North Platte, Nebraska

From the North Platte Telegraph of March 21, 2007

NP woman shoots intruder

A 37-year-old North Platte man was shot several times and killed early Wednesday morning after he reportedly forced his way into a mobile home at 2801 West 19th.

According to Lt. Rick Ryan of the North Platte Police Department, a call came in at 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday from the 2800 block of West 20th, reporting shots being fired in the area.

Ryan said Tiffany Howell, 19, told officers that she had shot an intruder but didn’t know if he was alive. After shooting the man, she reportedly fled through the back door and went to a neighbor’s house.

Police found the man lying inside the front door of the home and identified him as David Allen, 37, of North Platte. Ryan said paramedics were called to the scene, and they determined Allen had died at the scene.

A search warrant was issued, and police located a semi-automatic rifle and several spent cartridges in the home. The man’s body has been transported to Scottsbluff for an autopsy.

Ryan said they will not know exactly how many times Allen was shot until the autopsy is completed. He said the incident is being investigated at this point as a homicide.

“We investigate all deaths like this as a homicide,” Ryan said.

Howell was home alone at the time of the incident, according to Ryan. He said the home belongs to Howell’s boyfriend, the person Allen was looking for when he tried to enter the house.

“They were acquaintances,” Ryan said.

Ryan said Howell talked to Allen through the front door. She told Allen that her boyfriend was not home and asked him leave. Allen eventually convinced Howell to open the front door.

Howell opened the door slightly to talk to Allen, according to Ryan, but she still didn’t let him into the house. When she tried to shut the door, Allen allegedly put up his hands and pushed the door open, entering the residence.

Howell was holding a Ruger Mini-14 .223 semi-automatic rifle when Allen entered the house. Ryan said Allen became rude to Howell and refused to leave, so Howell aimed the weapon at him and told him to get out of the house.

“He refused to leave the house and he went after her, at which time she fired several shots,” Ryan said.

From the North Platte Bulletin of March 31, 2007

Shooting investigation leads to burglary charges

The investigation into the shooting death of 37-year-old David Allen of North Platte unexpectedly led police to solve a string of recent burglaries.

Allen was allegedly shot to death by Tiffany Howell, 19, at 2801 West Ninth Street in North Platte March 21. The police said Allen entered the trailer house of Howell’s boyfriend and that Howell shot him several times with a Ruger Mini-14 .223-caliber rifle.

Howell ran to a neighbor’s house, dropping the rifle in the back yard.

While investigating the shooting, police discovered at least 24 items that they suspected had been stolen from various businesses recently.

The police, who had been investigating the burglaries, realized that the merchandise stored at the crime scene might be stolen loot from the burglaries.

The owner of the trailer, who rented the trailer to Howell's boyfriend, told the police that Mitchell T. Pappas had asked him if he could store the merchandise there.

The investigation revealed that the merchandise was allegedly stolen from area businesses.

The police investigated and learned that Pappas had allegedly been bragging about doing the break-ins.

Pappas was charged with burglarizing Kohler Trailer Sales, 3821 Rodeo Road on November 10; Troyer Enterprises, 702 N. Bailey on November 20 and Racing Components at 302 West Eugene on December 14, 2006.

Pappas could face a maximum 60-years imprisonment if convicted of all three crimes. He is being held in the Lincoln County Jail on a $50,000 bond and his next court hearing was April 5.

Lt. Rick Ryan said the investigation into the March 21 shooting was still underway and that they still awaited the autopsy results.