Jacksonville, Florida

From Jacksonville’s FirstCoastNews.com of June 18, 2007

Police To Decide on Charges in Murray Hill Shooting

Police are still trying to determine if a Jacksonville man should be charged with murder following a shooting in Murray Hill Sunday night. It happened in the 3600 block of Dellwood Avenue.

A man, who police say was terrorizing his girlfriend, was shot and killed on the porch of a house. It all started Sunday afternoon after a man and woman, believed to be boyfriend and girlfriend, got into an argument.

The woman filed a domestic violence-related report against the man but he continued threatening her. He showed up at the home on Dellwood Avenue. Police say the homeowner came outside on the porch and shot the man.

"Basically, now we're just interviewing the witness and the person who did the shooting. The state attorney is on the scene and we're going to determine if this was a justifiable homicide at this point," said Sgt. Derrick Lewis, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

At this time, police believe the homeowner was acting in self defense. They have not made any arrests and have not said if any charges will be filed.

Depoe Bay, Oregon

From Portland’s KPTV.com of June 16, 2007

Alleged Intruder Held At Gunpoint By Homeowner

A Depoe Bay homeowner took matters into his own hands Friday morning when he found an intruder in his house.

Lincoln County Sheriff''s deputies responded to a home on Breeze Street shortly after 1:30 a.m. Friday after the homeowner called police to report that he was holding a suspected intruder at gunpoint.

The homeowner told police he saw the man trespassing in the back yard and that the man entered his home without permission. There were three people inside the home, one of which was a small child.

Authorities took 25-year-old Justin James of Portland into custody on charges of first- and second-degree criminal trespassing.

Stewart is being held in the Lincoln County Jail on $10,000 bail.

Kalispell, Montana

Ordinarily, pleading no contest or guilty would knock someone right out of the running for further claiming self-defense, but the husband’s conduct was violent and threatening.

From the Daily InterLakePublication of June XX, 2007

Shooter gets no jail time

Braunig-Haag claimed self-defense in death of husband

A North Fork woman who shot her husband to death will serve no jail time.

In a deal worked out between County Attorney Ed Corrigan and defense attorneys Patrick Sherlock and Sean Hinchey, District Court Judge Kitty Curtis sentenced Rebecca Braunig-Haag to a 10-year suspended sentence with 10 years probation Thursday.

Originally charged with deliberate homicide, she pleaded “no contest” to an amended charge of negligent homicide in April.

“She does have a claim for self-defense,” Corrigan said. “She, quite frankly, is unlikely to incur a further criminal history. I do believe the conviction for negligent homicide holds her accountable.”

In a statement to the judge, Braunig-Haag said she was sorry and that she loved her husband.

“I was so scared I picked up the gun to keep him from killing us,” she said. “More than anything, I didn’t want to shoot him.”

At the sentencing hearing, defense attorneys called a number of witnesses, including neighbors and family members, who testified to Braunig-Haag’s remorse, good character, and mental health. A private investigator hired by the defense also testified to events that occurred the day Braunig-Haag’s husband died.

Braunig-Haag was 51 at the time she shot her husband, Von Stanley Haag, 60, in the chest with a .44 caliber Magnum.

She told investigators he had threatened to burn down their home if she didn’t accompany him on a trip to Texas to attend his father’s funeral.

Braunig-Haag and her husband had both retired from supervisory jobs with the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department a year or two before the shooting, according to reports.

They began spending more time at their home in the Trail Creek area, but also maintained a home in San Antonio.

The Nov. 7, 2005, argument over whether or not to attend the funeral escalated to the point where Braunig-Haag said she feared her husband would burn the house down. He threatened her and poured gasoline throughout the house, she told police.

That’s when she shot him and called neighbors for help, reports said.

Flathead County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Braunig-Haag and she originally was charged with murder. Bond was set at $500,000 in her November 2005 arraignment, but was later reduced to $50,000 in January 2006.

Had Judge Curtis decided to give Braunig-Haag prison time, she would have been allowed to withdraw her “no contest” plea and gone to trial. If convicted of deliberate homicide, she could have been sentenced to life or up to 100 years in prison. Two to 10 years could have been added for use of a firearm. The maximum sentence for negligent homicide is 20 years in prison.

From Corpus Christi’s (TX) KRIStv.com of June 15, 2007

Woman gets suspended sentence in husband's shooting death

A former Texas resident who said she accidentally shot her husband during a domestic altercation in 2005 was sentenced Thursday to probation.

Rebecca Braunig-Haag, 52, originally was charged with murder in the death of Von S. Haag, 60, but she later pleaded no contest to negligent homicide.

Following the terms of the plea agreement, District Judge Kitty Curtis gave Braunig-Haag a 10-year suspended sentence with 10 years of probation Thursday.

"She does have a claim for self-defense," Flathead County Attorney Ed Corrigan said. "She, quite frankly, is unlikely to incur a further criminal history. I do believe the conviction for negligent homicide holds her accountable."

Braunig-Haag was arrested in November 2005 after deputies found Von Haag dead of a gunshot wound at the couple's home on the western edge of Glacier National Park.

Braunig-Haag went to a neighbor's house to report the shooting. She told investigators that her husband, in a rage, had poured gasoline around the house and threatened to set it on fire if she didn't accompany him to his father's funeral in Texas.

She said she picked up a gun and pointed it at him when it discharged.

Acampo, California

From the Stockton Record of June 15, 2007

Driver who struck home was looking for his wife

The man who shot and killed a driver who moments earlier intentionally rammed a car through his North Des Moines Road home late Wednesday feared for his life and may have acted in self-defense, a San Joaquin County sheriff's official said.

Detectives believe that the driver, Ravi Batuk Vora, 39, of Burbank, was in a rage and was convinced his wife was hiding inside the Acampo resident's house before smashing his car through the home at about 9 p.m., Deputy Les Garcia, a sheriff's spokesman, said Thursday.

But Vora already had been exhibiting bizarre behavior before his confrontation with the homeowner, Garcia said. Detectives believe the incident started inside Vora's car earlier in the evening, Garcia said, and unfolded like this:

Vora was traveling with his wife, whose name was not released, from the Sacramento area en route to Southern California on Wednesday evening, when, for unexplained reasons, he left the freeway and started driving through local back roads.

At one point, Vora pulled the car off the road and demanded his wife follow him into a nearby orchard, Garcia said. Vora's wife, fearing for her safety, ran away. Vora got back into the car and started looking for her.

A passing motorist later picked up Vora's wife and took her to a nearby convenience store, where she called 911, Garcia said.

As Vora searched for his wife, he saw a person arriving at a house in the 21000 block of North Des Moines Road and pulled his car up to the home, Garcia said. Vora confronted the homeowner and claimed his wife was inside.

Vora left the man's house and returned three times to argue with the homeowner, Garcia said. As Vora stood outside, banging on the door and yelling, the homeowner grabbed a gun and called 911.

Vora then returned to his car, drove away, and moments later slammed his car through the front entrance of the house, Garcia said. A dog inside the home was struck by the car and killed, Garcia said.

Inside the house, Vora got out of his car and "advanced toward" the homeowner, who fired one shot and struck Vora in the upper body, Garcia said. Vora died at the scene.

Garcia did not identify the homeowner. But according to a record of Lodi police calls, a man named David Robinson called a local business Thursday morning to inform a manager that he had shot someone who drove into his house. A man by the same name also is listed in a phone directory as residing at the North Des Moines Road address.

Outside the one-story, beige North Des Moines Road home Thursday, the property's backyard easily could be seen through a massive, gaping hole in the house. A man who was helping repair the ranch house said the homeowner was not around that afternoon and would not be commenting about the incident.

A phone call to the house also was not returned.

Garcia said detectives still are investigating the case as a homicide, and the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office will determine whether the homeowner acted in self-defense when he shot Vora. The homeowner was not arrested, Garcia said.

From the Lodi News-Sentinel of September 27, 2007

Acampo shooting ruled self-defense

An Acampo homeowner acted in self-defense and will not face charges for fatally shooting a man who drove through his home and confronted him, prosecutors said Wednesday.

David Robinson, 60, was not arrested after the June 13 death of Ravi Batuk Vora, 39. San Joaquin County Sheriff's deputies instead investigated the case and then forwarded it to prosecutors, who ruled it justifiable homicide.

Robinson fired one gunshot, only after Vora had "initiated a prolonged and repeated assault" on Robinson and his wife, Deputy District Attorney Ron Freitas wrote in his final report on the case, which was signed Wednesday by District Attorney Jim Willett.

(Much More)

San Dimas, California

From the Whittier Daily News of June 15, 2007

Man shot in home invasion try is arrested

Sheriff's deputies arrested a man shot by a woman late Wednesday after he allegedly entered her house in a botched home invasion, officials said.

Authorities said Andrice Robinson, 21, of Fontana, is being treated in custody after being shot several times in the abdomen. He and one or two accomplices allegedly walked into a home in the 400 block of Charro Court at about 9 p.m. looking for drugs.

"The victims had never seen them before," said sheriff's Sgt. Charles Jurcak. "They probably picked the wrong house."

Jurcak said the men "entered the location, confronted the husband and demanded to know where the pot was."

When the middle-aged couple told the suspects they didn't know anything about marijuana, the invaders began to beat them, he said.

While the men beat her husband, authorities said the wife went for the couple's gun hidden in the bedroom.

When Robinson confronted her in the hallway of the home, Jurcak said, "she fired the weapon several times, striking him in the body."

The suspects fled, but the wounded man was found by deputies nearby, lying on the ground. He was airlifted to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center where he is in custody and being treated for his wounds, authorities said.

Jurcak said the couple was treated for injuries at the scene but did not require hospitalization. He said Robinson is expected to recover.

Authorities said the incident is still under investigation and they are still seeking the other suspects, described only as African-American males.

New Haven, Connecticut

From WTNH of June 11, 2007

Armed citizen patrol in New Haven

One group armed with guns is ready to make their New Haven neighborhood a safer place by patrolling in the area around Edgewood Park.

The Edgewood Park Defense Patrol will be patrolling the 16-block area from Whalley to Edgewood and Winthrop to West Park. They believe that the police are not doing their part to keep the streets safe.

Their uniform is a black tee-shirt with Edgewood Park Defense Patrol and their mission is to keep peace on the streets with armed bike patrols.

"It's certainly not the substitute that one would want but when you're missing what you're supposed to have and things are slipping out of hand then you're left with no choice but to do something about it," said Eliezer Greer.

Members of Yeshiva New Haven decided to take matters into their own hands after Rabbi Dov Greer was physically assaulted Sunday night. They say they've been appealing to the city for years with no results and are tired of sitting by while the vandalism, robberies and muggings increased.

"Being home with our families in the evenings is what we'd rather be doing than having to ensure that there's safety and security in the neighborhood," said Aviad Hack.

They will be patrolling in pairs every night from 6-10 PM, with one person carrying a concealed gun.

"Anyone who patrols with a gun in an attempt to use it as a deterrent is putting themselves and other citizens at risk and I absolutely discourage it," said Mayor John DeStefano.

DeStefano says he has looked at the deployment levels in the Edgewood Park area and believes the police coverage is sufficient. News Channel 8 saw squad cars and officers walking the beat, but one man who is running for mayor, says he does not believe in vigilantism, but supports the residents move to protect their neighborhood.

"Perhaps it's time to look at contacting the Governor and asking the Governor to provide state police department's oversight in helping New Haven," said Jim Newton of New Haven.

The Defense Patrol says that they don't believe this will make them targets, rather it will wake up the neighborhood and encourage others to join in. They say they will continue the patrols as long as necessary.

Houston, Texas

From the Click2Houston of June 14, 2007

Stepfather Fatally Shoots Stepson

A stepfather shot his stepson to death in their southwest Houston apartment on Wednesday, officials told KPRC Local 2.

Houston police said the stepfather fired multiple shots during an argument at the Briarwest Apartments on Winrock Boulevard near Del Monte Drive at about 8:30 p.m.

Daniel M. Reed, 41, died at the scene.

Investigators said Reed was at the apartment with his mother and son and began verbally abusing his mother.

When he got home, the stepfather tried to calm Reed down. Police said the stepfather, fearing for the safety of he and his wife, got a handgun from a bedroom.

Reed threw a nearly full can of beer at his mother, officials said.

Detectives said the stepfather shot Reed when he followed his mother to her room when she went to change her clothes.

The case will be referred to a grand jury to determine if charges will be filed.