Three Points, AZ

 8/23/23 WFSB:

THREE POINTS, Ariz. (KOLD/Gray News) – A convicted sex offender was shot and killed by a woman while trying to break into her Arizona home last week, officials said.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said 42-year-old Jayson Magrum died in the Aug. 11 shooting at the home in Three Points, just outside of Tucson.

According to the sheriff’s department, Magrum was trying to break into a woman’s home. She told him to leave, but he did not stop.

Officials said the woman then grabbed a gun and fired a warning shot. Magrum then tried to disarm her, and he was shot and killed.

Phoenix, AZ

 6/26/22 Fox News:

A Phoenix, Arizona homeowner shot and killed two men who were attempting to break into the home Saturday morning, police said, according to reports. 

When police arrived before 8 a.m. in response to several 911 calls, officers found the two alleged intruders on the ground in front of the home.

"Witnesses told the officers the shooter was inside the home next to where the men were lying," Sgt. Philip Krynsky told FOX 10 Phoenix. 

"The officers were able to successfully carry the men to await paramedics. The officers were able to communicate with the three occupants of the home and they were detained peacefully."...

Krynsky explained that the people detained in connection to the shooting gave consistent stories of self-defense during the investigation into the incident.

Mesa, AZ

 9/25/20 KTAR:

PHOENIX – Police in Mesa said Thursday a woman shot a man who broke into her home and then came at her with a knife.

The man was wounded in the chest Sept. 18 but the injuries weren’t life-threatening. Elijah Jones, 29, was arrested on charges of first-degree burglary and aggravated assault, police said in an email.

Jones told officers he was high on methamphetamine and didn’t recall threatening the woman. Two warrants were out for his arrest.

Yuma Co., AZ

 1/3/19 Fox News:

One person is dead and three others are injured after they were shot by a resident of an Arizona home they were trying to burglarize. According to a news release, when Edith Guerrero, Jaden James, Leonardo Gonzalez and Jessica Aynes broke into the home they woke the sleeping occupants as they entered. The unidentified occupant with the gun fired several rounds, hitting all four suspects and ultimately killing one.

Yuma, AZ

1/7/19 KYMA:

YUMA, Ariz. - A woman was killed and three people were injured in what deputies said was a home invasion in the 3800 block of East County 18 1/2 Street early Thursday morning....

One of the calls to 911 came from the home that got broken into, according to Alfonso Zavala with the Yuma County Sheriffs Office.

"The homeowner was woken up by some noise outside shortly after the subject made entry into the home, the occupant fired multiple rounds striking all four subjects," said Zavala.

KYMA spoke with many residents who say the calm and quiet neighborhood isn't used to crime.

One neighbor, who wanted to remain unnamed told KYMA that the man protecting his home first warned the alleged intruders that someone was home by flickering his lights before he opened fire.

Sounds like the victim had more decency and concern for the bad guys than they deserved,

Tonopah, AZ

1/12/17 Arizona Republic:

A man traveling to California came to the rescue of a wounded state trooper who was struggling with the gunman who had shot him on an isolated stretch of Interstate 10, authorities said.

The man, who was with his wife, stopped his car when he came upon a rollover accident and saw the struggle, according to Col. Frank Milstead, Arizona Department of Public Safety director.

The trooper told the man he needed help, and the man returned to his car, got his gun and fired at the assailant when he refused to listen to orders to stop and back away, Milstead said.

The man who shot the trooper was dead, as was a woman who had been ejected from the vehicle, Milstead said.

Glendale, AZ

8/5/16 ABC 15:

GLENDALE, AZ. - Carolann Miracle is 4 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs 85 pounds. She’s a petite woman who seems like an easy target, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. 

“I was scared, at first. I thought, ‘Am I really getting robbed?’” Miracle told ABC15.

Miracle said she was leaving the Circle K near 59th Avenue and Camelback Road with her family early Monday morning when the suspect, Frank Taylor , tried to bum a cigarette. She told him that she didn’t have one, and then seconds later, Miracle said, she could feel the barrel of the gun against her skin.

“He put the gun up to my neck and said, ‘It’s loaded, don’t move,’” Miracle said. ”I think he thought, ‘She’s a little girl. Maybe she doesn’t know how to use her weapon.’”

Miracle said, “I dropped my soda, released my gun from my holster and cocked it. I shot him and ran in the opposite direction."

NAU "Rampage Shooting" Apparently Not

I completely missed this tragedy.  From Oct. 9, 2015 AFP:

Los Angeles:  One person was killed and three others wounded in a shooting at an Arizona university early on Friday before police captured the gunman, university officials said.

The deadly shooting at Northern Arizona University (NAU) comes just over a week after the October 1 shooting rampage at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, in which a 26-year-old gunman shot dead nine people, then committed suicide.

The first emergency calls came through to police at 1:20 am Friday, when most NAU students would have been in bed at the university campus in the city of Flagstaff.

The motive for the shooting -- just the latest at colleges and universities in the United States -- was not immediately clear and the identity of the shooter and the victims was not immediately known.

But there's another side to the story.  From Nov. 20, 2015 Arizona Republic:

Northern Arizona University shooting suspect Steven Jones told police he was being charged by other students when he fired shots, killing one student and wounding three others, according to reports released Friday by the NAU police.

Jones, 18, claimed he and two friends were first attacked and beaten outside an apartment complex in the Oct. 9 incident and then chased to his car by another group of students who shouted obscenities and threatened to kill them.

But the surviving victims and other witnesses told varying stories that corroborated some of Jones' statements and contradicted others.

Jones, who wept during police interviews, claimed he got his Glock pistol from the car and told the pursuers, who were then surrounding his friends, that he had a gun. He said he shot two of the attackers, again saying they would kill him, when they charged him.

Colin Brough, 20, was pronounced dead at the scene. Nicholas Piring, 20, was the second student shot.

One of the friends who was with Jones corroborated the initial fight and that they ran from their attackers. He told police that Jones pointed the gun and told two men to get to the ground, but one lunged at him and was shot twice. Then he shot the other student, he said.

Jones has been indicted, but it sounds like he has at least a plausible argument for self-defense.

UPDATE: The story gets more interesting.  From Nov. 30, 2015 Arizona Daily Sun:

Accused killer Steven Jones was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol when he shot four fellow Northern Arizona University students, killing one.

But all four of the victims had alcohol, drugs or both in their systems on the night of the fatal shooting.

According to a new section of the police report released by NAU Police Department Monday, Arizona Department of Public Safety Crime Laboratory technicians found no alcohol or drugs in blood recovered from Jones, 18, after he shot Colin Brough, Nicholas Prato, Nicholas Piring and Kyle Zienteck, all 20 years old, in what he characterized as an act of self-defense in the early morning hours of Oct. 9.

The same police report cited lab results that listed Prato’s blood alcohol content at 0.92 percent, Zientek’s blood alcohol content at 0.181 percent and Piring’s blood alcohol content at 0.208 percent. All three readings were above the 0.08 percent blood alcohol content used to determine whether a person is driving under the influence, although, as 20-year-olds, having any alcohol in their systems would be illegal. The lab tests also detected cannabis in Prato and Zienteck’s blood. Piring’s drug screening results were not included in the report.

Jones' claim looks more and more believable.

Arizona: Would-be robber shot by victim

Tuscon, Arizona

From the Arizona Star of October 6, 2009

Would-be robber shot by victim

A man suffered life-threatening wounds when he attempted to rob another man at a midtown car wash and was shot by the victim, Tucson police said.

The incident occurred at a self-service car wash on East 22nd Street near South Beverly Avenue just before 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Police said a 50-year-old man was at the car wash washing his vehicle when he was approached by an 18-year-old man.

The younger man pulled out a gun and attempted to rob the older man, police said.

The older man pulled out his own gun and shot the 18 year old.

The younger man ran away and got into a car that was being driven by another person. A short time later, the 18-year-old man showed up at a hospital with life-threatening wounds, police said.

The 50-year-old man was not injured.

He’s being questioned by police as is the driver of the car who took the wounded man to the hospital.

Arizona: Armed homeowner holds youth suspected of burglary try

Chandler, Arizona

From the Arizona Republic of September 2, 2009

Armed homeowner holds youth suspected of burglary try

A Chandler homeowner, armed with a gun, took one of two juveniles into custody after they broke into his home.

The homeowner's 13-year-old son was the only person at the house, in the 800 block of West Elgin Street, when two juveniles knocked on his front door on Monday.

The boy did not open the front door. The juveniles forced their way through the back door, police said. The boy ran to a neighbor's home, and his neighbors called police.

The boy's father got home before authorities arrived, grabbed his gun and took one of the juveniles into custody.

Police apprehended the second juvenile when he jumped from the second story and attempted to flee from the home.

Both juveniles, who are Chandler residents, were arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary, police said.

Their names and pictures are being withheld by police.

Arizona: Police arrest 2nd suspect in Phoenix pawn shop robbery

Phoenix, Arizona

From the Arizona Family of September 1, 2009

Police arrest 2nd suspect in Phoenix pawn shop robbery

Police said Tuesday that they have arrested the second suspect involved in an armed robbery at a Phoenix pawn shop over the weekend.

Det. James Holmes said detectives caught up with that suspect early Monday morning. The 17-year-old Hispanic male has been booked into the Juvenile Detenetion Center, but investigators are not releasing his name.

Detectives say that teen suspect and another man, now identified as George Luis Villa Nueva, tried to rob the Central Pawn Shop near 41st Avenue and Indian School Road Sunday morning.

One of the suspects, police have not said which, held a gun on a 15-year-old employee.

Sgt. Andy Hill said that's when the store's manager pulled a gun of his own and fire several shots, hittine Villa Nueva, 21, in the head. He later died.

The teen suspect flad the scene in a vehicle belonging to a store customer.

Police say the investigation is ongoing.

Arizona: Robbery fails when cab driver grabs gun, bites suspect

Chandler, Arizona

From ABC15 of August 14, 2009

Robbery fails when cab driver grabs gun, bites suspect

A cab driver fought back against a man, who tried to rob him at gunpoint on Friday morning, by biting his ear and taking his gun.

Detective David Ramer with the Chandler Police Department said a cab driver pulled into an apartment complex near Dobson and Ocotillo roads around 1 a.m. to drop off his passenger.

As the cab came to a stop, the passenger allegedly pulled a gun on the driver and demanded cash.

Ramer said the cab driver grabbed the suspect's gun and pulled it down between the front seats, forcing the suspect to lean over the seats closer to the cab driver.

With his hands holding the gun down between the seats, the cab driver reportedly bit the suspect's ear.

"I almost bit his ear off," said the cab driver, Mwengi Gachii. "I'm okay because I am always suspicious of people like that.”

The suspect then fired one shot, striking the driver seat of the vehicle and then responded in turn by biting Gachii, according to the police report.

At one point, Gachii says the suspect bit him in the chest. "He was really drunk," Gachii said.

After a struggle, the suspect fled from the cab. Gachii ran after the suspect while carrying his gun.

After a brief chase, Gachii stopped and called police.

Police were able to catch the alleged robber in the complex.

The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Matthew Mailhot of Chandler, was taken to a local hospital to be treated for his injuries.

Mailhot was booked into the Maricopa County Jail for armed robbery.

Arizona: Homeowner With Shotgun Kills Intruder

Phoenix, Arizona

From KPHO of June 18, 2009

Homeowner With Shotgun Kills Intruder

A Mesa homeowner used a shotgun to defend himself during a home invasion late Wednesday night, authorities said.

According to Mesa Police Department spokesman Sgt. Ed Wessing, two men armed with guns and demanding money forced their way into the home near Stapley Road and Southern Avenue.

The intruders rounded up the four men who live there and forced them into a room, Wessing said.

"At some point during this crime, one of the residents was able to grab a shotgun," Wessing said. "(He) shot and killed one of them, and then fired at the second suspect (who) was injured but then fled the area."

Police said the second intruder ended up at a nearby hospital, where he is expected to survive.

The four men were not injured.

Neighbor Ron Hahn has surveillance cameras set up around his home for security, and he shared copies of the video with police.

The video appeared to be too dark to determine what was going on inside the home; however, Hahn said his cameras did catch someone two months ago.

A person jumped the fence into his back yard and dismantled the security light.

"He sat in the corner of my yard for about, I would say, five minutes or so, watching the house behind me (where the homicide occurred) with a two-way radio," Hahn said.

Police also have the surveillance video from the second incident; however, they said it's too early to tell if it's related to the home invasion.

Arizona: Phoenix liquor store clerk shoots would-be robber

Phoenix, Arizona

From the Arizona Repulic of June 6, 2009

Phoenix liquor store clerk shoots would-be robber

A Phoenix liquor store clerk shot a would-be robber Saturday afternoon, after the robber pulled a knife on the clerk, police said.

Phoenix police gave this account:

About 12:30 p.m. two men went to a liquor store, near 23rd and Northern avenues after having been there two hours before.

During the second trip to the store, one of the men stayed outside. The other asked the clerk for a piece of paper.

As the clerk was waiting on other customers, the 29-year-old suspect wrote something on the paper. After the other customers left, the suspect handed a robbery note to the clerk. The clerk acted as though he couldn't read.

That's when the suspect came towards the clerk and opened a gate, which separates the clerk from the customers, and pulled out a knife. Seeing this, the clerk grabbed a gun and shot the suspect.

The suspect ran out of the store and across the street to a friend's apartment. He knocked on the door and collapsed. The friend called 911.

Police arrived and the suspect was taken to a local hospital where he remains in critical condition.

Female Carjacker Shot In Tucson

Tucson, Arizona

From the April 24, 2009 Arizona Daily Star:

A woman who tried to carjack a man at gunpoint outside a North Side Walgreens early Thursday was shot and wounded by the man, police said.

The man called police around 12:30 a.m. to report he had just shot one of two women who tried to take his car as he waited in the pharmacy drive-through near East Grant and North Swan roads, said Sgt. Fabian Pacheco, a Tucson Police Department spokesman.

Pacheco gave this account:

The 26-year-old man, whose name was not released, had just left Tucson Medical Center and went to fill a prescription.

When he drove back to the drugstore to check on his prescription, two women came up to his car. One was armed with a gun.

The woman tried to shoot the man, but he pulled his own gun while she was trying to pull the trigger. Her gun didn't fire for an unknown reason.

The man fired his gun twice. One shot grazed her head, and the other struck her in the shoulder.

The woman fell to the ground, and the man took her gun away.

Tucson Home Invaders Shot With Guns & Video

Tucson, Arizona

From February 10, 2009 KVOA channel 4:

A homeowner, alerted of an impending home invasion by his security cameras, arms himself and takes matters into his hands last Thursday when four armed suspects attempt to break into his home.

The video the owner caught is incredible, and you can see it by watching the video link to the left. You see a vehicle pull up, and four men run out. One of them is carrying what appears to be an AR-15 or M-16, a weapon which could be fully automatic.

The robbery happened last Thursday in broad daylight at a home on West Vande Loo Street. All the action was caught by the homeowners outdoor surveillance system.

"The victim was able to get back inside his house, close his door, semi barricade it, reach for [a] weapon that was easily accessible," says Pima County Sheriff's Deputy Earl Gieron.

The homeowner shot at the suspects. He even put a bullet through the windshield of the suspects car, which is also caught on camera. The four men retreated and took off. All of them remain on the run.

The video, which includes the homeowner's video surveillance camera capture of the action, indicates that one of the invaders was shot in the arm and taken into custody.

Arizona: Apparent robber shot dead at store

Tuscon, Arizona

From the Arizona Star of January 27, 2009

Apparent robber shot dead at store

An employee at a South Side convenience store shot and killed one of two men trying to rob the store Monday and was himself wounded in the brief shootout, police said.

Two men walked into the Grand Market, in the 6200 block of South Sixth Avenue, sometime before 5:30 p.m., said Sgt. Mark Robinson, a Tucson Police Department spokesman.

They shot at an employee, a man in his early 50s, who fired back, Robinson said.

The employee shot one of the would-be-robbers, an 18-year-old, who ran outside into the parking lot where he collapsed and died. The other robber ran away, and police are still looking for him, Robinson said.

The employee was also shot. He was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Robinson said.

Witnesses described the missing suspect as in his mid-20s to early 30s. He was wearing a black-and-white football jersey and a red bandanna, Robinson said.

Margarita Grajeda lives in the area and drops into the Grand Market from time to time.

Grajeda wasn't surprised that someone could get shot trying to rob the market. She said the store had been robbed before, and it was only a matter of time before someone at the store was forced to shoot.

"I knew somebody was going to get shot someday," she said.

As for the store owners, she said she hoped they were all right.

"They're such nice people. So nice," she said.

Arizona: Jewelry store owner shoots would-be thieves

Phoenix, Arizona

From the Arizona Republic of January 6, 2009

Jewelry store owner shoots would-be thieves

The owner of a Phoenix jewelry store shot two men who had used pepper spray on him during an attempted robbery.

The suspects, identified as 24-year-old Gregory Mills and 27-year-old Jason Buckingham, were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and are expected to be charged Tuesday.

Phoenix police say Mills and Buckingham went to the jewelry store of a 61-year-old man around 2 p.m. Monday and tried to sell a watch, but were denied because it was missing parts.

About 10 minutes later, they returned, pepper sprayed the store owner in the face and smashed the glass of a display cabinet.

That's when the owner pulled a gun from his pocket, shot each suspect and held them at gunpoint until officers arrived.

Investigators say the owner acted in self defense and won't be charged.

Arizona: Man arrested in double murder

Glendale, Arizona

From the Arizona Republic of January 6, 2009

Man arrested in double murder

The Glendale Police Department has made its first homicide arrest of 2009, thanks to help from Phoenix police.

Jesus Adan Nevarez-Cota is suspected of being one of four men involved in a home-invasion robbery in June that left the homeowner and an intruder dead.

Police say Nevarez-Cota, 20, of Phoenix, and the three other men were armed with assault rifles when they kicked in the back door of a Glendale residence in the 7000 block of West Cavalier Drive. Police say the homeowner, who also was armed, confronted the men and a gunbattle ensued.

Police said Nevarez-Cota is the registered owner of a vehicle that the men used to leave the scene.

Phoenix police talked to Nevarez-Cota on Dec. 31, during a traffic stop, and called Glendale authorities.

He now faces two counts of first-degree murder.

Arizona: Intruder killed in burglary attempt

Phoenix, Arizona

From KPHO of December 24, 2008

Intruder killed in burglary attempt

A Valley resident shot one of two intruders in his Phoenix home Tuesday night, police said.

According to police, two burglars broke into the man's home, and the homeowner grabbed his gun and shot one in the chest.

The intruders fled, though the injured one was dropped off at a nearby Circle K, police said.

Officers said they are still searching for the second intruder.