State College, PennsylvaniaFrom the
Centre Daily Times of January 6, 2008
Man charged with trying to enter home
A College Township man faces criminal charges after he ignored an apparent warning shot while entering a State College home early Saturday morning.
According to State College police, Nathan Wagner, 21, of 709 W. Cherry Lane, had broken a door window of a North Atherton Street residence about 2:30 a.m. and was trying to come inside when the homeowner confronted him with a shotgun and told him to leave.
Wagner persisted, police said, and the homeowner fired a shot into an interior wall. Police, called by the homeowner’s wife before the shot, said they arrived to find Wagner still trying to open the door.
As Wagner was taken into custody, police said, he appeared intoxicated, registered a blood-alcohol content of .22 and told officers he thought he was at a friend’s house for a party.
Arraigned before District Justice Carmine Prestia, Wagner was charged with criminal trespass, criminal mischief, public drunkenness and disorderly conduct. He was jailed at the Centre County Correctional Facility on $10,000 bail.
Lancaster, PennsylvaniaFrom
January 5, 2008 Lancaster Online:
LANCASTER, Pa - Gunfire rang out during a Friday night robbery at the Mangat Mini Market on West Orange Street, but nobody was struck or injured, according to city police and the store's manager.
The manager, David Mangat, and a fleeing robber fired a shot each with their handguns after the robber grabbed some cash.
The two were only about 10 feet apart, but neither man was hit.
"He started shooting, and I started shooting at him," said Mangat, who has a concealed weapons permit.
Mangat, 23, of Lancaster, said he was behind the counter of the market at 629 W. Orange St. when a man wearing a long dark coat entered the store at about 11:45 p.m.
"He reached under his coat and came out with a handgun. Then he told me to put the money in the bag," said Mangat.
"I started talking to him. I wanted to create a diversion so I could get to my gun," said Mangat.
"I asked him if he wanted more money. He said 'yes,"'
That gave Mangat the chance to reach into the area where he kept his weapon.
The manager came up holding his own handgun instead of more bills.
When the robber saw the gun, he turned and started running toward the door. But before leaving the store, he turned and fired one round that struck a wall inside the store, Mangat and police said.
Mangat said he fired one shot at the robber, but missed.
Mangat said he did not know which direction the robber fled nor how much money was stolen.
A report of a "robbery with shots fired" sent police rushing to the store, which is where Marietta Avenue splits off from West Orange Street.
Copperas Cove, TexasFrom the
Waco Tribune Herald of January 5, 2008
Home intruder shot, killed
A homeowner shot and killed a man as he forced his way into a home in Copperas Cove on Friday afternoon, police said.
Police were called to 2204 Boland St. after shots were fired inside the home. They discovered a man who had been shot several times in the upper torso, Copperas Cove police said in a statement.
Through the investigation, police learned the man was an intruder who had “entered the residence unlawfully and apparently used physical force against the homeowner,” police said.
The intruder was taken to Darnall Army Hospital where he died from his injuries. The man’s identity was not released pending notification of family, police said.
The shooting remained under investigation Friday evening.
Further links:
Cove homeowner fatally shoots intruder
Crestline, CaliforniaFrom the
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin of January 4, 2008
Crestline man shoots mountain lion
A man shot a mountain lion Thursday evening after the animal attacked his dogs.
San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies said the resident at the corner of Playground Road and Summit Drive fired at the lion about 10 p.m., causing the lion to flee from the man's fenced back yard.
Sheriff's deputies searched the area but could not find the mountain lion.
They notified officials with the Department of Fish and Game about the incident.
Sheriff's officials advised residents to use caution when outside and notify authorities when a mountain lion is spotted in the area.
Summerville, South CarolinaFrom
WISTV of January 4, 2008
Man won't face charges for shooting roommate in Summerville
Prosecutors have decided not to charge a man who shot his roommate three times.
Authorities say 25-year-old Joseph Harriott threw 24-year-old Brian Sessoms out of his Summerville home New Year's Day after Sessoms hit his 16-year-old girlfriend, then warned him he would shoot if he broke back in the home.
Police say Sessoms climbed back into the house through a window on the second floor, and Harriott shot him as he came down the stairs.
Prosecutors say Harriott then tried to treat Sessoms' wound to the stomach, but Sessoms kept fighting. Harriott shot his roommate two more times.
Prosecutor Scarlett Wilson says she decided not to charge Harriott because state law for self-defense says if the first shot is justified, a person can keep shooting until a threat is eliminated.
Further links:
Shooting 911 Tape - No Charges Filed
Deadly Shooting Ruled Self Defense
Amarillo, TexasFrom
Amarillo.com of January 3, 2008
Two homicides may fall under new law
...
Christopher Fry, 38, was shot in the upper body at 200 S. Georgia St. Fry walked from the home and collapsed on the curb on the north side of the house in the 2700 block of West Second Avenue. The homeowner shot Fry because Fry was apparently assaulting the homeowner, who felt in fear of his life and his 2-year-old son's life. Fry appeared to have been in a physical altercation prior to knocking on the door at 200 S. Georgia. The two were arguing after Fry asked the homeowner about a dog, which the homeowner did not own. The homeowner was questioned by Special Crimes and later released pending further investigation. The case will be presented to the 47th District Attorney's office for review by a grand jury.
(More)
Sturgis, MichiganFrom the
Kalmazoo Gazette of January 2, 2008
Store owner halts robbery in Sturgis
Police say arrests in a robbery attempt thwarted when a grocery-store owner armed himself and chased off the suspects may lead to arrests in another holdup earlier in December.
Two would-be robbers fled the LaSierra, a Sturgis grocery, around 1:30 p.m. Monday after seeing the store owner headed toward them with a gun, according to the Sturgis Police Department. The owner of the North Jacobs Street store then jumped into his vehicle and tailed the men, who had gotten into a waiting car driven by a third man, police said.
Another person in the store at the time said she saw two men approaching the business with bandanas covering their faces. She left, suspecting a robbery was going to take place, and called 911.
Sturgis officers were flagged down by the store owner from his car and provided with a description of the vehicle and of the two men who had entered the store. A Michigan State Police trooper spotted a vehicle matching the description of the get-away car west of Sturgis, near White Pigeon.
Officers from the St. Joseph County Sheriff's Department and Middlebury (Ind.) Police Department assisted in apprehending three Indiana men as their vehicle, southbound on U.S. 131, approached the Michigan/Indiana border, according to Sturgis police.
Police said they believe at least one man involved in Monday's incident took part in an armed robbery of LaEsperanza, another Sturgis grocery store, in early December. Police are expected to seek warrants for additional suspects believed to have been among four men who held up LaEsperanza.
Police said the men arrested Monday were identified by a witness and that suspected crime-scene evidence was found in their vehicle. No handgun was recovered, however.
