Armed citizens making a difference thread.

[internet troll]

From last night

Convicted felon fatally shot by homeowner during armed robbery attempt in Selma
http://www.al.com/news/montgomery/in...art_river_home

An armed robbery suspect was shot and killed during what appears to be an act of self-defense in Selma on Wednesday night.

Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson said the male suspect, who is a convicted felon, tried to rob a couple after they returned to their home on Leroy Street around 11:30 p.m. During the attempt, the male driver of the vehicle was shot. The female passenger was not injured.

Jackson said a shootout started after the driver pulled out his own firearm. Jackson said the suspect was shot multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene. The male was treated for his minor injuries at a local hospital and was soon released.

Dallas County Coroner Alan Dailey said the deceased male's identify has not been released pending family notification. The suspect appears to be in his early 20s.

The shooting remains under investigation. Jackson said evidence will be presented to the Dallas County grand jury. The victim will not be charged because he suspect was shot during an act of self-defense, Jackson said.

"In this state, you have the right of self-defense and to stand your ground. That's why (the homeowner) wasn't charged with killing this guy," Jackson said.

[internet troll]

We are up at Knoebels and taking a break and found this one that happened earlier today.

http://www.mdjonline.com/news/mariet...a148a5934.html
Marietta PD: Woman shot, killed man in self-defense on Franklin Gateway
Marietta police say a woman who shot and killed a man trying to force his way into her Franklin Gateway apartment early Friday did so in self-defense and will not face charges.

The shooting occurred at the Liberty Pointe apartment complex, near the QuikTrip gas station, at about 2:50 a.m. Friday, according to Officer Chuck McPhilamy, spokesperson for Marietta police.

Witnesses told police that a social gathering had been taking place in the apartment when a man and two women were asked to leave about an hour before the shooting, McPhilamy said.

The man returned after an hour “enraged” and demanding to be let back inside, witnesses told police. The man started kicking the door and making threats toward those inside, McPhilamy said.

When the door was opened, the man abruptly reached for his waistband as though he was drawing a firearm, witnesses said. At that point, a woman inside the apartment drew her own firearm and shot the man multiple times, McPhilamy said.

The man was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, according to police. The man’s name is being withheld pending location and notification of his family, McPhilamy said.

Police reviewed the facts and witness statements with the Cobb District Attorney’s office and determined the shooting was an act of self-defense, McPhilamy said.

“No charges are being filed at this time,” he said.

[internet troll]

Armed man uses website to get inside La Porte home, Marla Carter reports. (KTRK)
By Marla Carter
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
LA PORTE, Texas (KTRK) -- A family is grateful they are OK after a suspect attempted to rob them Friday night at their home in La Porte. The homeowner said he was forced to shoot the suspect.

The suspect later died.


According to the Webster family, their teenage daughter was buying a cell phone from a seller. The arrangement was made on the website Offer Up.

The seller, Joshua Daniels, was supposed to meet them in a public place on Friday evening, police said. There were delays and the family agreed to meet Daniels at their home.

When Daniels arrived that night, the teen girl asked if she could see the phone before handing over the money.

The Webster family said Daniels pointed a gun at the teen's mother's head and dragged her by the hair.

Daniels continued to demand the money.




When the teen ran inside to get the money, Ted Webster said he saw the gun pointed at his wife's head.

"All I thought, our whole relationship, my future without her flashed before my eyes and I thought I cannot bear that thought. I had to do something," he said.

Ted Webster then tackled the suspect to the ground. He was able to get Daniels away from his wife. Then Webster and Daniels got up and Webster said he was still demanding money. So Webster said he would go get it but instead he got his gun.

He returned to the front door where the suspect was standing. Webster said Daniels started to raise his gun and that's when Webster said he was forced to shoot Daniels.

"All I can remember is, I saw that hand starting to come up and I had no choice. I had to pull the trigger," said Webster.

Police said Daniels was shot in the stomach. He left with another suspect who was sitting in the getaway car. Soon after, Daniels was found 15 miles away at a Citgo gas station near I-10. After he arrived, police took Daniels to the hospital where he later died.


The suspected driver of the getaway car was being questioned by La Porte police on Tuesday.

La Porte PD has special parking spots dedicated to buying, selling and exchanging goods in their parking lot. The spots are under 24-hour surveillance. They recommend people use those spots when making transactions.

"Anytime that you're going to attempt to meet with a stranger to exchange goods, or money, or anything like that, you've got to be extremely cautious and that's why we're always looking out for our citizens and provide such a zone for them," said Sgt. John Kreuger.

http://abc13.com/news/armed-man-uses...-home/1973477/

[internet troll]

From January.

Home Intruder Killed in What Police Believe to be Second Self-Defense Shooting in Louisville This Week

http://www.theblaze.com/news/2016/01...lle-this-week/

Police reported that a man was fatally shot Friday in Louisville, Kentucky, while attempting to break into a home.

Louisville Metro Police received a report of a shooting near a home just before 4 a.m., according to WDRB-TV.

According to LMPD spokesman, Dwight Mitchell, officers arrived at the residence to find a white male dead outside.

Mitchell confirmed that the man was attempting to break into the home when he was shot.

Though the investigation is ongoing, Mitchell said it appears at this point that the homeowner shot the intruder to protect his family.

“Ultimately, we are still in the very early stages to determine what happened here, but it’s unfortunate to have someone lose their life, ” Mitchell told WDRB. “And it’s unfortunate that a homeowner has to take action as they see fit.”

“I’ve been here 23 years, and we’ve never had anything like this before,” Tom Vessels, who lives across the street from the home, told WDRB. “They’re real nice people. They’ve never caused any trouble.”

If the LMPD investigation ultimately concludes that the person was trying to break in, it’s unlikely the homeowner will be charged, according to Bill Butler, a criminal defense attorney for nearly 30 years.

“The person has to be attempting entry or has to have made entry into the home,” Butler told WDRB. “If they’re just standing on the lawn, thinking about breaking in, the homeowner has no right whatsoever to shoot him.”

LMPD was already investigating an apparent self-defense shooting that took place Tuesday night in downtown Louisville before Friday morning’s shooting.

Police said a woman pulled a gun from her purse and shot a man who appeared to have a weapon and tried to rob her. The suspect’s injury was not fatal.

Based on the circumstances, Butler said that that shooting also appears to be justified.

Both incidents are still under investigation by the LMPD.

[internet troll]

Interesting that this one was found to be self defense. I wonder if there is more to the story not being reported. It says that he shot the guy in the back as he walked away.
Maybe because the woman was still in danger?

Jury acquits man who claimed self-defense in East Central killing

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/201...okane-killing/

A Spokane jury on Thursday acquitted a man who shot and killed another man in East Central Spokane in 2015 in a case that boiled down to self-defense.

Edward Bushnell claimed he got into a fight with William Poindexter, 45, while attempting to stop him from beating his girlfriend. Bushnell shot Poindexter in the back twice, according to testimony.

Jurors rejected first-degree murder, second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter charges in the case.

The verdict touched off an emotional reaction in the courtroom where family members and friends of Bushnell showed up to support him.

“I’m ecstatic,” said Bushnell’s father, Stephen Bushnell. “I am totally overwhelmed. It was a long two years.”

Bushnell told police that he had been riding a skateboard near Altamont Street and Fifth Avenue the morning of July 21, 2015, when he heard a woman screaming, according to court records. He said that he then saw Poindexter assaulting a woman.

He said he tried to stop the assault and got into a fight with Poindexter. At one point, he said, he was hit hard in the face, court documents state.

As Poindexter and the woman walked away, Bushnell took a 9 mm Springfield Arms XD handgun from his backpack and shot Poindexter twice in the back, according to court documents. When asked by police what he was thinking, Bushnell allegedly said, “I couldn’t tell you. I guess protect myself and the girl.”

Bushnell is a former Army National Guard soldier who served in Iraq in 2008 and 2009.

He said his military training taught him to react, and that he believes strongly in standing up for others.

“I don’t think it is ever too costly to stick up for someone,” he said. “I just knew I wanted to protect her.”

Bushnell has a scar under his right eye that one of his attorneys said came from the fight with Poindexter.

He said the verdict was a relief, but that going from the incident through trial was “very intense.”

Stephen Bushnell said the family still agonizes over the loss of life. “I am so sorry for their loss,” he said of Poindexter’s family.

The Bushnell family raised $15,000 for a bail bond fee to have the defendant released from jail prior to the verdict.

They hired private defense attorney Rob Cossey.

Cossey said Bushnell and his father agreed to paint his house to cover part of the legal costs.

Washington law allows defendants to recoup their legal costs in an acquittal under self-defense.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Dale Nagy left the court quickly after the verdict was announced. He did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Last week, jurors heard testimony from Poindexter’s girlfriend, who had a no-contact order against Poindexter stemming from a March 2015 domestic violence charge. She attempted to have the restraining order dismissed several times, but it was still in effect at the time of the shooting.

[streaker69]

http://lancasteronline.com/news/loca...1012c6691.html

An intruder was shot by a homeowner early Sunday morning after breaking in to a house in the 600 block of Marietta Avenue, city police said.

Around 2:30 a.m., William Louis Stewart, 46, of Lancaster kicked in the front door of the home, prompting a woman who lives there to scream for help from the first floor, police said.

The woman’s husband, who was upstairs sleeping, heard the commotion, got his handgun and and confronted the man who was advancing with a piece of wood, police said.

The man then shot the intruder once in the chest after which the woman called 911.

Stewart was taken to the hospital for treatment of what police described as non-life threatening injuries. Stewart is being charged with burglary, simple assault and criminal mischief and will be arraigned at a later time.

After the incident, police said the homeowners were interviewed at the police station while the scene was processed for evidence. The homeowners told police they did not know Stewart and said he had no reason to be in their home.

Police said the shooting remains under investigation.

[internet troll]

This is the opposite of a self defense situation, in part because people in Great Britain are not allowed to have the tools to defend themselves. I am including this in the thread because it demonstrates the reason many of us carry. This man was reduced to hiding in a toilet stall with 3 others while praying the bad guys would not find them. They thought it was truly over for them.

Most of us understand that a firearm is not the automatic answer to every situation that arises. But a firearm does give us a solid option for when we are in a bad situation. In this case there were terrorists trying to kill people, in other cases it might be a mugger, a psychopath, rapist, home intruder etc.......

The point is if the man in the stall had not been cowed by the government not to carry a tool that could allow him to defend himself, and had chosen to take on the option to carry, he would have had a chance to protect himself, his friends, the pregnant woman etc...... Many of those injured or killed would have had a option to defend themselves. While this is not a self defense article, it demonstrates why so many of us choose to carry. This is a situation where a good citizen with a gun could have made a difference. It shows where a person could have defended themselves and their loved ones instead of cowering in fear on a toilet.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/04/europe...ugh/index.html
A man who hid inside a toilet cubicle as terror struck London's Borough Market said he thought it was "game over" for him and his friends.

"Gareth", not his real name, was enjoying an evening out at the Black & Blue Restaurant with his fiancee and another couple when the attack occurred, and told CNN how he spent the night inside the restaurant's bathroom as the horror unfolded amidst the sounds of screaming and crashing glass.
Gareth and his friends ran up the stairs and into a bathroom as a man, wearing a brown coat, entered the restaurant armed with what Gareth described as a "machete".

His friends, one of whom is heavily pregnant and had been due to give birth last week, followed him into the cubicle. The four of them shared the small space while trying to keep quiet, fearing they could be found by the attacker and shot through the door.

It was there that he began to message the husband of CNN's Isa Soares, a close friend, to tell him that he was trapped and to ask him to call the police.
On Sunday, Gareth spoke to Soares about his ordeal, live on air.
"It's the first time in my life that I felt it was game over," he said.

"It was looking into the fear of my friend's eyes in that one cubicle and looking at a woman who is about to give birth, seeing the fear in her eyes and trying to calm her down and not being able to make a sound because we could hear voices outside the door.
"People were walking up and down so we had to keep deathly silent. We thought we were going to get gunned down through the door. We could hear the shots outside. The fear was immense."

Chaos'
At least seven people died and 48 people were injured in a two-pronged attack on London Bridge and Borough Market, with police shooting the three suspected assailants dead.
The attack started when a van rammed into pedestrians on London Bridge and ended with multiple stabbings at restaurants nearby.
Police say the suspects were shot dead within eight minutes of the first call.
Gareth, who had only booked the Black & Blue Restaurant by chance, had already experienced terror in London after being close to the Westminster attack in March.

Gareth, who lives in Chester, about 200 miles northwest of London, was in the area for one night and had chosen to dine in one of the city's most vibrant districts.
But as he was looking outside at the high street, the terror began to unfold after a what he described as a "loud bang."
Read: What we know and what we don't
"There was a bit of chaos, panic and fear in the restaurant as well because we didn't really know what was going on," he said.
"Then glass started smashing and we ran upstairs to the toilet.
"Just as I looked down the stairs, a guy had come in to the restaurant and uncovered a big knife. It looked like a machete.
"I just grabbed my friends and dashed into one cubicle with the four of us."

Blood in the restaurant'
Scared to make a sound, the four friends remained inside the cubicle for an hour.
Unable to make a call for fear of being discovered, he sent text messages to close friends, and posted to Facebook to urge people to call the police and alert them to the attack.
It was only when they heard that the police Armed Response Team was in the building that the end appeared in sight.

But even that brought fear with Gareth worried those claiming to be the police could be imposters.
Read: Seven questions about the London terror attack?
"It put the fear of God into me when I had to open the door but luckily I saw it was fine," he said.
"They took us out. There was blood in the restaurant, blood in the street. A number of people were clutching themselves.
"We then had to run 100 or 150 meters down the road. it was extremely scary."
Gareth went to hospital with his fiancee and friends. His friend, who is pregnant, is fine and the baby has not been harmed.

[internet troll]

When you think you've heard it all.

Man identified in fatal domestic dispute

http://www.theadanews.com/news/man-i...a83118b84.html

Ada police have identified the man who authorities said forced his way into a home in the 1800 block of East 6th Street Friday and attempted to kill his three-month-old twins.

Leland Foster, 27, of Poteau, was fatally shot, twice, by a neighbor who police say came to the children’s aid after a 12-year-old who fled the home alerted him to what was happening in the house.

Ada Public Information Director Lisa Bratcher said shortly before 12:30 p.m. Friday, Central Dispatch received a call from an unidentified woman pleading for help. Bratcher said the woman told dispatchers a man — later identified as the children's father — had a knife and was threatening to kill her and her babies. Over an open line, Bratcher said, dispatchers could hear the woman screaming in the background amid sounds of a struggle.

Bratcher said the 12-year-old granddaughter of the home owner fled the house upon Foster’s arrival and ran to a neighbor’s home seeking help.

The neighbor armed himself with a revolver and entered the home, where Bratcher said he found Foster in the bathroom, holding the babies underwater in the bathtub while keeping their mother at bay with a knife. Bratcher said the man shot Foster twice, killing him.

Police responding to the call immediately handed the children off to Mercy EMS paramedics, who transported the children to Mercy Hospital Ada, then on to an Oklahoma City Hospital. Bratcher said the children’s vital signs were stable Friday night and they are doing well. The three-month-old twins — a boy and a girl, born prematurely — are expected to be released from the hospital Saturday.

The neighbor who came to the children’s aid was questioned and released by police. Bratcher said the man’s actions will be reviewed by the district attorney’s office to determine whether he will face any charges for the shooting.

The Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy and toxicology screening on Foster’s body to determine whether he was under the influence of any intoxicants or narcotics.

Police continue to investigate the matter, and have not yet determined a motive for Foster’s behavior.

[internet troll]

From May.


Alleged intruder killed by woman, police say would-be burglar had kid with him

Shttp://foxsanantonio.com/news/local/alleged-intruder-killed-by-homeowner-police-say-would-be-burglar-had-kid-with-him

AN ANTONIO — A man is dead after police say he attempted to break into a Northeast side home Friday afternoon.

It happened in the 6300 block of Aspen Farm just before 2 p.m. Police say the man tried to get into the home through a window, but a woman inside met the alleged intruder and shot him.

The alleged intruder, later identified as 39-year-old James Carney of New Braunfels, died at a hospital. Police said Carney left a 7-year-old in the car during the attempted break-in.

It's unclear if the woman will be charged, authorities are still investigating.

[internet troll]

An interesting case here. A person defended himself, but he was a convicted felon and according the government was not suppose to be carrying a gun.

Selma police: Wounded victim shoots, kills armed robber

http://www.wsfa.com/story/35568346/w...s-selma-robber

SELMA, AL (WSFA) -
Selma police say a local couple was forced to protect themselves from a gunman who tried to rob them in their driveway.

They fought back, and the suspect was killed.

According to officials, the fatal shooting was an act of self-defense.

Gunfire in the 1500 block of Leroy Street sent residents diving for cover late Wednesday night around 11:30 p.m.

“I heard about five or six shots. I was so scared I got up under the bed. I hid there because I was just too scared. I didn’t know where the shots were coming from,” said one woman who asked not to be identified.

Selma Police Chief Spencer Collier says a couple had just gotten home and was getting out of the car when a gunman ran up on them and told them to “give it up.”

The male victim was shot during the robbery, but managed to reach for his own weapon as the suspect went around to the other side of the car.

"As he approached the driver, he attempted to rob him and shot him and then after that, he went around to the passenger side and got the purse from the female. The male victim was able to produce his firearm and load it and engage in gunfire in an effort to protect his life and the female’s life and killed the subject," Chief Collier said.

The suspect, identified by police as Tyner Rose, 20, was pronounced dead at the scene.

“The robber tried to rob somebody and the person he tried to rob had a gun on him and there was a shootout and the robber got shot and killed,” said Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson. “In Alabama, you have the right to self-defense and of course, if you’re a victim and someone is trying to rob you or burglarize your home, you have a right to use deadly force.”

The male victim was treated and released from the hospital. The female victim, who the chief says is a Selma city employee, was not injured.

“She was obviously traumatized, but she wasn’t hurt,” Collier added.

Police acknowledged the wounded male victim who was attacked is a convicted felon who is not allowed to have a gun.

“It’s not OK for a felon to have a firearm. At this point, the investigation pretty clearly indicates that the male victim returning fire possibly saved both his and the female’s life,” Collier stated.

The case will be presented to a Dallas County grand jury for review.

“Right now, this looks like a self-defense case,” Jackson said. “Unfortunately, this is what is going on in Selma. We have a lot of gang activity and violent crime. And we’re going to stand behind victims who protect themselves.”

Chief Collier says there’s an ongoing effort by the police department to tackle a recent spike in crime in that part of Selma.

“We have been working that particular area very hard. I have personally spent two days patrolling that area and it’s just unfortunate that this has happened there,” he explained.

He’s been in communication with the city councilman for that ward, as well as the mayor, and will continue to have a strong presence of officers in those neighborhoods.

“We’ll continue to concentrate on the area with hard, heavy patrols. This seems to have been a crime of opportunity,” the chief added.