|
***********
A landlord was horrified when his tenant was victimized-raped by a convicted sex offender. In addition
to repairing a damaged window and installing security devices, the landlord bought the tenant a shotgun. The latter move probably
saved her life. Just a week later, as police prepared to file charges against the rapist, he returned to the scene of the
crime. Likely angry his victim had gone to the authorities, the rapist cut the power to the house and crashed through the
basement door. But the woman inside was not about to be a victim again. She fired her shotgun for the first time, killing
her rapist. "I'm glad I had something to protect me," the woman said. "When your life is in danger, you just do what you have
to do." (Southeast Missourian, Cape Girardeau, MO, 11/01/08)
***********
Dean Woodling was stopping by his father's property when, according to police, he saw a robber loading
a truck with stolen items. Woodling, who is a hunter, had a shotgun in the vehicle. "I jumped out with the shotgun as he was
coming out of the barn," Woodling explained. "To say he was scared was an understatement," Woodling, who has a concealed-carry
permit and likes to keep a firearm handy, held the suspect at gunpoint until police arrived. "The way the world is, it's like
American Express," said Woodling. "I never leave home without it. Police cannot be everywhere all the time." (Pocono Record,
Stroudsburg, PA, 11/14/08)
***********
Brian Berthiaume was walking his dog when he saw a large man acting suspiciously. The man had entered the
neighbor's garage through the garage door, which construction workers had accessed earlier in the day, but Berthiaume decided
home renovation was not this man's goal. Police say Berthiaume feared for his neighbor, a woman with two young children, so
he ran home for his .40-caliber pistol and told his girlfriend to call police. When he returned, the suspect was carrying
away a large saw. He confronted the man, who was already on probation for burglary. After a brief standoff, the 240-pound
suspect sprawled out on the ground and waited for police. Berthiaume's neighbor lauded his actions, saying, "One of the reasons
my family has stayed in New Orleans [following Hurricane Katrina] is because of neighbors who watch out for you, like Brian."
(The Times-Picayune, New Orleans, LA, 11/13/08)
***********
Mark C. Johnson had been arrested 33 times since 1986, including charges of robbery, larceny and battery,
according to law enforcement records. Some would suggest he should have been in jail. Unfortunately for sixth-grade reading
teacher Juanita Enzor, he hoped to prey upon yet another victim. Police say Enzor, who lives alone, heard Johnson burst through
her front door. Grabbing her gun, Enzor hid in the bedroom, and when Johnson entered the room, she shot him. Johnson attempted,
albeit briefly, to attack Enzor before falling dead. (St. Petersburg Times, St. Petersburg, FL, 10/24/08)
***********
Alejandro Salinas was paying for his gas when the clerk warned him he'd seen several suspicious men outside.
On his guard, Salinas walked to his truck, but before he could close the door, one of the men put a gun to his neck. "Get
out of the truck. I'm going to take it and I'm going to kill you," the suspect said, according to police. But Salinas executed
a classic tactical move: In a fast, fluid motion, he pushed away his assailant's gun while drawing his own 9 mm pistol and
shooting the assailant twice. The wounded suspect fired once into the air as he fell to the ground. His accomplices grabbed
him and took him to a hospital, where he died. Salinas has a concealed-carry permit. (The Monitor, McAllen, TX, 11/10/08)
***********
There were about 15 people enjoying a game of bingo at a gaming hall when a masked man wielding a shotgun
ran into the room. The armed robber fired a round into the ceiling and demanded money. According to police, that's when bingo
hall manager Chad England decided to take action. England retrieved a pistol from an office and shot the masked man, possibly
preventing several tragedies. The suspect died en route to the hospital. (Pensacola News Journal, Pensacola, FL, 10/25/08)
***********
January, 2009
***********
Paul Garner was awakened by shattering glass when, police said, an intruder with a prior burglary conviction
attempted to break in through a window. Garner grabbed his .45-caliber, semi-automatic handgun and, when the burglar lifted
the window blinds, he fired three rounds. The intruder died at the scene. The incident was at least the fifth time since April
that a San Antonio property owner shot an intruder.(San Antonio Express-News, San Antonio, TX, 10/17/08)
***********
A woman was talking on the phone with her son when he yelled that an armed man was trying to break into
his apartment. Suddenly, the connection was severed and the woman phoned the police. By the time officers arrived, the woman's
son had shot the suspect and was holding him at gunpoint. (The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, CA, 10/16/08)
***********
Police said four men were intent on committing their second burglary of the evening but, on this attempt,
they met with a prepared homeowner. As the four entered the home, the barking of the family dog awakened the homeowner and
his family. The homeowner confronted the men, who demanded money. As the homeowner fled back to the bedroom, one of the robbers
fired a sawed-off shotgun. The homeowner returned with a handgun, shooting one of the robbers and causing the four intruders
to flee the scene. All four robbers were later arrested. (The Lancaster News, Lancaster, SC, 09/24/08)
***********
A 23-year-old University of Arizona student was at his residence several blocks north of campus when two
men knocked on the door. According to police, the knock came at an unusual hour, so the student retrieved a handgun before
opening the door. One of the men asked to speak to an individual whose name the student didn't know. At that point, the student
noticed the second man was wearing a bandana and holding a handgun. The student tried to slam the door shut, but the men,
both of whom had criminal records dating to 1997, forced their way inside. The student drew his handgun, shooting and killing
both men. "Had he not done what he did, he probably would have been dead right now' said Tucson police Sgt. Fabian Pacheco.
(The Daily Wildcat, Tucson, AZ, 10/17/08)
***********
When Steve Manning's wife heard someone breaking into her home, she woke her husband, who sprang into action.
Manning said a "huge man full of rage" was repeatedly charging the front with a straight arm and shouting, "Dude, you are
going to get yours! Dude, you're going to get it!" But Manning was not about to allow himself or his wife to be harmed. He
quickly armed himself with his handgun, shouting to the intruder, "If you come into this house, I will shoot you! According
to police, the man did not heed the advice, forcing the door open. Manning fired two shots, wounding the suspect. Manning
said the shots appeared to surprise the suspect and, strangely, calmed him. Police arrested the suspect in a nearby flower
bed. (Tulsa World, Tulsa, OK, 10/18/08)
***********
Two assailants armed with shotguns approached a man sitting in his pickup outside his home, according to
police. They ordered the victim out of the truck and, having not entirely formulated a plan, paused to consider their next
course of action. "One of the men decided to force [the victim] back inside his residence and told him to get up' said police
spokesman Lt. Paul Henderson. "As [the victim] began to stand up, he retrieved a handgun that was concealed in his pants and
began slinging lead at the two would-be robbers. One suspect was hit multiple times and immediately collapsed in the street."
The wounded suspect died. Police are investigating leads on his alleged accomplices. (Star¬Telegram, Fort Worth, TX,
10/17/08)
***********
Georgia Boll. Sullivan of Clinton, La., will never
know if her former employee, Arthur Sanford, came back for money, revenge or both. Sullivan was up late watching television
when she heard a noise that caused her two dogs to start barking wildly. She took her pistol and went to investigate, but
before she fully realized what was happening a shadowy figure lunged at her. Although she fired at the intruder, he kept coming
and the two struggled for the gun. Sullivan said, "He beat me with his fists. He was trying to get the gun out of my hand,
but he never did." Sanford continued to attack, saying that he wanted money, until his grip finally loosened and he died on
the spot from a gunshot wound to his chest. Sanford had worked on Sullivan's cattle farm for years, but had been fired three
years earlier because of suspected drug use. Sanford also had a history of arrests for armed robbery. (2theadvocate.com,
Baton Rouge, LA, 02/17/05)
***********
It's not in my nature to even kill a mouse, but he
forced it and I do not feel guilty of any wrongdoing," said Robert Birtwhisrle, an 84-year-old homeowner in Mishawaka, Ind.
The local police agreed that this was a justifiable shooting. Birtwhisrle had been awakened at about 1 a.m. To the sounds
of his front door being kicked in. He took his pistol, went downstairs and warned the intruder to stop or "he was going to
get what was coming to him." The intruder, however, kept trying to get in and eventually broke down the door. Birtwhisrle
fired once and the intruder fell to the floor. When police arrived, the intruder was pronounced dead at the scene; he was
later identified as James Rosebush, who lived only blocks away. Police commented that it was possible Birtwhistle was targeted
because of his age, which would lead criminals to believe he was an "easy target." (The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis,
IN, 02/18/05)
***********
Thanks to the quick thinking of a sub shop owner in
Dayton, Ohio, a robbery attempt was quickly thwarted. The manager and his wife were working the morning shift when they spotted
a man with a mask and sunglasses heading toward the store with a gun in his hand. The owner triggered the security system
and retrieved his gun. One employee described what happened next: "[The suspect] got up on the counter. I was scared. I just
dropped to the floor." The robber, however, who was pointing his gun at the manager, did not even have time to speak because
the manager pointed his gun and shot him in the arm. He fled and was later apprehended at his sister's house. He was expected
to be charged with aggravated robbery. (Dayton Daily News, Dayton, OH, 01/15/05)
***********
The restraining order was not worth the paper it was printed on," said the victim's mother, but her daughter,
Joy Burgess, knew it long before that night. Burgess was two days away from a court appearance in which her husband, Brian
Gathing, was charged with domestic trespassing, only one in a string of charges pressed by his wife that caused him to be
jailed five times in five months. But that night Gathing cut her telephone lines and used a shovel to break open her door.
Their 6-year-old daughter was asleep in the back room, and Burgess was not taking any more chances when she saw Gathing coming.
Gathing was later pronounced dead at the scene from a single gunshot to the chest. No charges will be filed against Burgess,
according to local officials. (Winston-Salem Journal, Winston-Salem, NC, 12/04/04)
***********
In the dark of the night, an Eliot, Maine, homeowner
was awakened to the sounds of pounding and screaming at his front door. David Oeser went to the entrance to find a 6-foot,
2-inch, 330-pound man breaking down his door. Oeser then fled to his bedroom but was followed by the intruder, who continued
to scream incoherently. Oeser grabbed his gun and yelled several times, "Stop or I will shoot" but the man kept coming. Oeser
fired, hitting him once. The man was apprehended at the scene. Police later revealed that less than 24 hours earlier, the
intruder had been arrested and given a psychiatric exam after an unprovoked attack on a man in a local restaurant. (Central
Maine News, Eliot, ME, 11/05/04)
***********
Leon and Eleanor Cash were spending a quiet evening
in there Natrona Heights, Pa., home when they heard suspicious sounds coming from the kitchen. When they went to the kitchen
to investigate, a man dressed entirely in black forced his way into the house by pistol-whipping Mr. Cash. When the intruder
pinned Cash against a kitchen appliance, holding him down by his throat, Cash called to his wife for help. She responded by
grabbing their shotgun and shooting the intruder. Ras-Saleem Hudson died at the scene and no charges were expected to be filed
against Mrs. Cash. (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh, PA 09/26/04)
***********
Candy
Mitchell of Waterford, California, started losing sleep after she learned
that her ex-boyfriend was released from jail. He had served only two months of a six-month
sentence for physically abusing her, so it did not seem like a coincidence when, night
after night, she heard strange noises in her back yard and banging on her bedroom walls.
Despite repeated calls to the police, no prowler was ever found. But the night Mitchell
heard someone enter her home, she grabbed the gun she kept next to her bed and, when
she saw a man heading for her daughter's room, fired several times. Her ex-boyfriend,
John "Bud" Russell, stumbled outside. When police arrived, they found Russell dead in
his truck. Mitchell later said, "I could not imagine any reason he'd be in my house but
to kill me." (The Modesto Bee, Modesto, CA, 08/07/04)
***********
Early
one morning, a Sunset Hills, Missouri, man heard a knock
at his back door.
Deciding
to err on the side of caution, he retrieved his handgun and carefully opened his door
to a stranger who asked for gasoline. Before the homeowner could respond, the stranger
forced his way into the house, where a struggle ensued. When the intruder shocked
the homeowner with an electric stun gun, the homeowner responded by firing one
shot at the intmder, who ran out of the house and made it about 200 yards before falling
dead. At press time, police were trying to identify the man who appeared to be in his 20s, but who had no ID. In addition, no car was found in the area. The homeowner, whose name was not released, was not seriously hurt in the incident. (The
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, MO, 08/04/04)
Visit Armed Citizens.com
|
