(LA) Armed robber killed by store owner 06-11-03
Address:http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1055312840119080.xml
Gunman killed at store during robbery attempt Police say shooting was in
self-defense
Wednesday June 11, 2003
By Walt Philbin
Staff writer
A man who apparently carefully plotted the robbery of a Central City
hubcap store Tuesday didn't plan on one thing: that the shop owner had a
revolver behind his back, police said.
The owner shot the would-be robber after he demanded cash, police said.
The man ran from the store and collapsed around the corner next to a
stolen gold Mazda that police had chased just two hours earlier. He was
pronounced dead at Charity Hospital. His identity had not been released
Tuesday night.
On the front seat of the Mazda police found a ski mask with enlarged
eyeholes and a change of clothes, including shorts, shirt and tennis
shoes.
"He had it all laid out and ready to change into as soon as he made his
getaway," said 6th District police commander Capt. Tony Cannatella.
No charges were filed in the shooting, which a preliminary investigation
determined was in self-defense, police said. Police didn't release the
name of the owner of Meyer's Auto Parts, which is on South Broad Street
across from the Sewerage & Water Board pumping station at Martin Luther
King Boulevard.
The owner said he was alone in his store when a man walked up to the
store shortly before 6 p.m.
The owner told police the man seemed to look around before entering.
After asking the owner several questions about hubcaps, he looked around
the store, police said. At some point, the suspicious owner, fearing for
his safety, got his .38-caliber revolver from under the counter and put
it behind his back or in his waistband, police said.
The man pulled a small-barreled, hand-sized, Russian-made .380-caliber
semiautomatic pistol, pointed it at the store owner and demanded money,
police said.
The owner reached behind his back deliberately, as if he was reaching
for his wallet, police said, but instead came up with his revolver.
Police said he apparently fired one time, hitting the man in the chest.
Detective Robert Hoobler said he was still trying to determine Tuesday
night if the wounded man had also fired.
The gunman ran from the store, leaving drops of blood on the sidewalk
for a half block along South Broad and collapsing in front of the fire
station, where he dropped his pistol. Police found it there with four
bullets in the clip and one in the chamber, officers said.
Police said the man got back to his feet and ran around the corner to
Thalia Street, where he collapsed again near the rear bumper of the
Mazda, parked less than a half block off Broad. Police found a key to
the stolen car next to where the man fell.
The man was taken to Charity Hospital and was pronounced dead at 6:37
p.m., police said.
Police recognized the Mazda as having been chased by police in the Irish
Channel on Tuesday afternoon.
Sixth District task force officer Tony Hunt noticed the car driving
erratically in the 2300 block of Dryades Street about 90 minutes before
the robbery attempt, police said. Hunt turned on his lights and siren
and tried to pull the car over, but the driver accelerated. Hunt chased
the car through the Irish Channel, police said, but stopped for safety
reasons, Miles said.
The car was stolen in Kenner between Friday and Tuesday, officers said.
Cannatella said his detectives would try to determine whether the man
was involved in a robbery last week at a business a couple of blocks
away from the hubcap store. "He meets the guy's description," Cannatella
said.
==========================(DE) Judge rules shooting of drug dealer was self-defense 06-07-03
(DE) Judge rules shooting of drug dealer was self-defense 06-07-03
Shore News - delmarvanow.com
Address:http://www.delmarvanow.com/easternshore/stories/20030607/439673.html
Acc. shooter not guilty in self-defense
Man felt threated by convicted felon
By NANCY DRURY DUNCAN
ACCOMAC -- The prosecutor portrayed the September shooting as avoidable.
The defense attorney said it was self-defense.
In the end, a judge ruled that the shooting was justifiable.
The shooter, Robert Hall, 57, of Accomac, was cleared of a charge he had
unlawfully wounded a convicted drug dealer who had threatened him
numerous times, including once with a firearm.
After the threats, Hall began carrying his own gun.
And when Wayne Tyler Jr., 24, also of
Accomac, walked up to a vehicle driven by Hall on the evening of Sept.
20, words were exchanged. Hall feared for his life. And Tyler sustained
one gunshot wound to the lower abdomen.
Witnesses said Hall, a successful mason for 35 years, has a sterling
reputation.
Circuit Judge Glen A. Tyler found Hall not guilty, saying he was without
fault in provoking the difficulty.
"He had every right to think he was in danger,"
Tyler said. "There is hardly anything more dangerous than a gun-toting
drug dealer.
"And Wayne Tyler has already been convicted. He has a reputation for
being a gun-toting drug dealer who is aggressive."
Drug deals were common
Most of Thursday's testimony concerned activities at a mobile home on
Daugherty Road owned by Hall that has been vacant for the past several
years.
Hall tried to keep the property in good condition, he said. But it had
become a hangout for young people and was the site of loitering and drug
deals.
Windows were repeatedly broken out and the yard was littered with trash
and bottles, said Hall, who said he had called police numerous times
about the trespassers.
Testimony of neighbors and police officers confirmed that the trailer
had become a problem.
Hall said that Tyler, a convicted drug dealer, was the ringleader and
caused most of the problems, even cursing the landowner while he worked
at the property.
"I have seen Tyler drinking and selling drugs there," he said. "We had
been feuding."
Hall said Tyler threatened him "five or six" times -- once with a gun.
"After the July incident, I started carrying a gun in my truck," Hall
said. "I fear for my life around drug dealers."
The night of the shooting, Hall visited the property between 9:30 and 10
p.m., and found Tyler there again.
"He started walking toward my truck," Hall testified. "He started
running off at the mouth. He had his hands down, I couldn't see them. I
thought he had a gun.
"I feared for my life, that's why I tried to protect myself."
He fired one shot. Tyler, about six feet away, fell into a ditch beside
the road before running away. He was hospitalized for over four weeks,
testimony showed.
Hall admitted to police that he fired the gun and was charged with
unlawful wounding, a felony.
"He could have driven away"
"We've had three cases in the past year where very solid citizens have
gotten into trouble taking the law into their own hands," said
Commonwealth's Attorney Gary Agar, who prosecuted the case. "The system
is collapsing upon itself. We must defend the system." Agar maintained
that Hall need not have fired the gun.
"He could have driven away," he said. "The defendant has been a good
citizen all his life. He is not a bad person. He committed a bad act. He
has violated the law here, he needs to be punished for doing that."
Defense Attorney Tom Northam acknowledged the feud between the men, but
pointed to Tyler's criminal history -- and felt Hall, the shooter, had
to decide between court and death.
"Tyler is a convicted felon, Mr. Hall felt he was going to be shot,"
Northam said. "You'd rather be tried by 12 than carried by six."
Tyler said that the prosecution had an obligation to pursue the case,
but said the court could not find beyond a reasonable doubt that Hall
acted unreasonably.
==================
(WA) Intruder who stabbed couple caught by armed neighbor06-11-03
The Seattle Times: Intruder stabs couple in home
Address:http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/text/134965301_dige11m.html
Wednesday, June 11, 2003, 12:31 A.M.
Local Digest
Intruder stabs couple in home
SEATTLE - An intruder stabbed a husband and wife with scissors in
front of their twin boys last night after he broke into their Loyal
Heights neighborhood home. The man fled the house and was cornered by
neighbors, including one with a pistol, until police arrived.
The incident was reported about 9:10 p.m. in the 8800 block of 28th
Avenue Northwest.
A 21-year-old man entered the house, possibly through a back window or
door, said Seattle police spokeswoman Deanna Nollette.
The intruder then surprised the 45-year-old man in the family room,
stabbing him from behind. When his 41-year-old wife, who had been taking
a shower, walked downstairs to investigate the noises, she was stabbed
as well.
The couple were taken to Harborview Medical Center, but their injuries
were not believed to be life-threatening, Nollette said. Several
neighbors who had heard screams came over to help. One tackled the man
and another held him at gunpoint
Address:http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1055312840119080.xml
Gunman killed at store during robbery attempt Police say shooting was in
self-defense
Wednesday June 11, 2003
By Walt Philbin
Staff writer
A man who apparently carefully plotted the robbery of a Central City
hubcap store Tuesday didn't plan on one thing: that the shop owner had a
revolver behind his back, police said.
The owner shot the would-be robber after he demanded cash, police said.
The man ran from the store and collapsed around the corner next to a
stolen gold Mazda that police had chased just two hours earlier. He was
pronounced dead at Charity Hospital. His identity had not been released
Tuesday night.
On the front seat of the Mazda police found a ski mask with enlarged
eyeholes and a change of clothes, including shorts, shirt and tennis
shoes.
"He had it all laid out and ready to change into as soon as he made his
getaway," said 6th District police commander Capt. Tony Cannatella.
No charges were filed in the shooting, which a preliminary investigation
determined was in self-defense, police said. Police didn't release the
name of the owner of Meyer's Auto Parts, which is on South Broad Street
across from the Sewerage & Water Board pumping station at Martin Luther
King Boulevard.
The owner said he was alone in his store when a man walked up to the
store shortly before 6 p.m.
The owner told police the man seemed to look around before entering.
After asking the owner several questions about hubcaps, he looked around
the store, police said. At some point, the suspicious owner, fearing for
his safety, got his .38-caliber revolver from under the counter and put
it behind his back or in his waistband, police said.
The man pulled a small-barreled, hand-sized, Russian-made .380-caliber
semiautomatic pistol, pointed it at the store owner and demanded money,
police said.
The owner reached behind his back deliberately, as if he was reaching
for his wallet, police said, but instead came up with his revolver.
Police said he apparently fired one time, hitting the man in the chest.
Detective Robert Hoobler said he was still trying to determine Tuesday
night if the wounded man had also fired.
The gunman ran from the store, leaving drops of blood on the sidewalk
for a half block along South Broad and collapsing in front of the fire
station, where he dropped his pistol. Police found it there with four
bullets in the clip and one in the chamber, officers said.
Police said the man got back to his feet and ran around the corner to
Thalia Street, where he collapsed again near the rear bumper of the
Mazda, parked less than a half block off Broad. Police found a key to
the stolen car next to where the man fell.
The man was taken to Charity Hospital and was pronounced dead at 6:37
p.m., police said.
Police recognized the Mazda as having been chased by police in the Irish
Channel on Tuesday afternoon.
Sixth District task force officer Tony Hunt noticed the car driving
erratically in the 2300 block of Dryades Street about 90 minutes before
the robbery attempt, police said. Hunt turned on his lights and siren
and tried to pull the car over, but the driver accelerated. Hunt chased
the car through the Irish Channel, police said, but stopped for safety
reasons, Miles said.
The car was stolen in Kenner between Friday and Tuesday, officers said.
Cannatella said his detectives would try to determine whether the man
was involved in a robbery last week at a business a couple of blocks
away from the hubcap store. "He meets the guy's description," Cannatella
said.
==========================(DE) Judge rules shooting of drug dealer was self-defense 06-07-03
(DE) Judge rules shooting of drug dealer was self-defense 06-07-03
Shore News - delmarvanow.com
Address:http://www.delmarvanow.com/easternshore/stories/20030607/439673.html
Acc. shooter not guilty in self-defense
Man felt threated by convicted felon
By NANCY DRURY DUNCAN
ACCOMAC -- The prosecutor portrayed the September shooting as avoidable.
The defense attorney said it was self-defense.
In the end, a judge ruled that the shooting was justifiable.
The shooter, Robert Hall, 57, of Accomac, was cleared of a charge he had
unlawfully wounded a convicted drug dealer who had threatened him
numerous times, including once with a firearm.
After the threats, Hall began carrying his own gun.
And when Wayne Tyler Jr., 24, also of
Accomac, walked up to a vehicle driven by Hall on the evening of Sept.
20, words were exchanged. Hall feared for his life. And Tyler sustained
one gunshot wound to the lower abdomen.
Witnesses said Hall, a successful mason for 35 years, has a sterling
reputation.
Circuit Judge Glen A. Tyler found Hall not guilty, saying he was without
fault in provoking the difficulty.
"He had every right to think he was in danger,"
Tyler said. "There is hardly anything more dangerous than a gun-toting
drug dealer.
"And Wayne Tyler has already been convicted. He has a reputation for
being a gun-toting drug dealer who is aggressive."
Drug deals were common
Most of Thursday's testimony concerned activities at a mobile home on
Daugherty Road owned by Hall that has been vacant for the past several
years.
Hall tried to keep the property in good condition, he said. But it had
become a hangout for young people and was the site of loitering and drug
deals.
Windows were repeatedly broken out and the yard was littered with trash
and bottles, said Hall, who said he had called police numerous times
about the trespassers.
Testimony of neighbors and police officers confirmed that the trailer
had become a problem.
Hall said that Tyler, a convicted drug dealer, was the ringleader and
caused most of the problems, even cursing the landowner while he worked
at the property.
"I have seen Tyler drinking and selling drugs there," he said. "We had
been feuding."
Hall said Tyler threatened him "five or six" times -- once with a gun.
"After the July incident, I started carrying a gun in my truck," Hall
said. "I fear for my life around drug dealers."
The night of the shooting, Hall visited the property between 9:30 and 10
p.m., and found Tyler there again.
"He started walking toward my truck," Hall testified. "He started
running off at the mouth. He had his hands down, I couldn't see them. I
thought he had a gun.
"I feared for my life, that's why I tried to protect myself."
He fired one shot. Tyler, about six feet away, fell into a ditch beside
the road before running away. He was hospitalized for over four weeks,
testimony showed.
Hall admitted to police that he fired the gun and was charged with
unlawful wounding, a felony.
"He could have driven away"
"We've had three cases in the past year where very solid citizens have
gotten into trouble taking the law into their own hands," said
Commonwealth's Attorney Gary Agar, who prosecuted the case. "The system
is collapsing upon itself. We must defend the system." Agar maintained
that Hall need not have fired the gun.
"He could have driven away," he said. "The defendant has been a good
citizen all his life. He is not a bad person. He committed a bad act. He
has violated the law here, he needs to be punished for doing that."
Defense Attorney Tom Northam acknowledged the feud between the men, but
pointed to Tyler's criminal history -- and felt Hall, the shooter, had
to decide between court and death.
"Tyler is a convicted felon, Mr. Hall felt he was going to be shot,"
Northam said. "You'd rather be tried by 12 than carried by six."
Tyler said that the prosecution had an obligation to pursue the case,
but said the court could not find beyond a reasonable doubt that Hall
acted unreasonably.
==================
(WA) Intruder who stabbed couple caught by armed neighbor06-11-03
The Seattle Times: Intruder stabs couple in home
Address:http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/text/134965301_dige11m.html
Wednesday, June 11, 2003, 12:31 A.M.
Local Digest
Intruder stabs couple in home
SEATTLE - An intruder stabbed a husband and wife with scissors in
front of their twin boys last night after he broke into their Loyal
Heights neighborhood home. The man fled the house and was cornered by
neighbors, including one with a pistol, until police arrived.
The incident was reported about 9:10 p.m. in the 8800 block of 28th
Avenue Northwest.
A 21-year-old man entered the house, possibly through a back window or
door, said Seattle police spokeswoman Deanna Nollette.
The intruder then surprised the 45-year-old man in the family room,
stabbing him from behind. When his 41-year-old wife, who had been taking
a shower, walked downstairs to investigate the noises, she was stabbed
as well.
The couple were taken to Harborview Medical Center, but their injuries
were not believed to be life-threatening, Nollette said. Several
neighbors who had heard screams came over to help. One tackled the man
and another held him at gunpoint
:banghead: 