Newburg, Maryland Home Invaders Chased Off By Victim With Handgun

Newburg, Maryland

From the August 21, 2009 Independent:

Two masked men armed with a handgun held up a man and woman Tuesday in a Newburg home invasion, according to police.

The victim arrived at the Waverly Point Road home and was talking with his wife in the garage at about 8:25 p.m. when the robbers walked up, police reported. The robber carrying the handgun ordered the victim inside the home and started looking for valuables. The second masked man stayed in the garage with the victim's wife, according to police.

The arrival of the victim's son disrupted the robbery and gave the victim a chance to get a handgun. The victim fired two shots at an open field, and the robbers ran away toward a wooded area, according to Diane Richardson, spokeswoman for the Charles County Sheriff's Office.

The victim then called police, who searched the area and gathered evidence from the scene.

Tuscumbia, Alabama Woman Shoots At Burglar

Tuscumbia, Alabama

From the August 19, 2009 Times-Daily:

TUSCUMBIA - A man is in the Colbert County jail after he was accused of breaking into a home where the owner fired a shot at him.

John Allen Elom, 34, 4125 Woodmont Drive, Tuscumbia, is charged with second-degree burglary, Sheriff Ronnie May said.

May said Elom is accused of breaking into a residence only a few doors down from his house on Woodmont Drive early Monday.

During the break-in, May said the 32-year-old homeowner tried to protect herself and shot at Elom. The incident occurred around 1:20 a.m.

"The victim said she was awakened by dogs barking," May said. "She said she got out of bed, picked up her pistol (a 9 mm) and walked down the hallway."

May said the woman told authorities that when she got near the kitchen, she saw the suspect and fired the gun.

"She only had one bullet and she missed," May said.

At that point, Elom charged her and they struggled for a few minutes, the woman said.

"He was wearing a dark-colored hoodie, and during the struggle, she was able to see his face enough to recognize him," the sheriff said.

May said the suspect broke free and called the woman a derogatory name as he ran out the door.

"The victim ran out the back door and called 911," the sheriff said.

May said the woman gave authorities a description of the suspect and a name.

"Our investigators put together a lineup and she picked him out and he was arrested (Tuesday)," May said.

He said the back door was forced open. Investigators believe that's when the woman's dogs started barking.

North Carolina: Legislator Shoots Intruder

Tabor City, North Carolina

From the August 24, 2009 Winston-Salem Journal:

TABOR CITY -- A sheriff says that North Carolina's longest-serving legislator has shot an intruder at his Tabor City home.

Columbus County Sheriff Chris Batten said that state Sen. R.C. Soles, 74, shot one of two people who kicked in the front door yesterday.

Batten said that the intruder was taken to a hospital, though he did not know the extent of his injuries.

Ex-Boyfriend Gets Shot In Houston

Houston, Texas

From the August 22, 2009 Houston Chronicle:

A man accused of kicking in the door of his ex-girlfriend's Spring home was recovering from a gunshot wound on Saturday.

Johnnie W. Cunningham III, 31, faces a burglary charge after police say he forced his way into a home in the 7000 block of Treaschwig late Friday night.

While the ex-girlfriend and another man slept, Cunningham began beating and kicking their back door around 10 p.m., said Thomas Gilliland, a Harris County Sheriff's Office spokesman.

Through the closed door, the ex-girlfriend told Cunningham to leave.

“He became belligerent, kicked the door open and gained entry to the house,” Gilliland said.

When Cunningham began struggling with the woman, the other man came out of a bedroom with a handgun. He ordered Cunningham to leave several times, but Cunningham continued to shove his former girlfriend, police say.

“At this time, the male occupant fired a warning shot into the ceiling,” Gilliland said. “The suspect again was belligerent and started towards the male complainant. The male complainant fired one time, striking the suspect in the upper chest.”

The shooter called 911 to report injuring an intruder.

Cunningham was transported to Ben Taub General Hospital in critical condition.

The shooter has not been charged, Gilliland said.

Fort Mill, S.C. Resident Fires At Intruder

Fort Mill, South Carolina

From August 20, 2009 WCNC:

FORT MILL, S.C. -- One minute a Fort Mill father was watching cartoons with his 2-year-old son. The next minute he was aiming a pistol at an intruder.

It happened in the Avery Lake subdivision off Steele Street in Fort Mill just after 8 p.m. Wednesday.

"Even today I feel sick to my stomach," the victim told NewsChannel 36.

It was just a regular Wednesday night, the 24-year-old said, when he suddenly found himself defending his and his son's lives.

"I heard the glass shatter," he said.

The man asked not to be identified to protect his family's safety.

"When I heard the noise, I called 911," he said.

The noise was a burglar who had bashed in the back sliding glass door with a boulder from the yard. Police believe the intruder thought no one was home.

The homeowner -- a former police officer who left law enforcement for the ministry -- hid his son in a closet and grabbed his pistol.

"I yelled a warning at him to leave. He didn't do it. He came walking toward me and I shot at him," the victim described.

Houston Homeowner Kills Suspected Burglar

Houston, Texas

From the August 21, 2009 Houston Chronicle:

The fatal shooting of a suspected burglar by a north Houston man on Thursday will be referred to a Harris County grand jury, police said.

The deceased, unidentified man was shot about 1 p.m. at a home in the 13500 block of Forest Pines Village near Forest Fir, Houston police said. He was later pronounced dead at Ben Taub General Hospital. The homeowner, who was not injured, told HPD officers he looked outside after hearing the doorbell. Seconds later, the burglar forced his way into the house, police said.

The homeowner had a pistol and fired at least once at the suspected burglar — who fled but collapsed about a block away, police said. The homeowner told HPD officer he kept the pistol in his home because of past crimes in the area.

Lake City, Florida Robber Dies

Lake City, Florida

From the August 18, 2009 Gainesville (Fla.) Sun:

A Hollywood, Fla., man, who died over the weekend after he was shot earlier in the week, apparently had been trying to rob another man when he was fatally injured, Lake City police reported.

Lenoris Owens, 27, was found semiconscious and bleeding shortly before 10 p.m. on Aug. 12 near the intersection of Congress and Saint Clair streets, according to the Lake City Police Department. He died Saturday. Police described Owens' injuries as a gunshot wound to the head.

Investigators now believe Owens was trying to rob a Lake City man when he was wounded. The two had struggled over the weapon when the other man, Oteger Greene, 24, got the gun and fired twice, hitting Owens once, according to officers.

Initially, police identified Greene as a person of interest in the case.

But officers now think Greene was trying to protect himself, Capt. Rudolph Davis said.

"The evidence points that he was defending himself," he said.