Gun free town sends a message to criminals
[Burglar thought he had easy pickings in the "gun-free" town of
Wilmette. Message sent by charging homeowner is that burglars don't have
to worry about resistance from residents.]
Quote: "The people I've talked to in Wilmette like this ordinance and support it." pioneer press ........
I think I'd have to move and let the sheep and criminals have that town!!!!!
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News - Wilmette Life
Address:
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/cgi-bin/ppo-story/localnews/current/wi/01-08-04-197545.html
Jan. 8, 2004
Homeowner to face gun charges
BY KEN GOZE
STAFF WRITER
A Wilmette homeowner who shot and wounded an intruder succeeded in
driving the burglar out of his house and may have ended a series of cat
burglaries on the village's east side, but this week he faces weapons
charges that include a local ordinance banning handgun possession.
The incident also could lead village trustees to revisit an issue which
has received relatively little attention since board members passed the
handgun ban nearly 15 years ago in the wake of the Laurie Dann school
shootings.
Morio L. Billings, 31, was hospitalized at St. Francis Hospital in
Evanston Dec. 29, after he fled the Linden Avenue neighborhood with two
bullet wounds and a stolen sport utility vehicle police said he had
stolen from the same house the night before.
After a Tuesday bond hearing, he was transferred to Cook County Jail,
where he was held on a $3 million bond charged with two counts of
residential burglary and one count of possession of a stolen motor
vehicle.
The homeowner and victim of the break-in, 54-year-old Hale DeMar, will
not face charges in the shooting, which prosecutors determined was
justified.
But police on Tuesday said they planned to charge him with failing to
have a current Firearm Owners Identification Card, a misdemeanor, and
with violating Wilmette's 1989 handgun ordinance, which carries a fine
of up to $750 and permanent loss of the weapons. He is to appear in
court on both charges Feb. 6.
Police said they confiscated the .38-caliber revolver used in the
shooting as well as a .380 automatic pistol from the home. They said
DeMar had a FOID card but that it expired in 1988.
Although statements in the days after the incident seemed to indicate
that police might not press the ordinance issue in the case, police said
they were not wavering on the issue but waiting for facts and dealing
with the more immediate issues surrounding the burglary suspect.
"It was not due to indecision but a desire to have complete information
before coming to conclusions. Our strategy was to address the forcible
felony charges first," said Police Chief George Carpenter.
Burglary history
Police said Billings has an extensive criminal history and came to the
Chicago area from Coon Rapids, Minn. On the night before the shooting,
he entered DeMar's house near the Bahai Temple by reaching through a dog
door to open a deadbolt lock. At that time, police said he took a small
television and a set of keys to the house and a BMV sports utility
vehicle, which he used to flee the area.
When DeMar discovered and reported that crime early the next day, he was
not able to get the locks changed and had his 8-year-old daughter and
10-year-old son stay in his upstairs room.
Shortly before 10:30 p.m., police said, Billings returned to the home,
apparently seeking a computer monitor he believed to be a high-end flat
screen television. When he used the stolen keys to open a kitchen door,
DeMar was alerted by an alarm panel near his bedroom and went downstairs
armed with the revolver.
He found himself across from a man masked with a hat and bandana.
Instead of leaving through the nearby door, police said Billings ran
farther into the house in a circuitous motion.
At that point DeMar fired four of the six bullets in the gun. Billings
was struck twice, once in the shoulder and once in the leg. After
crashing through a window and running back to the stolen SUV, he drove
through a yard and knocked down two fences to escape.
Wilmette police found Billings shortly after that when St. Francis
Hospital reported the arrival of a man seeking treatment for gunshot
wounds.
Billings' injuries were not considered life-threatening, but the bullet
that struck his shoulder caused extensive damage lower in his arm.
Since mid-October, police have been investigating a pattern of cat
burglaries in the area, break-ins or attempts by someone who knows or
believes the home to be occupied at the time.
Shooter reacts
DeMar, who owns the Oak Tree Restaurant in Chicago, said he could not
comment on specifics of the case but said he is not someone who wanted a
confrontation.
"I don't think I acted any differently than a lot of people would have
with two small children in the house. I'm a strong believer in the
Second Amendment. I'm not a criminal, I'm a 55-year-old businessman,"
DeMar said.
"I think it's strange you're allowed to have a shotgun or semi-automatic
rifle, but those aren't things you'd reach for when somebody breaks in,"
he said. "Those aren't things I'd have in the house."
Legal aspects aside, Carpenter said keeping handguns in a home and
confronting intruders is a dangerous gamble.
"We want to give good information to Wilmette residents about what we
advise them to do if they ever find themselves in this situation. Lock
the bedroom door and call 911. Protect yourselves and your children
first," Carpenter said.
By confronting a burglar, homeowners take the risk of being overpowered
or surprised by more than one intruder or by someone who is better
armed, faster or just lucky.
Handgun dangers
The homeowner can end up wounded or killed in a struggle over their own
weapon, Carpenter warned. Out of confusion and fear, some people trying
to defend their home have accidentally shot their own family members
returning late at night.
"These things go wrong in so many ways," Carpenter said.
Beyond the immediate danger of a struggle, Carpenter said a handgun in
the home can facilitate suicides, accidental shootings and can turn
domestic arguments into homicides.
The choice of burglary alarm also affects the outcome of incidents such
as this one, Carpenter said.
The alarm notified DeMar of the intrusion, but a loud audible alarm
usually sends burglars running. As with many home systems, the alarm
goes first to a remote monitoring center before police are notified.
That delay can run as long as 10 minutes and in this case gave Billings
enough time to get into a confrontation, run back to a stolen vehicle
and begin his escape before police learned there was a problem. Some
systems notify the Police Department directly.
It's not clear whether the incident will lead to calls to change or
repeal the handgun ordinance, but it is possible that trustees will
review the law or seek to remind people that it's still on the books and
being enforced.
Wilmette is one of a few suburbs to enact local handgun bans, including
Morton Grove and Oak Park.
Village President Nancy Canafax said the law had been considered before
the 1988 Winnetka school shootings, but that incident helped overcome
opposition to the ban and it seems to still enjoy broad support. It has
not been scheduled for discussion at a meeting but could come up in
trustee discussions or public input.
"I've gotten some e-mail from people saying it's a horrible thing and
it's unconstitutional, but I don't think any of them were from
Wilmette," Canafax said.
"The people I've talked to in Wilmette like this ordinance and support
it."
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