Philadelphia, PA

 6/2/2020 KPVI:

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Police said one person is dead following a shooting during a burglary attempt inside a South Philadelphia gun store early Tuesday.

Marysville, WA

12/24/18 Everett {Wash.] Herald:

MARYSVILLE — The plan was simple: Steal tools and pawn them for money.

That’s what two men, 22 and 23, reportedly had in mind when they showed up to the Coastal Farm & Ranch store in Marysville on Saturday afternoon, according to a police report. They allegedly took four nail guns, each worth over $400, walked out of the store and got into a Honda Civic.

They didn’t expect to be surrounded by about six customers with guns raised.

One customer was standing in front of the car, yelling at the alleged thieves to get out.
“He won’t shoot, run him over,” one of the suspects reportedly said.

Mountain Pine, AR

12/22/16 KHTV:

Shop owner Sonny Singh said that he got to the Mountain Pine Corner Store around midnight after grabbing some dinner. The store was closed, but he heard alarms going off.

He said that he went inside and saw a man with a gun and some money so he rushed behind the counter and got his shotgun.

Singh says he told the man to drop the gun, but instead he fired a shot. That's when Singh fired back.

Texas: Business owner shoots at intruder early Wednesday

Corpus Christi, Texas

From the Caller-Times of August XX, 2009

Business owner shoots at intruder early Wednesday

A man sleeping at his business in the 6700 block of Weber Road fired several shots at a man who busted the front door glass about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, police said.

Police later found a maroon Chevrolet Suburban backed up to the shop’s door with a large flat screen TV on the ground, police said in a news release. Police suspect the man attempted to re-enter the store to get another TV when the owner shot at him, the release said. A witness heard the shots and a man shout that he was shot.

About an hour later, a 33-year-old man walked into Bay Area Hospital emergency room with a gunshot wound on his hand, Capt. Todd Green said.

He was placed under police guard pending possible burglary charges, Green said.

The owner’s weapon was taken by police for evidence processing.

Sacramento Jewelry Store Owner Shoots Burglars

Sacramento, California

From the May 18, 2009 Sacramento Bee:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Deputies arrived to find a body in the park

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

Idaho: Kamiah man shot and killed during alleged break-in in Stites

Stites, Idaho

From KLEW of April 24, 2009

Kamiah man shot and killed during alleged break-in in Stites

The FBI and Nez Perce Tribal Police are investigating a fatal shooting at that took place at a grocery store in Stites early Thursday morning.

It happened during an apparent attempted break-in

The Idaho County Sheriff's Office confirmed that a 21-year-old Kamiah man was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity was being withheld until family was notified.

He was one of two men who were reportedly trying to break into the Stites Grocery Store. He was shot and killed during the alleged break-in. The Sheriff's Office says the other suspect ran from the scene. Witnesses say the pair came in through a fan vent in the back of the store.

The grocery store owner, who asked to not be identified, said a man was working on an upstairs computer at the store when he heard a noise. She said that's when one of the alleged would-be burglars "came at" the man who then shot the alleged burglar in the leg. She says when the alleged burglar didn't stop, the man fired a second shot into his chest.

The Idaho County Sheriff's Dispatch Center said the call came in at 3:24 a.m. from the man who had done the shooting, saying he had shot an intruder in the store.

It was unknown if either alleged intruder was armed.

Upon arrival, deputies secured the scene while the Clearwater Valley Ambulance stood by.

The FBI is leading the investigation because the man who was killed is believed to be a Nez Perce Tribal member and the shooting took place on reservation land.

California: Old Town Jewelry Store Owner Stops Robbery With Gun

San Diego, California

From Channel 10 of March 3, 2009

Old Town Jewelry Store Owner Stops Robbery With Gun

Two men broke into a jewelry store Tuesday morning in Old Town and were shot at by the shop's owner, police said.

The owner of Celebrity Gems and Jewelry at 2529 Congress St. was investigating a noise around 3:15 a.m. and discovered two men in dark clothing taking merchandise, San Diego police Sgt. Bob Dare said.

One of the men appeared to have a handgun and turned toward the shop owner, who then fired two shots toward the thieves, Dare said.

It was not immediately clear whether either of the thieves was wounded. They fled in a red sport utility vehicle, possibly a Ford Explorer, Dare said.

The jewelry shop owner was not hurt.

Police described the thieves as Hispanic males, around 20 to 25 years old. One was about 5 feet 6 and 145 pounds, while the second was 5 feet 8 to 5 feet 10 with a thin build, Dare said.

Channelview, Texas Burglar Shot

Channelview, Texas

From February 11, 2009 Fox News in Houston:

HOUSTON - A man who Sheriff's deputies say was trying burglarize a home is taken by helicopter to the hospital after he is shot.

The shooting took place after 12 a.m. Wednesday in a business at the intersection of Wadsworth Street and Talcott Street in Channelview.

Harris County Sheriff's investigators have not determined if a clerk or a security guard shot the would-be burglar.

Houston Businessman Shoots Burglar

Houston, Texas

From February 11, 2009 KTRK channel 13:

Irvin Horton, 64, was notified by his burglar alarm company of an active alarm at his business at 1012 Avenue Oaks shortly before 3am. When he arrived, he observed a suspicious vehicle occupied by the suspect, parked in the driveway adjacent to his business. Horton also noticed the gate to his business had been forced open and articles had been removed from a locked storage trailer inside the property.

Police say Horton confronted the suspect while the man was inside the vehicle and told him to get out. The suspect refused and made a sudden movement inside the vehicle and reached for an unknown article.

The suspect then started the vehicle and attempted to strike Horton as he attempted to drive away. Horton fired at the vehicle's front tire. The suspect continued to drive away while Horton continued to fire additional shots at the fleeing vehicle. The suspect lost control of the vehicle and struck a concrete drainage culvert at Robertson and Woodard.

The suspect, described only as a Hispanic male, was transported to Ben Taub General Hospital in critical condition from injuries sustained during the incident. Horton was not injured.

North Carolina: Store Owner Shoots Suspected Robbers

Catawba, North Carolina

From WSOC of December 6, 2008

Store Owner Shoots Suspected Robbers

The Catawba County Sheriff’s Office said a business owner shot and killed a suspected robber, and hurt another one.

Deputies said it happened at 3:15 a.m. Saturday. Randy Willis, owner of Willis Packaging on Highway 10, went to his store because the alarm was going off. When Willis got there, deputies said he saw a man coming out of his store with a shotgun.

Willis and the robber struggled, and deputies said Willis pulled out a pistol and shot the robber, killing him.

Deputies said another robber, 52-year-old Arnold Ray Jr., had broken into the store. Ray jumped Willis, and Willis shot him as well, this time in the shoulder.

Deputies said the two men had broken into the store through the front window. They also said a woman, Jean Holman, dropped the two men off. Holman is charged with breaking and entering and larceny.

The sheriff’s office said Ray was taken to the hospital. Authorities have not released the deceased man’s name. Authorities said Willis hurt several ribs during the altercations, but did not go to the hospital.

Ray is charged with breaking and entering, larceny, robbery and kidnapping.

Willis was not charged. Deputies said the case will be handed over to the district attorney.

Virginia: Robbery thwarted by pharmacist with gun

Henry County, Virginia

From the Madison Messenger of September 2, 2008

Robbery thwarted by pharmacist with gun

The Henry County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a man who attempted to rob Harder’s Pharmacy in Bassett on Saturday morning.

A white male, with his face partially covered, entered the store on Fairystone Park Highway at about 10 a.m. and demanded that the pharmacist give him all the OxyContin and pain pills in the store, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.

The pharmacist pulled a handgun and the would-be robber ran out of the store and got into the passenger seat of a vehicle parked across the street, authorities said.

The driver then pulled out and backed up the street toward Riverside Drive, the release states.

The sheriff’s office encourages anyone with information about the crime to call (276) 638-8751.

Texas: Sheriff: Immigrant shot burglar teen

Mercedes, Texas

From The Monitor of July 21, 2008

Sheriff: Immigrant shot burglar teen

An illegal immigrant tasked with guarding a convenience store shot and killed a teenager who attempted to burglarize it, Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño said Monday.

Silvestre Delgadillo, 28, remained on the run and authorities had "no idea" whether he fled to Mexico, Treviño said.

Delgadillo, who was convicted in 2005 on a felony drug charge, has been charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, a third-degree felony.

But the actual homicide is complicated by Texas' castle law, which allows people to use lethal force to defend themselves and their property.

Delgadillo is accused of shooting Roberto Garcia, 17, late Friday night.

"He is there to protect his residence - protect the business - under the direction of the owner," Treviño said.

He said he will submit the case to the District Attorney's office, which will then present it to a grand jury. The grand jury will determine whether to charge Delgadillo in connection with the homicide.

Delgadillo, who was deported after being released from prison earlier this year, could also be charged with a felony for illegally re-entering the country.

The shooting occurred late Friday or early Saturday, Treviño said, when Garcia and Ramiro Garza and Eloy Santana, both 17, tried to burglarize Valeria's Drive Thru convenience store by breaking through its roof.

Delgadillo was living inside the business, though, and had been told by store owner Olivia Lopez, 34, to guard it with a gun she provided, Treviño said. Delgadillo shot Garcia during the burglary, hitting him in the lung and artery, Treviño said. The wound killed Garcia within minutes.

Lopez, the storeowner, will be charged with failure to report a felony because she was not candid with police about the shooting, Treviño said. A grand jury would also have to decide whether she could face any sort of homicide charges.

"Ms. Lopez gave a convicted felon a firearm," Treviño said. "That's against the law. She lied to us from the onset of the investigation. That's against the law."

Garcia's accomplices will also be charged with burglary, Treviño said.

**Note**
While there were illegal actions that led up to this defensive gun use, the defense itself was by all appearances justified, hence our use of it here on the blog.

Garland, Texas Copper Thief Shot

Garland, Texas

From the July 10, 2008 Dallas Morning News:

Garland police say they do not plan to file charges against a 25-year-old man who fatally shot a suspected copper thief this morning.

The incident happened shortly before 1:20 a.m. at Bargain Town – Variety & Furniture store in the 5700 block of Broadway Boulevard, police said.

The business owner’s son had been guarding the roof after the store had been recently hit by copper thieves. The son said he confronted a man who had climbed on the roof. The son fired his gun, striking the man in the torso, police said. The man fled, climbing back down the building and collapsing on the ground.

Paramedics arrived to find the man had died. Police said he had a small backpack with tools investigators believe were used to steal copper.

Texas: Guard shoots man at FW grocery store

Fort Worth, Texas

From WFAA of May 23, 2008

Guard shoots man at FW grocery store

A man suspected of stealing may have been fatally shot outside a Fort Worth grocery store after he was followed to his car.

The incident began after a Sack 'n Save manager became suspicious of a man exiting the store who he believed was carrying stolen merchandise at around 8:25 p.m., authorities said.

The manager followed the man into the store's parking lot in the 3400 block of Altamesa Boulevard and confronted him as he got into a white truck.

As the manager attempted to detain the man, the suspect began to drive off. A security guard, who had walked outside to check on the manager, said the truck drove straight towards him, which was when he fired a shot at the vehicle. The truck fled the scene.

Authorities later discovered a man was admitted with a gunshot wound to the Huguley Hospital in Fort Worth. The man, who police believe may have been the driver of the white truck, was pronounced dead at the hospital.

South Carolina: Store Owner Shoots Robbery Suspects

Sumpter County, South Carolina

From WLTX of May 25, 2008

Store Owner Shoots Robbery Suspects

After a weekend full of robberies in Sumter County, deputies are investigating another incident that they don't believe are related to the other four.

Deputies say that early Saturday morning, two teenagers broke in to Dixon's Grocery on Highway 261 in Rembert.

Authorities say that the owner of the store arrived and was able to shoot two of the suspects with bird shots, who were attempting to steal alcohol. When Sumter County deputies arrived at Dixon's, the suspects had taken off.

An incident report says that Sumter dispatch received a call from 17-year-old Philip Steinle, who said he was on his way to the hospital with two people who had been shot in a neighborhood behind Wal-Mart on Broad Street.

Steinle was pulled over by a city police officer, who discovered that the two passengers had apparently been shot by a shotgun with a bird shot. The city officer was then notified by a Sumter County deputy of the incident at Dixon's Grocery.

One of the teens, a 16-year-old from Hopkins, is at Sumter's Tuomey Hospital in fair condition, while the other, 17-year-old Dontrell Jenkins, was airlifted to Palmetto Richland.

Steinle admitted to authorities that he waited in a car while Jenkins and the 16-year-old attempted to break in to Dixon's. Steinle said that both teens ran back to the car, injured.

Steinle was taken to the Sumter County jail, where he is being charged with burglary and larceny.

Florida: Business Owner Shoots At Suspects After Walking In On Robbery

Orange County, Florida

From WFTV of May 14, 2008

Business Owner Shoots At Suspects After Walking In On Robbery

Orange County deputies are searching for one of two armed suspects who got into a shootout with a man when he caught them burglarizing his business and it happened next to a daycare full of children.

The shootout happened at the All Family Chiropractic Center in Pine Hills (see map) and, with bullets flying into a busy street, investigators said it's amazing no one was hit. The suspects never got to fill their U-Haul with any loot. They ditched it a short distance from the office where witnesses heard the owner exchange gunfire with two men who broke into his business.

"I didn't know what was going on. I thought it was firecrackers early in the morning, but it was not," said witness Parker McPhee.

Orange markers in Pine Hills Road marked some of the bullets made it into the street Wednesday morning. Investigators said the owner was checking out a burglar alarm at his office when he caught two men in the act.

"When they see him, they are armed, and they open fire on him. He also was armed and he returns fire on them," said Jeff Williamson, Orange County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies caught one of the men soon after they parked the U-Haul between two houses.

The shootout happened next to the Tiny Praying Hands daycare, where more than 20 kids were already inside. Still, the owner defended her neighbor's decision to shoot back at the burglars.

"I hope they catch the guys who did this. You have a right to protect your business. We get up every morning, work hard and it's not right that people come in and take what we have," Renee Harris said.

Deputies have not identified any of the suspects. Deputies caught one of them, but they're searching for a second man who ran off on foot.

Kansas: Burglar greeted by gunfire

Overland Park, Kansas

From the Kansas City Star of April 30, 2008

Burglar greeted by gunfire

Overland Park police are investigating a business burglary where an employee fired shots at a suspect. But the suspect, who may have been hit, was able to get away.

The incident occurred at 10:50 p.m. Tuesday at Ratliff Guttering Company in the 5000 block of Mackey Street.

Police said a company employee had been sleeping in an apartment inside the business when he heard a loud crash coming from the garage area. The employee grabbed a 12-gauge shotgun and went to the garage area to investigate.

The employee saw the garage door partially open and then saw a man inside near one of the company’s trucks. He then fired a shot and heard the man yell. The intruder then ran towards the garage door and the employee fired again.

Police found blood on the garage floor but could not find the intruder anywhere. They alerted hospitals and other area law enforcement agencies.

Texas: Restaurant Owner Fatally Shoots Intruder

Baytown, Texas

From Click2Houston of April 28, 2008

Restaurant Owner Fatally Shoots Intruder

A restaurant owner fatally shot a man who broke into his east Harris County business on Sunday, officials told KPRC Local 2.

Harris County sheriff's deputies said an alarm company notified the owner of 4 Corners BBQ that someone may have been inside the restaurant on Decker Road shortly before noon.

Investigators said the owner went to the business and found a broken window and a man inside.

The owner fired one shot inside the building, fatally wounding the man.

The man's identity was not released.

Detectives said the case would be referred to a Harris County grand jury without charges.

Pennsylvania: Suspect Shot In Tattoo Parlor Robbery

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

From WPXI of March 23, 2008

Suspect Shot In Tattoo Parlor Robbery

A tattoo parlor on the corner of Fourth Street and Euclid Avenue in Dravosburg was robbed at 9:15 p.m. Saturday night.

The suspect, who is described as a 6-foot-5-inch 250-pound male of unknown race, escaped on foot with $200. But that's not all the robber left with.

The owner of the business told police that he believes he may have shot the suspect in the back.

Shortly afterwards, police responded to a call from a man who said he was shot in the back at an address 1/2 of a mile away from the scene of the robbery. It is unknown whether these two incidents are related.

Mckeesport police and Allegheny County homicide detectives are not releasing any information about the investigation at this time.

Indiana: Two men wounded at Austin business

Scott County, Indiana

From the Louisville Courier-Journal of March 18, 2008

Two men wounded at Austin business

Two Scott County men are recovering from gunshot wounds at University Hospital in Louisville after they were wounded last night on the property of a modular home dealership in Austin.

Malcolm Abner, 28, and Michael West, 33, are listed in fair condition today.

Scott County Sheriff John Lizenby said 32-year-old Chester Stacey told officers that he shot the men when they came at him as he investigated what he thought were people stealing things at Countryside Mobile Homes at 2771 E Ind. 256 in Austin.
Stacey is the son of Countryside owner Grover Stacey.

Lizenby said a Scott County officer who had been called to the scene to investigate possible trespassers was talking to the elder Stacey when they heard voices and then heard gunshots in a field on the property.

Officer Joe Johnson found the younger Stacey holding a 9-mm automatic handgun with Abner down in front of him.

West later came out of the field and told an Indiana state trooper that he’d been shot.

Lizenby said this morning that no one has been charged but the investigation is continuing. He said officers are searching for two other men that Chester Stacey said were also in the field.