Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

From Philadelphia’s CBS3.com of November 12, 2006

Barbershop Owner Foils Robbery Attempt

Police said a barbershop owner foiled a robbery attempt at his business Saturday evening.

According to police, the suspect tried to rob the Jazz U Up #3 shop owner at gunpoint at South 21st and Morris Streets in South Philadelphia around 9 p.m.

The owner, who has a gun license, shot the would-be-robber.

The unidentified suspect was taken to the Hospital of the University Pennsylvania for treatment.

Dallas, Texas

From Dallas‘ NBC5i.com of November 11, 2006

Store Clerk Accidentally Shoots Himself

A store clerk accidentally shot himself Friday during an armed robbery in Dallas, police said.

The two robbers fired at the clerk and missed him, but when he fired back with his own gun, he shot himself in the finger.

The thieves were able to escape the scene with stolen cash.

Tyler, Texas

From Tyler’s KLTV.com of November 11, 2006

Home Invasion Ends In Deadly Shooting

A well-known business owner in Tyler has his home broken into, and ends up shooting the alleged would-be burglar to death. The shooting happened early Saturday morning in a neighborhood police say does not see a lot of criminal activity.

Police responded to a house on the 900 block of Watkins Street in Tyler around 4:30 a.m. Saturday morning, after they received a call that a man had been shot.

Tyler police say the owners of the home in South Tyler were asleep when a man tried to break into their home. "They were woken by hearing something beating on the front door, and then the door was actually caved in as the person was making entry," said Tyler Police Department Sergeant Bill Goecking.

Police say the homeowner, Robert Delk, grabbed his handgun for protection. When the alleged intruder got the door open, police say the homeowner shot and killed the man. "We arrived and the subject was taken to medical center hospital and pronounced dead at the hospital," said Goecking.

Police identified the alleged intruder as Justin Herrera, 22, of Tyler. Police say Herrera just recently moved to East Texas from Fort Worth and is a student at UT Tyler. According to authorities, records in Tarrant County show officials there have dealt with Herrera, but the details are unknown.

Police sayDelk did not know Herrera. Delk is well known in the Tyler community for his photography business located in South Tyler. Police say they don't often get called out to Delk's neighborhood.

"The neighborhood's been pretty calm," said Goecking. "This is a very unusual thing for this neighborhood, especially the 900 block of Watkins."

The big questions that remain are why Herrara chose Delk's home and what was he going to do once he got inside.

Police say an autopsy will be performed on Herrera to see if drugs or alcohol were a factor. At this time, police say no charges will be filed against Delk, but it is still an ongoing investigation.

Johnson County, Georgia

From the Macon.com of November 10, 2006

Wrightsville man acquitted of murder in son-in-law's death

A Johnson County jury took just 45 minutes of deliberation before acquitting a Wrightsville man of murder in the shooting death of his estranged son-in-law.

Terry Joe Anderson, 50, was charged with murder in the death of 33-year-old Richard Patrick Johnson in the early morning hours of Jan. 4, 2004.

Anderson had maintained from the beginning that he fired in self-defense.

The case was unusual in that the murder charge originated from the grand jury, not the investigating law enforcement agency. After investigating the death, the GBI declined to make an arrest.
…

According to Warnock, testimony in the case indicated the shooting happened this way:

Anderson's daughter had separated from her husband because he had been violent, at one time striking her with a two-by-four. Just past midnight on the night of the incident, Johnson showed up at Anderson's house and asked to speak to his estranged wife. She came to the door and Johnson pulled a knife on her.

Sheriff's deputies were called and when they arrived, Johnson ran into the woods. Deputies could not find him after searching for more than an hour and left, taking Johnson's wife to a shelter.

Later in the night, Johnson emerged from the woods and kicked in the door to Anderson's home. Anderson pulled out a .38-caliber pistol and ordered Johnson out of the house. Johnson left but, according to testimony Anderson gave in a pre-trial hearing, after walking into the yard Johnson turned and charged Anderson. He fired the gun, hitting Johnson four times and killing him.

The prosecution's case, Warnock said, centered on the fact that one shot struck Johnson in the side and another struck him in the back. Johnson also was not carrying the knife when he returned to the house.

Chief Assistant District Attorney Peter Fred Larsen told the jury in closing arguments that Anderson's version didn't fit the facts, Warnock said.

"He argued the angles of the shots were not consistent with testimony and the more likely scenario was that he shot him in the back as he ran away," Warnock said.

However, a doctor called by the defense testified that the bullet wounds were consistent with Anderson's story, Warnock said. Johnson was running at an angle when he charged Anderson and he was drunk and may have twisted his body, the jury was told.

Johnson had a blood-alcohol level of 0.26, more than three times the legal limit for driving.

(More)

Albion, Michigan

From Kalamazoo’s WWMT.com of November 10, 2006

Fatal shooting may have been self-defense

Police in Albion say a local business owner who shot and killed a man in front of his store yesterday morning may have done so in self-defense.

The shooting happened at J.P. Auto Sales on Bemer Street.

Police say business owner Frank Murphey was confronted by an acquaintance, 56-year-old Joe Lee Miles.

"They were out in the parking lot in front of the business," explained Det. Lt. Scott Kipp of the Albion Department of Public Safety. "The gentleman was trying to get away from the person."

Miles rented an apartment from Murphey but police did not say if that's what the disagreement was about. "(Murphey) pulled the gun out, told (Miles) to step back. The guy still came toward him, so he fired a shot and hit him in the chest," Kipp said.

Autopsy results show Joe Lee Miles died of the gun shot wound.

Kipp says Miles had a history of assault. Police say Murphey may have acted in self-defense. He has a concealed weapon permit to carry the .32-caliber revolver police say he used in the shooting.

Police arrested Murphey after the shooting, but later released him.

Detectives plan on turning their final report in to prosecutors on Monday.

Gainesville, Georgia

From the AccessNorthGa.com of November 9, 2006

Jury finds a former Gainesville business owner not guilty of aggravated assault

A Hall County jury Thursday found a former Gainesville business owner acted in self-defense when he shot his ex-wife's boyfriend twice in the chest during an argument.

Anderson Bobo "Bo" Briscoe, 48, was on trial in Hall County Superior Court on a charge of aggravated assault in connection with the May 8, 2005, shooting outside a River Road Circle home that injured 64-year-old Raymond Richardson.

Briscoe went to her house on the afternoon of the shooting to pick up their young son, he testified.

Briscoe said his ex-wife refused to allow the boy to go with him. .

After Briscoe parked in the driveway, Richardson walked out to his van, and a heated argument ensued.

Richardson survived the shooting.

Briscoe is the former owner of Briscoe's Boot Country.

If convicted, Briscoe was facing up to 20 years in prison.

Crofton, Maryland

From the November 7, 2006 Washington Post:

One man was killed and another was critically wounded Sunday during a "gun battle" at a Crofton home, Anne Arundel County police said.

Responding after noon to a report of a shooting at 1709 Leisure Way, police found one man dead. He has not been identified. A resident of the house, Christopher Michael Haramis, 25, had been shot multiple times, police said. He was in critical condition yesterday at Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore.

Police said the shooting may have been tied to an earlier confrontation during a party at the house.

About 2 a.m., police said, a man and a woman who had stepped outside the house were confronted by two men looking for cash.

"The persons inside the residence came out and basically interrupted the robbery and subsequently fought with the robbers," said Lt. David Waltemeyer, a police spokesman. "The robbers then ran away, making away with money, and no one was injured."

Those robbers may have been the two men who came to the house midday Sunday, Waltemeyer said. Haramis, who was inside the house with three others, was armed and shot the intruder, who died at the house, police said.

It is unclear who shot Haramis, police said, adding that the other intruder fled.