Category: Self Defense

Businessman shoots burglar at Lincoln Square tobacco shop

CHICAGO — A smoke shop employee shot a would-be burglar who tried to break into the Lincoln Park businesses after closing time on Sunday evening, officials said.

Chicago police officers who responded to calls of a person shot in the 4700 block of North Talman around 11:45 p.m. found an 18-year-old man with gunshot wounds to his legs. The man initially told officers that someone shot at him from a black car.

But officers said the man clammed up after police received another 911 call about a burglary attempt at a business in the 2600 block of West Lawrence. Police determined that a 40-year-old man inside the business shot the 18-year-old, who was trying to enter through the back door, according to a CPD media statement.

A CWBChicago reporter saw a bicycle lying in the alley behind Big Lou’s Tobacco Shop, 2617 West Lawrence, as police spoke with someone outside the store.

The 18-year-old was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in fair condition with gunshot wounds to both legs. He is in police custody as detectives investigate the shooting, the CPD statement said.

Counting the Uncountable Lives Saved by Good Guys with Guns

We know your armed neighbor protected himself when he scared away the robber in the night. What we don’t know, and often can’t know, is how many other people your neighbor saved that night. It is devilishly hard to measure the good that armed citizens do as they stop violent crime. Sure, we have a pretty good idea how many people own guns. We have a very good idea how many times these gun owners save lives every year. What we don’t know very well is how many violent attacks they prevented. Sure, we can come up with a number, but this is why that simple question of lives saved is so difficult to answer.

The good news is that we are far better at this than we used to be. To begin, there was a nationwide survey in early 2021 that asked tens of thousands of people if they owned guns. The researchers came up with a figure of about 81 million people over the age of 18 who own firearms in the USA. That certainly tells us some of what we want to know, but it isn’t nearly enough. In the same way that you might have a driver’s license and drive regularly but still not be a car owner yourself, we don’t know how many people routinely have access to a firearm for self-defense but are not themselves a gun owner today. Maybe they owned guns yesterday, but not now. We know that about four-in-ten of us live in a household that owns guns.

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Woman shoots attacker multiple times in self-defense

A Mississippi woman has been released from custody after authorities said they believe she acted in self-defense when she shot her alleged attacker Sunday.

The incident occurred at about 1:36 a.m. outside a club in the area around Coila, according to a report citing Carroll County Sheriff Clint Walker.

Michelle Hearn and a friend had left the club after Hearn and a man, identified by police as 31-year-old Lamarcus Woodson, had a dispute inside the club.

Woodson reportedly followed the pair outside and trailed them to a local residence, where he was warned to stay away.

The 31-year-old appeared to ignore the warning and grabbed Hearn, causing a struggle to ensue, according to the report.

During the melee, Hearn brandished a firearm and shot Woodson multiple times.

Woodson was airlifted to a local hospital, where he is reported to be in stable condition.

Hearn was taken to the Leflore County Detention Center but was later released because her actions appeared to “have been self-defense,” according to Walker.

There is an axiom from General Patton I already knew:
“A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week.”
and a phrase I learned later, the official version of which is:
Surprise, Speed, Violence of Action, that go hand in hand.
And unto that, you can’t be cowardly

Nashville police talk response, illustrates key point

It wasn’t that long ago when a lot of headlines claimed that Uvalde police failed to enter Robb Elementary School due to fears over the shooter’s AR-15. This was, of course, taken as evidence that we should ban so-called assault weapons.

In Nashville, though, something different happened. While the killer also had an AR-15, the police responded very differently.

The heroic police officers who stopped a gunman at a Nashville Christian school March 28 have spoken out about their response, telling reporters they entered the school “without hesitation.”

Six people were killed when the shooter, Audrey Hale, entered The Covenant Christian school in Nashville and opened fire with two “assault-type” rifles and a handgun. Within minutes, Nashville Police entered the school and subdued the shooter, saving the lives of countless potential victims.

“We’ve trained for incidents like this for years, with the thought that if it ever happened we would not hesitate,” Nashville Metro Chief of Police John Drake told reporters. “We would go in and we would do whatever was needed for the safety of those involved.”…

When Englebert heard gunshots, he told reporters he “couldn’t get to it fast enough” as he searched for a staircase, understanding that the shots were coming from the second floor. Englebert revealed that when he “found himself at the front of the stack” he realized he wasn’t wearing rifle-grade body armor for protection.

Now, let’s compare the shootings in Uvalde to Nashville for a second. Uvalde resulted in 21 innocent lives taken while Nashville resulted in six.

That’s six too many, we can all agree, but what a difference an appropriate police response can make, isn’t it? And Englebert had ample reason to delay, not wearing sufficient armor, and he didn’t. He went in and put the threat down.

While many still want to fixate on the kinds of firearms used or the laws surrounding them, time and time again we see that the secret to minimizing the impact of these shootings isn’t a new law restricting people’s freedom, it’s having a quick and aggressive response.

Police were on the scene and engaged the shooter within minutes in Nashville. In Uvalde, it was 1 hour and 14 minutes. How many lives would have been saved if the cops in Uvalde had responded similarly to those in Nashville?

Yet let’s also look at a couple of other shootings that had a quick and aggressive response.

First, let’s look at White Settlement, TX.

In that instance, a killer decided to try and shoot up a church service–churches being a favorite target of these knobs for some reason–and it didn’t work out for him. A volunteer working security at the church put a round in his head within mere seconds. The death toll not counting the human-shaped filth? Two.

Then we have Greenwood Park Mall. In that case, the goblin decided to shoot up a shopping center, another popular target. The problem with that plan was that an armed citizen put the killer down quick, fast, and in a hurry. The death toll, again not counting the shooter? Three.

It seems like a quick response from the police is good, but having an armed individual there on the scene is better.

The police in Nashville should be commended for how well they did their jobs. I take nothing away from them. They did it and did it quickly.

Yet when someone is there on the scene, the death toll is greatly reduced. It’s a blip on the radar, then quickly buried by whatever celebrity news the media thinks is more important.

The issue isn’t access to guns–the Nashville shooter had a handgun and could have killed just as many people with it, for example–but having armed people in these places ready and willing to respond.

Don’t Believe the Spin: Women are Empowering the 2nd Amendment

Deadly Grand Forks apartment shooting appears to be self-defense

GRAND FORKS — The investigation continues into a deadly shooting at a Grand Forks apartment building .

No arrests have been made as police believe it may be a case of self-defense.

It happened just before 9 p.m. Saturday night, April 1, on the bottom floor of the Stanford Manor apartments.

“He was a good neighbor, never had any altercations,” said Russell Elam, who lives in the building and was referring to 53-year-old neighbor Dwight Cross.

Elam still can’t shake what he saw in the hallway after rushing downstairs when he heard several pops.

“It shocked my eyes, I had to get away from the scene, it was dramatic,” Elam said.

According to the Grand Forks Police Department, Cross was laying on the floor after 24-year-old Javon Lowery of Grand Forks shot him once in the chest during a brief argument.

Police say Lowery actually fired multiple shots, but the rest missed. According to police, Lowery shot at Cross after he pulled out what Lowery thought was a sawed-off shotgun during the argument. It turned out it was only a pellet gun.

Lowery was the one who called 911.

“There were a couple witnesses on scene who officers were able to talk to who corroborated the story,” said Grand Forks Police Lt. Andy Stein.

Police said Cross and Lowery did not know each other, and Lowery did not live at the apartment.

Neighbors said Lowery did frequent the apartment next to Cross, and believe that’s how they crossed paths.

“Letters being passed under the door to a current resident who lives in the building and the boyfriend got upset,” Elam said.

Grand Forks police would not confirm or deny that as being the motive. At this point police believe Lowery was acting in self-defense.

‘I was afraid I wasn’t going to make it:’ Cavalier County deputies rescue woman from burning home
“The state’s attorney’s will get a chance to look at the case file and then make a determination whether or not charges would be warranted or not,” Stein said.

As detectives work to get to the bottom of what happened, Elam is praying for both families.

“God bless both of those guys,” he said.

Grand Forks police did not have an exact timeline for when the case will be turned over to prosecutors.

Manhattan parking garage worker grazed in head,  wrestled gun away and shot suspected crook will not be charged by the Manhattan DA…at this time.

After a Midtown Manhattan parking garage attendant shot a would-be thief with the suspect’s own gun during a struggle, cops charged both men with attempted murder — but prosecutors are not pursuing the case against the worker.

Despite the initial charges filed by the NYPD, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office is not prosecuting the garage attendant in the bloody Saturday morning clash, pending further investigation, a spokesperson said………….

 

Store manager, valid FOID holder foils robbery, shoots and kills would-be robber in Calumet Heights

CHICAGO — A man is dead after getting shot while trying to rob an auto parts store in Calumet Heights.

According to the Chicago Police Department, a 30-40-year-old man entered an auto parts store in the 9100 block of South Stony Island Avenue around 2:30 p.m., pulled out a gun, and demanded money from the cash register.

Police said the store manager, who is a valid FOID holder, pulled out a gun and fired shots, hitting the 30-40-year-old man, who was then taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.

Shots exchanged on I-240 after man rams, disables woman’s car

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A man is facing assault charges after police say he rammed and disabled his ex-girlfriend’s car on the interstate and fired several shots at her.

Randy Johnson, 24, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault following the incident Monday near I-240 and Crump.

Johnson was also treated for a gunshot wound to the hand.

The victim told police she pulled up to her apartment building with a male friend and noticed Johnson, the father of her child, parked in front of her building. She said Johnson saw the man inside her car and became enraged.

The victim said she left the apartment complex, and Johnson started following her. She said he began ramming the back of her Nissan Altima when she got on the interstate while pointing a gun at her. She said Johnson also threatened to kill her.

Police said Johnson rammed the Altima so many times that it broke down. The victim said Johnson got out of his vehicle, broke the rear passenger window of her car, and fired three to four shots inside her car.

Investigators said the friend with the victim returned fire, hitting Johnson in the hand.

The shooting is part of the more than 30 police says that have played out on Memphis interstates so far this year. The violence is familiar to experts too.

Burglar shot and killed by resident after breaking into Lake Forest Park home

LAKE FOREST PARK — A resident shot and killed an attempted burglar in north King County on Wednesday afternoon.

According to the Lake Forest Park Police Department, officers responded to the Hillside neighborhood in Lake Forest Park at 1:35 p.m. Police said the burglar forced their way into the home before being shot by the sole resident.

Police arrived within minutes, they said, and attempted “life saving measures” and determined there was no threat to the public.

There was a large presence of police officers and fire crews, police said.

Houston, represent

Veteran in wheelchair shoots man who tried to rob him downtown

HOUSTON — A military veteran in a wheelchair shot another man during an attempted robbery across the street from METRO headquarters in downtown Houston Monday night, authorities say.

Around 9 p.m., police were dispatched for a shooting in progress in the 1900 block of Main St. When authorities arrived, they found the man in a wheelchair, and a suspect collapsed with multiple gunshot wounds.

LT J.P. Horelica of the Houston Police Department said the man in the wheelchair told them he was waiting for a ride home from METRO when the suspect ran up and tried to take his bag.

This prompted him to pull out a gun and fire multiple shots at the suspect, Horelica added. The suspect attempted to run off before collapsing “several hundred yards away,” police say.

First responders were able to take the wounded man to the hospital, and it’s expected he will survive. It’s unknown if the man in the wheelchair suffered any injuries during this incident.

Suspect killed while trying to rob food truck on South Main Street in SW Houston

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A robbery suspect is dead after he was shot while trying to hold up a food truck in southwest Houston, police said.

According to the Houston Police Department, the robbery happened at about 1 p.m. on Tuesday in the 14500 block of South Main Street at Fondren.

Derick Howard, an owner of Elite Eats and Cold Treats, was on his way to the food truck to meet his mother, who is a co-owner, and his uncle, who were working the truck during the lunch hour.

Before he arrived, police said the suspect approached the food truck, asking what kind of food they serve. The suspect then tried robbing them, but Howard’s mother and uncle quickly closed the window.

The suspect got out of his truck, opened the food truck’s front window, and pointed the gun inside. Police said the suspect fired his gun, but it jammed.

“Thank God,” Jacqueline Mitchell, a family member, said. “She’s a godly woman. That’s why the gun jammed because God jammed it because when (suspect) opened that window, he could have shot her, but it jammed.”

That’s when the woman pulled out her own gun and fired multiple times. Howard’s mother is licensed to carry a gun, according to the family.

“Nowadays, you have to,” Howard said when asked if his mother kept a gun on her out of fear that something similar would happen. “It’s bad.”

The suspect tried running away but fell and died in the parking lot.

Howard said the truck had only made $40 for the day at the time of the robbery.

“People need to get a job instead of trying to rob people, because some people are trying to make an honest living,” Mitchell said.

The woman was taken to the hospital for a panic attack, according to police. No one is charged in the case, as police called it a “self-defense” shooting.

Authorities will collect evidence and present it to the district attorney’s office.

Stop Lying: Watch How the Nashville School Killer Case Destroys Left’s Myth About Guns

No sooner had word emerged that a Nashville Christian school had been attacked by a mass shooter on Monday than the Left began dissembling about guns again. The shift from “thoughts and prayers” to “grab the guns from law-abiding gun owners!” occurred at hypersonic speed. And it was all wrong.

To save time, here’s a simple request by people who believe in the right to bear arms, which is explicitly guaranteed in the United States Constitution and is a God-given right. Stop lying. Try. It’s not that hard, and someone’s life depends on it.

First, let’s acknowledge that gender dysphoria is a real and treatable mental issue and obviously experienced by this 28-year-old biological female, who lived with her parents, and who police called a “she” even though the media insist we call her a “male.” She’s dead now, and her feelings won’t be hurt anymore by someone telling the truth about her. She can’t be defamed. And, obviously, “dead-naming” her is no longer an issue.

Think about this and many other after-effects of these lies. Imagine how this kind of “misgendering” will show up in crime stats. Males do the overwhelming number of mass shootings. It’s a fact. Will this wanna-be man show up in the crime stats as a male or female now? How does that help society understand the mentality of mass shooters? We need to stop lying about that too.

But here’s today’s lesson for the Left. You’ll want to commit this to memory, so pay attention as I explain this in words of one syllable.

Repeat after me: good guys with guns stop bad guys with guns.

And I can prove it.

First, who was called when the shooting broke out? That’s right, cops. Cops are called because they have guns. And let’s say something about these police officers who selflessly and bravely ran up the stairs to the sound of gunfire. They passed at least one body of a child without flinching and continued running to stop the monster. And they quickly dispatched this killer — unlike the cops in Uvalde, Texas. Watch the bodycam footage

You know the sad cliché: when seconds matter, cops are only minutes away.

And the killer knew it too. I repeat: the killer knew it too. This murderer knew this peaceful Christian school she’d attended as a girl years before was a gun-free zone, as are most schools in Tennessee.

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Audrey Hale: Former student left map and manifesto after shooting six at Nashville Christian school

Salient part:

In answer to a question as to whether Hale’s transgender status might have any bearing on a motive, Chief Drake said: “There is some theory to that. We’re investigating all the leads and once we know exactly, we will let you know.”

He said that the attack was targeted.

A manifesto and a map were discovered at Hale’s address

Chief Drake added that while there was no known history of mental illness, it was a lead that was being investigated.

He also said Hale had been considering targeting another location – which was not identified – but had apparently decided not to because of the level of security around it.

Smyrna woman kills stranger who smashed her window, forced his way in to her apartment

SMYRNA, Ga. — A woman shot and killed a man in self-defense at her Smyrna apartment on Thursday night after he shattered her window and forced her way inside, according to investigators.

Police said no charges will be filed and that it appears the two did not know each other.

Smyrna police said they received a call about a person shot at Alder Park Apartments on Cumberland Way. Officers got to the scene and found a man shot to death at an apartment.

In an update on Friday, police said that the man had broken into a woman’s apartment. The resident told police that she heard someone beating on her front door around 7:50 p.m.

The Essential Second Amendment
Helping Americans understand and defend the Second Amendment.

The right of the people to keep and bear arms, enshrined in the Constitution’s Second Amendment, is centered not on hunting or sport shooting but on the natural right of self-defense. It gives “teeth” to the promises of liberty, ensuring that attempts to reduce our natural rights to mere dead letters may be met with meaningful resistance.
Download the eBook here.

I remember the sign at Christ Chapel that invited those carrying to volunteer that information so we could include them in our security plan so they could be seated accordingly for better coverage.

Missouri legislation seeks to allow guns in places of worship

Missouri Republicans are making a push to allow firearms to be carried inside religious establishments and lessen restrictions on access to firearms.

House Bill 485, heard in the House Emerging Issues Committee Wednesday evening, would override existing Missouri law that restricts the possession of a concealed carry firearm in places of worship without consent or knowledge of persons in charge.

Rep. Ben Baker, R-Neosho, is sponsoring the bill, which he said the purpose of the bill is to ensure Missourians “constitutional right” to carry firearms when attending places of worship.

Private property rights would still stand, and if religious organizations want to not allow firearms in their spaces they may still choose to do so by posting signage outside, under the bill. Opponents questioned if that would put them at further risk.

William Bland spoke in support of the bill, stating that mass shootings in churches are real and would allow other concealed carry permit holders to strengthen the force against them.

“By granting permission, the church is exposed to liability in the event of a CCW permit holder is involved in an unfortunate event involving the firearm even if that action is justified,” Bland said. He said that removing the restriction of firearms would keep the church from being liable.

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DeKalb County homeowner shoots, kills man who broke into his home

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A man is dead after police say he tried breaking into a DeKalb County home early Thursday morning.

Investigators interviewed the homeowner, who they say shot and killed the intruder.

One neighbor told Channel 2′s Steve Gehlbach that she heard two loud blasts and detectives said the homeowner used a shotgun. “It was that close, it was that loud,” one neighbor told Gehlbach, asking not to be identified.

DeKalb County police said they got a call of shots fired at a home on Peachcrest Road around 5:30 a.m. Thursday.

The neighbor said she heard two shots while getting ready for work.

“it’s kind of hard to believe. I’ve been living here my whole life, never had a break-in, never had anything like that,” the neighbor said.

But Sandy Mize, who lives next door, wasn’t that surprised.

“We didn’t hear the shots, but around here there’s shootings going on all the time,” Mize said.

Dekalb police said the man who tried to break in was shot and killed inside the house by the homeowner. He has not been identified.

Investigators have not said if there was any connection with the suspect or if the intruder also had a weapon.

“We knew he had guns though,” Mize said.

Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes was outside the home on Thursday night when a group of women from the Salvation Army came to the home to pray over it and offer assistance to the family.

Neighbor Gary Casten had no idea what brought all the police to his neighborhood and was speechless when he heard what had happened.

“Wow, I didn’t know,” Casten said. “You don’t have stuff like that happen around here.”

Neighbors said the homeowner lives in the home with his girlfriend but aren’t sure if there was a reason they would be targeted, or if it was just a random crime.

Gehlbach said it appears the homeowner will not face any charges because he was defending himself and his property.

“I just think it’s a sad state of affairs for the country,” one neighbor said. “In this case, somebody having a gun was a good thing.”

Personally, I never needed a law to permit me to box a bully right up side the head.

Bill That Would Allow Students to Fight Back in Bullying Incidents Moves Through Legislature

Stacy Roope says her 16-year-old son Trey is bullied every day in the hallways and even while walking to school. She said her son is constantly tormented, and what’s worse is that he isn’t able to defend himself.

“Trey is not afraid of the kids who bully him, but in the back of his mind he’s always thinking about what’s going to happen today,” Roope said. “It’s an emotional roller coaster that happens to him every day, one day he could walk to the school with no issues, the next day he’s getting slammed into the lockers.”

Roope, of Helena, said bullying has left her child feeling depressed and isolated during what should be key years of growth in his life. She said right now, parents of bullies and school officials aren’t doing enough.

That’s why Roope said she supports a bill moving through the Montana Legislature that would allow students who are being bullied to fight back in self-defense without repercussions from the school.

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Armed civilian who stopped Greenwood Mall shooter named Citizen of the Year

Elisjsha Dicken.jpg

GREENWOOD — The City of Greenwood took time this week to honor the man responsible for stopping the gunman inside the Greenwood Park Mall in July.

Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers chose Elisjsha Dicken as the 2022 recipient of the Citizen of the Year Award for the city.

In his nomination letter, Myers recounted what occurred on July 17 inside the mall and shared thanks for the fast action of Dicken.

“July 17th started off to be another beautiful day in Greenwood. Unfortunately, it became one of the darkest days in our history. A lone gunman entered the Food Court in the Greenwood Park Mall. As he emerged from the restroom he began firing a rifle, killing 3 people.

Hearing shots ring out, Elisjsha Dicken immediately identified the shooter, took cover behind a pillar, drew his weapon and fired at the shooter from 40 yards away. He was able to eliminate the threat. While doing this Elisjsha also was waving innocent civilians to safety. There were countless number of innocent lives saved that day due to his quick and selfless thinking. The City of Greenwood and the residents here owe a great debt of gratitude to Elisjsha.

Because of his heroic actions the City of Greenwood proudly honors Elisjsha Dicken as the 2022 Citizen of the Year.”

Following the mass shooting at the mall, Greenwood Police Chief said the following of Dicken.

“I will say his actions were nothing short of heroic. He engaged the gunman from quite a distance with a handgun,” Ison said. “(He) was very tactically sound as he moved to close in on the suspect, he was also motioning for people to exit behind him. He has no police training and no military background.”

MORE |‘No clear motive’: Greenwood police, FBI release new findings from July shooting at Greenwood Park Mall

Annually, the city recognizes a civilian, a firefighter, an officer and an EMT.