A good ‘edged tool’ can be of use for many different things.
Person attacked outside Bally’s Casino, stabbed attacker in self-defense
Category: Self Defense
Democrats really do want you dead
Among the most obvious and glaring indicators of the political divide is the issue of self-defense. Normal Americans—largely but not exclusively Republicans—are in harmony with America’s Founders who understood self-defense is a natural, unalienable, God-given individual right which forms the basis of the Second Amendment. If every American doesn’t have a right to self-defense, a right government does not grant and cannot revoke, what other right matters? If one’s continuing existence depends on size, strength and aggression, we’re degenerating to another dark age.
The police can’t protect anyone and can’t be sued when they don’t.
Because Normal Americans understand the Second Amendment and why the Founders wrote it, they’re comfortable with citizens keeping and bearing arms. They understand that right isn’t limited to handguns, nor does it have anything to do with target shooting, hunting or militia membership. They know the primary reason for the Second Amendment is to allow Normal Americans to deter tyranny, and if necessary, to defeat a totalitarian government.
That, even more than the historic record, the Second Amendment and the Supreme Court’s Heller, McDonald and Bruen decisions, makes Democrat heads explode, because they intend to become that totalitarian government. That’s why they’re always trying to disarm Normal Americans.
Those with anti-liberty/gun intentions tend to be, though not exclusively, Democrats. They don’t recognize unalienable rights and call those who believe fundamental rights come not from government but from God, “Christian Nationalists,” which is not a complementary label. Their faith is in themselves and the one-party state they labor to create. They reject the Second Amendment and the rest of the Constitution because both protect individual rights and limit the powers of government, the powers they want to exclusively, eternally wield.
Individuals have rights; governments have powers.
The Bondi Beach massacre and the Brown University attack starkly reveal the differences in these philosophies and their consequences. When an attack happens, the police will virtually never be there in time. Attackers will have considerable time to kill. If citizens are universally disarmed by law or are obeying “gun-free zone” signs, they’ll be unable to fight back. Australia is essentially a gun-free zone; so is Brown University.
The police would love to be able to stop a shooter, but even if they’re present, which was reportedly the case at Bondi Beach, they may do nothing which gave the killers a free-fire zone for from 10-20 minutes. At Uvalde, some 300 officers allowed a 70+ minute free fire zone. At Brown, they had no role in stopping the attack.
In any attack, someone must call the police. A dispatcher must assimilate the information and dispatch the call. Officers must race to the scene–if any are available. In some places, the nearest officer might be an hour away. When they arrive, they must orient themselves and close with the attacker or attackers without getting killed before they can do any good. And in all that time, unarmed innocents are dying. Or even worse, as happened at Bondi Beach, the police, who are rushing into a dangerously ambiguous situation, might shoot an innocent.
Normal Americans given this indisputable set of facts want willing citizens to go armed. They trust their fellow citizens with motor vehicles, which are far more deadly than guns. They’re willing to extend that trust to guns as well. Do away with gun-free zones, to be sure, but to deter attacks, and to limit damage when they occur, the only sane, effective solution is allowing honest Americans the means to save their own lives and the lives of others. If they’re present when an attack occurs, they know precisely who the good and bad guys are and they’re able to quickly end the attack.
Democrats see things very differently. Just as officials in Australia and Rhode Island did in the immediate aftermath of those attacks, American Democrats reflexively want to disarm Americans. Despite the failure of near-absolute gun-banning laws and regulations, they demand even more, and more punitive, anti-liberty/gun laws.
Normal Americans want everyone, Democrats included, to have the ability to defend their lives, the lives of those they love and even strangers. Democrats want everyone, except their publicly funded security, disarmed. Normal Americans want mass murderers dead and fellow Americans alive. Democrats want mass murders to have free-fire zones and want Normal Americans dead.
What other result can their disarmament policies bring?
Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran
Let me reiterate:
Bondi Beach Shows Why Self-Defense Is a Vital Right
Individuals and communities must take responsibility for their own safety.
At Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, a father-son team of ISIS-inspired terrorists murdered attendees at a celebration of the first day of Hanukkah. One of the attackers was disarmed by a heroic civilian who was shot in the process, while others lost their lives trying to help.
Contrasting Responses to Threats
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded to the shooting with promises to further tighten gun laws in the already restrictive country—a measure more likely to disarm potential victims than to inconvenience those planning a homicidal attack. In the U.S., by contrast, Jews stepped up security by themselves and alongside police. At the request of my wife’s rabbi, I recruited a friend who served as a Force Recon Marine. We strapped on armor and pistols to patrol the crowd at the menorah lighting in Sedona, Arizona. Members of the congregation carried concealed weapons of their own.
Nothing happened, but we were there to deter problems and respond if necessary. There’s a big difference between doubling down on failed state policies and taking responsibility for your own safety.
According to Prime Minister Albanese’s office, after the attack, “leaders agreed that strong, decisive and focused action was needed on gun law reform as an immediate action” and promised “to strengthen gun laws” with further restrictions. Of course, that’s what Australia did in 1996 after the Port Arthur mass shooting. The government banned a variety of firearms, with compensation for their surrender. Compliance was limited and the effort spawned a significant black market for guns.
But Australia’s millions of guns didn’t kill 15 people at Bondi Beach. Two men with known Islamist ties who traveled last month to the Philippines for training at terrorist summer camp committed the murders. They chose guns as their tools, but they could just as easily have used explosives, vehicles, incendiaries, or something else to cause mayhem.
“The issue is not gun laws. It’s hatred of Jews,” Rabbi Daniel Greyber of Durham, North Carolina commented after the Bondi Beach attack.
A Government That Can’t Be Trusted
And there’s little reason Australian Jews should trust the Australian government.
Homeowner says intruder shot, killed after entering Las Vegas house
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A man is dead after a homeowner told police he intruded into his home before being shot, police said.
According to police, the shooting occurred just before 11 a.m. [Wednesday]in the 5200 block of Greene Lane in south Las Vegas.
Dispatchers received a 911 call from a homeowner who said he had shot an intruder. The homeowner, identified only as a man in his 30s, said the individual, identified as a man in his late 40s. came over uninvited and unannounced, investigators said.
Police said the individual entered the home and a fight ensued before the homeowner shot the alleged intruder. The individual was taken to an area hospital, where he died.
Investigators believe there may have been a prior relationship between the two, although they could not speak to the nature or closeness.
Authorities said the homeowner was claiming elements of self-defense. Police said there is no threat to the public, and the incident is believed to be isolated.
STPSO investigates domestic incident that leaves one dead, another injured in Mandeville
A man was killed by a neighbor as he attacked his girlfriend in a Mandeville-area subdivision early Monday (December 15) morning.
Shortly before 3 a.m. Monday, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to Richland Drive in the Greenleaves Subdivision near Mandeville in reference to gunshots.
Upon arrival, deputies located a deceased male in a yard in the 200 block of East Richland Drive and a female suffering from apparent stab wounds.
Detectives with the STPSO Major Crimes Unit learned that the female had exited through a window of a residence and was attempting to get help from neighbors after her boyfriend attacked her inside the home.
The boyfriend was attacking the female victim with a knife when a neighbor exited his residence and demanded he stop. When the suspect refused and continued the attack his girlfriend, the neighbor fired his weapon, striking the suspect. The suspect, identified by the St. Tammany Parish Coroner as 49-year-old Shawn Quinn, was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The female was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The incident is still under investigation, and no charges have been filed at this time.
“This was a violent and extremely dangerous situation that unfolded in local neighborhood during early morning hours,” Sheriff Randy Smith said. “Based on the information we have at this time, the neighbor’s actions appear to have prevented further serious injury or loss of life. Our detectives will continue to thoroughly investigate to ensure all facts are reviewed.”
No Charges Filed After Juvenile Acts in Self-Defense Stabbing
DOTHAN, Ala. (WDNews) — No charges will be filed against a juvenile involved in a stabbing after investigators determined the teen acted in self-defense, according to reports from the Dothan Police Department.
The incident happened Sunday night on Fortner Street near Twin Lakes Drive. Police say the juvenile was walking along the roadway when he was approached and threatened by two adult men.
The teen’s father said officers concluded his son was protecting himself. “It was determined my son acted in self defense on his part by the Dothan Police Department,” the father said.
According to the father, who will not be named the two adult men chased the juvenile and made threats toward him. Witness accounts allegedly corroborate the version of events as they happened.
The teen struck one of the men in the neck with a knife , whom is expected to make a full recovery. Because the juvenile is a minor, his identity is not being released. The two adult men involved are facing charges not yet confirmed by Dothan Police.
When Seconds Counted, St. Louis Police Were Hours Away
A St. Louis woman was held at gunpoint and assaulted in her apartment for several hours this past weekend, and though a neighbor heard her cries for help and called 911, police didn’t respond until after the victim was able to get to a phone hours later.
25-year-old Miles Faris is facing charges of first-degree kidnapping, second- and third-degree domestic assault, unlawful use of a weapon, and multiple drug charges, but police have not been able to take him into custody because he fled the apartment before officers arrived on scene.
In court documents, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department acknowledged there was a call reporting a woman screaming in the apartment where the incident happened, but “due to a high level of calls that night, police were not able to respond to that call.”
The victim said he then told the woman he would kill her, her family and her friends, and told her to Facetime her mother to say goodbye. He chambered a round and held the gun to her head, reiterating that he was going to kill her, police said.
The victim recorded some of the incident on her phone, including video that showed Faris pointing the gun at her multiple times while appearing “heavily intoxicated.” Faris also said he wanted to bash the woman’s skull in, and that if she didn’t wake up in the morning, he would be the No. 1 suspect, according to charging documents.
According to a police spokesperson, police officers in the area had 27 separate calls for service between 5 and 8 p.m. last Saturday, with one of them involving shots fired. The spokesman told KSDK-TV that the original 911 call from the neighbor didn’t include any information about weapons being involved or a potentially life-threatening situation taking place, so it was essentially put on the back burner in favor of calls that were deemed more important.
Coroner identifies Gulfport man shot and killed in alleged home invasion
Gulfport police are investigating a homicide that occurred Thursday morning during an alleged home invasion at a residence in the 1700 block of 21st Street, authorities said. Police received a 911 call about the break-in around 7:04 a.m., Lt. Jason Ducré said.
The shooting happened after a man, identified by Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer as Dangelo Rayjvon Murphy, 29, forced his way inside with a hammer and a knife and attacked two women who live in the home in an alleged act of domestic violence.
“As he gets in, they go to barricade themselves in a room,” Ducré said. “He starts slashing at them. One of the women had defensive wounds on her.” While Murphy was trying to break into the room where the injured woman had taken shelter, the second woman retrieved a gun and shot him, Ducré said.
Dangelo Murphy Harrison County Sheriff’s Department Murphy later died from his injuries, Switzer said. Ducré said the man had been out of jail on bond at the time of the attack for allegedly kidnapping one of the women. Harrison County jail records show that Murphy was arrested on the offense on Oct. 10 and bonded out of jail 15 days later.
“It appears the women acted in self-defense,” Ducré said, though he noted the shooting remains under investigation.
One Common Link for Mass Killings Should be Eliminated, and It’s Good for Gun Rights, Too
It’s darkly humorous to me how often anti-Second Amendment types see some kind of gun control law as the ultimate solution to everything. They pretend that this law will stop mass shootings, regular murders, suicides, domestic violence, type 2 diabetes, conflict in the Middle East, and Christmas’s encroachment into the rest of the year.
It’s funny how often they try that crap, and how often the media pretends they’re hearing BS and mistaking it for brilliance.
But there is one little change that could be made that would reduce a whole lot of problems. I’m honest enough to say it won’t make them all go away, but it’ll help reduce a lot, including mass shootings.
It’s pretty simple, really. End gun-free zones.
In their manifestos, many mass murderers have explicitly said they looked for targets that had disarmed victims in them. Nevertheless, mainstream-media outlets often leave this fact out.
The Annunciation Catholic School murderer wrote: “I recently heard a rumor that … the Aurora theater shooter, may have chosen venues that were ‘gun-free zones.’ I would probably aim the same way … .”
Yeah, this is pretty common. Mass killers have often picked gun-free zones for their rampages. That’s part of why schools are such popular targets. It’s why churches are popular targets. A lot of shopping malls are gun-free zones, and those are pretty popular with this bunch, too.
And look what happens when someone has a gun in one of these places that’s traditionally gun-free?
The Greenwood Park Mall shooting ended with an armed citizen becoming something of a legend in shooting circles. He put down the bad guy in impressive fashion.
Yet he wasn’t quite as impressive as Jack Wilson, who put down a would-be mass killer before the little bastard knew what hit him with a headshot that limited the horrific incident to just a few seconds at a church in White Settlement, Texas.
Guns save lives.
Gun-free zones are a primary target for would-be killers, and it’s not just mass killers, either. More pedestrian criminals have no respect for the signs on the door. Hell, if they’re going to prance around armed even though they can’t legally have a firearm at all, do you really think a sign will stop them? Of course not.
Look, making gun-free zones disappear won’t make all of society’s problems vanish in an instant. Unlike the other side of this debate, I’m not delusional.
But I can say that it’ll go a long way in reducing the threat to some of the places where people are the most vulnerable. What’s more, it means we’ll have more cases like White Settlement and Greenwood Park Mall, at the very least, and it might…encourage some people to look for another way to achieve fame or infamy, whichever they’re after.
Guns aren’t the problem. They’ve never been the problem. They’re tools; tools with no volition of their own. They serve their masters regardless of whether that master is a hero or a villain.
So let’s stop treating them like they are and start empowering the heroes instead of making it easier for the villains.
Homeowner wounded but fights back in possible home invasion | HPD searching for second suspect
GALENA PARK, Texas — A late-night gunfight during an attempted home invasion left a homeowner and one of the suspected intruders wounded, and Houston police are now searching for a second suspect who is still on the run.
It happened just after 1:20 a.m. Tuesday off East Avenue J in the East End near Galena Park. Investigators said two men approached a home and were possibly trying to force their way inside when they were met by the homeowner and gunfire erupted.
Homeowner drove himself for help
According to HPD, the homeowner was shot at least once but was able to get into his vehicle and drive himself about a mile and a half to Houston Fire Station 23. Officers located him there and took his statement. Police say he is now listed in stable condition.
One suspect taken into custody, one still missing
About two blocks from the shooting scene, on Avenue L, police say one of the suspects knocked on a door and asked for help. Officers responded and found him with multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken into custody and transported for medical treatment.
The second suspect has not been found. Investigators believe he may have left the area in a vehicle.
Robbery Division now leads the investigation
Houston police confirm the Robbery Division has now taken over the case, classifying it as an attempted home invasion.
The investigation is ongoing, and detectives are working to determine the relationship — if any — between the suspects and the homeowner, and whether the house was specifically targeted.
Concealed carry holder shoots car burglar on South Side: CPD
A concealed carry holder shot a 17-year-old boy who broke into his car in Roseland early Monday morning, according to Chicago police.
Officers were dispatched around 3:43 a.m. after 911 callers reported gunfire and a car alarm ringing in the 9400 block of South Indiana Avenue. A short time later, a woman called to say her boyfriend had shot someone trying to steal their car.
When officers arrived, they found a 17-year-old with gunshot wounds to his right forearm and left knee, CPD said. Officers applied a tourniquet to control his bleeding until paramedics took him to the University of Chicago Hospital, where he was listed in fair condition.
Police said the 58-year-old car owner heard his alarm sounding and stepped outside to investigate. He found the driver’s side window of his white Honda Accord shattered, and two males inside the vehicle. One of them displayed a gun, prompting the man, who has a valid FOID and concealed carry license, to fire, according to CPD
The second offender ran east and got into a gray Dodge Caravan that continued east on 94th Street, police said.
Women for Gun Rights Applauds Creation of New Second Amendment Rights Section
Women for Gun Rights applauds the U.S. Department of Justice’s creation of a new Second Amendment Rights Section within the Civil Rights Division, marking a historic step to protect the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners and elevate the importance of firearms freedom at the federal level.
This is the first time the federal government has established a dedicated unit focused on protecting, not restricting, the Second Amendment. For millions of women across America – mothers, professionals, survivors, and first-time gun owners – this represents a welcome shift.
“This is a tremendous moment for the millions of Americans who choose to exercise their right to protect themselves and their families,” said Dianna Muller, Founder of Women for Gun Rights. “For too long, federal agencies have been used to advance gun-control agendas. The creation of a Second Amendment Rights Section signals that our rights are civil rights, and they deserve to be defended at the highest levels of government.”
Prior to President Trump’s inauguration in January, Women for Gun Rights called on the incoming administration to repurpose the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which poured over $1 billion dollars into the states to advance gun control legislation, toward firearms safety, education, independent research and empowerment.
“This new section is a strong step toward restoring balance, reaffirming constitutional freedoms, and ensuring the federal government upholds the rights of law-abiding Americans,” Muller added.
About Women for Gun Rights
Women for Gun Rights is a nationwide organization of women committed to safeguarding the Second Amendment. A non-partisan initiative of daughters, mothers, and sisters that believes education is the key to firearm safety and violence prevention, not legislation.
Learn more at www.WomenForGunRights.org.
Michigan man who shot shovel-wielding man acted in self-defense, police say
A 60-year-old Michigan man who shot another man who attacked him with a shovel acted in self-defense, authorities said.
The incident happened around 5:30 p.m. Sunday in the 1200 block of Douglas Avenue in Kalamazoo.
Police say a 60-year-old man returned a ladder to a home in the 1100 block of Douglas when he was approached by a 49-year-old man holding a snow shovel and told to leave the area. The 49-year-old then shoved the 60-year-old and hit him with the shovel, causing a minor injury, police said.
During the alleged assault, the 60-year-old fired two rounds, hitting the 49-year-old twice, before calling police and waiting for officers to arrive.
The man who was shot was taken to an area hospital, where he is in stable condition, police said.
Police recovered the shovel used in the assault, two 9mm shell casings and a handgun.
The man who fired the shots is cooperating with police and used a handgun that is legally owned and registered. Investigators say video obtained by detectives supports the man’s account of the incident.
An investigation is ongoing and will be sent to the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
2 men killed after shooter claims he acted in self-defense while being followed, HCSO says
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — Two men were shot and killed after another man said they followed him to a neighborhood in the Spring area, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said the shooter told them he acted in self-defense in the shooting Friday night in the 22100 block of Greengate Drive.
First responders said they found two men with gunshot wounds, one of whom died at the scene, and the other was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the shooter reported that the men had followed his car for a while and tried to block him when he reached the neighborhood.
Deputies reported that everyone got out of their vehicles, and the shooter said the men started kicking him and his car.
According to HCSO, the shooter stayed at the scene and is cooperating with investigators.
HCSO identified the men who died as 57-year-old Timothy Underwood and 59-year-old Keith McDonald.
HCSO said no charges have been filed, and the shooter is not in custody. The case is still under investigation and will be reviewed by the District Attorney’s office.
Narrative Fail: Crime’s Down in Seattle as More People Own and Carry Guns.
News outlets in Seattle, Washington have been reporting a decline in gun-related violence this year in surrounding King County, but the announcement overlooks a significant fact which unintentionally derails one of the greatest gun control myths of all time, that more guns equal more violent crime.
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, whose national headquarters is in King County, notes this crime decline has happened while the number of active concealed pistol licenses in the county has climbed. It is actually following a national trend, as crime has dropped around the country while gun ownership nationally has increased.
CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb noted the irony of these declining crime reports when balanced against the rise in gun ownership and concealed carry, not just locally, but around the country.
“For decades,” he observed, “we have seen one gun control myth after another used as excuses to restrict our Second Amendment rights. Yet here we are, when those rights are being gradually restored thanks to strategic court victories, when 29 states have adopted permitless carry laws, when more people own guns and more people are legally carrying them for personal protection, and the data shows violent crime involving guns is declining. Looks like we’ve been right all along, and the establishment media essentially is confirming it.”
For King County—Washington’s most populous and most liberal—it is simply a matter of math, Gottlieb said. August ended with 114,826 active carry licenses in the county, and September finished with 115,363 CPLs in circulation. October finished with 115,457 licenses. Nationally, the Crime Prevention Research Center estimates more than 21 million citizens are licensed to carry, and there are even more legally-armed citizens in the 29 states where no permit is required, who are carrying without a “government permission slip.”
“Gun sales are continuing steady,” Gottlieb added, “which is not surprising, considering reports of police manpower declines in many jurisdictions. In Seattle, there have been two high-profile incidents where legally armed citizens stopped criminals in their tracks this year. Around the country, people are fighting back. Maybe the criminal element is beginning to get the message.
“We’re delighted violent crime is on the decline while gun ownership is on the rise,” he said. “It demonstrates that responsible armed citizens are not part of the problem, but are part of the solution.”
Missouri prosecutors fear ruling means deadly force can be self-defense against simple assault
Missouri prosecutors are concerned that a recent decision by the state Court of Appeals could open self-defense laws so broadly that the slightest threat of a minor attack could justify a person responding with deadly violence.
The Nov. 12 ruling by the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, would threaten public safety by making it difficult to charge, try or resolve violent crimes, Robert W. Russell, president of the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, wrote in an amicus curiae, or “friend of the court,” brief.
“If the opinion becomes law, mere shoving matches could justifiably be escalated to gun battles,” Russell wrote.
The ruling was made on a case that involved a fight between two women outside Anchor House, a veterans’ homeless shelter in Warren County, west of St. Louis, in November 2022.
Danielle Lechocki, a former Marine with several medical issues, said she felt “extremely threatened” after another shelter resident threatened to “mollywock” her, meaning hit her. Lechocki pulled a knife from her backpack, according to court documents, after the other woman lunged at her.
The other woman denied she went after Lechocki, who said she was just trying to show she wasn’t a “pushover.” A third person stepped in between the two women and no one was hurt.
But the county judge denied Lechocki’s request to use self-defense to justify her actions, agreeing with the prosecutor who argued that as a matter of law, deadly force cannot be used to repel a simple assault and battery.
The jury ultimately found Lechocki guilty of attempted unlawful use of a weapon but acquitted her of fourth-degree assault. Lechocki was sentenced to two days in jail and a fine of $1,000, which would be waived if she served 25 hours of community service.
The appellate court ruled that the judge erred in refusing to instruct the jury on self-defense. The lower court’s ruling was reversed and the case was sent back for a retrial.
The Missouri Legislature changed the law on deadly force in 2007, the appeals court ruling said, allowing the use of deadly force when a person reasonably believes it is necessary to protect himself or herself or a third person “against death, serious physical injury, or any forcible felony,” which was defined as “included but not limited to murder, robbery, burglary, arson, kidnapping, assault, and any forcible sexual offense.”
Homeowner shoots and kills would-be burglar in Kendall
Four people trying to break into a Kendall home were met with gunfire Saturday evening, leaving one of the suspects fatally shot by the homeowner, Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office officials said.
The attempted burglary happened just before 7 p.m. at a home near Southwest 141st Street and 110th Avenue. Detectives told NBC6 the homeowner was inside the home and opened fire when the four suspects tried to force their way into the home.
“I heard two shots,” said a neighbor who added that he had never seen gun violence in the neighborhood before.
One suspect was shot in the upper extremities, police said. That person later died at the hospital.
The other three people fled the scene and remain on the run.
Deputies are investigating the home invasion.
Rapper 4 Block Lil Mari got shot by concealed carry holder during botched carjacking, officials say
A south suburban teenager who raps under the name “4 Block Lil Mari” has been jailed after prosecutors accused him of shooting a woman during a botched South Shore carjacking that ended with the victim, a concealed carry holder, shooting him as well.
Kamari Bonslater, 17, of Steger, was already on pretrial release for allegedly possessing a machine gun and a stolen vehicle at the time of the shooting, prosecutors said.
The charges stem from a failed carjacking on September 7 in the 6700 block of South Cregier. Chicago police initially described the incident as a drive-by shooting that left a 16-year-old boy in critical condition with three gunshot wounds and a 34-year-old woman shot twice in the leg. It now turns out that Bonslater, who has since celebrated his 17th birthday, was the critically wounded teen.
According to a detention petition, the episode did not play out the way CPD first believed.
Instead, prosecutors say, the victim, a 34-year-old woman, and a 31-year-old female companion were sitting in the victim’s parked car when “multiple individuals” approached and struck up a “brief conversation.”
Prosecutors said Bonslater tried to yank open the passenger door while pointing a gun at the women. The victim, a licensed concealed carry holder, reached for her own firearm, prompting Bonslater to shoot her in the leg before she returned fire, hitting him multiple times, according to prosecutors. She then sped away from the scene.
The victim’s companion later told police she recognized the gunman as a local rapper and provided his stage name: 4 Block Lil Mari.
Bonslater was found near the scene with multiple gunshot wounds. Surveillance footage shows him standing by the victim’s car at the moment shots were fired and collapsing as the vehicle sped away, prosecutors said.
The video also shows several accomplices carrying him into an alley. Officials said Bonslater and at least two of those accomplices, who remain at large, fired at the fleeing car.
Bonslater, who has the word “Murda” tattooed on his neck, is charged with attempted second-degree murder, attempted vehicular hijacking, and aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon.
Judge Susana Ortiz ordered him detained pending trial.
Bonslater is the 20th person charged with killing or trying to kill someone in Chicago this year while on felony pretrial release. Those crimes involved 38 victims, nine of whom died.
The “not horrible” series
This report continues our coverage of individuals accused of killing, shooting, or trying to kill or shoot others on pretrial release for a felony allegation. CWBChicago began our series of reports in November 2019 after Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans publicly stated, “We haven’t had any horrible incidents occur” under the court’s bond reform initiative.
The actual number of murders and shootings committed by people awaiting trial for felony allegations is undoubtedly much higher than the numbers seen here. Since 2017, CPD has brought charges in less than 5% of non-fatal shootings and 33% of murders, according to the city’s data. You can see all of the “not horrible” stories here.
Grand Prairie resident fatally shoots suspected burglar in self-defense
A Grand Prairie homeowner shot and killed a burglar in self-defense inside his house early Sunday, police said. Officers responded to the 400 block of Santa Margarita Street about 2 a.m. on a suspicious person’s call, Grand Prairie police said in a news release.
The homeowner, who called 911, told police that an unknown person forcefully entered the back door of his home, police said. The homeowner, described as an elderly man, was armed with a hunting rifle and confronted the burglary suspect “who was rummaging through property inside the house,” police said.
The resident, “fearing for his life,” shot the burglar who died at the scene, police said. The shooting is being investigated as self-defense and no charges are expected on the homeowner, police said. The person who died will be identified by Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Officer after next of kin have been notified.