New Orleans, Louisiana

From the New Orleans Times-Picayune of January 10, 2007

Resident shoots burglary suspect

He saw man leaving his FEMA trailer

A man, returning to his FEMA trailer in eastern New Orleans, shot a suspected burglar as he left the temporary home.

The burglar, who was not identified, remained hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday night.

Police said no charges would be filed against the resident.

According to police, the resident returned to his home Tuesday in the 6700 block of Deanne Street, near Babylon Street, at about 8 p.m. and found a vehicle he did not recognize parked at his FEMA trailer. Suspicious, he removed his gun from his truck, then saw a man leaving the trailer. The resident told police the man made a "threatening movement" and he shot him.

Police did not find a gun on the wounded man.

Police did not know if the resident had a permit for his gun.

From the New Orleans Times-Picayune of January 11, 2007

Burglary suspect dies of gunshot wounds

A Metairie man who was shot leaving a FEMA trailer in eastern New Orleans that he is suspected of burglarizing died early Thursday, police and the coroner's office said.

Ryan Smythe, 20, died of multiple gunshot wounds at a local hospital about 4 a.m., said John Gagliano, chief investigator for the Orleans Parish coroner's office.

(More)

From the New Orleans Times-Picayune of January 13, 2007

Victim's cohort held in homicide

A 26-year-old man has been arrested on a murder charge in an incident in which his alleged accomplice in an eastern New Orleans trailer break-in Tuesday night was shot to death by the trailer resident, police said.

Randy Albert, whose address was not provided by police, was arrested Wednesday night and booked with first-degree murder, police spokesman Officer Garry Flot said Friday. He is suspected of being the getaway driver in the burglary.

Police said Albert and Ryan Smythe, 20, burglarized a FEMA trailer in the 6700 block of Deanne Street Tuesday about 8 p.m. The 29-year-old resident returned as Smythe was leaving the trailer and fatally shot him. Albert fled in the getaway car, according to police, but was arrested the following night.

Smythe died of multiple gunshot wounds at a local hospital Wednesday about 4 a.m.

Police cleared the resident, whose name wasn't released, declaring his act a justifiable homicide.

Though Albert didn't fire the shot that killed Smythe of Metairie, he was booked with murder under a provision of the law that holds him culpable for the death because it happened while he was in the process of committing a felony, police said.

West Gables, Florida

From the January 9, 2007 Miami Herald:

Liquor store owner Pedro Agudelo fights hard to protect his West Gables business.

Outside, a handful of surveillance cameras are in plain sight. Inside, Agudelo keeps a loaded gun handy.

He used it tonight, shooting dead a would-be robber.

And it's not the first time he's shot someone trying to steal from his store.

On a weekend afternoon in 2001, Agudelo opened fire on a gunman just outside LeJeune Liquors, 930 SW 42nd Ave. The would-be robber, who was never named by police, survived and Agudelo never faced any charges.

Agudelo said at the time: ``I'm just a working guy, a victim of a crime, and I fought back, and that's all.''

About an hour before closing time tonight, Agudelo, 63, fought back again when a man walked into his store, pulled out his gun and demanded cash. Agudelo opened up the cash register, but instead of handing over the money, he pulled out a gun from behind the counter, Miami-Dade police said.

Agudelo then called 911, but the would-be robber was dead at the scene. Police have not released the identity of the dead man or said how many times he was shot.

Florida's new Stand Your Ground'' law allows anyone who feels threatened to shoot -- even if they don't see a gun.

''It's self-defense. He's not going to be charged,'' said Miami-Dade Det. Roy Rutland, a police spokesman.

Dalton, Georgia

From the January 9, 2007 Chattanoogan:

Bradley County Sheriff’s detectives have charged a Dalton, Ga., man as an accomplice in the theft of used auto parts from Dalton Pike Motors last Thursday.

Another man caught stealing auto parts was shot and killed by a man who lives on the property.

Investigation of the incident revealed Randy Osborn, 43, of Dalton was removing auto parts from the business when barking dogs alerted Rick Powers, officials said.

He confronted Osborn, who he said came toward him with a knife so he fired a .22 caliber rifle. Osborn was pronounced dead at the scene.

Michael David Hagan, 48, of Dalton went to the Dalton Police Department the next day to report his involvement in the incident, it was stated.

Charlotte, North Carolina

From January 9, 2007 WSOC channel 9:

Toddler Scares Off Would-Be Robbers In Northwest Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A group of men tried to break-into a home in northwest Charlotte Monday morning, but a toddler spotted them and helped scare them away.

It Happened On Long Creek Parkway, off Bellhaven Boulevard in the "Woods At Coulwood" community.

Two men threw a brick into a back window and broke inside the house. The victims say their three friends were waiting outside.

A 3-year-old inside spotted the intruders and ran for her father.

He grabbed a gun and scared off the masked burglars. He didn't want to speak on camera, but told us all the burglars looked young, and may have been teenagers.

Police looked for them, but never caught up with them.

Neighbors like Diana Lopez are worried their homes could be targeted next, "Especially because there's kids in the house, and sometimes they stay with the babysitter, so that's really scary."

One of the burglars fired a shot at the home, but didn't hit anyone.

Clearwater, Florida

From TampaBays10.com of January 8, 2007

Burglar, 16, shot during burglary

A 16-year-old Clearwater youth was shot at least once after he broke into a north Clearwater home Sunday night. The teen - whose identity has not yet been established, was shot by a man who lives in the house which was being burglarized.

According to Clearwater Police Department Criminal Investigations Detectives, the juvenile and another burglar forced their way into a home at 1186 Palmetto Street at 9:30 Sunday night, and one of the burglars fired at least two shots inside the house, hitting no one.

But a resident of the home, 35-year-old Robert Cason, retrieved a handgun from inside the residence and returned fire.

The two burglars ran from the home, and a short time later, Clearwater Police Patrol Officers found a 16-year-old in the area, wounded in the abdomen.

The youth was treated at the scene by Clearwater Fire Department paramedics before being flown to Bayfront Medical Center Hospital's trauma center. His injuries are said to not be life-threatening.

Police are searching for the second burglar; the investigation continues.

North Las Vegas, Nevada

From the January 6, 2007 Las Vegas Review-Journal:

A convenience store manager shot and killed a robbery suspect and injured another Friday after the men entered his North Las Vegas store and took the manager and several customers hostage.

The two suspects held up the American Mini Market at 2564 Las Vegas Blvd. North on Friday afternoon, North Las Vegas police said. Then, the robbery suspects bound the store manager and several customers using zip ties and tried to rob them, police said.

The manager, whose name was not released, escaped from the ties and retrieved a gun stashed inside the store. Shortly after 2 p.m., the manager exchanged "a bunch" of shots with the suspects, North Las Vegas police spokesman Tim Bedwell said.

Both of the suspects were hit with gunfire.

One of suspects stumbled out of the store and died in the parking lot, Bedwell said. The other, whose name also was not released, was hit in the lower extremities and fled on foot, leaving a trail of blood, he said.

The suspect was caught by police and taken to University Medical Center, where he was treated for injuries that were not life-threatening, Bedwell said. Police said the man could be charged with robbery and murder once he recovers from his wounds. Under Nevada law, a suspect in a felony crime in which a person dies can be charged with murder even if their actions didn't directly cause the death.

No one else was injured in the shooting.

"This is how we like these incidents to end up," Bedwell said.

The customers called the manager a hero.

"He saved us all," said 27-year-old Kevin Aden, who was in the store when the suspects came in.

Aden said that he and the other people in the store were tied up for about 10 to 15 minutes in the back room as the suspects robbed them and the store.

Wilmington, Delaware

From January 5, 2007 WECT channel 6:

WILMINGTON -- A Wilmington man is recovering from a gun shot wound to his ankle. Police say he was shot after exchanging gun fire with a man who tried to rob him.

Police say 26-year-old Matt Hearn was getting out of this truck, when a man pulled out a gun and demanded all his money.

Police say Hearn gave the man his wallet, but no money was inside, so the robber demanded Hearn drive him to the ATM.

That's when Hearn went to the other side of his Ford Ranger, pretended to go through his bag looking for his keys, but instead pulled out a gun.

Police say the robber fired at Hearn, and Hearn fired back. When police arrived on the scene, the robber was gone.