Category: Self Defense
Homeowner cooperating with HPD after killing intruder
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A homeowner shot and killed a 31-year-old woman who was intruding into his house early Saturday morning on Houston’s East End, police say. The shooting was called in to police at about 1:30 a.m. from the 7000 block of Avenue F near 70th.
According to HPD, the homeowner was in the kitchen when he saw a couple of suspicious people outside of his fence, so he grabbed his gun. When he returned, one of the individuals was trying to push in the door. Police say that’s when the homeowner shot the woman multiple times, hitting her in the head. The woman died at the scene. The second individual, a man in his 20s or 30s, is on the run.
Officials say the homeowner called police and is cooperating with the investigation. The man’s girlfriend and his parents were in the home, but were not hurt.
The case will be referred to the Harris County grand jury, but HPD Sgt. Josh Horne told ABC13 at the scene there are no charges at this time.
BLUF:
Millions are still moving along the path from reflexive support for gun control to passionate support for the right to bear arms. These voyagers are rapidly changing our culture. Last month’s public opinion polls are already out of date. The shift away from supporting gun-control is accelerating. The shift toward passionate and committed defense of citizen self-defense will be deep and lasting.
The Ruling Class won’t be able to stop it.
Why Political Moderates Walked Away from Gun-Control
Most of us have fired a gun at least once. Many of us have a gun in our home today. Gun ownership has increased steadily over the decades and is now common. Running counter to that trend, Democrat politicians became increasingly hostile towards gun owners in the last ten years. The Democrat party took that position while public opposition to gun-control grew. Today, democrat voters want gun-control as much as ever, but we saw the undecided middle and political independents step off the gun-control bandwagon. Here is why they abandoned the idea of gun-control.
The world became more dangerous.
GunSense Vermont takes the side of criminal entities
To the editor: This is in response to a letter to the editor from GunSense Vermont than ran in the Nov. 30 edition of the Montpelier-Barre Times Argus.
I have to wonder why “thoughtful people” and GunSense Vermont (GSVT) are appalled by the Rittenhouse verdict. Kyle Rittenhouse, who defended himself from a violent and life threatening attack, was charged, tried and acquitted by a jury of his peers. This is a clear example of self defense against known criminals.
Thoughtful people should wonder who GSVT is trying to protect — pedophiles, domestic abusers, or repeat offenders who illegally possess firearms? Rittenhouse’s attackers were all of the above, and GSVT takes the side of such criminal entities in their commentary.
Were the activities on that day a peaceful march like GSVT would have you believe? No, these law breakers were involved in a violent riot complete with looting and vandalism. The Rittenhouse verdict sends the right message, upholding the rule of law. Every citizen has the right to defend himself and herself.
Speaking of shooting defenseless victims, have you heard what Alec Baldwin has been up to recently? Where is your outrage, GSVT?
Randy Gray
N. Springfield, Vermont, Dec. 14
Lakeland homeowner commended by Polk County sheriff for shooting accused intruder
LAKELAND, Fla. – Detectives with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office responded to the shooting of a man who they said broke into a Lakeland home Tuesday afternoon.
The homeowner told deputies that the man, later identified as 42-year-old Steven Stillwell, forced his way into the residence by throwing a flower pot through a glass door at around 12:50 p.m., according to a news release.
Deputies said Stillwell was shot three times by the homeowner. Stillwell was later taken to a hospital where he was last reported in critical, stable condition, according to the release.
Detectives said they found a shotgun belonging to Stillwell in the backyard of the home, as well as video evidence showing Stillwell approaching the home through the backyard.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the evidence in the case indicated that Stillwell illegally entered the home, and that the homeowner did the right thing by shooting him.
“The castle doctrine is very clear in Florida law. A person’s home is his refuge,” Judd said in a statement. “The homeowner did exactly what he had a right to do. I commend him for protecting himself and defending his home.”
Polk County deputies said the shooting is still under investigation.
Teenager shot in Lawrence while attempting to rob pawnshop employee
A teenager was shot in Lawrence [Indiana] on Tuesday afternoon while he and two other people attempted to rob an employee of a pawnshop, according to the Lawrence Police Department.
The shooting occurred near the intersection of Pendleton Pike and Franklin Road after the pawnshop employee left the business to run an errand, said Deputy Chief Gary Woodruff of the Lawrence Police Department.
At least one of the alleged robbers had a gun. Gunfire was exchanged between the pawnshop employee and the alleged robbers, Woodruff said.
One of the alleged robbers was shot and fled with the other two, Woodruff said.
‘The Second Amendment wears lipstick’ — Study shows gun ownership among women on the rise
CLEVELAND — The number of women who own a gun is on the rise. A recent study from Harvard University shows that 42% of gun owners in the country are women. That’s a 14% rise over the last five years. The same study found nearly 3.5 million women became gun owners between January 2019 and April 2021.
“It’s a responsibility. It’s a huge responsibility,” said Amanda Suffecool.
Suffecool calls herself an “accidental activist.” A firearms instructor and radio host, Suffecool is also an advocate for gun rights in America.
“Unfortunately, the world is not the warm, fuzzy place it used to be,” said Candy Petticord.
Petticord is also a firearms instructor and a mom of 12. She started shooting five years ago.
“I woke up,” she said when asked why she decided to buy her first gun. “I realized yes, I’m the mom. I’m the caregiver but I’m also the protector when my husband is away. So the kitchen knives, forks and spoons weren’t going to do the job.”
In the Harvard study, a quarter of the woman who own a firearm said self-defense was the reason they wanted to buy a gun. In another study from the female gun ownership group A Girl and A Gun, the women they surveyed gave many reasons. The top included the cultural upheaval in the Summer of 2020, the 2020 elections, lack of law enforcement resources, and uncertainty because of the pandemic.
Woman shoots ex-boyfriend after he breaks into her apartment,
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Police say a man was shot by his ex-girlfriend three times overnight in southeast Houston, but he is the one who will likely face charges.
Just before 10 p.m. Tuesday, Houston police said the man used a concrete paver to break a glass patio door of his ex’s apartment in the 11600 block of Gulf Pointe Drive.
Police said his ex-girlfriend was inside with her new boyfriend.
“He decided today, I guess out of jealousy, he took a concrete paver, he bashed in the back door patio window,” Lt. R. Willkens said. It was a door with a lot of glass on it. He busted it and went into the apartment.”
Investigators said once inside, he chased after his ex-girlfriend, and that’s when she grabbed a pistol and opened fire.
He was shot twice in the legs and once in the stomach, according to police.
The man ran back through the door he broke and was later found collapsed nearby, police said. He was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive.
Investigators say he will likely face charges for the break-in. Meanwhile, the ex-girlfriend is not likely to be charged, police said.
Bill to allow concealed firearms without a license in Ohio clears Senate panel
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Senate could vote as soon as Wednesday on legislation to allow people to carry a concealed handgun without a permit and no longer require them to notify law enforcement during proactively traffic stops that they’re armed.
Senate Bill 215 cleared a Senate committee on Tuesday after hours of testimony, mostly in opposition to the measure. The Republican-sponsored bill comes after the Ohio House passed similar legislation last month; should SB215 pass the Senate, it remains to be seen whether lawmakers would decide to send that bill or the House bill to Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk.
Man fights back, fatally shoots would-be robber near USC
A man allegedly confronted at gunpoint by three robbers near USC fought back, shooting and killing one of them early Saturday, police said.
The three armed men, all in their 20s, got out of a vehicle in the 1300 block of West 35th Street, west of USC, and approached the other man and attempted to rob him, said Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson Norma Eisenman.
But the man resisted and an altercation ensued. When one of the would-be robbers dropped his handgun, the man picked it up and shot him, police said.
The other two alleged robbers fled in their car. The man who was shot was pronounced dead at the scene, Eisenman said. He was not identified.
The intended hold-up victim was detained and questioned by police and later released. Eisenman didn’t have a description of the other two men or their vehicle.
No charges have been filed and an investigation is ongoing.
Off-duty UC Berkeley officer fatally shoots armed robber at San Pablo restaurant
SAN PABLO, Calif. — An off-duty law enforcement officer fatally shot a 29-year-old Richmond man who was allegedly trying to rob a fast-food restaurant near San Pablo on Sunday, Contra Costa County sheriff’s officials said.
Amanuel Moreno was reportedly trying to hold up a restaurant cashier at gunpoint, at Nation’s Giant Hamburgers, about 11:30 a.m. when he was shot by the off-duty officer, authorities said Monday.
‘It’s a miracle’: San Mateo driver thankful to be alive after being hit by falling scaffolding
The officer who shot Moreno is a sergeant with the University of California at Berkeley Police Department, sheriff’s officials said. He was eating at the restaurant, located at 16396 San Pablo Ave., on Sunday morning when the attempted robbery occurred, according to the sheriff’s office.
The officer confronted Moreno and fired one shot, sheriff’s officials said. Deputies were sent to the restaurant and gave first-aid to Moreno and he was taken to a hospital.
He died at the hospital, according to the sheriff’s office.
Sheriff’s officials did not release the name of the sergeant on Monday morning, sheriff’s spokesman Jimmy Lee said.
Store employee shoots, kills 17-year-old robbery suspect on Battleground Avenue in Greensboro
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — A store employee shot at a suspect during the course of a robbery, police say.
At 7:47 p.m. Monday night, officers were called to the Tobacco & Vape at 3912 Battleground Ave. on a report of a robbery. Three men went into the store and took an undisclosed amount of cash at gunpoint.
According to police, a store employee shot one of the robbery suspects during the robbery. The person who was shot died from their injuries.
The deceased has been identified as Gabriel Malachi Kalu, 17, of Greensboro.
Woman shoots and kills man during attempted robbery in Mission Bend
According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the woman was approached by three men who attempted to rob her around 4:30 a.m. in her driveway in the 5500 block of Fair Elm Court.
The woman pulled out a pistol and shot one of the men, deputies said
@HCSOTexas units responded to a shooting at the 15510 blk of Fair Elm Ct, near Westpark Dr (Mission Bend area). Upon arrival, units discovered a deceased male. Homicide & CSU Investigators are responding. No other details at this time. #HouNews pic.twitter.com/DJIvQ7npZR
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) December 12, 2021
The woman’s boyfriend was inside the house when the shots were fired. He ran outside and chased after the two other suspects, deputies said.
At some point during the chase, the boyfriend also fired his weapon, according to investigators.
The suspects got away in a white four-door vehicle, the sheriff’s office said.
“Obviously we’re trying to identify this deceased individual here at the scene,” Sgt. Jason Brown said. “We’re hoping that the identification of him will lead us to the other two individuals who were with him at the time of the attempted robbery.”
Deputies believe the robbery may have been drug related.
Officials took the couple into custody for questioning and said they were cooperating with the investigation.
Investigators do not believe they will face charges related to the shooting.
ABC13 spoke to a neighbor who heard the gunshots.
“That’s why I’m trying to get out of here. I’m trying to fix my house up, clean, renovating stuff here and there. I’m trying to get out of here,” neighbor Alan Strode said. “I’m trying to bounce out of this area. It’s not good for my little kid, barely two years old.”
Deputies said they are reviewing surveillance video of the shooting.
Burglar met with gunfire after breaking into Hephzibah home
HEPHZIBAH, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – According to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, a Hephzibah home owner confronted an intruder with gunshots after they broke into their property early Saturday morning.
The sheriff’s office says they were called to the 2800 block of Cross Creek Road at around 1:26 a.m. for a burglary.
When they arrived, deputies were told that two suspects broke into the home. It’s believed one suspect fled, and the other was confronted by the homeowner, who then fired shots. After getting shot at, deputies say that second suspect also fled.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office says this is still an active investigation
Person inside NE Portland apartment shoots and kills armed man trying to force his way inside
PORTLAND, Ore. — A person inside an apartment in Northeast Portland shot and killed a man who police say was armed with a handgun and fired a shot after trying to force his way inside the apartment on Monday.
On Friday, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) identified the victim as 41-year-old Omar Greely. After an autopsy, the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death a homicide.
The shooting happened at 10:52 a.m. Monday at an apartment on Northeast 66th Avenue near Broadway. PPB said the person who shot and killed Greely called 911, stayed at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation. Police said they’re not identifying the shooter at this time
But the do–gooders moronic murderous proggies, want all guns locked up so a ‘child’ can’t lay their hands on one when it’s so desperately needed.
Pizza Shop Employee’s Son, 14, Shoots Would-Be Robber in Face
The 14-year-old son of a pizza shop employee shot one of three would-be robbers in the face after he started choking his mom in Philadelphia, police said
Police arrived at the shop in the Spring Garden neighborhood shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday and noticed a trail of blood that began inside the restaurant and went on for three blocks into the subway station at Broad and Spring Garden streets.
The employee told police three men had entered and demanded money from the cash register, which she told them she couldn’t open because she needed a code.
Other employees said one of the men tried to reach over the counter and then began choking the woman, prompting her son to pull out a handgun from underneath the counter and shoot the alleged attacker once in the face, according to police.
Two injured, one arrested in shooting on Wilkie St. in Lafayette
Lafayette Police are continuing to investigate a shooting Wednesday afternoon on Wilkie Street in which two people were injured.
Officers say they were dispatched to a burglary in progress at a residence in the 200 block of Wilkie Street around 12:03 pm on Wednesday. The victim was inside his residence when two people forced entry into his home, police say.
The victim armed himself with a handgun and fired shots, striking the two individuals, police say. They then fled the home and sought medical attention for their injuries at a local hospital. They remain in the hospital as of Wednesday night, a spokesperson says.
A third person, Antonio McClelland, 21, has been arrested and booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center on one count of principal to aggravated battery and one count of conspiracy to commit armed robbery.
Police originally said three people were in custody. They say the investigation is ongoing and further arrests are expected.
‘I have the right to protect myself:’ [Spanaway] Washington man shoots, kills suspected home burglar
SPANAWAY, Wash. – A resident shot and killed a home intruder in Spanaway early Thursday, and a second suspect escaped, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies said the 31-year-old resident, Jerahme Smith, shot at two men who tried to break into his house near A St. E. and 165th St. E. around 4:00 a.m.
The homeowner told police he shot at the suspects as they kicked in his back door. The intruders then ran into the front yard where deputies later found one of the suspects dead. The other suspect ran off.
Smith said he has been renting the home with his wife and children for the past three years. Smith explained he and his sister were in the house when the suspects kicked down the back door. Smith said he acted in self-defense.
“When everything first started, the first thing I had to do was take a few breaths and calm myself down because I knew it could have gone one of two ways. I didn’t know who they were, I didn’t know what they had, but the first thing I did–and it’s the honest to God truth–is I took a few breaths to myself. That way I knew I was calm enough to make a proper judgment decision,” said Smith.
Investigators have not released any further information about the suspects but said that the man who died was 24-years-old.
While detectives continue investigating the case, Smith said he will continue standing by his actions.
“It kind of goes back to your rights. I have the right to carry and I have the right to protect myself and I have the right to protect my property,” said Smith. “Protect yourself. That doesn’t mean go looking for it, that means just be ready.”
People who live in the area said crime has been increasing in the neighborhood. One man said he recently bought security lights and a surveillance camera to help protect his home.
“If it ain’t one thing it’s another,” said the man, who asked to keep his identity private. “That kind of upsets me that we have this kind of crime going on in the neighborhood. It’s not a good feeling because we don’t know—it could be something happening tomorrow, tonight, you know? Same ol’ thing.”
RKBA and self defense is not just nationwide, it’s international.
Morning Joe: Hard for Russia to Subdue Ukraine — People Have a Million Guns!
Wait! Was that an NRA spokesman on Morning Joe today, making the case for the Second Amendment?
Nope, turns out it was actually David Ignatius. But the hyper-establishment Washington Post columnist/editor and Morning Joe foreign-policy maven unwittingly made a strong case for the right to keep and bear arms!
Commenting on the price Putin would pay if he ordered an invasion of Ukraine, Ignatius said:
Police determine fatal shooting done in self-defense
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Albuquerque Police Department homicide detectives along with the District Attorney’s Office have determined that a fatal shooting that occurred in northeast Albuquerque on Monday was done in self-defense. Around 6:05 p.m. officers were dispatched to the 200 block of Grove St. NE in reference to a caller that said an individual had been shot, according to APD.
Authorities say after interviewing witnesses, detectives determined the shooter, James Lawrence, fired a handgun in self-defense as Francisco Fonseca attacked him with a blunt object. Fonseca died from the gunshot wound.
APD states that Lawrence will not be charged for the shooting which the department says will be considered a justifiable homicide. However, Lawrence has been charged for a probation violation and was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center.
Police say Lawrence may also face charges for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Compton Homeowner Shoots Man Attempting to Rob Him at Knifepoint
A man was fatally shot Tuesday as he was allegedly attempting to rob someone at knifepoint in Compton, the second fatal shooting in as many days in that city.
Deputies were sent to the 1500 block of West 156th Street at about 6:15 a.m. Tuesday on a report of an attempted robbery and a shooting, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported.
“Upon their arrival they located a male Hispanic adult, in his 30s, suffering from several gunshot wounds to the upper torso,” a sheriff’s statement said. “Investigators learned that the homeowner exited his residence and was getting into his vehicle in the driveway. The homeowner was confronted by the male Hispanic adult who was holding a knife in an apparent attempted robbery.”
The homeowner then shot the suspect, who died at the scene, the sheriff’s department reported. His name was withheld, pending notification of his relatives. The resident was interviewed by detectives, and a firearm and knife were recovered at the scene.
Question O’ The Day
So… what’s the point of this article? They’re arguing that self-defense cases involving guns demands a higher level of scrutiny than self-defense cases that don’t involve guns, then seem to imply that there is a systemic issue of allowing judges to determine foregone conclusions (like they can in many contexts) when deciding the facts of a case. Then they proceed to use two high-profile cases as an example, then admit that neither case involved a foregone conclusion.
Seriously, what point are they trying to make, exactly?
Both the display of a firearm and the pointing of a firearm at another person are threatening acts that ordinarily would create a reasonable apprehension of death or serious bodily injury in another person, and thus should be viewed as prima facie evidence of aggression.
This is their point:
They want the mere existence of a visible gun on your person to remove your right to defend yourself.
When it comes to guns and claims of self-defense, juries need guidance
As a general matter, a criminal defendant loses the right to claim he acted justifiably in self-defense if he was the initial aggressor or provocateur
Jurors in two recent high-profile homicide cases involving guns and claims of self-defense have spoken. In one case, the jury found the defendant, Kyle Rittenhouse, not guilty on all homicide charges. In the other case, the jury found Greg and Travis McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan guilty of murder in the death of Ahmaud Arbery.
Important factual differences contributed to the different verdicts in these cases. The skill sets of the attorneys and dispositions of the judges involved played a role as well.
One thing both cases had in common, however, was that each judge gave the jury an initial-aggressor or provocation instruction. The fact that the juries in the two cases were given such an instruction yet reached opposite conclusions indicates that the mere giving of such an instruction in self-defense cases will not predetermine the outcome.
Until these two cases, few people were aware of the initial-aggressor limitation on the defense of self-defense. Now, that limitation has become part of the national conversation.
My first squad leader in the Army was a font of personal advice.
One I liked a lot is: “Experience is the best teacher and the best experience is someone else’s, because it’s usually less expensive and less painful.”
Lessons Learned From The Rittenhouse Situation
Kyle Rittenhouse did nothing wrong.
I’m going to start by saying this here and now, lest there be any confusion. While he made some decisions I might question later on here, I don’t think that he was necessarily wrong for making those decisions. I have the benefit of hindsight at work here, and I’m not interested in second-guessing him.
However, I do think that cases like his give us all a great opportunity to learn, so that’s what I did.
Here are a few of my takeaways from his case.
Possible home intruder shot and killed by resident
BELLEVUE, Neb. —
Bellevue Police said a man was shot and killed inside a home near 17th and Yorktown Street overnight.
Officers said they were called to a home for a possible home invasion around 3:39 a.m. Saturday which “resulted in the 43-year-old intruder being shot.”
The intruder has been identified as forty-three-year-old, Lou P. Slaughter Jr., of Omaha.
BPD said three people were inside the home when the man Slaughter Jr. tried to get in.
They said it does not appear to be a random act, and all three people have been accounted for.
Bellevue Police said detectives are actively investigating “various aspects of the case.”
No additional information is available at this time
New bill could change Missouri’s ‘stand your ground’ law
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A Missouri lawmaker is planning to introduce a new bill that he claims will strengthen the state’s “stand your ground” law.
Sen. Eric Burlison (R-Battlefied) pre-filed the legislation Wednesday. It would grant a person criminal immunity for using deadly force in self-defense unless the force is used against a law enforcement officer in the line of duty.
Missouri bill may require voter ID and change election judge requirements
“Sadly, we have recently watched the justice system be used as a weapon against law-abiding citizens for simply defending themselves,” said Burlison in a press release. “No one should have their lives ruined like what has happened to Kyle Rittenhouse.”
Missouri’s current “stand your ground” law requires a person to prove he or she reasonably believed deadly force was necessary to defend themselves. Under Burlison’s bill, there will be a presumption of reasonableness that the person believed deadly force was necessary to protect themselves or another person.
“As elected officials, the safety and security of our constituents should always be one of our top priorities. I am committed to doing everything I can to ensure Missourians have the ability to protect themselves and their families when they are threatened with physical harm,” said Burlison.
The bill would also allow a person to claim self-defense during a pre-trial hearing in either a criminal or civil case.
Fatal shooting outside apartment was self-defense after robbery
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The shooting that killed 41-year-old Vencenzio Luciano in early October was a result of self-defense, according to Colorado Springs police investigators and the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
According to an update from the Colorado Springs Police Department on Wednesday, investigators tracked down a suspect who was already in custody for unrelated warrants. Police later found out that Luciano had attempted to rob the shooter with a handgun just before the shooting happened. The handgun ended up being a BB gun that was “fashioned to resemble a semi-automatic handgun.”
Police say they took the information to the District Attorney’s Office, and the charges against the shooter were dismissed on Wednesday. Police said the shooter’s name won’t be released in this case.