Armed citizens making a difference thread.

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3 articles for today

Couple found in home held at gunpoint, arrested

http://www.ocala.com/news/20171112/c...point-arrested
MARION COUNTY — A homeowner turned the tables on two burglary suspects he found inside his home Saturday and held them at gunpoint until deputies arrived, according to a report form the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

The situation unfolded when a homeowner came to his residence on Southeast 2nd Lane Road to do work on the house and found Andrew Murphy, 30, and his girlfriend, Roxanne Haywood, 30, inside the home.

The report indicates when Deputy K. Minton arrived, Murphy and Haywood were standing outside the residence, along with the homeowner. After being read his rights, Murphy told Minton that he and his girlfriend left his grandmother’s house, which is nearby, on Friday night and “they were walking around trying to find a house to break into so they could keep warm and sleep in (it),” the report states.

Murphy stated he removed tape from a window and unlocked the door, according to the report, and used tools in the residence to turn on a breaker to charge a phone, although the report indicates the breaker box did not appear tampered with and the tools were relocated inside the home.


The report states when the male homeowner, whose age was not immediately available, arrived at the residence and found the two suspects, he called 911 and held the pair at gunpoint until deputies arrived.

Murphy and Haywood were arrested and charged with burglary of an unoccupied structure. They remained in the Marion County Jail on Sunday afternoon with bail set at $5,000.

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4

Shooting victim returns fire at suspect

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/inde...ns_fire_a.html
FLINT, MI - A shooting victim Saturday night in Flint managed to fire a shot back at his alleged assailant, according to police.

The victim told police he was walking around 9 p.m. Nov. 11 in the 1500 block of Berrywood Lane, between Hargott Avenue and Crestbrook Lane, when he was approached by two males wearing dark clothing.

Words were exchanged between the trio and one of the suspects pulled a handgun out and fired at the victim before fleeing in an unknown direction.

Flint police Detective Tyrone Booth confirmed Sunday afternoon that the victim "did discharge the firearm he was legally carrying" during the incident.

"We only have one victim at this time," he said.

The victim was transported to a local hospital and listed in good condition. No additional information was made available by police.

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Another positive armed citizen story with examples from the last couple of years. This one from the "Daily Caller"


A Dozen Times Good Guys With Guns Stopped A Massacre

http://dailycaller.com/2017/11/12/a-...ed-a-massacre/
A man armed with a rifle walked into the First Baptist Church of Southerland Springs, Texas, Nov. 5 and killed 26 congregants, fleeing in an SUV after exchanging shots with a church neighbor.

The neighbor, retired NRA instructor Stephen Willeford, and Johnnie Langendorff have been named heroes after the tragedy. Willeford shot the gunman and caused him to flee, while Langendorff drove his truck about 95 miles per hour in a high speed chase to catch the killer.

In honor of the Texas heroes and the 2nd amendment that secures the right for good people to carry guns, The Daily Caller News Foundation has compiled a list of a 11 other times in the past decade where a tragedy was cut short or wholly averted because of good people with guns.

Some of the following were originally gathered by Eugene Volokh for his column in The Washington Post:

July 2017 – A politically motivated gunman attempted to massacre Republican congressman during a congressional baseball practice. He struck four people, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise. Congressional police attending the practice because of Scalise returned fire, pinning the shooter down until officers from the Alexandria Police Department arrived, eventually killing the shooter.

September 2017 – An immigrant shot and killed a woman walking to her car in a church parking lot after the service. He entered the church where 22-year-old Robert Engle confronted the killer. Engle fought the gunman, suffering a blow to the head. The gunman, however, accidentally shot himself in the chest during the brawl. Engle, permitted to carry a pistol, retrieved his gun from his car and held the shooter until police arrived.

May 2015 – Two gunman targeted a “Draw The Prophet” event in Texas where local artists were drawing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammed. An off-duty traffic officer working security for the event saw the would-be killers pull up in a black van, and he got out of his police cruiser to investigate. The two gunman then exited their van and opened fire. The traffic cop answered with his handgun, killing both assailants.

April 2015 – An gunman fired into a crowd in Chicago’s Logan Square. An Uber driver with a concealed-carry permit drew his pistol and shot the assailant six times, knocking him down and ending the threat.

March 2015 – An argument in a Philadelphia barbershop escalated until one man pulled a gun and began firing wildly. Another man with a concealed-carry permit brought out his own weapon, shooting and killing the attacker.

July 2014 – A psychiatric patient entered a “gun-free” hospital alongside his case worker. The patient had an appointment to see Dr. Lee Silverman, his psychiatrist. After arguing in the doctor’s office, the patient took out a gun and began firing, trying to kill Silverman. The attacker killed his case worker instead, only grazing the doctor. Silverman took out his own gun, shooting and incapacitating his patient.

September 2012 – A man in a Plymouth, Penn., bar, angry at being kicked out, took out a gun and began shooting, killing one and wounding another. He then trained his gun on others when bar patron Mark Ktytor, who has a concealed-carry permit, took out his gun and shot the attacker several times, dropping him.

March 2012 – A man armed with a shotgun kicked open the doors to a church in South Carolina. Before any shots were fired, the pastor’s grandson, Aaron Guyton, pulled his gun on the man and held him at gunpoint while several other parishioners disarmed him. Guyton has a concealed-carry permit.

May 2009 – Two armed robbers broke into an apartment filled with 10 people attending a party. The gunmen made everyone lie on the floor while they striped people of their valuables. The accomplices then took two women into a back room where one of the armed me intended to rape and kill them, and then the rest of the hostages. One of the partygoers, Marine Sean Barber who was participating in a military program for Marines to attend college, retrieved a gun he had hidden in the apartment. Barber shot one robber, who fled. Barber then went to the bedroom where the other robber was about to rape the women, shot the man and chased him out of the apartment, where he later died of his injuries.

May 2008 – A man killed two people in a bar in Winnemucca, Nev. When he stopped firing to reload his weapon, a concealed carry permit holding patron shot and killed him.

December 2007 – A disgruntled man entered a church in Arvada, Colo.,, and proceeded to kill four people before being shot himself by volunteer church security guard Jeanne Assam. The man committed suicide after Assam hit him multiple times.

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Sheriff: Suspect held at gunpoint by homeowner after break-in

http://www.hpenews.com/news/sheriff-...5ccc7702a.html
DAVIDSON COUNTY — A man was arrested Saturday after sheriff’s deputies say he broke into a house where the homeowner held him at gunpoint until authorities arrived.

Davidson County sheriff’s deputies got a call from a house in the 1600 block of Blackberry Road in Thomasville about a man breaking into a house who was still in the residence, according to a news release.


Deputies found Dustin Lee Sheppard, 26, of Thomasville, in the house where he was detained by the homeowner after deputies say he the residents found Sheppard on lying their kitchen floor. Deputies said Sheppard got into the house through an unlocked door.

He was charged with misdemeanor breaking and entering. Deputies said because Sheppard was under the influence of a substance and being irate, a magistrate ordered he be held in jail for eight hours to sober up before a bond could be set, according to a news release.

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2 today

York homicide may have been self-defense, witness says

http://www.ydr.com/story/news/crime/...ays/858089001/
York City Police detectives are evaluating numerous witness statements after a Sunday afternoon homicide — including that the fatal shooting may have been in self-defense — Capt. Troy Bankert said Monday.

"We have that statement (about self-defense)," he said. "Unlike a lot of homicides in which we don't get any witnesses, we have many witnesses to this incident, and we're evaluating those statements."

What police know at this point is that about 4 p.m., a minor crash occurred at the intersection of East Philadelphia and North Pine streets between vehicles driven by James R. "Jamie" Weimert, 29, of York, and Michael Yeaple, 27, of the York area.

Bankert said that just after the crash, with both vehicles stopped, Weimert got out of his vehicle and walked up to Yeaple, who was still in his vehicle.


The store surveillance video at Rod's Corner Store, on the corner of East Philadelphia Street and North Queen Street, captured a shootout between one person inside the store and one person outside the store. Submitted

A verbal, then physical altercation ensued, and Yeaple shot Weimert once in the chest with a gun, Bankert said. Weimert died in an ambulance before it reached York Hospital.

"It is a homicide, the difference is whether it is a criminal homicide," Bankert said. "A homicide is one person taking the life of another. That happened. We have to determine the criminality part of it."

On Monday morning, Bankert said detectives interviewed Yeaple after the incident and were still interviewing other witnesses. They will then confer with the York County District Attorney's Office to see how to proceed in the case, he said.

Witness speaks

Jakia Sweeney, 33, who lives near the intersection, said Monday she saw the entire incident unfold.

"As soon as I walked out the door, the crash happened," she said.

Both vehicles stopped, and a man from one vehicle, who police said was Weimert, approached Yeaple, who was still inside the other vehicle.


"The man (Weimert) said, 'I have a child in my car,'" Sweeney said.

Yeaple then replied, "I have children too," Sweeney said. At that point, Weimert began assaulting Yeaple, she said.

"He started wailing, he (Weimert) was inside that man's car wailing," on him, Sweeney said.

Then she heard one shot and saw Weimert run away from Yeaple's vehicle, saying, "He shot me." Witnesses tried to render aid to him before police and an ambulance arrived, she said.

Based on what she saw, Sweeney believes Yeaple shot Weimert in self-defense.

"It's senseless," she said. "There was not that much damage to either vehicle. It could have just been an exchange of insurance information, making sure everybody's OK ... It's sad, very sad."

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3 today

Armed Louisville homeowner holds off suspect with gun and 150-pound Great Dane named 'Tank'

http://www.wdrb.com/story/36832879/a...ane-named-tank
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Police say a homeowner with a gun and his 150-pound dog named Tank made Saturday night a long night for an unwelcome house guest.

The sign at Derek Thomas' house says, "Nevermind the dog. Before of the owner." It shows a gun. But that didn't keep a stranger away from Thomas' driveway Saturday night.

"Yeah, he was up to no good, definitely," Thomas said.

That night, Thomas was locking up after watching a late-night football game, when he noticed a shadow lurking outside his home on Pendleton Road.

"I saw him come from here," Thomas said, pointing to where he said shadow was. "He grabbed this door handle, and that door handle."

Thomas' wife and three children of ages 3, 7 and 9, were all asleep inside, so he went outside, barefoot.

"As I pulled my gun on him, I said, 'What the hell are you doing in my truck? Get out of my truck!' and he crawled back out and basically tried to crawl around the back," Thomas said. "He did stand up, but when I shot the gun two times, he went back to the ground and stayed good."

Thomas says he stopped the stranger before anything was taken. Then he told his wife to call 911 and bring out backup: the family's Great Dane named "Tank."

"Started barking and go crazy," said Thomas. "I said, 'You hear that? That's my 150-pound dog, and I'm not chasing you, but if you run he's going to catch you."

Thomas posted the pictures of Matthew Conklin's arrest to Facebook, saying he was carrying $3,500. Police say they found capped needles, heroin and a small bag of suspected meth in his pockets.

According to court records, Conklin offer officers the cash not to take him to jail.

The 25-year-old has a history of drug convictions and was due in court Wednesday to be sentenced in another case.

"I'm afraid to let you out of jail because you may very well kill yourself," a judge told him Monday morning. "All you have to do is run into a bad batch of dope and you're dead."

Thomas says he has no regrets. He says it's all case of man -- and man's best friend -- protecting their home.

"I work hard for my money, and it makes me upset someone was out here in my stuff, stealing my stuff," he said.

Conklin pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges, trespassing and bribery.

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4 today

PD: Hartford man shoots alleged car thief after tracking down stolen vehicle

http://wtnh.com/2017/11/13/pd-hartfo...tolen-vehicle/
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Hartford Police are investigating after a man allegedly tracked down his stolen vehicle and confronted the thief.

Police say a resident contacted them around 7:45 a.m. on Monday morning to report that his vehicle was stolen while it was warming up in the driveway.

According to officials, the same resident called just before 9:30 a.m. to report that he found his vehicle on Maple Avenue and had fired a gunshot.

Authorities say the resident confronted the alleged thief who was still in the vehicle. The accused allegedly pointed a firearm at the resident, at which point the resident took out his own firearm and fired a round, striking the suspect.

The suspect fled the scene, and a short time later, police received a call regarding a gunshot victim on South Street. Officers located and transported the suspect to a hospital for treatment of a non-life threatening gunshot wound to the cheek and jaw.

Officials say the suspect is a 17-year-old from New Britain with an already active arrest warrant for auto theft charges.

The stolen vehicle has been located with a broken window and blood evidence.

According to police, the resident is a licensed pistol permit holder.

Police are still investigating the incident.

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5 today

Man acquitted of murder in fatal shooting at Wichita apartment


A 24-year-old man put on trial for the shooting death of a Potwin man late late year has been acquitted.

Jurors found Kirby Lewis not guilty of second-degree murder last week in the December killing of 28-year-old Robert Young, according to Sedgwick County District Court records. Officers found Young with several gunshot wounds in a hallway of Woodgate Apartments near 21st and Edgemoor on Dec. 29, 2016. He died early the next morning at a Wichita hospital.

Police have said Young was visiting a friend and his roommate at the apartment complex and were drinking when an argument broke out between the men. Young and the roommate left after the fight but returned a short time later. Young hit the door for several minutes before Lewis reportedly opened it and fired.

Lewis during his trial claimed he was acting in self defense and in defense of his home because he thought Young was trying to break in and possibly harm him, according to court records. Jurors reached a verdict on Nov. 9

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/news/local/cri...#storylink=cpy

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6 today

Sarasota shooting reclassified as traffic dispute

https://www.yourobserver.com/article...raffic-dispute
A shooting investigation involving a Lakewood Ranch man has been reclassified as a traffic dispute.

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office today announced detectives concluded a Nov. 8 shooting at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and 57th Street in Sarasota was an act of self defense.

The individual who fired the weapon was identified as 75-year-old Stephen B. Fernald of Sarasota. The injured person was 21-year-old Hunter R. Bradley of Lakewood Ranch. Hunter was shot in the shoulder and treated with non-life threatening injuries before being released from Sarasota Memorial Hospital, according Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Kaitlyn Perez.

Detectives determined Fernald shot in self defense and neither driver faces criminal charges, the Sheriff's Office said in a release.

Perez said the drivers did not know each other and had pulled over and rolled their windows down to argue about driving. Fernald told investigators Bradley’s behavior was “erratic” and that Bradley yelled profanities at him.

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7 today

EPD: Charges will not be sought in fatal South Side shooting

http://www.courierpress.com/story/ne...ide/857343001/
The Evansville Police Department said it will not seek charges against a man who they investigators believe fatally shot another man Sunday night on the city's South Side.

Robert Lloyd Mills, 47, claimed the shooting was in self-defense.

After reviewing available evidence, the department said Robert Mills' self defense claim was supported.

Mills had been booked into the Vanderburgh County jail early Monday morning.

He allegedly shot and killed 41-year-old Keith Kessinger, his former roommate, during a confrontation at Mills' home Sunday night. According to a probable cause affidavit, Kessinger used to date Mills’ current roommate and lived with Mills and the woman until several months ago, when she and Kessinger broke up.

The former girlfriend told police Kessinger had harassed her “to the point that she had blocked his phone calls and text messages,” an Evansville Police Department detective wrote in the affidavit.