Boston, Massachusetts

From the Boston Herald of May 6, 2005

Druggist blasts away at pistol-packin’ thief

A gun-toting pharmacist - beloved by paying customers for his friendly banter - opened fire on an armed OxyContin robber as the two swapped lead instead of cheery hellos yesterday afternoon.

No one, including two workers and a customer who were in the store at the time, was injured.

Lawrence Maida Sr.'s pharmacy is just one of dozens hit in recent years by armed robbers looking for so-called ``hillbilly heroin.'' Cops say Maida's store has been robbed several times before, and this is not the first time the second-generation druggist has used a gun to run off bandits.

Maida is licensed to have the gun, and will not face charges for the shooting, police said.

``What do you want me to charge him with, being a victim?'' asked one cop.

``These people nowadays will kill you,'' said Rosemary Maida, who said she can't recall how many times her husband has shot at robbers. ``I try not to think about it. It's better than having someone kill your husband.''

Police said just before 3 p.m. yesterday a robber wearing a ski mask, ball cap and a hoodie, walked into the Massachusetts Avenue shop with a gun drawn.

``He came in ready to rob the store,'' Lt. John Serson said. ``He announced that it was a robbery. The owner drew his gun and between three and four shots were exchanged. The robber left, without the OxyContin.'' He is believed to have bolted in a black Cadillac.

Gee, a shred of sanity in a blue state.

Dolton, Illinois

From the April 27, 2005 Chicago Tribune:

A pregnant woman who was shot twice in the abdomen before her husband fatally shot the gunman at a Dolton store was treated in an Olympia Fields hospital and her fetus is fine, police said Tuesday.

The 28-year-old woman, who police declined to identify, was shot just before 9 p.m. Monday in the Family Dollar, a discount store in Dolton, police said.

A spokeswoman for St. James Hospital and Health Centers said the woman was released Tuesday afternoon.

Details of the shooting remain unclear, but police believe a man who has not been identified entered the store with a .38-caliber pistol and had a confrontation with the employee.

Her husband, waiting outside to pick her up at the end of her workday, heard gunshots and ran into the store.

The husband struggled with the assailant for the pistol, wrangled it away and shot the gunman twice.

Columbus, Ohio

From Columbus’ NBC4i.com of May 5, 2005

Sheriff: Homeowner Shoots Intruder

Burglar Found Nearby

A homeowner shot a burglary suspect early Thursday morning at his own home on the city's west side, according to the Franklin County Sheriff's Office.

The homeowner said two people kicked in the door and entered the living room of his Volney Avenue home at about 12:40 a.m. The resident said he feared for his safety and shot at the burglars twice, striking one of them in the upper torso.

The unidentified suspect was found a short distance from the home and was transported to Mount Carmel West Hospital. The suspect was listed in stable condition.

The other suspected burglar was not found.

The incident remains under investigation.

Brooklyn, New York

From Brooklyn’s Canarsie Courier of March 24, 2005

Suspect Wounded in Robbery Shootout

In what some police officers described as a shootout that “looked like it was a movie,” a suspected gunman who allegedly took part in an attempted home invasion robbery last Monday was shot four times by his intended victim, police from the 69th Precinct said. The victim’s name was not re-leased.

The suspect, Negus Martin, 21, of Brooklyn Avenue, and another man, had apparently followed the victim as he entered his home on Flatlands Avenue near Rockaway Parkway at about 7:45 p.m. on March 21 and, wielding handguns, forced their way inside, also menacing his wife.

As they forced the man and his wife to go to the basement, the victim’s wife distracted Martin, police said, giving the victim a chance to swing around, grab the gun from Martin’s hand and force both suspects back to the front door.

As the second man aimed his weapon in his direction, the victim drew his own licensed 9mm handgun and fired, wounding Martin, who fell to the outside steps of the house. The second suspect aimed his gun at the victim again while helping Martin to his feet and the victim fired “several more shots” at the two suspects, who fled in a waiting car, according to police. Neither the victim nor his wife was wounded in the shootout.

Less than an hour later, Martin walked into Kings County Hospital with four gunshot wounds to his chest and arms.

Hospital authorities immediately called police and local detectives interrogated the suspect. He was later positively identified by the victim, police said. They are still searching for the second suspect and ask that anyone with information call the local detective squad at (718) 257-6215.

According to local authorities, there were no charges filed against the victim who shot Martin.

Marianna, Florida

From the Tallahassee Democrat of May 3, 2005

Jury acquits man in fatal shooting

A man who claimed self-defense has been acquitted of manslaughter in the fatal shooting of his lover's husband who had forced his way into a mobile home where he found the pair partly undressed.

Robert Jernigan, 70, admitted killing Curtis Ryals, 52, but jurors agreed he was justified in shooting the intruder who also tried to strangle him June 21 in nearby Cypress. They cleared him after four hours of deliberation Saturday.

"If this is not self-defense, then what in the world is self-defense?" defense lawyer Walter Smith said in his closing argument.

The case was unaffected by a new law Gov. Jeb Bush signed last week to let people use deadly force to defend themselves on the streets, but the Smith's arguments echoed those made by supporters of the legislation. Existing law allows a person to use deadly force to protect themselves in their homes.

"Here we have the state prosecuting a victim for killing a criminal," Smith said.

Assistant State Attorney Mark Sims contended the shooting was neither necessary nor justified because Ryals, drunk after consuming a half bottle of whiskey, had stopped his attack before he was killed.

"It was over," Sims said. "The man was leaving."

Sims said Jernigan's house might be his castle, but "inside this man's castle was Curtis Ryals' woman."

Ryals' wife, Barbara, worked for Jernigan at his lawn ornament and statue business.

Pueblo, Colorado

From the Pueblo Chieftan of May 2, 2005

Guard shoots man after alleged threat

A man was in critical condition Sunday night after being shot by a security guard early Sunday morning.

The victim, Steven Carrillo, age unknown, was shot about 2:25 a.m. near the intersection of Lake and Joliet avenues, according to a press release issued by Pueblo Police Det. Mark Bravo.

The unidentified guard told police he saw a black Toyota truck knocking over traffic cones as it drove through a construction site on Lake. When stopped, the driver of the truck, Carrillo, allegedly got out, confronted the guard and pulled out a silver and black folding knife.

The guard said Carrillo kept walking toward him with the knife and refused to stop even though he was told to several times, according to the press release. The guard fired one shot from a handgun, hitting Carrillo in the upper chest.

Carrillo was taken to St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center.

The guard reportedly works for Parker Excavation, the company handling the construction project.

No charges have been filed in the case, which remains under investigation, according to Bravo.

Ocala, Florida

From the Ocala Star-Banner of March 20, 2005

Police: Shooting was possibly self-defense

Officers were called to family's house before

A 38-year-old man was shot and killed late Friday after his wife reportedly shot him to protect herself.

Timothy Shane Roberts, 38, was shot once in the chest by his wife Paula Kathryn Roberts, 35, during a physical altercation, said Marion County Sheriff's Office officials. Paramedics were dispatched to the home, 22 Hemlock Terrace Drive, at 10:09 p.m.

When deputies arrived, they found the man's wife kneeling next to him.

"The argument pretty much started with the daughter," said Sue Livoti, sheriff's office public information officer. When the man's wife got involved, the physical fight turned deadly.

The physical altercation began early Friday, according to Paula Roberts' account to police.

The couple spent Friday evening with their three children at the Ocala Shrine Club Carnival just a couple of miles away from their home. After they left, Timothy Roberts began to argue with his 16-year-old daughter, Kathryn.

Once at the home, he is said to have begun hitting his daughter. After his wife got involved, he began to attack her.

"The mother went into the bedroom and told him if he hit her again she would shoot him," Livoti said. "And he supposedly told her, 'You don't have the nerve.'

"He moved as if to strike her again and she fired one time, hitting him in the chest. The children ran to a neighbor's house and called 911," Livoti said in an earlier written press release.

Paula Roberts has not been charged in the homicide.

Family members told investigators that domestic violence was prevalent in the household.
…

The case was investigated as a homicide, but Bibb said it looks as if the shooting was in self-defense.

An autopsy was scheduled for the husband on Saturday. The State Attorney's Office is expected to review the case this week.

No subsequent stories about this incident were found.