanted to visit, then forced to drive back to Ford's apartment, where she was once again sexually assaulted. They say the victim shot Ford with his own gun.

Scioto County, OH

From Dec. 15, 2010 ABC channel 6:

SCIOTO COUNTY — The Scioto County Sheriff's Office says it appears a homeowner shot a man who was firing a gun into his home in self defense, ABC 6/FOX 28 News has learned.

According to Scioto County Sheriff Marty V. Donini, a 911 call from 11 Leonard Street in Scioto Furnace at 11:39 p.m. alerted police to a person outside of the home shooting through the door. Bullets were going into the house, the caller said.

Sheriff Donini stated that during this 911 call, the caller later advised that the man shooting the gun had been shot and they needed help.

Deputies and detectives, along with emergency medical services, went out to the home and found the man lying in the front yard. The Scioto County coroner pronounced the man dead upon arrival.
Sheriff Donini says the man has been identified as 25-year-old Timothy Ray Carpenter, of Burton Road in South Webster, Ohio.

"From the initial investigation and interviewing the witnesses it appears that this is a case of self defense with the home owner protecting his family," the sheriff said.

Jackson, MS

From May 16, 2015 WJTV channel 12:

JACKSON, MS – A man has shot and killed a suspect in self-defense after being robbed and kidnapped at gunpoint.

According to Officer Colendula Green of the Jackson Police Department, in Eastover area, the victim was putting items in his truck, when he  was approached by two black males with guns and forced back inside his house.

The suspects took his wallet and made him take them to a nearby ATM to withdraw an undisclosed amount of money. Both suspects mentioned going back to the house & to do something to the victim’s wife and the victim was made him get out of truck.

The victim grabbed a gun from his truck and shot at the suspects, killing one of them (identified by the Hinds county coroner as 23-year-old Edwin Robinson), on the scene. The other suspect fled and is still at large. He was last seen wearing a bandana with dark clothes in a tan SUV with no tag.

Lansing, MI

From April 19, 2015 Lansing State Journal:

LANSING – "I shot him. It was me," the man shouted to police.

Minutes earlier, he had intervened in a domestic dispute prosecutors say could have left him and his female neighbor dead. Prosecutors ruled he acted in self-defense last year when he wrestled a gun away from Christopher Strong, 27, and shot him with it.

None of that was immediately clear the night of Sept. 16. Police found the neighbor performing CPR on Strong when they arrived around 10 p.m. to the South Pine Street apartment where Strong lived with his girlfriend. Strong, shot once in the chest, died at the scene a short time later. Police handcuffed the neighbor, who at one point appeared on the verge of passing out and asked to speak to his pastor, according to police reports.

Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III ruled Strong's death a justifiable homicide late last year, he confirmed earlier this month.

Guns Do Get Taken Away And Used Against Them

From Oct. 5, 2015 Fox News DC:

WASHINGTON - A weekend triple shooting in Northeast D.C. appears to be a case of self-defense from a robbery.

Four people were walking in the 700 block of H Street around 1 a.m. Saturday when a man identified as Jerome Wright held them up at gunpoint. But according to a source close to the investigation, one of the victims fought back.

In the struggle, two of the robbery victims were shot. One of them, after being hit in the chest, managed to wrestle the gun from Wright and fatally shot him.

Police did not identify the robbery victims, but said they are expected to survive.

“It’s a justifiable homicide, but the issue is it could have been very tragic the other way,” said Sgt. Delroy Burton of the D.C. Police Union.

FOX 5 has learned that Wright was a career criminal. He just spent five years in jail on felony robbery and other charges. He got out of a halfway house in June. By September, he was back out selling drugs on H Street.

Elko, NV: Careful Who You Room With

From May 4, 2015  Elko Daily:

ELKO — Initial investigation reveals that a man might have killed another man in self-defense during a fight early Sunday morning.

Elko police are investigating the homicide of Clinton Hopper, 32, who was killed Sunday morning in his girlfriend’s apartment by Frank Criswell.

Criswell, 28, and the apartment renter, Alesha Piccinini, 29, had gone on a date the evening before, Elko Police Lt. Rich Genseal said. The two had met a few weeks ago. They returned to Piccinini’s apartment at about 3 a.m. Sunday.

At about 6:40 a.m., Hopper entered the apartment. He was in a relationship with Piccinini and had a key to the apartment, Detective Dennis Price said.

Then Criswell got up to see who had entered the apartment, Hopper allegedly hit him in the head with a blunt object, which police believe was a skateboard. The two men then began fighting and punching each other, Genseal said.

At some point, Criswell grabbed a .45-caliber pistol that belonged to him and shot Hopper once through the neck. Genseal said at the time, Hopper — a 6-foot, 5-inch tall man who weighed 235 pounds — was on top of the 5-foot, 8-inch tall, 165-pound Criswell and choking him. Criswell claimed he was beginning to black out.

From May 17, 2015 Elko Daily News:

ELKO — Further investigation supports the finding that the shooting death of a California man on May 3 was justifiable homicide, according to police.

Elko Police Lt. Rich Genseal said investigators are not going to pursue charges against Frank Criswell, who reportedly shot and killed Clinton Hopper during a fight in Alesha Piccinini’s apartment.
 

New Orleans, LA: Defending Someone Else Gets Medical Student Shot

From Nov. 21, 2015 Fox channel 13 Salt Lake City:

(CNN) — A man who tried to help a New Orleans crime victim was shot in the stomach and would have been shot again had the assailant’s handgun not jammed, security camera video released by police shows.

Peter Gold, 25, a Tulane University medical student, survived. He is listed in guarded condition at a hospital, New Orleans police said.

The video was shot at 4 a.m. Friday and opens with a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt dragging a woman down the sidewalk to a parked SUV in the 1000 block of St. Mary Street, New Orleans police said in a press release.

A few seconds later, a car turns the corner and parks. Gold gets out and approaches the man outside camera range.

Gold steps back into camera range with his hands up. There’s no audio, but police said he was explaining that he didn’t have any cash. The gunman fires once into Gold’s stomach. The student falls to the sidewalk and curls into a ball.

The gunman points the weapon at Gold’s head but the gun doesn’t fire. He fiddles with the gunl and tries two more times to shoot Gold. He steps out of the camera range and a light-colored SUV drives away.

Evanston: OH Street Robbery Kills Robber

From Dec. 11, 2015 Cincinnati Enquirer:

A teen who fired a gun while trying to rob two men Thursday night was shot and killed by one of his intended victims, Cincinnati police said.

Police said 16-year-old Christopher Terrell attempted to rob a contractor about 11:37 p.m. in the 150 block of Jonathan Avenue in Evanston.

Another contractor observed the robbery attempt and confronted Terrell.

Terrell and the second contractor exchanged gunfire, and Terrell was killed during the shooting. It's unclear who fired first, said Lt. Steve Saunders.

The contractor, who was working on plumbing at a residence, had a concealed-carry permit for his weapon, said Saunders.

Robbing A Poker Game Is Stupid

From Jul. 1, 2015 WNEM:

SAGINAW TOWNSHIP, MI (WNEM) -
The Saginaw County Prosecutor has announced that a deadly shooting at a poker game was ruled justifiable homicide.

The incident happened about 12 a.m. March 12 at Camelot Place Apartments on Ivanhoe Drive. The area is off of Center Road, between Gratiot and Michigan Avenue in Saginaw Township.

A high stakes poker game was allegedly going on at the apartment. Christopher Talkington, one of the poker players, orchestrated the robbery, police said.

Gunfire was exchanged between one of the participants and the suspects.

Ramon Caesar Vasquez, 25, was shot during the incident. He later passed away at the hospital, police said. Police did not mention if Vasquez was a poker player or one of the suspects.

Read more: http://www.wnem.com/story/28402139/three-men-charged-after-shooting-at-alleged-poker-game#ixzz3tm3B4sMg

Some Situations Argue For An Intermediary

From Aug. 19, 2015 Orlando Sentinel:

One day before Easter, Michael Reid lay dying on the floor of a house near Pine Hills.

Reid was 22. He was on his back, blood from five bullet wounds pooling around him. There was a gun holster in his waistband, and a loaded 9 mm pistol, his mother's, inches from his hand.

And there were witnesses who all said the same thing: Reid went to the house uninvited to get a few belongings from Nikita Jackson, an ex-girlfriend. He was arguing with her and five people she brought home with her, including Jaime Agustin Casanova-Nater, a friend's boyfriend. When Reid pulled out his mother's gun, the witnesses said, Casanova grabbed his legally concealed .45-caliber Springfield Armory pistol and fired six shots.

Faced with the testimony and evidence, the local State Attorney's Office declined to prosecute the case Aug. 5.

Teen weekend killing ruled justifiable homicide

From Feb. 11, 2015 Louisville Courier-Journal:

The teenager who gunned down a Western High School student in a car near Shively Saturday evening was acting in self-defense, Louisville Metro Police said.

Anthony Smith Jr., 18, was one of five people killed in the city in less than a week, in a bloody beginning to 2015.

Smith's killing, ruled a justifiable homicide, will not be counted among the city's murders, which stands at 14 so far this year, including a young man found shot to death on North 26^th Street early Wednesday morning.

Never Wise To Use A Gun When You Are A Prohibited Person

From Sep. 9, 2015 Tribune-Review:

A fatal shooting last week in Clairton may be treated as a case of justifiable homicide, police said.

Aaron Barrow, 19, of McKees Rocks was killed at about 1 a.m. Thursday when he was shot multiple times during a home invasion in the city's Wilson neighborhood. 

Allegheny County police Lt. Andrew Schurman said Tuesday three men who were in the home at the time of the robbery attempt were arrested but none has been charged with homicide. 

Jaime Mosqueda, 39, a resident of the home at the corner of Pennsylvania and Ohio avenues, was arrested on three counts of prohibited acts and single counts of conspiracy, persons not to possess a firearm, offensive weapons and false identification. 

He is jailed on $100,000 bail. 

Oswaldo Cuero Guerrero, 27, of Houston and Anthony Gardner, 20, of South Park were charged with two counts of prohibited acts and single counts of conspiracy, prohibited acts and offensive weapons.

Read more: http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourmckeesport/yourmckeesportmore/9054629-74/counts-fatal-acts#ixzz3tlxtyQPI
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Gunfight in the French Quarter

From Sep. 16, 2015 New Orleans Times-Picayune:

The Sept. 9 shooting death of 35-year-old Gerald "Tootie" Arnold is expected to be ruled a justifiable homicide, officials said Wednesday, because New Orleans police investigators have determined he was the aggressor who ignited the French Quarter gunfight that claimed his life.

The Orleans Parish District Attorney's office must concur with that recommendation before the ruling is final. But Lt. Jimmie Turner, commander of NOPD's Homicide unit, said witnesses and evidence indicate the man who fatally shot Arnold was acting in self-defense.

"Basically, we had two guys who were having an argument, a fight ensued, and they fired upon each other," Turner said. "Through our investigation, and having spoken with a variety of different witnesses, it became clear that (Arnold) was the aggressor in the incident."

Robbery Leads to Shooting

From Dec. 8, 2015 WFMZ:

READING, Pa. - Three people -- two 17-year-old boys and an 18-year-old woman -- were charged Monday in connection with a robbery that resulted in the shooting death of a Reading High School student. Berks County District Attorney John Adams, announcing that the shooting was justified, said the person who opened fire feared for his life while being robbed. "The death of Daquill Fuller, caused by the victim shooting him, was justifiable homicide and no charges will be filed against the victim, being the individual who as robbed and used deadly force," Adams said.

Read more from WFMZ.com at: http://www.wfmz.com/news/news-regional-berks/berks-da-shooting-death-of-reading-teen-was-justified/36841438
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Three people -- two 17-year-old boys and an 18-year-old woman -- were charged Monday in connection with a robbery that resulted in the shooting death of a Reading High School student.

 Berks County District Attorney John Adams, announcing that the shooting was justified, said the person who opened fire feared for his life while being robbed.

"The death of Daquill Fuller, caused by the victim shooting him, was justifiable homicide and no charges will be filed against the victim, being the individual who as robbed and used deadly force," Adams said.

 The shooting took place last Wednesday night in the 1300 block of North 12th Street. The victim, whose name has not been released, was described as a 23-year-old man who was the target of a random robbery carried out by Fuller and the three suspects charged Monday, according to investigators.

"We have three individuals in custody for that robbery," Adams said. "They are Jaylen Jefferson and Kristan Diaz-Cruz. Both of those individuals are 17 years old, and we just arrested a third person today. Tejona Williams. She is 18 years of age. ...

"They have been charged with robbery aggravated assault, simple assault, theft and recklessly endangering another person," Adams said. Police said the suspects approached the victim from behind and began attacking him. When the they rolled the victim over to search his pockets, they said that's when the victim saw Fuller holding a silver revolver, provided by Williams. Police said the robbery victim had a license to carry a firearm and that he had no other choice but to use the gun when he was being attacked.

Read more from WFMZ.com at: http://www.wfmz.com/news/news-regional-berks/berks-da-shooting-death-of-reading-teen-was-justified/36841438
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Police said the suspects approached the victim from behind and began attacking him. When the they rolled the victim over to search his pockets, they said that's when the victim saw Fuller holding a silver revolver, provided by Williams. 

Police said the robbery victim had a license to carry a firearm and that he had no other choice but to use the gun when he was being attacked.

Read more from WFMZ.com at: http://www.wfmz.com/news/news-regional-berks/berks-da-shooting-death-of-reading-teen-was-justified/36841438
Connect with us... Facebook/69WFMZ or @69News

READING, Pa. - Three people -- two 17-year-old boys and an 18-year-old woman -- were charged Monday in connection with a robbery that resulted in the shooting death of a Reading High School student. Berks County District Attorney John Adams, announcing that the shooting was justified, said the person who opened fire feared for his life while being robbed. "The death of Daquill Fuller, caused by the victim shooting him, was justifiable homicide and no charges will be filed against the victim, being the individual who as robbed and used deadly force," Adams said.

Read more from WFMZ.com at: http://www.wfmz.com/news/news-regional-berks/berks-da-shooting-death-of-reading-teen-was-justified/36841438
Connect with us... Facebook/69WFMZ or @69News

READING, Pa. - Three people -- two 17-year-old boys and an 18-year-old woman -- were charged Monday in connection with a robbery that resulted in the shooting death of a Reading High School student. Berks County District Attorney John Adams, announcing that the shooting was justified, said the person who opened fire feared for his life while being robbed. "The death of Daquill Fuller, caused by the victim shooting him, was justifiable homicide and no charges will be filed against the victim, being the individual who as robbed and used deadly force," Adams said.

Read more from WFMZ.com at: http://www.wfmz.com/news/news-regional-berks/berks-da-shooting-death-of-reading-teen-was-justified/36841438
Connect with us... Facebook/69WFMZ or @69News

READING, Pa. - Three people -- two 17-year-old boys and an 18-year-old woman -- were charged Monday in connection with a robbery that resulted in the shooting death of a Reading High School student. Berks County District Attorney John Adams, announcing that the shooting was justified, said the person who opened fire feared for his life while being robbed. "The death of Daquill Fuller, caused by the victim shooting him, was justifiable homicide and no charges will be filed against the victim, being the individual who as robbed and used deadly force," Adams said.

Read more from WFMZ.com at: http://www.wfmz.com/news/news-regional-berks/berks-da-shooting-death-of-reading-teen-was-justified/36841438
Connect with us... Facebook/69WFMZ or @69News

Domestic Violence Ends in Justifiable Homicide

From Nov. 12, 2015 KNBC:

Tingirides said the investigation was in its early stages, but it appeared that a dispute led one family member to shoot two others. Another family member also got a gun and opened fire on the original shooter.

Family members identified the two who died as Ponstella Everson and her son-in-law Michael Pineda. Relatives learned from police that investigators believe Pineda  was the initial aggressor, wounding his wife, Tonya, and killing his mother-in-law.  Ponstella Everson's son Ronald, Tonya's brother, also became involved.

"He defended her," said Donna Harris, who identified herself as a cousin of  Ponstella Everson.  It was Harris's understanding that Ronald Everson shot to death Pineda.

Car Thief Shot

From Dec. 8, 2015 KOAT:

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —There can sometimes be a thin line between shooting in self-defense and committing a crime.

On Sunday, police said some car thieves pulled a gun on a homeowner, who fired back, hitting one of the thieves. But police don't expect the homeowner to face any charges.

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Gun Taken Away And Used Against the Criminal

Dec. 4, 2015 Press-Democrat:

A gunshot victim showed up at a Napa hospital emergency room Wednesday and became a suspect in the kidnapping and attempted murder of a San Francisco man who told police he escaped his bindings and wrestled his kidnapper for the gun, Napa County law enforcement officials said Friday....

About seven hours later, Napa police received a phone call from a San Francisco police officer who said a man had contacted the department and reported he’d been kidnapped, taken to Napa, bound and held for 24 hours. He said he’d escaped after a struggle with one of his kidnappers and that during the struggle, the kidnapper had tried to shoot him, but that he’d gotten the gun and shot the kidnapper in self defense, according to Pike and Napa police Lt. Debbie Peecook, who also released information about the case.

Take Him To Detroit!

From Fox 2 Detroit:

DETROIT - A group of men terrorized food truck operators and bar owners in Detroit.

Police busted the two of three suspects after one victim finally decided to take matters into his own hands. The Mexican Town crime spree was stopped thanks to a sharp security guard, a brave victim and good old fashioned police work.

They would eventually be stopped when they tried to hold up Happy Bar on Green Street, thanks to the owner.

Felipe Orozco walked into the bathroom, slipped a red mask on, came out and demanded money from the owner. They argued, then Orozco shot him in the leg..

The bad guy messed with the wrong victim. The owner of the bar, a CPL holder himself, pulled out his weapon and fired back multiple times.

Orozco's partners in crime saw how badly he was wounded, picked him up and dumped him at Detroit Receiving Hospital.

Houston Home Invasion

From Dec 3, 2015 Channel 2 Houston:

HOUSTON - One man is dead after a shooting Saturday in the 8300 block of Canyon Street in southeast Houston.

The Houston Police Department said a homeowner had gotten into an argument with another man earlier in the day. Officials said the second man tried to come back and break down the homeowner's door.

Investigators said the homeowner shot the man several times with a shotgun.

Home Invasion in Texas Is Risky

From Dec. 3, 2015 Channel 2 Houston:

HUMBLE, Texas - One man is dead and two men are in custody after a home invasion led to a carjacking and police chase in Humble.

Harris County sheriff's deputies responded just before midnight Friday to a report of a home invasion with shots fired in the 18900 block of Kemble Road in Atascocita. When deputies arrived they determined the one of the occupants of the home fired shots at the suspects.

Deputies found a blood trail that led from the house, but could not find a wounded person in the area or at any hospitals.

Around 1:30 a.m. Saturday Harris County sheriff's deputies received a call from Houston police officers saying they were involved in a pursuit that ended in the 8000 block of Rankin Road.
"The city of Houston tried to initiate a traffic stop on a vehicle that was driving erratic," Greg Pinkins, with the Houston Police Department, said.

The suspects bailed out of the vehicle and Houston police were able to apprehend the driver, who told them he was carjacked on Driotwich Drive, one street over from the home invasion. The driver told authorities the carjackers wanted him to drive them to a hospital because one of them had been shot.
Houston police found a man dead in the back seat of the vehicle. Two of the three men who ran were taken into custody....

Harris County sheriff's deputies arrived to the scene and determined the men involved in the carjacking and chase were the suspects from the home invasion.

Even Bad Guys Defend Themselves

From Dec. 1, 2015 Jacksonville (N.C.) Daily News:

The death of Everette — whose body was found off Murrill Hill Road after a “drug deal gone bad” spurred gunfire early Monday morning — did not merit a murder charge, Onslow County Sheriff Hans Miller said.

The act was ruled self-defense.

Because both men were convicted felons, the survivor faces one charge of felon in possession of a firearm, Miller said. Everette’s convictions included possession of stolen goods and possession of a Schedule 2 controlled substance. The man who allegedly acted in self-defense — Delman Dwayne Dixon, 22 — previously was convicted of common-law robbery, breaking and entering and obtaining property by false pretense, according to N.C. Department of Public Safety.

Video Coverage

Our friends at The Armed Citizen have been putting up video footage of such incidents, visible here.

Another Shooting in Chicago: Reason to Celebrate or Something

From Dec. 1, 2015 Chicago Tribune:

A concealed carry gun owner who shot a man who was firing at a group of people in April said Tuesday that Chicago police have returned his licensed firearm.

John Hendricks, 48, was taking a break between Uber fares in the 2900 block of North Milwaukee Avenue on April 17 when Everardo Custodio, 23, opened fire on a group near Hendricks' vehicle, according to his account and police records.

Hendricks fired his Springfield Armory .45, striking Custodio three times, according to police reports.

He was not charged with any crime in the shooting because he fired in self-defense, which is allowed under Illinois' concealed carry laws.

Custodio was charged in connection with the shooting and pleaded guilty to related charges in August, according to court records and representatives of the Cook County state's attorney's office.

Hendricks said police took custody of his firearm that night, after he called 911 following the shooting, and that repeated phone calls regarding the status of his gun had gone nowhere until recently.

More details in this article interviewing Hendricks.

Remember: Gun Self-Defense Is Really Rare

Or so, the anti-gunners keep insisting.  From Oct. 26, 2015 Orlando Sentinel:

Tyrell Owens returned home early Sunday with a case of beer and a pistol tucked in his pants.

It was 1:53 a.m. in Pine Hills, moments before 911 calls flooded the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
"Give it up," Owens was told. And then the stranger's voice blurted, "Oh, [expletive], he has a gun, too."

In the seconds that followed, multiple gunshots exploded at Avesta Rolling Hills apartments on Pine Chase Drive.

When it was over, Owens survived uninjured.
The stranger ran away leaving a trail of blood. He ran to a white Mercedes-Benz SUV with after-market rims waiting in the parking lot. He fell at least once as a result of his wounds. Later identified as Wilmar Jolteus, 32, he jumped into the passenger seat, and it sped away, a report says,

Later in the night, he was dumped outside the emergency room at Orlando Regional Medical Center, records show.

Jolteus — a convicted felon with 11 prior arrests in South Florida — had been shot in the left leg and his right buttock, records show.

Sheriff's records complimented Owens' coolness under fire.

Never Bring A Fake Gun To A Real Gunfight

From Nov. 2, 2015 Washington Post:

On Saturday evening, a man wearing a mask walked into a South Side Chicago bodega, pulled out a gun and announced a robbery.

As the robber pointed his gun at the store’s employees, however, a customer pulled out his own gun.
The robber’s gun, it turns out, was fake.

The customer’s was not.

Now the robbery suspect is dead, gunned down by the concealed-weapon-toting customer.

The case is the latest in a string of incidents across the country in which bystanders have pulled out their concealed weapons and used them against suspected criminals.

At least this fool wasn't a suspected criminal.  As one comment observed:

And an object lesson here...play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Ruled Self-Defense

From Nov. 7, 2015 channel 11 Atlanta:

ATLANTA -- Atlanta police are investigating after finding a man shot to death in a southeast Atlanta front yard.

Police arrived on the scene at the 400 block of Holly Drive where officials said they found a man lying face down with gun shot wounds to the face and arm....

Lt. Charles Hampton said the victim walked onto the couples' property brandishing a weapon. The homeowner opened fire on him.

Emergency crews from Grady Memorial Medical Center arrived at the scene to render aid but pronounced the victim dead at the scene.

Officials said that no charges will likely be filed in the incident due to claims of self-defense.

Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes

From Oct. 22, 2015 Mlive:

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The mother of a man killed outside of New York Fried Chicken has filed a $5 million wrongful-death lawsuit against the restaurant for allegedly failing to call 911.

Kimberly Williams contends that her son, Terrance Bruce Williams, 24, could have survived if emergency workers were summoned earlier.

Her son's Oct. 21, 2012, killing in the restaurant parking lot was ruled justifiable homicide.

Surveillance video showed Williams approach Thomas Albert-Earl Davis with what appeared to be a gun, pointed at Davis, police said.

Davis hunched down, popped up and fired at Williams. Williams ran to a van that left for the hospital, police said.

Police said he died after surgery.

Do I understand this?  Her son did something so stupid and unlawful that his death was ruled justifiable homicide, and she is demanding $5 million because the restaurant didn't call 911?

I remember many years ago taking a concealed weapons class in Cal8ifornia, and the deputy sheriff teaching it explained that if you ever engage in a completely righteous shoot, all the dead guy's family will come out of the woodwork to file suit. Proof positive.

Never Bring A Homemade Weapon to A Gunfight

From Nov. 12, 2015 channel 11:

Investigators determined that 24-year-old Fawbush and Richard Vawter followed Campbell to his home after the initial disagreement on Braselton Highway. The incident escalated in Campbell's driveway on Windsong Park Drive.

"The suspects approached him with a homemade weapon of some sort," said Cpl. Michele Pihera, a Gwinnett County Police spokeswoman.

That's when Campbell pulled out his gun and fired at least one shot," Pihera said.

"Based on what he said to our first-responders and investigators, he felt his life was in jeopardy and he had to use lethal force," said Pihera.

You Can always Tell Which Side Progressives Are On

From Nov. 16, 2015 WVCB Boston:

PORTLAND, Maine —A disabled former lobsterman who shot an intruder after buying a gun to defend himself sued his landlord Monday over a policy that prohibits him from keeping a gun in his subsidized apartment.

Harvey Lembo, who uses a motorized wheelchair, was warned by his property management company that tenants are prohibited from having firearms after he shot an alleged burglar in the shoulder after five break-ins.

Unsurprisingly comments on the article are taking the side of the burglar having a right  to a gun-free workplace.

Sef-defense With AR-15

From the Nov. 26, 2015 Wyoming Tribune-Eagle:

 - While detectives continue to investigate a dual homicide that happened here Sunday night, the Cheyenne Police Department announced Friday that at least one of the deaths seems to have involved self-defense.
Justin Morrison and Darius Mathis, both 23 and of Cheyenne, were killed by shots fired around 11:30 p.m. Sunday outside 4523 E. 14th St. in east Cheyenne.
"The investigation's not completed, and we're still waiting on some of the physical evidence," police spokesman Officer Dan Long said. "(But) they've gotten a lot of that preliminary information back."
Newly released information says Mathis, who died on scene, was shot with an AR-15 rifle by a third person, identified by police as 20-year-old Brandon Painter.
Painter reportedly was a resident of the house along with Morrison and two others.

Remember: Self-Defense With A Gun Is Really Rare

From Nov. 29, 2015 KJRH:

TULSA - Police say a man was shot Sunday evening during an attempted armed robbery at a Burger King in midtown Tulsa.

Officers responded to the fast food restaurant near East 41st Street and South Memorial Drive around 5:30 p.m.

They say a suspect was carrying a crowbar when he tried to rob another man outside the restaurant.

Police say the victim then pulled out a gun and shot the man accused of threatening him once in the shoulder.

Police say the suspect was able to drive away from the scene in a blue car with license plate number 828-BDX. Once they find him, police say he will face assault with a deadly weapon charges.

They say the shooter will not face charges because he was acting in self-defense.

Jury Rules Self-Defense

From Nov. 20, 2015 Tri-City Herald:

A Benton County jury decided Tyree Q. Houfmuse was acting in self defense when he fired six shots at his girlfriend’s ex last Thanksgiving eve.

Jurors deliberated for a little more than 3  1/2 hours Thursday before returning the verdict against Houfmuse for the shooting that left Anthony L. Asselin paralyzed.

If convicted, Houfmuse, 33, could have faced more than 30 years in prison for first-degree assault with a gun.

Jurors, however, found him guilty of second-degree unlawful possession of a gun by a felon.
Houfmuse had been in custody on $200,000 bail since December. Since he’s facing a sentence of time served, Judge Robert Swisher released him without bail.

NAU "Rampage Shooting" Apparently Not

I completely missed this tragedy.  From Oct. 9, 2015 AFP:

Los Angeles:  One person was killed and three others wounded in a shooting at an Arizona university early on Friday before police captured the gunman, university officials said.

The deadly shooting at Northern Arizona University (NAU) comes just over a week after the October 1 shooting rampage at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, in which a 26-year-old gunman shot dead nine people, then committed suicide.

The first emergency calls came through to police at 1:20 am Friday, when most NAU students would have been in bed at the university campus in the city of Flagstaff.

The motive for the shooting -- just the latest at colleges and universities in the United States -- was not immediately clear and the identity of the shooter and the victims was not immediately known.

But there's another side to the story.  From Nov. 20, 2015 Arizona Republic:

Northern Arizona University shooting suspect Steven Jones told police he was being charged by other students when he fired shots, killing one student and wounding three others, according to reports released Friday by the NAU police.

Jones, 18, claimed he and two friends were first attacked and beaten outside an apartment complex in the Oct. 9 incident and then chased to his car by another group of students who shouted obscenities and threatened to kill them.

But the surviving victims and other witnesses told varying stories that corroborated some of Jones' statements and contradicted others.

Jones, who wept during police interviews, claimed he got his Glock pistol from the car and told the pursuers, who were then surrounding his friends, that he had a gun. He said he shot two of the attackers, again saying they would kill him, when they charged him.

Colin Brough, 20, was pronounced dead at the scene. Nicholas Piring, 20, was the second student shot.

One of the friends who was with Jones corroborated the initial fight and that they ran from their attackers. He told police that Jones pointed the gun and told two men to get to the ground, but one lunged at him and was shot twice. Then he shot the other student, he said.

Jones has been indicted, but it sounds like he has at least a plausible argument for self-defense.

UPDATE: The story gets more interesting.  From Nov. 30, 2015 Arizona Daily Sun:

Accused killer Steven Jones was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol when he shot four fellow Northern Arizona University students, killing one.

But all four of the victims had alcohol, drugs or both in their systems on the night of the fatal shooting.

According to a new section of the police report released by NAU Police Department Monday, Arizona Department of Public Safety Crime Laboratory technicians found no alcohol or drugs in blood recovered from Jones, 18, after he shot Colin Brough, Nicholas Prato, Nicholas Piring and Kyle Zienteck, all 20 years old, in what he characterized as an act of self-defense in the early morning hours of Oct. 9.

The same police report cited lab results that listed Prato’s blood alcohol content at 0.92 percent, Zientek’s blood alcohol content at 0.181 percent and Piring’s blood alcohol content at 0.208 percent. All three readings were above the 0.08 percent blood alcohol content used to determine whether a person is driving under the influence, although, as 20-year-olds, having any alcohol in their systems would be illegal. The lab tests also detected cannabis in Prato and Zienteck’s blood. Piring’s drug screening results were not included in the report.

Jones' claim looks more and more believable.

Why Leaving Your Kids in Possession of Guns is a Bad Idea

From Nov. 10, 2015 WCSC:

LADSON, SC (WCSC) -
Authorities say one burglary suspect is dead and another arrested after a 13-year-old boy opened fire at a home in Ladson on Tuesday.

The Charleston County Coroner's Office identified the deceased suspect as 31-year-old Lamar Brown of Summerville who died at Trident Hospital at 2:32 p.m. from gunshot wounds.

Investigators with the Charleston County Sheriff's Office arrested 28-year-old Ira J. Bennett of North Charleston and charged him with first-degree burglary and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime.

Around 1:53 p.m., deputies responded to a home on Elderwood Drive in the Woodside community for a report of shots fired.

An incident report states the 13-year-old was asked to come out of the home. Deputies say the boy then exited the home without incident.

Deputies spoke to the teenager who said he was home alone when a vehicle pulled up behind his home.

The boy said one of the two suspects attempted to get into the home, at which time the teen said he feared for his safety, got his mother's gun and began firing at the suspect.

"He saw a subject out back trying to get inside so he fired his mother's gun through the door and the subject reportedly fired back," CCSO officials said.

According to authorities, the juvenile fired several more times as the vehicle drove away.
Several neighbors reported to detectives that they heard gunshots, and saw a grey small car pull out near the home and speed away.

CCSO officials say a grey Chevy Sonic arrived at Trident Hospital with several gunshot holes.
An affidavit states the passenger in the car had three gunshot wounds, and was rushed to ER in critical condition.

Read more: http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/30483472/ccso-one-person-dead-after-13-year-old-opens-fire-at-suspected-burglar#ixzz3t5yHD7A8