Category: Self Defense

Deadly Stockton Flea Market shooting was an act of self-defense during robbery, police say

STOCKTON, Calif. — A shooting at the Stockton Flea Market earlier this month that left two men dead and a woman wounded has been ruled a case of self-defense during a robbery, Stockton police said on Tuesday.

Stockton police said Wednesday that employees at the business involved are not currently being charged, police said.

Two men were killed and a woman injured when gunfire broke out during the Jan. 19 shooting. Both of those who died were involved in the robbery, police said. Police did not have more information to share about the woman who was wounded.

KCRA 3 previously spoke to Salvador Cervantes, a longtime resident and jewelry business owner at the flea market, who recounted the shooting.

He said his son had traded gunfire with one of those involved.

“This individual came, was walking out of my booth with the gun pointing, and I threw myself on the floor when I saw him,” he said. “There was an exchange of fire between my son and them. My son is the one who saved my life for the second time, so I’m pretty much blessed that he was around again for the second time.”

In 2012, Cervantes’ father was shot and killed while selling jewelry at the same flea market.

Stockton police said their investigation is ongoing.

Man killed, another critically injured in apparent self-defense shooting in St. Pete: Police

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – St. Petersburg police say a Friday evening shooting that left one man dead and another hospitalized with critical injuries appears to be an act of self-defense.

According to SPPD, officers responded to the 900 block of 22nd Lane South shortly after 6:30 p.m.

Investigators say Syltico Morand, 29, and another man were armed when they tried to rob two men who were also armed and sitting in a vehicle parked on 22nd Lane South. A confrontation ensued between the men and Morand and the other suspect with him were shot, SPPD said.

Police say Morand died at the scene and the 30-year-old man with him was taken to the hospital with critical injuries. Officers detained the two men that fired shots from their vehicle. Multiple firearms were recovered at the scene, according to SPPD.

SPPD says the men that were detained have not been charged at this time. Investigators believe the shooting was an act of self-defense.

Concealed carry holder shoots attempted robber on Chicago’s NW Side

CHICAGO – A concealed carry holder shot one of two robbery suspects early Tuesday while being confronted at gunpoint on Chicago’s Northwest Side.

What we know:

The incident happened around 2:40 a.m. near the intersection of Montana Street and Laramie Avenue in the Cragin neighborhood.

Chicago police said the 39-year-old man was getting out of his vehicle when two men approached him and one of them pulled out a gun and demanded his belongings.

Police said the victim, who is a licensed concealed-carry holder, drew his own gun and fired multiple shots, striking one of the suspects in the legs. Officers took both suspects into custody at the scene.

The wounded suspect, a 23-year-old man, was treated by paramedics with the Chicago Fire Department and taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center where he was listed in good condition.

Area Five detectives are investigating.

Bradenton man shoots kidnapper dead for trying to abduct his wife, detectives say

BRADENTON, Fla. (WFLA) — A Bradenton man fended off a kidnapper who tried to abduct his wife on New Year’s Day, deputies said.

According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, Nicholas Palomo, a 36-year-old felon who had previously gone to prison for kidnapping and other crimes, attempted to abduct a woman who was walking her dog in the area of 18th Place East in Bradenton.

The woman managed to escape Palomo by running from his car and made it to her home and warned her husband about what happened.

Detectives said the husband went outside and confronted Palomo who behaved “in a threatening manner” toward the couple. When Palomo began approaching the victim’s husband, the husband shot him a single time in the driveway.

The sheriff’s office said the whole ordeal occurred within a matter of minutes.

Deputies responded to the shooting at 12:27 a.m., and despite efforts to save him, Palomo died at the scene.

After collecting further evidence in the shooting, investigators determined that Palomo did not know the couple, classifying the shooting as a “random incident.”

Detectives also found that Palomo previously caused a disturbance at a Circle K before the shooting. It is believed he may have been under the influence of narcotics.

An autopsy found Palomo died of a single gunshot to the chest, and toxicology testing is being done to determine what drugs were in his system at the time.

As such, the State Attorney’s Office classified the shooting as self-defense, justifying the homeowner’s actions.

Police identify alleged intruder shot, killed by Buckeye homeowner

BUCKEYE, AZ (AZFamily) — Authorities have identified the man who police say was shot and killed while attempting to break into a Buckeye home late Sunday.

In an update on Monday afternoon, police identified the suspect as 27-year-old Michael Diaz.

Just before 9 p.m., police responded to a home on Desert Bloom Street, near Yuma and Watson roads, on reports of shots fired, according to the Buckeye Police Department.

Officers arrived and discovered Diaz had been shot multiple times inside the home. He died at the scene, authorities said.

Details are extremely limited, but Buckeye police confirmed a man is dead after being shot Sunday night.
Detectives say a mother and her two adult children were inside the home when they heard banging on the door.

A woman answered the door, and Diaz reportedly tried to force his way inside. Police say the woman’s son grabbed a handgun and shot the intruder after he broke through the security door and stepped inside.

Police say the family did not know the intruder. No family members were injured during the break-in.

“I feel bad for the family that had to endure this, and I feel bad for someone who didn’t take the responsibility of realizing you don’t go into people’s homes,” said CeCe Lopez.

Lopez and her husband, Enrique, live two doors down from the house where the break-in happened. They say a man wearing a hoodie knocked on their door Friday night.

CeCe said she was on the phone and did not answer. Enrique checked the doorbell camera and saw the man leaving. However, on Sunday night, the man came back and knocked on their door again.

“It was about the same time. Our dogs went crazy again,” said CeCe.

Enrique said he stepped outside, but the man was gone. He then ran to see where he might have gone.

“Then I heard four gunshots,” said Enrique.

They say it could’ve been them who shot the intruder if they had answered their door.

“What do you do? You know what I mean? You’re not just gonna let someone come into your home, and you’re certainly not going to let someone hurt my dogs,” said CeCe.

Howard Snader, a Senior Criminal Attorney for Attorneys for Freedom, said in this case, the homeowner who shot Diaz should be in the clear.

“This incident, as reported, appears to be a stereotypical textbook example of the Castle Doctrine, where you have an absolute right to protect yourself, your family from and intruder in your own residence,” he said.

He said if you’re in fear of being hurt or killed in your home, you can use lethal force. However, if you shoot someone outside of your house, like on the front porch, for example, a self-defense claim will be trickier.

“It gets into a really gray area, and you’re going to look at all the circumstances. So in Arizona, do you have the right to stand your ground? Absolutely. But that comes with risk,” said Snader.

Homeowner shoots intruder during attempted robbery in Redlands, police say

REDLANDS, Calif. (KABC) — A Redlands man was arrested late Thursday after police say he broke into a home, pointed a shotgun at the resident and was then shot by the homeowner.

The Redlands Police Department responded to a report of shots fired shortly before midnight on Jan. 15.

The homeowner arrived home and found the intruder inside. He armed himself with a handgun before confronting the intruder, who pointed a shotgun at the homeowner, according to police.

That’s when the homeowner shot the intruder and immediately exited the home to call police, officials said.

When officers arrived, they cleared the home and followed a blood trail that led to the back yard where they found the intruder suffering from a gunshot wound.

Police said the suspect, identified as 52-year-old Daniel Torres Carrion, had property from the home on his person. They also recovered the shotgun, which Torres had found inside the residence.

Torres was arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery, burglary and assault with a deadly weapon and transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

He was later discharged from the hospital and booked at West Valley Detention Center where he is being held in lieu of $300,000 bail.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Redlands Police Dispatch at (909) 798-7681 ext. 1.

Fort Worth homeowner fatally shot man trying to enter locked garage, police say

A man who lives at an east Fort Worth house confronted a burglar early Monday and shot the intruder to death in response to an aggressive approach, police said.

The shooter heard and saw the burglar, Fabian Abernathy, trying to enter a locked garage on the shooter’s property in the 3400 block of Avenue L, according to Fort Worth police. The homeowner encountered Abernathy about 6 a.m. and told him to leave.

The homeowner fired multiple rounds at Abernathy, shooting him at least once in the torso, police said. Abernathy, who was 47, walked or ran from the house, collapsed and died on the sidewalk at the intersection of Avenue L and Bishop Street.

The shooter called 911 to report the encounter and summon medical personnel. He remained at the house and is cooperating with an investigation, police said. Police have not arrested the shooter.

Winston-Salem man shot, killed; investigators determine self-defense

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the county’s first homicide of 2026, which deputies say has been ruled a justifiable act of self-defense.

Deputies responded to reports of shots fired around 11 p.m. Thursday at a home on Hartman Plaza Court. When they arrived, they found a man who’d been shot multiple times.

Investigators said the man was rushed to the hospital but later died from his injuries. He has been identified as 54-year-old Floyd Leonard Denney of Winston-Salem.

After reviewing evidence, technology, and witness statements, and after consulting with the Forsyth County District Attorney’s Office, investigators determined the shooting was a justifiable self-defense homicide.

“Our prayers and our thoughts are always with those involved in such a tragic incident,” Sheriff Bobby F. Kimbrough Jr. said in a statement.

DA declines charges in Hawthorne Street shooting, rules death justified self-defense

MEDFORD, Ore. — The Jackson County District Attorney’s Office has declined to file criminal charges in the November 2025 shooting death of a man on Hawthorne Street, ruling the killing was an act of justified self-defense during a violent home invasion.

District Attorney Patrick Green said his office will not prosecute David Rogers, 36, in the death of Martin Uriel Jimenez Jr., 32, who was shot in the early morning hours of Nov. 2, 2025.

Medford police were called to an apartment complex around 3:30 a.m. after reports of gunshots. While officers were en route, resident Thomas Owens, 72, reported that a man had broken into his apartment and tried to kill him.

Officers found Jimenez dead in the doorway of Owens’ apartment. Police said the door had been forced open and Owens had visible injuries, including facial bleeding and bruising. He was treated at the scene by Mercy Flights.

Rogers, a neighbor, told police he intervened after seeing Jimenez break into Owens’ apartment and hearing Owens call for help.

Investigators said Rogers saw Jimenez attacking Owens and fired three shots after Jimenez advanced toward him and reached for his gun.

The district attorney said evidence shows Rogers was not the initial aggressor and reasonably believed Jimenez was about to use deadly force, making the shooting legally justified under Oregon law.

Investigators determined Jimenez was intoxicated at the time and had been drinking heavily at a nearby residence before leaving on foot.

Police said it remains unclear why he entered Owens’ apartment.

Man dead after alleged home invasion; police probe self-defense claim

SAN ANTONIO, Tx —

One man is dead and another is being questioned on the Northeast Side. Around 6 p.m. SAPD was called to the 12200 block of Ridge Crown Street. When they arrived, they found one man believed to be in his 30’s deceased inside of the home with a gunshot wound.

While SAPD is still investigating, witnesses say the homeowner who is the accused shooter was defending himself.

One man says he saw the homeowner walking to a nearby store, and the man who was killed yelled at him asking what he was looking at. They argued, and witnesses say they saw the man follow the homeowner home and force himself into the home.

A coworker and neighbor of the homeowner says the homeowner is a good man.

“Anything that occurs inside someone’s residence is a bad circumstance on the victims part for bringing himself over there. It’s 2026 I’m surprised something happened like this, this fast. It is a sad situation.”

Police are not releasing the name of the homeowner, or the man that was killed. They have not yet determined if the homeowner will face any charges.