Orlando, Florida



From Orlando‘s WESH.com of December 8, 2004

Suspect Injured In Apartment Shooting



A gunman who burst into an Orlando apartment Wednesday is in critical condition after being shot in the stomach.



It happened at the Holly Garden Apartments on Orange Avenue near Michigan, WESH NewsChannel 2 reported.



The gunman is an ex-boyfriend of the apartment resident, and he apparently burst through the front door, police said.



Five people were inside the apartment when the gunfire erupted, including a young girl.



The suspect was shot in the stomach. A second victim suffered a hip injury after jumping out a window, officials said.



The suspect is in critical condition at a local hospital.



Police said one weapon was found, and they are still looking for a second weapon.

No subsequent stories about this incident were found.

Webster, New York



From the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle of December 6, 2004

Man's use of force called justified



Webster police say fatal shooting seems done in self-defense



A Rochester man used justifiable force when he fatally shot another man early Sunday during a frontyard fistfight in Webster, police said.



Donald Krahling, 50, was being badly beaten by Jeffrey Morrison, 43, of Fairport, when he pulled out a concealed handgun and fired one shot into Morrison's chest about 1:30 a.m., Webster police said.



Police said the shooting appears justified because Morrison was overwhelming the smaller Krahling, who walks with a limp after being injured in the military years ago.



Krahling had properly registered the .25-caliber gun, said Lt. Salvatore Simonetti.



"There is evidence to substantiate his self-defense story," Simonetti said.



While no charges have been filed against Krahling, he could still face arrest. The Monroe County District Attorney's Office plans to take the case to a grand jury, which could levy charges against him.



The deadly brawl, police said, broke out after Morrison allegedly approached Krahling as Krahling was entering the home of a former girlfriend at 256 Birch Lane, a quiet development of homes off Bay Road.



After a brief verbal spat, the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Morrison began pummeling the 5-foot-7, 170-pound Krahling by punching him in the head and face, police said.



After the shooting, Krahling went into the home and yelled to call 911, police said.



(More)

No subsequent stories about this incident were found.

Savannah, Georgia



From Savannah’s WTOCtv.com of October 29, 2004

Man Shot While Attempting to Rob Elderly Couple



A robber targeted a couple in their 70s off of Highway 80 in Garden City last night, but little did he know, he was about to become the target.



Niece Bonnie Turner thinks the world of her aunt and uncle. "They're good people. They would do anything in the world for you."



That's exactly what the man who broke into their home was counting on. Around 7:45 last night, a man knocked at the door of Lonnie and Betty Morgan's home, claiming he had car trouble. When Lonnie offered him tools, the man forced his way in. When he started roughing up Lonnie and his wife, Lonnie promised him money if he would go away. And that's when the tables turned.



"They proceeded to the bedroom or another room in the house," said Capt. Steve Stratman of the Garden City Police Department. "The old man gave him a hundred dollar bill. The man started hitting him with a lamp and the old man apparently shot him."



His niece says her uncle is one to defend himself. "I'm surprised, but with him it didn't really surprise me that much."



She's just glad this night didn't turn out any worse. "Both of them may have wound up dead," she said.



As for the robber, he faces additional charges for crimes against the elderly. The robber's name has not been released. He's in intensive care at Memorial Health University. Police recovered stolen property from a burglary they believe he committed three houses away.



The Morgans are also being kept at the hospital for observation.

Modesto, California



From Sacramento’s KCRAChannel.com of January 27, 2005

Modesto Homeowner Shoots Suspected Burglar



Homeowner: 'He Chose To Lunge At Me ... I Had No Choice'



A Modesto homeowner who said he's been the victim of numerous burglaries in recent weeks shot a man who allegedly broke into his home Thursday morning.



Greg Collins' home is undergoing extensive remodeling. Collins said he slept in his garage overnight with a shotgun in an effort to protect his property.



At 5:25 a.m., Collins said he was awakened by the sounds of an intruder breaking in to the garage.



"Luckily, I found the shotgun, pointed it at him, told him to freeze ... He chose to lunge at me, so I had no choice at that point but to shoot him. I did use a 12-gauge shotgun so that I wouldn't kill the man," he said.



Collins said he has lost $7,000 worth of tools in the last three weeks. He said burglars have broken into home four times and into his garage twice.



"I could buy new tools, but we have family staying in this house from time to time and it's scary to think they could break in while my parents were here or when my daughter stops by with some friends," Collins said.



The alleged burglar was reported in critical condition at a Modesto hospital, but was expected to survive. His identity has not been released.



Police said Collins will likely not face any charges.

UPDATE (by Clayton): Also covered in the January 28, 2005 Modesto Bee.

Durham, North Carolina



From the Raleigh News & Observer of January 27, 2005

Charges won't be filed in death



DA says shooting was self-defense



Officials have decided not to press charges against the man who shot Billy Joe McCullough, 34. who was found dead last month on Evergreen Street in eastern Durham.



Durham District Attorney Jim Hardin said Wednesday he will not press charges in the case because McCullough was burglarizing an apartment at 1202 Evergreen St. and was shot by an occupant who was trying to protect himself.



"It was clear to me that this was a classic case of self-defense," Hardin said. The man was defending himself, the family and the home, so by law, he did not commit a crime, Hardin said.



A police investigation concluded that McCullough had been watching the house and planned to break in, Hardin said. McCullough had unscrewed a light bulb that illuminated the apartment's porch and climbed in through a window, Hardin said.



Once inside, McCullough encountered two people, one of whom shot him, Hardin said. Wounded, McCullough managed to get out of the apartment, but he collapsed.



When police found McCullough lying in the gravel driveway outside the apartment, he was still holding the flashlight he used in the break-in, Hardin said.



Neither police nor Hardin have identified the man who fired at McCullough. The man had a close relationship with the family who lived at 1202 Evergreen St., which was moving out at the time of the incident, Durham police Detective S.W. Vaughan said.



Although the case is closed, it can be reconsidered if new evidence arises that contradicts the prior findings of police, Vaughan said.



McCullough, of North Hyde Park Avenue, grew up in Durham, but spent stretches of his life in prison. Records from the state Department of Correction show he has served time for armed robbery, assault and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Greensburg, Pennsylvania



From PittsburghLive.com of January 27, 2005

Police say prowler may have been shot



State police at Greensburg are looking for a prowler who may have been shot while snooping around a Derry Township residence.



According to police, James Baer, 28, noticed someone lurking around the home along McFarland Road at 10:10 p.m. Tuesday.



Baer confronted the prowler, who pointed what appeared to be a rifle at Baer. Baer fired twice at the prowler -- once at close range -- with a .357-caliber handgun.



The prowler ran away, but police later found a trail of blood.

Hutchins, Georgia



From the Athens’ Banner-Herald of January 26, 2005

Robbers shot dead



Athens teens killed in 'self-defense'



Two Athens teens engaged a pair of Oglethorpe County store owners in a shootout during a botched robbery Monday afternoon and lost, both paying with their lives.



Bobby Doster and Gloria Turner said they opened fire on the robbers after one of them complained Turner was too slow in handing over money from the cash register. He turned and fired at Doster, missing the 62-year-old owner of Shoat's Grocery and Package Store at the corner of Georgia Highway 77 and Hutchins-Wolfskin Road.



When the gunman's pistol jammed while squeezing the trigger repeatedly, Doster said, he took his own gun out of his overalls and fired as both robbers ran toward the back of the store. The store owner was joined by his common-law wife of 30 years, who said she managed to get off at least two or three shots from the 9 mm handgun kept behind the counter.



The gun-wielding robber was shot and collapsed behind a meat counter at the rear of the store, and his accomplice ran into a bathroom, apparently thinking it was an exit, said Turner, who has owned the store with Doster for eight years.



When the man emerged from the bathroom, he began throwing bottles at Doster as the shop owner advanced on him, hitting Doster in the head with a bottle of soy sauce. The would-be robber then tried to turn over his mortally wounded accomplice, making the store owner think he was going for the gun that was under his friend's body.



"Hit the floor - stay on the floor and don't get up," Doster said he told the man. "He wouldn't get down, so I shot him. The way I see it, it was self-defense because they were intending to kill us. There's no doubt in my mind about that."



When sheriff's deputies arrived, one robber's body lay on top of the other, and attempts to revive them failed. They were pronounced dead at the scene.



Neither robber was identified Tuesday, but after running their fingerprints through a national fingerprint data base for known offenders, they were determined to be Athens residents, one 17 years old and the other 19, according to Oglethorpe County Sheriff Mike Smith.



Authorities are withholding the identities until the teens' next of kin are notified, Smith said.



The sheriff said the Georgia tag on the robber's Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme is "bogus," and that a second tag found inside the car had a Clarke County sticker and was registered to an Athens resident. That resident was not one of the men who was shot, Smith said.



Neither of the store owners would be charged, Smith said, calling the shootings a clear case of self-defense.



(More)