Houston, Texas

From Houston’s Click2Houston.com of June 29, 2005

Police: Homeowner Returns Fire, Shoots Suspected Thief

Three Other Suspected Thieves Flee Scene

A northeast Houston homeowner shot a suspected thief who he caught trying to steal his pickup truck Wednesday morning, police told Local 2.

The shooting happened outside the man's home on Richland at Sultan at about 4:15 a.m. shortly after four men arrived in a stolen Cutlass Ciera.

Police said the homeowner heard something going on outside, grabbed his shotgun and went outside to investigate.

Investigators said the homeowner fired the gun after one of the suspected thieves fired a gun at him first.

One of the suspects was struck in the back. He was transported to Ben Taub Hospital and is expected to survive.

The three other suspects fled the scene.

A nearby resident told Local 2 that the area has repeatedly experienced problems with car theft and vandalism.

"They are kicking in the brake lights, stealing the CD players out of our vehicles. The cops ain't done nothing about it so far," neighbor Kenneth Mallard said.

The Harris County District Attorney's Office will decide if the homeowner will face charges in the shooting.

Moreno Valley, California

From the Riverside Press-Enterprise of April 26, 2005

Man killed in self-defense, authorities say

Investigators have identified the gunman in a weekend shooting in Moreno Valley, although the man is not in custody because he is believed to have killed in self-defense, authorities said Monday.

Police are not releasing the man's name until the district attorney's office decides whether to file charges.

Investigators say he shot and killed 37-year-old Vincent Ernest Moore of Inglewood.

"We're looking at it as a justifiable homicide," Sgt. John Schultz of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department Central Homicide Unit said Monday. "That's why the guy wasn't arrested."

The incident was Moreno Valley's third homicide in 2005 and 12th in the last 13 months.

Shortly before 8 p.m. Saturday, Moore was shot and killed outside the house where his ex-wife lives in the 22600 block of Climbing Rose Drive, Moreno Valley police Sgt. Joel Ontiveros said Sunday in a news release.

According to Schultz, Moore first kicked the front door of the house, and then later punched the woman's new husband. The husband of Moore's ex-wife shot and killed Moore, Schultz said.

According to court records, there had been an outstanding warrant for Moore's arrest in Riverside County since September 2004 for making criminal threats. Schultz said Moore had threatened his ex-wife and her new husband in the past, and there was a restraining order against him.

A friend of Moore's painted a different picture, however.

Freddie Leslie, 55, who said he knew Moore for seven years, described his friend as a good parent and good person.

Leslie said he used to help Moore plant trees in his yard when he used to live at his ex-wife's Moreno Valley residence.

He came over with others to watch basketball games.

No subsequent stories about this incident were found.

Spokane, Washington

From Spokane’s KXLY.com of June 28, 2005

Thief Held at Gunpoint in Spokane Valley

A would-be burglar chose the wrong store to break into in the Spokane Valley over the weekend.

Deputies arrested 24-year-old Brian Dukes early Sunday morning at the Fitness Fanatics store on East Trent. Deputies say Dukes broke a window to get in the back door. He then disabled the security system by pulling it off the wall.

The store's owner and a security specialist were notified. The security specialist who is a former ATF agent went to the store armed with a rifle. He held Dukes at gunpoint until authorities arrived.

From a participant

I was browsing the web this morning and came across your reference to a story from Spokane. I am the "security specialist" referenced in the article. I think this is an example of the media wanting to downplay the importance of civilians using firearms for useful purposes. I am not a "security specialist" but just a computer geek. I didn't have a rifle, I had a Glock 26, the store is cluttered and there are racks of merchandise all over the place so a rifle would not be the ideal choice of weapons. I was an ATF SA many years ago. The perp was armed with a large knife.

Mike Scalera
Spokane, Washington

Los Angeles, California

From the Los Angeles Times of June 27, 2005
Requires free registration

Valley College Guard Shoots Man on Campus

A man who threatened to hurl a 3-foot concrete stand at a security guard was shot and wounded on the campus of Los Angeles Valley College early Monday, sheriff's investigators said.

The unidentified man was taken to a nearby hospital, where he underwent surgery and was listed in critical condition.

The guard who shot him was part of a sheriff's civilian detail contracted to guard the college.

Sheriff's Lt. Joe Hartshorne said detectives are trying to determine the man's identity and what he was doing on campus. They did not release the guard's name or that of a second guard who came to his aid.

About 5:15 a.m., the man began throwing bricks at the guard outside the security detail's bungalow on the Valley Glen campus, Hartshorne said.

The security guard was able to dodge the bricks, Hartshorne said. The second security officer fired a Taser gun at the man, but it didn't stop him, the lieutenant said.

The man grabbed a large concrete stand used as an outdoor ashtray and held it above his shoulders as if to throw it at the officers, Hartshorne said. The first officer fired his gun several times, striking the man at least once, Hartshorne said.

Deputy Steve Suzuki said the officer told investigators he fired because he feared for his own safety and that of the other guard.

The security officers, who are members of the Sheriff's Community College District Bureau, are armed, civilian employees who guard campuses throughout the Los Angeles Community College District.

(Emphasis ours)

Ahwatukee Foothills, Arizona

From the Arizona Republic of June 28, 2005

2 try to rob jewelry store; 1 suspect shot, still at large

A jewelry distributor shot and wounded at least one of two masked, armed men who walked into a store Monday afternoon to rob it, authorities said.

The attempted armed robbery at Loretta's Ahwatukee Jewelers at lunchtime in a community that seldom sees such violence brought back memories of the November murder and robbery of an armored car guard just two miles away.

In Monday's incident, one suspect was shot in the leg and taken to Maricopa Medical Center in police custody. Police said the other suspect was likely wounded based on witness accounts.

(More)

Hamtramck, Michigan

From Detroit’s ClickOnDetroit.com of June 27, 2005

Jewelry Store Owner Grabs Gun, Chases Robber

Police Track Down Suspected Robber

The owner of a jewelry store in Hamtramck attempted to chase down a robber on Saturday, Local 4 reported.

Police said a man grabbed about $500 worth of jewelry from the Nice Jewelry store on Jos Campau Street.

The owner of the store grabbed his gun, chased the robber out of the store and fired a warning shot into the air, police said

Police said it was not the first time the store had been the target of a robbery. The owner was shot in the chest and in the stomach during a robbery in July 2000.

"He's been a business owner in town for many years. He was shot numerous times," said Detective Ben Bielecki.

The owner recovered from those injuries and returned to work, but said the only way he could protect his family and his business was to carry a gun, the station reported.

Police said the store owner has a permit for the weapon.

"It's one store I would not want to rob or steal from in Hamtramck," said Bielecki.

Police were able to locate the robber hiding in alley and take him into custody. He's expected to be charged on Monday.

Houston, Texas

From the Houston Chronicle of June 27, 2005

Homeowner kills 1, critically wounds another

A northeast Houston resident shot and killed one man and critically wounded another after reportedly catching them breaking into his house early today.

The man told police he returned to his house on Lakewood near Jensen just after 1 a.m. today and found four men trying to break in.

He opened fire on the would-be burglars, who fired back before fleeing to a house on Willie near Terrell, about a mile a way, authorities said.

One man died at the house on Willie and another man with gunshot wounds was taken to Ben Taub Hospital, where he is listed in critical condition. Neither of the victim's names has been released yet.

Police are still questioning the man who shot them.