Category: Self Defense

‘People are going to start taking matters into their own hands,’
..(Nahh *rolls eyes*)

Real estate mogul concerned how Americans will deal with squatters: ‘Something really bad is going to happen.’

Real estate mogul Shawn Meaike is concerned how hard-working, well-intentioned Americans will handle squatting issues as they grow more and more desperate.

“People are going to start taking matters into their own hands. That’s what we do when there is lawlessness,” Meaike told Fox News Digital.

“Something really bad is going to happen,” he said. “Am I saying this right thing to do? No, I’m not.”

Squatting, whereby strangers move into the properties of American homeowners and refuse to leave, has quickly become part of the zeitgeist as a series of news-making stories have shocked the nation.

Squatting, whereby strangers move into the properties of American homeowners and refuse to leave, has quickly become part of the zeitgeist as a series of news-making stories have shocked the nation.

Squatters can gain certain legal rights under specific conditions, such as continuous occupation for a defined period, typically ranging from 5 to 20 years, depending on the state. In some states where laws make it difficult for police to intervene, including New York, homeowners and landlords are left with few options to reclaim their property. Many victims are forced to submit to costly and lengthy civil processes.

“They bought a property. They believe in the American dream. They wanted to get ahead. And the American dream became the American nightmare because somebody took what was theirs and the law was on the criminal’s side. It’s a scary place to be,” Meaike said.

Meaike, who went on to build fruitful business in waste management and life insurance after thriving in real estate, said that he began investing rental properties in his early 20s as a way to add additional income. He eventually accumulated hundreds of properties, launching him into a successful career as a serial entrepreneur who has earned generational wealth. But nowadays, when people have the ability to break into a rental property and law enforcement isn’t able to help, it’s much more difficult to rely on an investment property.

“How many amazing Middle American families decided to pull together $40,000, put it as a down payment on two or three family home, and then somebody who doesn’t have any regard for any other human being breaks in and lives there,” Meaike said. “Now, what’s going to start happening?”

He suspects that victims are already starting to get desperate as police offers in liberal-run states aren’t able to help.

“There’s zero doubt that somebody right now is at their wit’s end. They are now not be able to pay the college tuition for their kid, they’re dipping in their retirement. They’re going broke, and they’re getting emotional,” he said.

Meaike, who hosts the “Close & Conquer” podcast, doesn’t want to hear anyone claiming squatters are protected because of adverse possession, either.

“When I got my real estate license, I remember researching that. I remember studying it. That’s not for you to break into homes,” he said, explaining that adverse possession is typically used to resolve minor disputes between neighbors.

“It wasn’t for me to come down to 214 Main Street, kick the door in, break in, break the window, sit in there and go, ‘Haha, screw you, I live here,’” Meakike said.

“I can’t imagine had I bought my properties back then, and people moved in illegally, what that would have done to me financially. And I think there’s a lot of really good people that are getting hurt, they’re getting screwed,” he continued. “And, we’re supposed to be providing and protecting those that are abiding by the law, not those that are violating the law, and we’re doing quite the opposite nowadays.”

Some states have attempted to quell the chaos. Several high-profile stories involving squatters prompted Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to sign legislation into law that eliminates squatters’ rights and increases penalties against offenders.

Meakike began his journey in Connecticut and is thankful that he now does business in the Sunshine State.

“It’s only going to get worse because people are emboldened to go ahead and take something that’s not theirs,” he said. “I reside in the state of Florida, our laws are different. You can’t do certain things here. Would I buy a property in any of the states that had all these squatters’ rights? Absolutely not. I’m a businessman.”

Homeowner shoots man during possible home invasion in Raleigh
A man is in the hospital after being shot by a homeowner during a potential home invasion on Saturday evening, according to Raleigh police.

A man is in the hospital after being shot by a homeowner during a potential home invasion on Saturday evening, according to Raleigh police.

The incident took place shortly before 7 p.m. on the 1000 block of New Bern Ave. Police say that a homeowner shot a man in the chest. The injured man was taken to the hospital, and his condition is unknown.

Raleigh police are currently investigating the incident and say the homeowner is cooperating.

Officials: “No increase in gun violence since ‘constitutional carry’ law

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) – The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office and the Spartanburg City Police said they have seen no uptick in gun violence since the controversial bill dubbed “Constitutional Carry” was signed into law on March 7.

The law directs millions of dollars into free gun safety programs, while making it legal for any adult to openly carry a handgun in public without a permit.

It still remains a rule that only an person 21 years of age or older can purchase a handgun.

Before the law was enacted, adults 21 and older were able to both purchase a handgun and carry it in public.

Last month, Spartanburg-based state Sen. Josh Kimbrell (R) said the law would not normalize gun violence.

“If you’re going to pull out a pistol in public and point it at someone because you are pissed off that they took your parking space, we’re not allowing that,” Kimbrell said.

Spartanburg-based gun store T&K Outdoors said they’ve seen an increase in customers.

“Firearms are a dangerous item. They’re not toys. You must be safe with them,” said Danny Ley, a T&K Salesperson.

A manager at the store said they emphasize gun safety and will never allow a customer to leave a store with a gun they purchased until they’ve educated the customer.

“When the customer leaves here they have a better understanding of how guns work [and] how they need to be safe with it,” said Kyle Marlow, a T&K outdoors manager. “And we are an open book, we don’t believe any question is too dumb.”

“Condon returned fire, emptied a 9mm pistol into Christine striking her multiple times in her abdomen, leg, arm and chest,” the document states. “Condon then went into the adjoining kitchen where he died from his wounds.”

Lesson here. The guy was shot twice with a .357 and still shot the woman and made it far enough to be in another room before finally dying.
When the times comes, don’t stop, keep shooting until the threat isn’t.

Also, since this happened back in March, the prosecutor is a lazy slug to have taken nearly a month to figure this out.

 

Idaho mom, 85, committed ‘justifiable homicide’ by shooting armed home intruder, prosecutor says

An 85-year-old Idaho mother who shot and killed a home intruder committed a “justifiable homicide” that is “one of the most heroic acts of self-preservation I have heard of,” Bingham County Prosecuting Attorney Ryan Jolley stated in an incident review.

The suspect, identified as 39-year-old Derek Condon, entered the home Christine Jenneiahn shares with her disabled son around 2 a.m. March 13. Condon was “dressed in a military jacket, black ski mask, and pointing a gun and flashlight” at Jenneiahn, according to the document.

Jolley says Condon placed Jenneiahn in handcuffs and took her into the living room of her home, where he took her at gunpoint and handcuffed her to a wooden chair.

After demanding to know where the valuables were kept in the home, Condon allegedly placed his pistol on the victim’s head when she told him she did not have much. Jenneiahn then told the home intruder about two safes downstairs, and the prosecutor says he left her handcuffed in the living room while he went to rummage through the home.

Idaho Derek Ephriam Condon

A previous mugshot of Derek Ephriam Condon, 39, from the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office. (Bingham County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook)

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Man arrested after being hurt in Georgetown County gunfire exchange

GEORGETOWN COUNTY, SC (WMBF) – The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office says an arrest has been made in connection to a Friday gunfight.

Savion Grimmage was arrested after he was treated at a hospital for gunshot wounds.

Grimmage was shot just after 12:30 a.m. on Exodus Drive in the Plantersville community, the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators said they found evidence of shots fired into a house and a car, and the homeowner returned fire with a shotgun, hitting Grimmage.

Grimmage was taken to the Georgetown County Detention Center after his arrest.

His charges are pending.

Would-be robber shot and killed in south Sacramento backyard shooting; police investigate

The Sacramento Police Department is investigating a Sunday evening shooting in south Sacramento that killed a man
Officers were called just before 6 p.m. to a home on the 6900 block of 27th Street in the Woodbine neighborhood for reports of a shooting, police said. A 38-year-old man had been struck by multiple gunshot wounds and was unresponsive, according to radio dispatches reviewed by The Sacramento Bee.
The man died at the scene, said Officer Cody Tapley, a spokesman for the Police Department. The victim has not yet been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office pending next-of-kin notification.
Preliminary information from the radio dispatches indicates the man who was shot entered a resident’s backyard and tried to rob two people on the property. One of the men being robbed then shot the victim, dispatchers said in the archived audio.
Multiple witnesses at the scene may have seen the incident unfold, according to the dispatches.
Police have not announced any arrests or any suspect description.

Be Alert.

There has been a lot of unofficial chatter, and even a few official statements of concern, over the possibility of terrorist attacks in the U.S. (thank you open borders!). Quite a few of us think it is a given. Something that happened at Church yesterday makes me even more concerned.

A young male came into the Church during the service, wearing dark clothing that had the air of a delivery uniform, with one of those urban draw-string backpacks on. Under one arm he was carrying what looked like a (decent sized) cardboard box with a delivery label on it. He came in and sat down (most were standing at the time) and stayed a while.

My first thought was ‘heck of a time for a delivery’ and the second thought was ‘uh oh.’ I kept a discrete eye on him, and it turns out the friend sitting next to me was keeping an even stronger eye on him. He got up and left, and my friend went to be sure he was leaving and see where he went — which was to the church across the street.

Now, this could be entirely innocent, however… The box was more than large enough to have held a single SMG or multiple regular pistols with spare mags. It could have held one or more explosive devices (may have walked over to be sure nothing left on the floor or secured under a pew despite not seeing any indication he had tried to access the box). My friend’s thought was to be sure he wasn’t going out to arm up before coming back in. Both of us, I think, have a concern he was casing churches in the area.

Could be innocent. Could be recon. Know I’m going to have an eye out and am inclined to see about giving an unofficial heads up to some LE types.

To all of you out there: keep your head on a swivel, have a plan, and be prepared. Things are such I will be amazed if biological material does not impact the rotary impeller and soon. Keep your family and friends close, and your things where you can find them in the dark.

Naked man breaks through apartment wall in St. Louis, threatens family, is shot

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – The shooting of a man who allegedly broke through an apartment wall while naked and threatened to kill a man and his family will be investigated as an act of self-defense, police said.

According to St. Louis Police incident reports, officers were dispatched around 2 p.m. Friday to a report of a shooting in the 900 block of Park Avenue. There, officers found a man with a gunshot wound to his left hand. He was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Police said an initial investigation showed the suspect, described as a 32-year-old man, broke through the wall of the victim’s apartment. The suspect was naked and threatening to kill the victim and his family, according to the report.

Fearing for his family’s safety, the victim shot at the suspect, striking the suspect’s left hand, police said. The investigation is ongoing.

First Alert 4 will update this story as additional details are provided.

2 shot during attempted carjacking in Murray gym parking lot

MURRAY — Police believe an attempted carjacking in the parking lot of Murray fitness center led to the shootings of both the victim and the man accused of trying to take her car.

About 10:45 p.m. Wednesday, Murray police were called to the EOS Fitness parking lot, 5550 S. 900 East, on a report of shots fired.

“When officers arrived they learned that it was an attempted carjacking where the victim and suspect both received gunshot wounds,” police said in a prepared statement.

A woman in her 20s was shot in the abdomen and taken to a local hospital in critical condition. A man, also in his 20s, got into another car after being shot and before police arrived, and was later “dropped off at a local hospital with a critical but stable gunshot wound to the chest,” police said.

Investigators believe the woman was the victim of a random carjacking attempt. Few details about what transpired in the parking lot have been released, but police say two weapons have been recovered. Why the man picked the victim or her vehicle to take remained under investigation on Thursday.

Although police said the man who was shot was “dropped off” at a hospital, Murray police spokeswoman Kristin Reardon says detectives believe they have identified everyone involved.

One woman said she had talked to the woman after she had finished a swimming workout and as she was leaving the locker room. The woman heard a loud sound and then saw the victim on the ground.

“When I came out, she was laying on the ground and she had obviously been super wounded,” the witness said. “The only thing we were hearing was that we didn’t know where the shooter was. Some people had thought they ran in, some thought they ran out.”

Another witness told KSL-TV he was working out when he heard three gunshots.

Alleged home invasion suspect shot by Bay City resident,

BAY CITY, Mich. – Police say that an alleged home invasion suspect is in serious condition after being shot by a Bay City resident.

Police responded to a shooting in the 200 block of N. Jefferson St. shortly before 5 p.m. on Monday.

Officers found a 33-year-old Bay City man outside of the residence suffering from two gunshot wounds to the torso.

Investigators say the individual that was shot was allegedly armed with a pipe and had broken into the residence.

That is when one of the residents shot the alleged suspect, according to the Bay City Department of Public Safety.

The individual has been hospitalized with serious injuries, but is stable.

Coroner IDs woman shot by Clark County homeowner targeted in scam

A Franklin County woman shot to death outside a Clark County house this week has been identified as Loletha Hall, 61, according to Dr. Kent E. Harshbarger, Montgomery County coroner.

The resident, an 86-year-old Madison Twp. man, had been targeted in a scam, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

The shooting happened at 11:18 a.m. Monday in the 7000 block of South Charleston-Clifton Road.

Lt. Kristopher Shultz said preliminary investigation revealed the resident had been contacted by telephone by strangers. They told the 86-year-old a relative of his was incarcerated in the Clark County Jail and “a significant amount of money, in cash, was necessary to post bail for this relative,” Shultz said.

The caller provided pertinent information for the case and the posting of bail, “all of which was bogus information,” the lieutenant said.

The caller and the resident, whose identity has not been released, spoke multiple times regarding the situation, Shultz said, “with the resident being hesitant and resistant to complying with the instructions of the caller.”

The investigators said the caller threatened violence toward the 86-year-old man and members of his family.

When Hall went to the man’s house, the resident produced a pistol and shot Hall multiple times.

“The resident then retreated to the interior of his home, secured his firearm, and made contact with the (911) Communication Center,” Shultz said.

Deputies responded as did fire and EMS units from Madison Twp. and Cedarville.

They found the 86-year-old with lacerations to the head and an ear, bleeding profusely. He was transported by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment and later released.

The Franklin County woman was on the ground about 20 feet from her vehicle. After treatment at the scene, Hall was flown to Kettering Health in Kettering, where she died while in surgery.

Shulz said significant evidence has been seized and collected by detectives, with search warrants in process to continue the investigation.

“It was reported that there was an assault on the homeowner here at the residence, it was an elderly male, and that he used a firearm to defend himself in the course of that assault,” Shultz said at the scene Monday.

The incident prompted a message from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office to remind residents, especially older citizens, that no law enforcement agency or court will make contact with anyone to solicit cash for bail or other official functions.

“We encourage all citizens to use extreme caution when being contacted unexpectedly by subjects claiming to be relatives incarcerated in a correctional facility, or claiming to have direct knowledge of relatives incarcerated in a correctional facility,” the sheriff’s release said.

 

A homeowner killed a 59-year-old man who broke into a residence on the East Side late Saturday, police said.

Arriving officers found the intruder with multiple gunshot wounds in his abdomen and he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a preliminary report.

San Antonio police said the man forced entry into the home around 9 p.m. in the 3300 block of Martin Luther King Drive and assaulted the owner, a 27-year-old man.

The younger man told officers he shot his assailant out of fear for his life. No charges are expected, police said.

Police Say Man Was Shot By Homeowner At Wenatchee Residence

Wenatchee Police are investigating a shooting just after midnight Friday morning in the 300 block of South Wenatchee Avenue.

Officers say a 50-year-old man was shot by a homeowner who said the man tried to enter the residence.

Police Sergeant Nathan Hahn says they haven’t determined yet whether a crime was committed.

“Obviously a homeowner has the ability to protect themselves if they feel like they’re in danger or threatened,” said Hahn. “But in this case, we just don’t have enough information to be able to definitively say what exactly happened.”

The man was taken to Confluence Health Hospital Central Campus with a gunshot wound to his abdomen.

Police said the injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.

They say it does not appear the homeowner knew the man who is a Wenatchee resident.

No charges have been filed at this time.

The shooting took place at 12:05 am Friday. All four local law enforcement agencies were called to the scene initially – Wenatchee Police, East Wenatchee Police, Chelan County deputies, and Douglas County deputies.

Grandmother shoots man who allegedly broke into her home while fleeing police

Albuquerque police say a woman trying to protect her 4-year-old grandchild shot an auto theft suspect who twice broke into her home demanding car keys Friday night in the North Valley.

Joseph Rivera, 32, is charged with burglary, attempted burglary and auto theft.

Franchesca Perdue, an Albuquerque Police Department spokeswoman, said Rivera will be booked into jail after being released from the hospital, where he is being treated.

Rivera is currently on pretrial release in a July 2023 case in which he was found in a stolen vehicle with fentanyl, cocaine and heroin on him, according to court records. At the time, Rivera told police that “his personal life and caring for his family has been incredibly difficult” as he struggled with undiagnosed mental health issues and addiction.

A warrant was issued in that case when he didn’t show up for a court hearing in October.

On Friday, around 8 p.m., police tried to pull over a stolen truck near Central and Cypress and used spike strips to flatten the tires, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. Police said the driver fled with the truck “on its rims” and crashed it into a curb near Candelaria and Rio Grande NW.

The driver ran into the neighborhood, and police made a perimeter to search the area.

Around 9:30 p.m., a woman called 911 and said she had shot a man in her home after he “took her keys and said he did not want to go to jail,” according to the complaint. Officers detained the burglar — identified as Rivera — at the home and the woman handed police the gun she used to shoot him.

Police said the woman told them she was with her 4-year-old grandson when she heard someone inside the home. She said she confronted the man, who “appeared to be angry” and told her he “just needed her keys.”

The woman told police she thought about arming herself then but “did not know if she had time to use the weapon” if he also had a gun, according to the complaint. The woman said she took him to a “bowl of keys” in the kitchen and Rivera took several keys and left.

Police said the woman told them she then grabbed a gun and took her grandchild into the bedroom. She said she then found Rivera back in her hallway, “demanding more keys.”

The woman told police she pointed the gun at Rivera and “told him to get out” but he began approaching her instead, according to the complaint. She said she was scared “he would kill her or her grandchild” and she shot him once.

Police said the woman told them Rivera fell to the ground and began “crawling through the halls asking for water.” She said she “put pressure on his wound until police arrived.”

Victim fights back, fires weapon during attempted carjacking in North Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA – What would have been another Philadelphia carjacking was thwarted when its victim took matters into their own hands.

Police say a suspect tried to carjack a victim at 10th and Mount Vernon streets in North Philadelphia around 1:30 a.m.

But the victim fought back, firing his weapon at the suspect, according to authorities.

It’s unclear if the suspect was hurt.

Police have to release any details about the victim, who did not suffer any physical injuries.

So far, no arrests have been made, and no suspect description.

Amid crime surge, vendors in Bogota turn to hired guns

On the streets of a Bogota neighborhood where a businessman was killed for refusing to pay protection money, retired soldiers sporting weapons and camouflage gear keep a watchful eye on every movement.

Similar “self-defense” groups have sprung up all over Colombia’s capital, a city of some eight million people that has experienced a surge in robberies and killings since the beginning of the year.

As fear has risen in step with crime, residents and business owners are taking matters into their own hands in a country with low levels of trust in the authorities.

“We are taking care of security. There are armed people here, but within the law. We are not illegal, we are military pensioners and the traders are paying us,” one of the sentinels told AFP in Bogota’s 7 de Agosto neighborhood, a bustle of autoparts shops.

Wearing ski masks and military-style boots, the men refused to give their names. Some said they were paid by shop owners — several of whom confirmed to AFP they were relying on hired guns to protect their lives and possessions.

Other patrolling guards claimed they work with the “Gaula” — official law enforcement divisions created in the police and military to combat kidnapping and extortion — a still all-too prevalent crime in Colombia as in other countries with a presence of drug gangs.

But Gaula officials told AFP the non-uniformed sentries have nothing to do with them.

“Civilians have no place” in the fight against extortion, insisted Colonel Cristian Caballero, commander of the Military Gaula in Bogota.

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Man shot, killed by homeowner after allegedly breaking into home in Trenton, New Jersey

TRENTON, N.J. (WPVI) — A man is dead after being shot and killed by a homeowner in Trenton, New Jersey, according to police.

Trenton police responded to Bert Avenue around 10:25 p.m. Sunday, after receiving reports of a shooting in the area. Detectives in the area on an unrelated assignment then found a man on St. Francis Avenue who had a gunshot wound to the chest.

That man, identified as 34-year-old Andray Ingram, was taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

During the investigation, police determined that a homeowner on Bert Avenue had fired multiple shots at an unknown individual who allegedly had a hammer, and was banging on the homeowner’s front door and smashing his Ring camera.

The person, who police say they have identified as Ingram, had entered inside the vestibule area of the residence when the shots were fired, according to officials.

Officials say no charges have been filed and the investigation is ongoing.

BLUF:
After consideration of the arguments, the Utah Supreme Court agreed with the district court that Clara “presented evidence showing a reasonable belief that the snowplow posed an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to him and his passenger.”

Utah Supreme Court upholds prior ruling in first challenge of 2021 self-defense law

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Supreme Court sided with a man who fought felony firearm charges by claiming self-defense under a law that went into effect in 2021.

The case in question stems from a shooting in 2019. Jon Michael Clara fired several shots toward a truck with a snowplow that had repeatedly rammed into the SUV he was driving. One of the bullets flew through the cab of a nearby uninvolved vehicle, narrowly missing a child.

A blue truck with a snowplow rammed into an SUV multiple times, spinning it around to face oncoming traffic on Nov. 23, 2019.

Several charges against Clara were dismissed after he made use of a new self-defense law he urged lawmakers to pass. However, in an unusual move, the judge who presided over the case urged prosecutors to appeal his decision. In an opinion released Friday, Utah’s Supreme Court justices concluded that the district court “did not err” in its handling of Clara’s case.

Utah’s self-defense law

HB227 sailed through the Utah legislature in 2021. The law allows people who are charged with a crime and claim self-defense to have a justification hearing before the case goes to trial. If prosecutors cannot disprove a self-defense claim with clear and convincing evidence in that early hearing, the case is permanently dismissed.

That is what happened in Clara’s case in March 2022. Third District Judge Todd Shaughnessy ruled the state had not met its burden of proof, and despite evidence he said “troubles” him, he dismissed the case.

“This is one instance in which the state can appeal,” Shaughnessy said. “I would encourage the state to do that to seek some clarity on exactly what this new law means. But, as I say, I believe my hands are tied.”

The case is one of several the KSL Investigators followed after first reporting on the unintended consequences of the new law.

Utah Supreme Court arguments

During arguments before the Utah Supreme Court in May 2023, Assistant Attorney General Andrew Peterson argued Clara was not acting in self-defense, while defense attorney Ann Taliaferro argued Clara had acted reasonably given the circumstances.

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Man shot after forcing entry into Orange County home

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A man was shot Saturday night after allegedly forcing entry into a home near Baldwin Park, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies responded around 8:50 p.m. to the 700 block of Eldridge Street, a statement reads.

The man accused of forcing entry to the home suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and was taken to a hospital in stable condition, deputies said, adding the two parties know each other.

The sheriff’s office is still investigating.