Category: Self Defense

Go look in a mirror and you will see who your real ‘First Responder’ is.

Coronavirus Clobbers Cops and Suddenly Second is First Fallback

Reports are surfacing in several jurisdictions about the number of police officers testing positive for Coronavirus, underscoring the importance of the Second Amendment among people who might have been indifferent about the right to keep and bear arms…until now.

Over the weekend, TIME magazine reported that “about 700 New Jersey police officers have tested positive for the coronavirus.” Acting State Police Supt. Col. Patrick Callahan said more than 700 officers have been quarantined at home.

However, the Philadelphia Inquirer subsequently reported that Callahan had “overstated” the number. The newspaper noted that “while 1,272 officers had been ‘quarantined,’ the actual number of those testing positive was 163. In addition, it said that 1,435 officers were ‘out for other reasons,’ but did not elaborate.”

The Sun reported Monday “Almost 5,000 (New York) cops are currently out sick as the coronavirus crisis continues to ravage New York with fears looming of disorder on the streets. The number of police officers out sick on Sunday amounts to nearly 14 per cent of the 36,000-strong force.”

The Associated Press reported “More than a fifth of Detroit’s police force is quarantined; two officers have died from coronavirus and at least 39 have tested positive, including the chief of police.”
The story also revealed “Nearly 690 officers and civilian employees at police departments and sheriff’s offices around the country have tested positive for COVID-19, according to an Associated Press survey of over 40 law enforcement agencies, mostly in major cities. The number of those in isolation as they await test results is far higher in many places.”

Altogether, these reports reinforce the argument made over the weekend by Alan Gottlieb, founder and executive vice president of the Second Amendment Foundation, which has filed a lawsuit in New Jersey to reopen gun shops and shooting ranges. He says the same principle applies nationwide, where police manpower shortages might translate to problems for the public, despite official insistence they have things under control.

“This is exactly why the Foundation lawsuit to force New Jersey to re-open gun stores during this emergency is so important,” Gottlieb said. “People need to be able to obtain the means of self-defense in times such as these. This is why the right to keep and bear arms is essential.

“The Second Amendment wasn’t written for duck hunters,” Gottlieb added. “The right to keep and bear arms is enshrined in the Constitution to assure every citizen has the means to defend himself or herself when help may not arrive in time, or maybe not arrive at all.”

Since the COVID-19 outbreak began more than two weeks ago, anecdotal reports of citizens rushing to gun stores to purchase firearms and ammunition have surfaced, suggesting many people were buying guns for the first time. The Second Amendment in essence became their first fallback.

Alarming to gun owners from one coast to the other has been the widespread shut downs of police agency services including fingerprinting for concealed carry license or permit applications. Some agencies are accepting renewals only, deciding to suspend new permit applications. This has already resulted in one lawsuit in North Carolina, filed by SAF, the Firearms Policy Coalition and Grass Roots North Carolina.

Several other lawsuits are under consideration, Gottlieb hinted in a telephone conversation late last week.

Hmm. This one nearly slipped by me. I gotta do a better job of keeping my eyes peeled closer to home.

Shooting in Newton County deemed self-defense

STARK CITY, Mo. — A 36-year-old man was being treated for gunshot wounds after he allegedly attacked another man with a machete Thursday at a residence near Stark City, and the victim grabbed a rifle and shot him in self-defense.

Newton County Sheriff Chris Jennings said deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance on Norway Road and found Cody S. Bowman, 36, there with gunshot wounds, and Joseph Ward, 23, with an injury from having been struck in the head with a machete.

Bowman was taken to a Joplin hospital for treatment of his wounds. Assault charges were filed on him Friday, and the sheriff indicated he would be transported to the Newton County Jail once he is released from the hospital. Bowman is charged with first-degree assault, first-degree burglary and two counts of armed criminal action.

Jennings said Ward, who lives at the address, also was treated for injuries following the disturbance.

According to a probable-cause affidavit filed with the charges, Bowman was still in the yard of the residence, running water from a garden hose over gunshot wounds to his arm and hand when deputies arrived on the scene. He told the deputies that he had been shot four times. Deputies subsequently located two bullet wounds on him.

Occupants of the residence told deputies that Bowman was not supposed to be at the residence but broke some glass in a door trying to get in. Ward went outside and told Bowman to leave, and Bowman threw a machete that struck Ward in the head.

Ward told deputies that he then retrieved a .22-caliber rifle and shot Bowman twice as Bowman was coming at him with a bar that he had picked up in the driveway.

The affidavit states that deputies found a machete inside the house, where occupants said they had taken it to keep the weapon away from Bowman after he threw it. They also found five shell casings and three live rounds in the yard.

Bowman still had a large knife on his person when deputies first arrived. He was told to toss it on the ground, and he did, according to the affidavit. The document states that he was wearing a sheath for the machete on his belt.

Bowman lives near the residence where the disturbance took place. According to the affidavit, he told a deputy in January that he was no longer allowed at the residence where Ward and one of Bowman’s adopted siblings live.

The sheriff said Bowman’s motive for the assault remains under investigation.

 

Man shot during Saturday morning break-in

COLUMBIA, S.C. — According to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, a man was shot while attempting to break into a home on Great North Road.

According to RCSD, on Saturday, March 28 around 8 a.m., deputies were called to a break-in happening on the 500 block of Great North Road.

When they arrived, they found a man in the driveway who had been shot in the upper body. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the report.

The homeowner told law enforcement that the man was trying to enter her home through a window and when she told him she had a gun, he threatened to come in and use it on her.

 

Just because it’s a woman, doesn’t mean she can’t be a murderous thug.

Man shoots, kills woman accused of opening fire at Tulsa shopping area

TULSA, Okla. – A woman is dead after allegedly opening fire at customers outside a Tulsa business on Friday, police said.

According to Tulsa police, a man with a concealed carry permit shot and killed the woman in response to seeing her shooting at people.

It happened near 5300 N. Peoria.

Surveillance video showed the same woman in an altercation in the area earlier in the day. Police said she returned with a gun.

The man with the concealed carry permit was questioned and released.

Alleged burglar shot, killed; another suspect arrested

TOME—An attempted burglary in Tomé Sunday morning has left one Valencia County man dead and another in custody.

Valencia County deputies were called to a burglary in progress on N.M. 47 in Tomé shortly after 7 a.m., Sunday, March 22. When they arrived, deputies found Jason Shadron, 41, of Los Lunas, dead in the front seat of a stolen pickup truck.

Valencia County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Lt. Joseph Rowland said items left at the scene identified a second suspect — Sammy Armijo, 40, of Los Chavez — who fled on foot.

The department isn’t releasing many details about the Sunday shooting since it is still under investigation, the lieutenant said.

“Somebody at the home fired the shot that killed Mr. Shadron,” Rowland said. “There is no known association between Jason and Sammy, and the people at the residence.

“It appears the two of them arrived together in the stolen truck, which we believe is the truck reported stolen by Armijo’s in-laws.”

Armijo was found and arrested late Monday afternoon, Rowland said.

“We located a vehicle that was associated with (Armijo) driving around. We stopped it but he was not in the vehicle,” Rowland said. “The driver said he got the vehicle from Armijo’s in-laws on Peyton Road (in Los Chavez).”

The lieutenant said that was the same household where the reported stolen truck Shadron was found in at the home on N.M. 47.

Deputies set up surveillance of the house on Peyton Road, and saw suspicious activity. Rowland said they contacted Armijo’s wife, who lives at the home, and found out he was in a camper in the backyard.

While Armijo was being taken into custody, he punched a window in the camper, injuring himself, Rowland said, and was checked by medical personnel.

“Otherwise, he was taken into custody without incident,” he said.

Rowland said the department was working closely with the district attorney’s office on the case.

“New Mexico State Police also assisted in the investigation. We will have to complete the investigation, review all the facts and work with the DA before we make a determination as to how to proceed,” he said.

Armijo was wanted on felony warrants prior to his arrest in regards to three probation violations for aggravated assault on a police officer with a deadly weapon, a second incident of aggravated assault of an officer and the third for burglary and assaulting, fleeing, evading and obstructing an officer.

Gardnerville man shot by homeowner during attempted home invasion in Douglas County

GARDNERVILLE, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — A Gardnerville man is dead after being shot during an attempted home invasion in Douglas County on Saturday night.

Deputies responded to the 1400 block of Bumblebee Dr. shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 21. When police arrived on scene, the found 36-year-old Josuha McCarthy dead from multiple gunshot wounds.

Undersheriff Ron Elges says the homeowner and McCarthy were involved in a fight before the attempted home invasion. Police say McCarthy was not known to the homeowner.

Witnesses say there was an initial physical confrontation between McCarthy and another citizen at a separate residence before the shooting. Witnesses also say McCarthy had been drinking heavily prior to both incidents.

Indy homeowner shoots and critically injures intruder

INDIANAPOLIS — A homeowner opened fire on a man police say was trying to break into his home early Tuesday morning.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were called to the home in the 800 block of Lawrence Street around 3 a.m. for a report of a person who had been shot.

Arriving officers located a man suffering from at least a single gunshot wound at the scene. That man was taken to the Eskenazi Hospital in critical condition.

Detectives at the scene say two people were inside the home when they heard someone trying to break in through the rear entrance. The homeowner opened fire, striking the suspected intruder at least once.

The man’s identity has not been released.

Yes, You Need a Gun During the Virus Scare..and After

You want to have a gun before you need it.
Advocates of armed defense have been saying that for decades, though recent events underlined their point.
Last month, sentencing reforms in some states effectively decriminalized theft under about $900. We saw stores stripped by flash-mobs of shoplifters.
Police refused to investigate a “misdemeanor” crime even though the total loss may be tens of thousands of dollars.

Those sentencing revisions also let more serious criminals out of jail without bail.
The revolving door of injustice spun pretty fast after that. Last week, some cities let convicted thugs out of jail because of a flu virus. States closed gun shops and promise to arrest you if you leave your home. Police in some cities refuse to respond to theft in progress due to risk from public contact. Yes, you need a gun.. and a lot more.

These recent headlines highlight an obvious fact. These events let us see that we are on our own. If we’re attacked, the police arrive after we’ve gotten to safety, after we’ve made the call to 911, and if law enforcement has personnel available to help us. It is up to us to defend ourselves and those we love until the police arrive.

That realization changed last week, but only by a matter of degree. Now we’re in the middle of a virus scare and police may or may not respond to our calls. Today, law enforcement in many cities are refusing to come to the scene of the crime if the criminal threat is gone. As you’d expect, crime increases when criminals are not pursued, arrested, jailed, charged, and prosecuted. Today, you are at a greater risk, but you were never completely safe.

Many people wanted to believe that they’d be safer if they were unarmed. Our experience with armed citizens says otherwise, and so do the recent headlines. Many people who were only vaguely aware of self-defense now see the need for a personal firearm. I’m sorry, but for many of you it is too late to become armed defenders.

First, you’d need a gun. Some states said that gun shops were “non-essential businesses” so they were told to close their doors. We’ve seen panic buying that emptied store shelves. If you wanted a gun, now you’re too late.

You thought you needed a gun, but you also need a holster, ammunition, and cleaning supplies for that firearm. Some states require a permit before you may buy a gun. Some states also stopped processing those firearms purchase permits. If you’re not ready now, then you’re too late.

You want to protect yourself and your family, but two thirds of aggravated assaults happen away from home. That means that you might need a permit to legally carry a firearm outside your front door as you walk to the mailbox. States that disregard the right of self-defense have stopped processing those concealed carry permits.

The advocates for armed defense have been warning you about these infringements for years, and now you’re too late.

You thought that owning a gun would make you safer, but a firearm is useless without the skills to use it. Fortunately, defending your family from thugs coming up the stairs doesn’t take a lot of skill. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of skill to defend your family from several thugs converging on your family between the parked cars in the grocery store parking lot at night. If you haven’t developed the skill then you’re depending on luck, and there are usually several attackers.

How did you get here? The public receives the public policies for which they voted. Now, you’re paying the price with your family’s safety. I hope you’re one of the lucky ones and no one is hurt.

I like that you want to defend your family. Now defend the right to do so. The right of honest citizens to keep and bear arms should not be infringed. This virus scare will pass, but the infringements on your rights of armed defense will remain.. until you remove them. Don’t wait until November. Secure your rights before you need them. Become politically active now, or the rights you lost will be lost forever.

No word on the homeowner being charged?
Maybe because it’s highly likely he won’t be.

Cobb County homeowner shoots burglars

MARIETTA, Ga. – Police are investigating after a Cobb County homeowner stopped two burglars in their tracks, killing one of them.

According to investigators, late Sunday night at least two people tried to break into a home on Olive Spring Road. A person, described by police as the homeowner, opened fire on the intruders.

Two ended up getting hit, one of them died. Officers on the scene couldn’t give us any information about the condition of the survivor.

Police remained at the home throughout the overnight hours. No word if the homeowner will face any charges.

If I was that resident and the bungler did leave his car behind, I’d claim it as spoils of war. Oh, and that a neighbor had a ‘Ring’ camera? Simply confirms my point that the instant you step outside your front door, consider that everywhere you go: ‘SMILE! You’re on Candid Camera‘.

Home Invasion Turns into a Shoot-Out on a Quiet Des Moines Street

Police are searching for the suspect that forced his way in a Des Moines home and exchanged gunfire with the resident.
Des Moines, Washington: At around 8:15 p.m., Des Moines Police received several 911 calls of reported shots fired in the 23200 block of 26th Avenue South. Neighbors reported hearing several shots in the area. As officers were arriving in the area, a resident called stating someone just broke into their home and gunfire was exchanged between the suspect and homeowner.Officers swarmed the area and called in for mutual aid assistance from Kent Police and Tukwila Police. A K-9 was deployed but the track was not successful.At this time, the homeowner appeared to suffer minor bumps and bruises but no one is reportedly struck by gunfire.A white vehicle in front of the home was possibly left by the suspect and detectives are working to figure that out.As of right now, the investigation is ongoing.

A neighbor provided ring camera footage when the shots were fired.

One injured in late night shooting

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A late night shooting landed a burglary suspect in the hospital.

Just after 4 a.m. police were called to the 1200 block of Bernice Drive.

According to CCPD, a man with at least one gunshot wound stumbled out of a home and knocked on a neighbors door. They called 9-1-1.

Police originally detained the accused shooter, but later learned he was the homeowner.

They say the man who’d been shot broke into the house.

The homeowner told police the man was trying to steal his social security check.

“The resident and the person who got shot do know each other. At one point the man was living there but it’s been several months since he’s lived here.” said Lieutenant Michael Wertanen.

Iowa State Senator Celsi is a demoncrap. Need I explain more?

Research on firearms contradicts senator; guns used in defense are a deterrent

State Sen. Claire Celsi’s anti-gun column, published in the Register’s community editions on March 17, is filled with distortion.

Her biggest whopper is that “the rate of suicides in the United States is 10 times higher than any other country on Earth.” In fact, the United States annual suicide rate typically ranks in the 30s.

She claims that the proposition that good guys with guns stop crime is a fantasy. In fact, successful defensive use of guns is more common than their use in crime. The National Academies of Science found: “Defensive use of guns by crime victims is a common occurrence …. Almost all national survey estimates … of annual uses range from about 500,000 to more than 3 million …in the context of about 300,000 violent crimes involving firearms in 2008. … Studies that directly assessed the effect of actual defensive uses of guns (i.e., incidents in which a gun was “used” by the crime victim in the sense of attacking or threatening an offender) have found consistently lower injury rates among gun-using crime victims compared with victims who used other self-protective strategies.”

Celsi misleads by lumping together all firearms deaths, as if accidents, homicides and suicides were the same thing, to write that “rates of death from firearms among ages 14 to 17 are now 22.5% higher than motor vehicle-related death rates.”

In fact, an apples-to-apples comparison shows that the 2018 accidental death rate from firearms among ages 14 to 17 is 0.23 per 100,000, while the accidental death rate for motor vehicles for that group is 6.48 per 100,000. The rate of death for firearms accidents among ages 14 to 17 is actually 96% lower than motor vehicle-related accidental deaths rates.

The unintentional firearms fatality rate, now 0.15 per 100,000, has declined over 94% since records began to be kept in 1903. Fatal gun accidents rank as one of the lowest causes of injury.

While the number of privately owned guns increased 92%, from 185 million guns in 1993 to 357 million in 2013, the firearms homicide rate decreased by 49%. Firearms homicides increased from 2015 to 2017, but decreased in 2018, a trend expected to continue for 2019.

There is an increase in suicides, but the problem is far more complex than the presence of firearms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that, while the number of suicides increased from 1999 to 2014, the percentage of suicides committed with firearms decreased during the same period. Assuming that each of the 24,432 firearm suicides in 2018 involved one firearm per suicide, those 24,332 guns represented less than one-hundredth of 1 percent of the 357 million firearms in America.

As for Celsi’s proposition that “good laws will keep us safer,”  economist John Lott found “stricter gun laws are associated with more total deaths from homicides and suicides.”

Witness shoots man attempting to steal car from gas station

What we know:

    • On Friday 2020/03/20 at about 1:45 PM, an SUV occupied by three males pulled alongside a Mercedes-Benz sedan getting gas at the Shell gas station at Powers Ferry Square, at the corner of Powers Ferry and Roswell Roads in Buckhead.

    • One of the men from the SUV got out and tried to carjack the Mercedes.

    • When a witness tried to intervene, the carjacker shot at him.

    • The witness returned fire, shooting the carjacker in the head.[no fooling around with leg, arm or groin shots, this person]

    • The SUV fled the scene.

    • The witness stayed at the scene and spoke with police responders, who confirmed that he will not be charged.

    • The carjacker was not “alert, conscious or breathing” [sounds like ‘dead’ to me,] and was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in critical condition. [probably for use as a organ donor…possibly the idjit criminal’s finest act].

Man shot while trying to break into Gwinnett home,

A man was shot in the leg Wednesday while trying to break into a home in Gwinnett County, police said.

According to a Gwinnett police report, the resident was in the bedroom of his home on Peachtree Street when he heard loud banging at his back door shortly before 9 p.m.

The man told officers he grabbed his gun and ran to the door before firing two or three shots. He heard a man screaming and opened the door to find the suspect, 38-year-old Ronald Reuben Hayes of Doraville, with a gunshot wound to the leg, authorities said.

The resident then locked his door, grabbed his cellphone and called 911, according to police.

Hayes was taken to the hospital but is expected to survive, Gwinnett police spokeswoman Cpl. Michele Pihera said. After he is released, he will be taken to the Gwinnett jail on a charge of first-degree burglary.

No charges will be filed against the resident who shot him, police said.

Two shot in Hamilton during home invasion

HAMILTON Ohio– Two men were shot late Tuesday night after apparently breaking into a Hamilton residence.

A resident at a house in the 500 block of Buckeye Street said at about 11:10 p.m. the two suspects forced entry into his house and attempted to rob him, according to the police report.

The two suspects were both shot and sustained non-life threatening injuries, according to Sgt. Richard Burkhardt. One man was transported to an area hospital from the scene, and another showed up later at a hospital.

“He (the resident) said he shot them when they came in and tried to rob him,” Burkhardt said.

No charges have been filed, and detectives are continuing to investigate.

Palestine homeowner shoots, critically injures man attempting to burglarize home

PALESTINE, Texas — A Palestine man is in critical condition after being shot while reportedly burglarizing a home early Wednesday morning.

According to the Palestine Police Department, around 1 a.m., officials responded to a residence in the 100 block of Clearview after a resident reported their home was being burglarized.

PPD dispatch also received multiple calls from neighbors reporting hearing shots fired. Officers were to the area looking for a prowler that had been reported by a resident in the 200 block of Parkcrest about 30 minutes earlier.

Officers arrived and found a man, identified as Oscar Oliver, 39, of Palestine, lying in the yard in front of the residence.

After placing Oliver in handcuffs, police say they discovered that he had two apparent gunshot wounds to the neck and abdomen. Officers also reportedly found nearly six grams of suspected methamphetamine in Oliver’s pocket. EMS was then called to the scene.

Officers spoke with the homeowner, who stated he and his wife were woken by someone making noises in their home. The homeowner checked his home and reports seeing Oliver exiting the front door.

The homeowner said Oliver had broke into their vehicle which was parked in the driveway. The homeowner then fired multiple shots from a 9mm handgun at Oliver, striking him two times

Police say a doorbell camera installed at the home captured Oliver breaking a window and entering the home.

Oliver was lifeflighted to a Tyler hospital where he remains in critical condition. Upon his release, Oliver will be charged with burglary of habitation and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

Because of Governor Greg Abbott’s recent state disaster declaration, both charges will be upgraded to a first-degree felony and third-degree felony, respectively. Oliver is also being charged with possession of a controlled substance.

“This homeowner acted well within his rights to protect his family and his home.” PPD interim Police Chief Mark Harcrow said. “Based on the facts of this case, we will recommend that charges not be filed for the shooting. Ultimately, that is for the grand jury to decide.”

 

 

‘cause and manner of his death were still pending’ ??
Let me take a guess that it will be determined he was shot to death.

Burglar shot trying to break into Atlantic County [NJ] home dies from injuries

A man shot while allegedly committing a burglary in Mullica Township later died of his injuries, authorities said.

Paul Destefano, 30, of Mullica Township broke into a home on the 3000 block of Moores Avenue early Monday morning and was shot by a “civilian.” He was taken to Atlanticare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City after someone called 911 to report the incident around 3 a.m., according to a statement from the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office

Destefano died at the hospital on Wednesday and the cause and manner of his death were still pending the results of an autopsy that was expected to be completed later this week, the office said.

A person who was involved in the shooing is known by police, but they were not publicly identified Wednesday and no charges have been filed in the investigation, which remains under investigation, according to the statement.

Another instance of failure in the victim selection process.
But “…investigating to see if the shooting was justified? “SMH”

Woman fights back, shoots suspect after 5 men try to rob her at ATM

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Police said a woman was in her car at a Wells Fargo ATM in north Charlotte when she said five men tried to rob her, but she pulled out a gun and shot one of them.

It happened around 2:30 a.m. at a Wells Fargo on Beatties Ford Road near Interstate 85.

Police said a 17-year-old boy called 911 to say he had been shot and officers found him behind a church next to the ATM.

He was taken to the hospital in serious condition.

Authorities are investigating to determine if the shooting was justified.

Too Much Freedom & My Ability to Say, “NO,” & Instantly Enforce It

How do I explain it?

Contrary to leftist dogma, I don’t carry a concealed pistol in public because I secretly harbor some surreptitious desire to shoot criminals, any more than I keep a fire extinguisher in my home and vehicle because I harbor some consuming desire to put out fires.

I consider these practices, both involving sensible emergency/safety equipment, to represent reasonable and prudent precautions. Ones we all sincerely hope never become necessary.

Anyone even vaguely familiar with what we all laughingly call our “Justice System” knows and understands the legal, financial, and emotional trauma that invariably attends any shooting incident, regardless of participants, circumstances, nor outcome. It is the last thing any rational person, including me, ever wants to become involved in!

Yet, I carry a concealed pistol, so that I can place absolute limits on what people can do to me and those in my charge.

So that I can say “No,” and have that single syllable represent more than just platitudinous rhetoric, more than just a “feel-good” cliche.

As a sovereign American Citizen, I can say, “No,” and be in a position to personally, instantly enforce it, with lethal finality, upon my own summary command and judgment.

Few other civilizations trust citizens with such personal authority.

That is because, in most nations, even most Western nations, the term “citizen” is little more than a cynical euphemism! Most “citizens,” even in the West, are actually “subjects.” Subjects who have no rights, and who may enjoy only those precious few “privileges” casually bestowed upon them by the ruling elite, privileges that can be granted, or withdrawn, at a whim.

Not surprisingly, such “subjects” are routinely, arbitrarily crushed to earth and trampled upon by criminals, criminals from both the public and private sectors.

Not here in the United States!

In this Republic, a “Bill of Privileges” is found nowhere in our Constitution.

Here, we sovereign citizens have rights, and our rights are not benightedly dribbled-out to us by arrogant politicians. We are endowed with them by our Creator! Our Founding Documents say so, in unmistakable terms.

So here, self-defense is the right of every citizen. And, not just with fences, locks, alarms, warning signs, and clever rhetoric.

Our personal right of self-defense extends to lethal force.

This right has teeth, and without it, the rest are illusory.

Accordingly, this right must ever be protected from sleazy neo-Marxists who, occasionally peering-out from behind their ecumenical cadre of heavily-armed bodyguards, profess to worry about us mere citizens having “too much freedom!”

Two men shot by Washington Park business owner during attempted burglary

Two men were shot by the owner of a Washington Park salvage yard early Tuesday when they tried to burglarize the business, police said. One of the men died.

The dead man was identified as Darnel R. Gully of the 700 block of N. 71st Street in East St. Louis, according to St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye Sr.

Gully was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:53 a.m. in the 1900 block of Kingshighway, Dye said.

“We are in the early stages of a police investigation,” Bonds said.

Here’s what police have learned so far:

“Sometime between 1:30 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., two men hopped the fence of a salvage yard in the 1800 block of Kingshighway,” Bonds said. “The owner was at the business and started shooting when the men hopped over his fence. He struck both of them, but didn’t know he did.

“Both suspects ran and hopped over the fence to get out. One ran one way and the other fell the other way,” Bonds said.

One of the suspects fell from a bullet wound and died. The other suspect was shot in the leg. He went to a hospital for treatment and returned to the scene to look for his friend, Bonds said.

Bonds said the owner of the business called police at the time of the burglary.

Man killed in Melbourne home invasion shooting

MELBOURNE, Fla. – A man was fatally shot during a home invasion at Eagle Nest Condominiums Monday night, according to the Melbourne Police Department.

Police said after the shooting was reported around 10:19 p.m., they learned that the isolated incident involved a resident and several others in what is believed to be a home invasion.

The man who was fatally shot — 22-year-old Evan Jackman, of Rockledge — was described by authorities as a suspect.

Detectives are conducting interviews and attempting to identify and locate the others who were involved in the incident, according to a news release.

No arrests have been made.