Armed citizens making a difference thread.

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https://www.wandtv.com/news/i-chose-...O3nkRSK-RudYJ8

'I chose to not be a victim': Decatur native credited with stopping Texas mass shooting
WESLACO, Texas (WAND) * A Decatur native is being called a hero in plain clothes after his Army background kicked in.

"I choose to not be a victim,* John Allen, of Mercedes, Texas, said.

It was Monday, Aug. 17 as the 1981 Stephen Decatur High School graduate arrived at the Walmart in Weslaco.

*I just didn't want him to kill innocent people,* Allen said as recounted seeing a man walking into the store dressed in black and carrying an AK-47.

While most would retreat and call 911 seeing something like that, not knowing what the man*s intentions were, Allen was not about to stand back. He jumped into action.

"We have open carry in Texas, but you don*t carry an AK-47,* he said.

He placed his .45 automatic in his holster and made his way toward the gunman with a message for him.

"You're not going to shoot anyone in this store today,* he said. *I'm not going to let that happen."

Allen held the man a gunpoint with a store security guard. His actions led to the man putting down the gun.

"He was totally surprised. Got him to put the AK-47 down. He was very upset because I had destroyed his plans."

Several officers from the Weslaco Police Department arrived during the encounter.

*The suspect entered the Walmart through the north side entrance (and) had a confrontation with a customer,* Police Chief Joel Rivera told TV station KVEO.

As police took control of the situation, Allen backed away. He reflected on what had happened.

"I was a scared man who was trying to do the right thing to make sure nobody got hurt,* Allen said, not knowing what was about to come. His actions would quickly take over the internet, and despite the recognition, he does not consider himself a hero.

"You have to put the greater good ahead of your own personal interests.* Allen said. *It is time we start protecting each other and treating each other with love and dignity."

The man who Allen confronted did have another gun on him. Police said he pulled it on officers, and officers returned fire, killing the man. The police chief told media the man was upset over a medical condition.

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https://apnews.com/article/us-news-s...35547b89e4645b

Licensed gun owner shoots intruder in Monticello home

MONTICELLO – A licensed gun owner shot one of two men who forced their way into his residence at the Harmony Apartments in the Village of Monticello.

The would-be robber, Rachain Wilson, 28, of Monticello, sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. His partner, Andrew Fogo, 32, also of Monticello, was with Wilson when the two forced their way into the home and confronted the resident about a previous altercation.

As Fogo and Wilson began beating the resident, another individual in the apartment fired a licensed gun and struck Wilson. The two men fled and drove to Garnet Health Medical Center Catskill in Harris in a pickup truck.

The individual who fired the weapon provided State Police with all of his documentation.

Wilson was treated and released at the hospital. Troopers took both men into custody and charged them with a felony of armed burglary. They were both arraigned and remanded to the Sullivan County Jail in lieu of bail.

State Police were assisted by Monticello Police, and the Sullivan County Sheriff’s and District Attorney’s Offices.

The investigation is continuing.

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https://apnews.com/article/us-news-s...35547b89e4645b

Customers, staff fired back in gun store shooting; 3 dead

METAIRIE, La. (AP) * A person entered a gun store and shooting range in a New Orleans suburb and fatally shot two people Saturday, prompting customers and staff to open fire on the shooter, a sheriff said. The shooter also died.

The shooting happened around 2:50 p.m. at the Jefferson Gun Outlet in the suburb of Metairie, according to a release from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff*s Office.

Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said the shooter initially struck two people inside, and then several other people * whether employees or store customers * opened fire on the shooter, both inside and outside of the building. Outside the building a man could be seen afterward behind yellow police tape yelling *Where is my son?*

Guns and ammunition are sold in the front of the outlet that faces a main thoroughfare through Jefferson Parish. Customers who want to frequent the gun range generally go around to the side entrance of the building. Staff who work there often wear a sidearm.


Investigators look at evidence near the side entrance at Jefferson Gun Outlet in Metairie, La. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Lopinto said two other people also were hit by gunfire and were hospitalized in stable condition. He said there were multiple shooters.

*We*re trying to put it all together,* the sheriff said during a short briefing with journalists.

None of the dead or wounded were immediately identified and details remained unclear.

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Tyrone Russell and Wanetta Joseph were both in a conceal-and-carry course at the store when they heard what they both described as rapid firing. They said the gunfire sounded much louder than the usual muffled shooting that they are used to hearing inside the shooting range.

*We heard the gunshots and the screaming,* said Russell. *When the police came, they escorted us out. I could see glass everywhere * It was just like a really scary scene.*

*It got extremely loud, like a bomb almost,* said Joseph, who hid with other students under a table * not knowing if there were multiple shooters or if one was near the classroom. One instructor stayed with the students while two others left the room and headed toward the sound of gunfire.

Russell said that when he was led out, he could see a guy *laid out* in the parking lot not far from his car, which was struck by bullets. He described seeing shattered glass, bullet casings strewn about the store.

Caution tape surrounded the business to keep onlookers from getting close to the scene, where ambulances and numerous law enforcement vehicles had converged. A neighboring Taco Bell eatery had been evacuated.

Authorities remained at the scene as night fell.

Metairie is a major suburb of New Orleans, about 5 miles (8 kilometers) west of the city*s iconic French Quarter, in the neighboring jurisdiction of Jefferson Parish.

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https://www.unionleader.com/news/cou...5290ab9e5.html

AG's office concludes elderly West Side man acted in self-defense when he killed his adult son

A Manchester man will not face charges for killing his adult son, after the Attorney General*s Office concluded he shot in self-defense as his son punched, kicked and beat him with a cane.

Alan Beliveau, 59, was living with his father, George Beliveau, 82, in a house on Brockton Street, in a quiet neighborhood on Manchester*s West Side. Alan struggled with addiction and mental health, George later told police, and one of George's other children said her father was afraid of Alan. She would see George with bruises, but he refused to say how he got them.

In 2018, Alan barricaded himself in the basement with a recently-purchased gun, and had beat up George. A Manchester police SWAT team eventually used tear gas to get Alan out of the basement.

April 16, 2020, had been a normal day for father and son. They went grocery shopping together, and came home to relax. Alan went up to his bedroom to play chess online, while George sat downstairs, George later told police.

It had been a nice day, George later said.

That evening, Alan came downstairs and out of the blue, said George was not really his father. He was angry, and George said he might have been drinking.

Then, George told police, Alan started punching his father and hit him with a cane. He knocked him to the ground, and then kicked him, over and over. Alan was 23 years younger and 100 pounds heavier than George. George said he thought he was fighting for his life, he later told police, but could not get his son to let up.

George told detectives that Alan told him *I*m going to finish you off."

George reached for the gun he always kept in his left pocket, and shot twice.

When Alan fell, George ran out the kitchen door to a neighbor*s house.

*My son attacked me,* George said when he got to the neighbor*s house. His face and arms were bloody, the neighbors told police. *My son attacked me, my son attacked me, call the police, my son tried to kill me,* George said.

The neighbor asked if George *put bullets in Alan,* and George said he did. He gave a small silver pistol to the neighbor.

*I had to do something because I didn*t think I*d see daylight again. I had to shoot him,* George said to paramedics as they rode to the hospital.

At the hospital, George recounted the night to police. Police said it seemed like George did not know he had killed Alan. He asked if Alan would be arrested, and said he did not feel safe going home if Alan was there.

When officers told George he had killed his son, he started sobbing. Alan was his only son, George said over and over, he was just trying to stop the beating.

Police found Alan*s body face-down on the floor at the Beliveau home, glasses still on his face. He had been shot in the chest and in the stomach. An autopsy later determined Alan had been shot from about a distance of about a foot-and-a-half. The autopsy also determined Alan's blood-alcohol level was 0.136.

Almost a year after the Beliveau's death, the Attorney General*s Office released prosecutors* review of the shooting Thursday.

Because Alan was so much larger and much younger than his father, the review read, he had a distinct physical advantage as he beat his father. Prosecutors said it was reasonable for George Beliveau to believe his son meant to kill him, and concluded he was justified in responding with deadly force.

George Beliveau will not face any criminal charges for killing his son.

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https://www.fox4news.com/news/4-inju...9-restrictions

4 injured in shooting at Dallas sports bar after men not allowed in due to COVID-19 restrictions
David SentendreyJuly 26, 2020
4 injured in shooting at Dallas sports bar after men not allowed in due to COVID-19 restrictions

Dallas police said three men were shot and a woman was hit by shrapnel when someone opened fire outside a sports bar in North Oak Cliff Saturday night.

DALLAS - Dallas police said three men were shot and a woman was hit by shrapnel when someone opened fire outside a sports bar in North Oak Cliff Saturday night.

The shooter was reportedly among three men who were turned away from Harris House of Heroes II sports bar, just before midnight, because the establishment was at full capacity.

In May, a Dallas fire marshal shut down the crowded Harris House of Heroes location off McKinney Avenue after a disagreement over whether it should be classified as a bar or restaurant.

Last month, the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission suspended the license for the other Harris House of Heroes location for 30 days.

RELATED: Uptown Dallas establishment forced to shut down again over classification dispute

At the time, the attorney for House of Heroes* called it unreasonable. Now, people are just talking about how crazy and unnecessary Saturday nights shooting was.

A spokesperson for the sports bar, located in the 500 block of Riverfront Boulevard, said they were doing temperatures checks at the entrance on its opening night and making sure they were in line with state guidelines.


Witnesses said it was a laid-back environment, and security was counting those going into the establishment and checking their temperatures at the door. But when a group of three men weren*t allowed in for capacity reasons, a scuffle ensued.

*And so they pushed him out of the restaurant and locked the doors and he went into his car and he just started spraying the place,* Micaela Dartson recalled.

She was inside as the bullets were flying, fearing for her life.

*There*s gunfire and glass flying everywhere and we all hit the floor,* she said. *You can tell it was an assault rifle. I mean, there was so many shots, it was unbelievable.*

One of the men who wasn*t allowed in reportedly went to his vehicle and returned with an "assault-type weapon," according to police.

He then opened fire into the sports bar.

One of the victims was reportedly shot in the arm, another suffered non-life threatening injuries, while the other victim who was shot was taken to a local hospital in critical condition.

Police said the shooter went to the back of the sports bar, where he was "confronted by armed partrons," and they exchanged gunfire.

The shooter fled before police arrived, and remains at-large.

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https://www.modbee.com/news/local/cr...250545509.html

Gang member who was shot during 1999 home invasion denied parole
By Lydia GerikeApril 09, 2021 07:10 AM

A member of the Crazy Mob Family street gang who was shot during an armed home invasion in 1998 was denied parole in March, the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office said.

Sokhean Keo, now 43, was one of a group of gang members who armed themselves the night of March 27, 1998, and went to rob a River Pine Court home.

Keo forced entry into the home through a kitchen window, the DA’s office said, and was shot by the homeowner.

As Keo fled back out the window, he fired his shotgun at the homeowner. The Bee previously reported that the DA’s office said other gang members returned fire from outside the house. No one other than Keo was hit.

The DA’s office said Keo was convicted in February 1999 of first first degree robbery of an occupied home, first degree burglary, assault with a firearm, discharge of a firearm in an inhabited dwelling and being an active street gang member. He was sentenced to 32 years in prison.

Another man involved in the case, Sopheap Chhoeung, was recommended parole in February during his hearing because he was just 20 at the time of the crime and considered a “youthful offender.”

Although Keo was also 20 at the time, the board denied his parole for five years.

Deputy District Attorney Sara Sousa argued Keo should be denied parole for seven years because he did not show any remorse for his actions, hadn’t properly prepared for his parole hearing and violated prison rules.

Keo participated in a 2009 prison riot and accumulated six serious prison rule violations in the last two years.

The parole board recommended Keo re-take anger management classes and be better prepared with potential parole plans during future hearings.

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https://www.journal-news.com/news/ha...HYCKILF6ENFJ4/

Hamilton shooting after domestic dispute ruled self-defense, man not indicted
By Lauren Pack
Crime & Law | 7 hours ago
A Butler County grand jury declined to indict a man who shot another man in Hamilton after he reportedly intervened during an assault on a woman in the 400 block of Seventh Street.

The grand jury determined that the shooting came in self-defense and d ...

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We will see how this one goes.

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...77dad4425.html

Man shot dead on St. Louis street wasn’t the victim after all, police say
From staff reports
Special offer! 70 percent off digital
ST. LOUIS — Homicide detectives unraveling a crime this week in the city's Greater Ville neighborhood believe a man shot dead in the street was actually a suspect and not a victim, as previously believed.

The dead man was identified as 38-year-old Earnesto Bledsoe of St. John. Bledsoe was shot multiple times about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 4300 block of Natural Bridge Avenue and found dead in the street when police arrived.

As police investigated the shooting, a 31-year-old man flagged down officers in the 4500 block of Lexington Avenue. Police initially thought he was the suspect and he was taken into custody. But police now say the man was actually a victim.

The two men apparently got into a physical altercation, police said, and the victim fired shots at Bledsoe. Police did not explain the shooting any further or provide additional details on what Bledsoe did to be viewed as the suspect.

Asked if investigators believe the man who flagged down officers had shot Bledsoe in self-defense, police spokeswoman Evita Caldwell said she couldn't say any more about the case because detectives are still working on the investigation. She said the 31-year-old has been released from custody.

Bledsoe lived in the 9100 block of North Avenue in St. John.

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Potential mass shooting last year stopped by man with a gun.

https://www.wishtv.com/news/crime-wa...burg-shooting/

Police: Mental health issues contributed to fatal Brownsburg shooting - WISH-TV | Indianapolis News | Indiana Weather | Indiana Traffic
by: Travis Robinson
BROWNSBURG, Ind. (WISH) — Brownsburg police say a history of mental health issues likely led a man to randomly shoot at two Brownsburg cemetery workers on Tuesday.

Police say 22-year-old Joshua Christopher Hayes launched an unprovoked attack against two men working in Brownsburg Cemetery Tuesday around 1:15 p.m. Hayes first chased 36-year-old Seth Robertson to a nearby intersection before he fatally shot Robertson.

Hayes then chased after the second man and shot a third man who was stopped at a traffic light nearby. The third man was legally armed and fatally shot Hayes.

“This tragic event could have been much more disastrous. So, victim three not only saved victim two’s life, but he saved potentially the lives of many others,” said BPD Capt. Jennifer Barrett. “Victim three did exactly what anybody would have wanted him to do at that scene that day.”

Even one homicide is an abnormality in Brownsburg, so the unprovoked violence received a lot of attention online. Police say misinformed rumors spread quickly on social media about a second gunman on the loose. They say there were also numerous posts jumping to conclusions about the shooting being racially motivated.

“I was being provided screenshots of social media posts prior to my even arriving on the scene,” Barrett said. “So it played a huge role. A lot of misinformation was out there.”

Police met with Hayes’ family to find out the real reason he started shooting.

“That is part of what led us to exactly understand that there was a mental health component that was behind- that we were already seeing in the investigation,” Barrett said. “However, I think the biggest thing that Mr. Hayes’ family has expressed is that they want there to be a mental health awareness component to this. They’re, of course, devastated. But they’re also devastated for the other victim.”

Brownsburg police say they don’t have any evidence to believe victim number three will be charged for stopping Hayes, but say that will ultimately be handled by the Hendricks County Prosecutor’s Office.

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https://www.usacarry.com/lyft-driver...carjacker-leg/

Lyft Driver w/ CCW Shoots 14-Year-Old Carjacker in the Leg
April 10, 2021
Lyft Driver w/ CCW Shoots 14-Year-Old Carjacker in the Leg
A Lyft driver got more than his usual pickup last month. Two teenagers, 14 and 15-years-old requested a ride through the Lyft app. But instead of getting in, they tried to take the 50-year-old Lyft driver*s car.

One of the teens pulled out a gun and threatened the driver. Maybe the teenagers read the Lyft Weapon Policy and figured the driver would be unarmed. Kind of like a gun-free zone, right? ��

In any case, the driver did have a concealed weapons permit and drew his own firearm in fear of his lift. He shot the 14-year-old suspect in the leg. The other 15-year-old stayed on the scene until the police arrived. There are no details on what happened to the wounded 14-year-old suspect, but we can assume he was transported to the hospital.

I know many people are driving for Lyft, Uber, and the numerous food delivery services after the pandemic hit and affected people*s jobs. Just keep in mind the firearm policy of these companies. There have been multiple stories of drivers disregarding their policies and having to use their firearms to protect themselves. Good thing they did!

Lyft Weapons policy

Lyft has a strict *No Weapons* policy for all of its properties. This includes Lyft Hubs and service centers.

Our *No Weapons* policy applies when you are doing business as a representative of Lyft, which includes times that you are driving for Lyft, as well as times that you are visiting a Lyft Hub.

This means that even in places where it is legal to carry a weapon, we ask that you do not carry a weapon on any Lyft property.