Mississippi: Man, 71, shoots accused burglar

Jackson, Mississippi

From the Clarion Ledger of July 3, 2008

Man, 71, shoots accused burglar

An elderly west Jackson resident who was attacked by a burglar two years ago shot a man Wednesday he suspected of breaking into his Pleasant Avenue home.

Police say the resident, identified by relatives as 71-year-old Edwin Chinn, was protecting himself when he shot Ricky Braggs.

Chinn's daughter, Sheryl Lenoir, said he lives by himself and had been burglarized and shot about two years ago.

"He got shot in the back, but he was able to beat (the attacker) down with a bat or something," she said. Chinn was not available for comment Wednesday, and his daughter said he was uncertain whether he would continue to live in the house.

Braggs, 34, has been accused of breaking into Chinn's home through his kitchen window just before noon Wednesday. Chinn's home is near Galloway Elementary School and the Player and Playerettes Club. Police said Braggs lived in the neighborhood.

Jackson police said Chinn shot Braggs once in the abdomen and once in the arm. Bullet holes were visible through the wall on the south side of the house.

Following the shooting, Braggs ran about two blocks before collapsing behind a house in the 1900 block near Woodrow Wilson Boulevard. He was taken to the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

"His wounds are not considered life-threatening," Jackson police spokesman Sgt. Jeffery Scott said.

Police will charge Braggs with house burglary once he is released from the hospital, Scott said.

Investigators detained Chinn for questioning but did not charge him, citing the Castle Doctrine law that allows residents to defend themselves and their property against perceived attacks.

Neighbors described Chinn as a "sweet, old man" who kept to himself.

"He would speak to you, but mostly he stayed over (on his property)," Natalie Spann said.

Braggs was convicted in Hinds County in August 1995 on two counts of business burglary and sentenced to four years in prison followed by three years of probation, according to Mississippi Department of Corrections records. His probation was revoked twice in 1997 for violations.

In April 2001, Braggs again was convicted on two counts of business burglary and sentenced to seven years in prison as a "habitual offender." He was released Sept. 8, 2007, after serving the full sentence (no probation).

The Castle Doctrine was enacted in 2006 to allow people to use deadly force to protect themselves in their homes, vehicles and businesses. The law removes the requirement that residents must first seek a safe retreat from an intruder before using deadly force.