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.

*4000th Story*: Road Rage Incident Resolved With Handgun

**Note from the Owners**
Ladies and gentlemen, Clayton Cramer and David Burnett are proud to present the 4,000th documented story of self-defense with a firearm. On a simple average, that is a little more than two defensive gun uses per day in the United States, but research tells us this number is far higher. We want to thank all of our loyal readers, and especially our advertisers and donors. There are greater goals with this website than money, but we are greatly encouraged whenever a reader sees fit to reward us for our work to promote education on gun rights, and it provides an extra incentive to continue providing the best, most updated, most comprehensive armed citizen archive on the internet. Please take a second to share these 4000 stories with your friends, both pro-gun and anti-gun, and keep coming back for more!

Sincerely,
Clayton Cramer and David Burnett
Civilian Gun Defense

Kingsport, Tennessee

From the April 13, 2009 Kingsport (Tenn.) Times-News:

A Kingsport man used his concealed handgun to protect himself during an alleged road rage incident on Sunday.

According to Kingsport Police, the incident occurred about 1:58 a.m. on Harris Avenue.

Michael Salyer told police he was headed home when a yellow Ford Probe in front of him started weaving from left to right.

The driver, later identified as Jonathan Lee Adams, 28, 1630 Spruce St., stopped in the middle of the road, jumped out and started screaming at him, Salyer said.

When Adams tried to get in his car, Salyer said, that's when he pulled out his handgun and ordered him to stop.

Adams' passenger, later identified by police as his girlfriend Laura Kathleen Cain, 42, same address, then yelled at Adams, and he ran back toward the Probe and the pair drove off, Salyer said.

Police later found the Probe at the couple's home.

The pair initially denied having the car out, saying they'd been home since 7 p.m.

Adams eventually admitted being involved in an argument with Salyer on Harris Avenue.

Texas: 'Justified homicides' more than doubled

San Antonio, Texas

From My San Antonio of January 4, 2009

'Justified homicides' more than doubled

One hour after revelers welcomed the new year in 2008, a motorist at a Northwest Side intersection fired three shots into 24-year-old Tomas Garza, moments after authorities said Garza threatened the motorist with a baseball bat in an apparent road-rage incident.

The killing, the first of 137 recorded in San Antonio last year, was an act of self-defense, police later determined, and was classified by department officials as a justified homicide.

(More)

Idaho: Boise man arrested after handgun standoff on Table Rock

Boise, Idaho

From the Idaho Statesman of August 21, 2008

Boise man arrested after handgun standoff on Table Rock

A 37-year-old Boise man is being held in the Ada County Jail on a felony aggravated assault charge after a handgun standoff late Wednesday night on Table Rock.

Damon Glenn Smith was also charged with felony DUI and misdemeanor resisting arrest after the incident, which occurred at 11:48 p.m. Wednesday on top of the Table Rock mesa, a popular sightseeing spot overlooking Boise.

Witnesses told police the trouble started when a car passed Smith’s truck as both vehicles were on the way up to the top of Table Rock.

Witnesses said when Smith got to the top of the mesa, by the giant fluorescent cross which overlooks the city, he got out of his truck and pulled out a handgun, first threatening the driver of the other car, and then pointing it at other people on top of the mesa and threatening them.

At that point, witnesses said the driver of the car Smith first threatened pulled out a 9 mm handgun, pointed it at Smith, and told him he was going to disarm him. That man then took the handgun from Smith and determined it was fake.

Witnesses told police Smith got into his truck and tried to drive away but was stopped by police, who were responding to a 911 call about the fight.

Smith, who appeared visibly intoxicated had a hard time standing and failed field sobriety tests, according to police reports.

When officers went to take him into custody, Smith resisted arrest and had to be physically restrained, Boise Police spokesman Charles McClure said.

The other man involved in the confrontation displayed his handgun legally and police determined he was fully within his rights to defend himself at the time, McClure said.

Road Rage Leads to Shooting Death in Hanover, Penn.

Hanover, Pennsylvania

From the August 20, 2008 York [Penn.] Daily Record:

On June 28, only two days after the Supreme Court announced its 5-4 ruling that Washington, D.C., citizens have the right to bear arms under the Second Amendment to the Constitution, I found myself standing in a pool of blood in York, from a man I had just shot. It was not my intent that evening to test the Second Amendment or kill somebody, but events unfolded to make it necessary for me to draw my weapon to defend myself and others.

My fiancée Maria and I had spent the day showing real estate investors our investment properties in York. We were driving to nearby Hanover to visit my mother when we came across what looked like a rear-end traffic accident.

Instead, a man, Douglas Need, had been driving recklessly when he swerved in front of a car and was hit in the rear. In a fit of road rage, he stormed out of his car, went back to two young women and a baby in the car that hit his, reached through the driver's window and started beating the driver very violently. She was able to break free and drive her car to the only place she could go -- the parking lot next to the street. Need ran back to his car, squealed his tires into the parking lot and looked as though he was going to broadside the women's car with them still inside.

At the last moment, he swerved his car around and blocked hers from going anywhere. I pulled into the parking lot, got out of the car and yelled at Need to leave the women alone while Need's passenger was in the parking lot. My gun was still holstered by my side. The woman got out of her car and escaped into the store. He followed but only moments later exited the store back into the parking lot. Both Need and the man with him were uncontrollably enraged and seemed deranged past the point of caring who they hurt.

As they continued to threaten that they had guns and were going to kill people, for some unknown reason Need ran to the driver's side door of my car and started pounding on the window, shouting at my fiancée who was inside the car with the engine running. Fearing that Maria's life was in danger because of his previous death threats, that's when I drew my weapon. I ordered Need to step away from my car, which he did. He then returned to the center of the parking lot, according to witnesses, and continued with threats and deranged behavior.

I went to my car and stood at the driver's side door. Need turned back to me and started coming at me with his arms waving and shouting "just shoot me." I ordered him to stay back, but he kept coming. Then, when he was about four or five feet from me, he put his hand into his pants pocket, and that is when I fired my first shot into his left thigh. It didn't stop him from coming at me. He grabbed my shirt, ripped off the top button and grabbed my right arm. That's when I shot him the second time point-blank into his thigh. I was told later that the bullets had severed his femoral artery and he had bled to death at York Hospital. I was truly sorry he died, but knew I had made the right decisions.

Man With Baseball Complains About Driving; Leaves When Pistol Appears

Hilton Head, South Carolina

From the August 9, 2008 Island Packet:

Slow driving led to a confrontation between a 22-year-old Citadel student and an unidentified man involving a baseball bat and a pistol on Hilton Head Island on Thursday afternoon, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff's Office incident report.

The student, who was lost, had been driving slowly on Beach City Road looking for a doctor's office when he pulled into a parking lot to look at a map, according to the report.

A man driving a Porsche pulled in behind him and approached him carrying a baseball bat. The man was yelling about the student's driving.

The student pulled a Glock 23 pistol from his glove box and got out of his car, the report stated.

The man with the bat put his hands up, returned to the Porsche and drove away.

The student called the sheriff's office from his parents' Hilton Head home. He was not charged in the incident.

Indiana: Road rage shooting being called self-defense

Jeffersonville, Indiana

From WAVE3 of June 17, 2008

Road rage shooting being called self-defense

Police are calling it a case of violent road rage after a man is shot at a Jeffersonville, Indiana intersection. WAVE 3's Scott Harvey reports on the incident that happened at the corner of Allison Lane and 10th Street around 3 p.m. Tuesday.

It is a case of road rage with a twist. Detectives working the case tell us the shooter hasn't been charged, because it appears to be a case of self defense.

It's not the sort of thing you normally see on your commute home from work.

"People were standing in the parking lot. Nobody was doing anything, but talking on cell phones, so I told my girlfriend I was going to walk over and see what was going on," said Robert Bagshaw. "As I got closer the guy was talking about he'd been shot."

Investigators say it started as an altercation between a man riding a motorcycle and a woman driving a SUV behind him.

"He said they came flying up on him when he was getting ready to turn," said Bagshaw. "So he slowed down on his turn, next thing you know they rolled up a little bit more. They had a few words. He jumped off his bike."

"She never got out of the vehicle and that is where the shooting occurred," said Det. Todd Hollis with the Jeffersonville Police Department.

Bagshaw says the man had a single gunshot to the chest. He waited with the motorcycle rider until EMS arrived. He told us the man kept talking about the argument at the car.

"Supposedly she thought he had spit at her, but he said his false teeth fell out, so she shot him," explained Bagshaw. "So, I mean, there may be a little more to it than what the other guy is saying of course."

And investigators say there is. No charges have been filed against the woman, because police say at this point it appears to be self-defense.

"Exactly what he said or what his actions were, how threatening they were, will be determined through the investigation," said Det. Hollis.

Det. Hollis told us the woman was completely cooperative. So much so she called 911 from the scene. Police say she does have a permit to carry the snub-nosed .38 caliber revolver used in the shooting.

"It does belong to her," said Det. Hollis. "We ran a check on it to make sure it's wasn't stolen. She does carry it in the car for her protection. She told us that."

Regardless, Det. Hollis says this should be a lesson on how not to deal with road rage.

"If someone cuts you off or if someone acts aggressive on the road, the best thing to do is get away from it," said Det. Hollis. "If they are acting aggressive to a point to where they are dangerous, call police."

The man was taken to University Hospital in Louisville and at last check was in surgery. His condition is unknown at this time.

Police say they will continue to investigate, but ultimately the Clark County Prosecutor's Office will have the final say if charges will be filed.

Texas: San Antonio road rage killing deemed self-defense

San Antonio, Texas

From the Houston Chronicle of January 2, 2008

San Antonio road rage killing deemed self-defense

In an apparent case of road rage, a motorist shot a driver to death who threatened him with a baseball bat.

Police said that the shooting just after midnight on New Year's Day appeared to be in self-defense, so they didn't plan to charge 24-year-old Brian Correa.

"It was apparent to us that he was defending himself," said police spokesman Sgt. Gabe Trevino, who added that the shooter had a license to carry a concealed weapon.

Correa shot the 24-year-old driver three times with a handgun, a police report said. The Bexar County medical examiner's office identified the deceased driver as Tomas Garza.

Correa and several witnesses quoted in the report said that Garza had maneuvered his Mitsubishi Lancer behind Correa's Chevrolet Camaro around 1 a.m. Tuesday and began driving aggressively, trying to hit the Camaro.

When the cars came to a stop at a traffic light, Garza got out and hit the Camaro several times with the bat, according to the police report.

Correa told Garza to stop, but Garza began toward him so Correa fired at him, according to the report.

Witnesses corroborated Correa's account with police.

"I'm still really shaken up. I don't really want to talk about it at all," Correa told a reporter with the San Antonio Express-News when contacted at his home.

Further links:
Man Shot, Allegedly Killed In Self-Defense

Tulsa, Oklahoma

From June 11, 2007 Fox channel 23:

(TULSA, Okla.) June 11 - A Tulsa driver who shot a man in an apparent case of road rage says, "it was self defense."

An elderly Tulsa driver says he was assaulted by a man, near 21st and Riverside, yesterday. He said he had to shoot the man to protect his life.

The shooter told FOX23 News that the other man, Dale Turney, was unhappy with his driving, so Turney followed him to a parking lot.

The shooter says he didn’t want to fight and tried to back away from Turney.

He also showed Turney that he had a gun. But Turney was getting closer and closer and pushed him in the chest.

The shooter says Turney told him “you are history.” That’s when the shooter says he felt like his life was in danger, so he shot Turney.

Coon Rapids, Minnesota

From the Twin Cities Pioneer Press of June 8, 2007

Coon Rapids man said he fired in 'self defense' as he walks out of jail without charges

Investigators refuse to release name of officer, who suspect's family says pulled a gun on them

The Coon Rapids man arrested in the Thursday shooting of an undercover police officer in a road rage confrontation said he shot in "self defense" as he was released this afternoon without being charged.

After meeting with Coon Rapids police, prosecutors opted today to not charge 35-year-old Martin Scott Treptow, said the prosecutor overseeing the case. The investigation, though, into the entire incident continues, prosecutors said.

Witnesses described Thursday shooting as the culmination of a rolling argument that escalated into an apparent full-blown case of road rage. The suspect's family said Treptow fired only after a man pulled a gun on them and they had no idea he was an officer. Treptow said outside the jail this afternoon, that the officer drew his gun first.

Police arrested Treptow shortly after the shooting after he called police from a nearby gas station.

A day after the shooting, the cop's bosses at the Robbinsdale Police Department continue to refuse to release the officer's name.

Coon Rapids police did not rule out the county prosecutor filing charges against the officer. Officials with the Anoka County attorney's office said no charges will be filed in this case at this time.

"At this point we are giving the county attorney's office everything we have. We are not giving any recommendation, one way or the other," Coon Rapids Deputy Chief Timothy Snell said this morning.

Meanwhile, Treptow's family, who last night told the Pioneer Press they were only protecting themselves from a "renegade cop" who had pulled a gun on them, refused to comment this morning.

On Thursday, Robbinsdale Police Chief Wayne Shellum said his officer was just doing his job. But Treptow's father said last night the plainclothes officer threatened his family with his gun and that Treptow shot him to protect his family.

"This is a case of people letting their tempers get out of control," Snell said. "It escalated and became a deadly force situation just because of some petty misdemeanor driving issues."

Police refused Thursday to release the 27-year-old officer's name, saying he was working undercover, but he is described as a six-year veteran of the Robbinsdale police force. He sustained injuries to both legs and an arm, although investigators aren't sure how many shots were fired.

(Much More)

Memphis, Tennessee


From March 8, 2007 WAVE channel 3 (Louisville, Ky.):

(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) -- Police in Memphis say a gunman firing a pistol beside a busy city street was subdued by two passers-by who were also armed.

No one was hurt during the incident that apparently began with a minor traffic accident, but one passing car was believed hit by a bullet.

Brothers William Webber and Paul Webber told police they stopped their car and pulled their own pistols when they saw a man firing a handgun yesterday.

The brothers said they ordered the man to drop his weapon and then held him at gunpoint until police arrived a few minutes later. Police say the Webbers did not fire their pistols.

Police arrested Dementrius Roberson and charged him with reckless endangerment. Police say the Webber brothers and Roberson have licenses to carry firearms.

Same story also at March 8, 2007 channel 24.

Canyon County, Idaho

From Nampa’s Idaho Press-Tribune of February 27, 2007

Man not guilty in road-rage shooting

Public safety: Motorist maintained he acted in self-defense during fatal Caldwell incident

A jury found Aniceto Betancourt not guilty of manslaughter Monday after four days of testimony in the road-rage shooting death of a 19-year-old motorist. Patrick Wayne Ciarmoli died of multiple gunshot wounds March 27, 2006, after Betancourt shot him in the parking lot of a business center on Happy Day Boulevard in Caldwell.

Police said the two men had been involved in a “road rage” exchange along Nampa-Caldwell Boulevard before the shooting.

Betancourt has maintained since the incident that he acted in self-defense, saying he feared for his life as Ciarmoli approached holding an object, possibly the bottom half of a pool cue. Defense attorneys said Betancourt believed the long, black object was a shotgun. Jurors reached the verdict just a few hours after deliberations began Monday.

Lansing, Michigan

From Lansing’s WLNS.com of March 28, 2006

Man Arrested After Local Road Rage Incident

One person is under arrest after road rage on Cedar Street leads to a heated exchange in a parking lot. It happened Monday afternoon on Cedar Street near Willoughby in Delhi Township when two drivers heading north on Cedar got into a fight.

One driver rammed his car into the other, causing minor damage. The drivers then pulled into a Burger King parking lot. One driver got out of his car with a baseball bat and approached the other driver, who then pulled a gun. Police arrived and arrested the driver with the bat. Police say the man with the gun had a legal permit to carry the weapon.

North Augusta, South Carolina

From the December 3, 2005 Augusta Chronicle:

A Pickens, S.C., man was fatally shot the driver of a Suzuki Sidekick on Saturday afternoon during a road-rage argument that resulted from a fender bender on West Martintown Road, according to law enforcement.

North Augusta Department of Public Safety Detective Tim Thornton said authorities aren't sure whether Clarence Shehan, 51, will face criminal charges.

...

Police said the incident started when Mr. Sharrock rear-ended a trailer that Mr. Shehan was towing behind his Chevrolet Suburban in the 1100 block of West Martintown Road.

As Mr. Shehan stopped to assess the damage, Mr. Sharrock pulled up next to him and the two spoke, Detective Thornton said.

Mr. Sharrock then left the scene of the accident.

Following him, Mr. Shehan reached for his cell phone to report the incident, but before he could dial authorities, Mr. Sharrock stopped abruptly in the eastbound lane of West Martintown Road near Knobcone Drive, police said.

Mr. Sharrock got out and approached Mr. Shehan's window, Detective Thornton said.

"The way I understand it, Mr. Shehan was never able to get out of his car," he said.

Detective Thornton said Mr. Sharrock began choking Mr. Shehan, who took his .45-caliber pistol from his glove box and shot Mr. Sharrock, Detective Thornton said.

Mr. Shehan then dialed 911, he said.

"He pretty much said, 'I've just shot somebody,'" the detective said.

Authorities found Mr. Sharrock lying face down on the road, Detective Thornton said. He did not have a weapon.

"It's just unclear at this point whether Shehan acted in self-defense or otherwise," Detective Thornton said. "We're going to make sure we understand what happened to the best of our knowledge before we pursue any criminal charges."

No subsequent news coverage.

Montgomery, Alabama

From Montgomery’s WSFA.com of November 21, 2005

Police Decline to Charge Self-Defense Shooter; Third Time in 12 Months

One man is dead after a fatal shooting and another is walking free, not likely to face charges.

Police say 37 year old Wallace Jones got into a traffic accident with another man near Godfrey and Day Streets early Saturday morning. Investigators say Jones then threatened the other driver with a baseball bat.

Then, the other driver pulled a gun and killed Jones. Now, police say they will not file charges against the shooter, instead sending the case to the grand jury.

You may wonder how and why police came to that conclusion. The short answer is; self defense. It's not that uncommon a scenario. Police have declined to file charges at least three times in the last year.

It's safe to say whatever the circumstances, Wallace Jones miscalculated by a wide margin. Officers say Jones was the first to make a violent move. That opened a door for the other driver.

Bob Whetstone sells weaponry in Wetumpka.

"Somebody comes at me with a knife, baseball bat, something I consider that could take my life, I think we are, as citizens should be able to protect ourselves under those circumstances," he said.

He says more people are coming to his shop. Many feel there's more crime.

"And a good bit more confrontation going on one on one between individuals," he explained. "I think we have to be very careful that we identify a threat before we just simply start shooting at one another."

It appears people are making that distinction. In October, police declined to file charges against a man after he shot and killed Charles Shuford after a fight at a party. About a year ago one man pulled an unloaded gun on another outside Bumpers pool hall. The second man emptied his pistol and killed the first man. Police declined charges there also.

Whetstone says the key to legal self defense is training.

"You only have seconds to make that determination," he said.

One excellent example of what not to do: two weeks ago, a man drove his car into Foxcroft Apartments. The person living inside got into a dispute with the driver, pulled a gun and shot him three times. Police charged the apartment dweller with assault.

Whetstone also sells non-lethal defense products like pepper spray, but those have some obvious drawbacks, such as blowing back in the user's face, the fact that some people can tolerate those sprays and continue an attack.

Whetstone says you can get some of the best training of when to use a weapon from police and sheriffs in our area. Many have firearms and weapons training programs, all free to the public.

Gulfport, Mississippi



From the Biloxi Sun-Herald of June 17, 2004

Road rage, shooting probed



A shooting that wounded a motorist on Washington Avenue is under investigation as an apparent case of road rage and self-defense, police said.



The shooting occurred around 10 a.m. Wednesday after a motorist assaulted an elderly driver who allegedly drove into his path just north of Airport Road near Turkey Creek, said Police Chief Steve Barnes.



"The older gentleman, maybe in his 70s, said he pulled into a parking lot and the younger male approached him in a real aggressive manner and physically assaulted him," Barnes said. "He said he really didn't know what was going on and he fired the gun in defense of his welfare."



Barnes said the younger man was taken to a hospital and admitted for observation.



Names of both men were being withheld.



"We've been conferring with the District Attorney's Office and haven't determined if any charges will be filed at this time," Barnes said.



The incident remains under investigation.

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