Recent incidents of home owners defending lives with guns

[LiveLife]

January 6, 2011 - http://www.woai.com/news/local/stor...s-intruder/Xfj74ScA3027jgW_HbyMHA.cspx?rss=68

two males in their late teens or early 20's broke into an elderly couple's home ... around 1:15 p.m. One of the men used a hammer to break a sliding glass door. Once inside, he was confronted by the homeowners, who had come downstairs after hearing the sound of breaking glass.

As the husband yelled at the man and asked what he was doing in his house, investigators said the wife pointed a handgun at the man and fired it. Police said the man was hit once and staggered into the backyard, where he then died. The second suspect ran off on foot. Police caught up with him about a block away a short time later.

 

[LiveLife]

October 19, 2010 - http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/lo...-kills-home-intruder-713184.php#ixzz2HAIniVvt

A homeowner shot and killed a man who broke into her Northeast Side house early Tuesday morning, police said.

Toni Hanes, 50, told police she was awakened by the sound of her bedroom door being kicked in around 3:30 a.m. She grabbed a handgun from under her pillow, shot once and, as the intruder fled, she continued to shoot at him, the incident report states.

Officers combing the area shortly after the shooting found the body of Guadalupe Rolando Valenzuela, 28, face down in a neighbor's yard.

 

[LiveLife]

September 27, 2012 - http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8826642

The two men forced a man into his sister's home and held the family at gunpoint, but they didn't realize the man had a gun of his own.

Just before 10pm Wednesday, as a man who lives in a home on Glenhurst was returning from the grocery store, police say he was confronted by two masked men with guns. The victim said, "I did everything that they said, then they took us in. One of them hit me in the head."

... the men made him, his sister and teenaged niece get on the floor. They demanded money. The resident says the two men began ransacking the home. While one searched in the attic, the other started sifting through a bookcase. He says that's when he saw a window of opportunity to grab his own gun, hidden in his belt. The resident killed one of the suspects inside the house.

 

[DammitBoy]

bds - thanks for this thread, I've been using it to post at sites where folks claim we don't need any guns.

 

[LiveLife]

January 2, 2012 - http://newsok.com/blanchard-woman-shoots-kills-intruder/article/3636876

An 18-year-old woman shot and killed an intruder Saturday after the man forced his way into her home and was carrying a weapon, police said.

Sarah Dawn McKinley was at home with her 3-month-old son when the home invasion occurred about 2 p.m. He said Justin Shane Martin, 24, of Blanchard, entered through the front door and was shot by McKinley in the upper torso ... He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Thompson said another man, identified as Dustin Louis Stewart, 29, of Blanchard, was about to enter the home with Martin when he heard the gunshot. Stewart ran from the scene and later surrendered to officers at the Blanchard Police Department

 

[LiveLife]

April 13, 2011 - http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/04/13/police-homeowner-shoots-intruder-to-death-in-east-islip/

a gunman and two other suspects forced their way inside a two-story home ... around 2 a.m.

Once inside the home, the suspect armed with a .22 caliber rifle shot the family’s pit bull. A man who lives in the home, grabbed a shotgun and returned fire, police said.

One suspect, identified by police as Fred Flock, 27, of Coram, died on the back porch. Another suspect was wounded and hospitalized, police said. A third suspect, identified as Philipe Robinette, 27, of Aquebogue, fled the scene but was later caught by authorities.

 

[LiveLife]

July 17, 2011 - http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/20...0717_1_homeowner-shot-fatal-shooting-intruder

a homeowner ... had shot and killed "an unknown white male intruder."

Police said the suspect entered the home by breaking the window of the kitchen door. Once inside, he armed himself with two large kitchen knives.

The homeowner shot when the intruder moved towards him with the knives, police said.

 

[LiveLife]

September 20, 2011 - http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20110920_11_0_Police216791

The man ... had allegedly attempted to break into several cars and homes along 10th Street, including an unattached storage building, Walker said.

At the home where the shooting occurred, he allegedly failed to break into a car in the driveway but then got into a front window ... The homeowner confronted the man as he was allegedly rummaging through a desk. The homeowner told the man to stop and then shot him several times, killing him, Walker said.

The homeowner was taken for questioning and was released Tuesday morning.

 

[LiveLife]

August 25, 2011 - http://www.fox16.com/news/local/sto...s-intruder-in-his/4i2jQpwTOEWQsUoesSCCHw.cspx

An Arkansas State Trooper shot and killed an intruder in his home ... Police say the trooper was asleep in his home when he was awakened by the sound of someone who did not belong in his house. That’s when the trooper shot and killed the intruder in his home.

“If your home is being burglarized and you’re in fear for your life, you don’t have to run away,” said Josh Adams with the Sherwood Police Department. “If you are in fear of something happening to you or your family, you can protect yourself, and he did.”

The man killed in the home invasion has been identified as 23-year-old Cleotis Castleberry. According to his criminal history report, issued by the Pulaski County jail, Castleberry has been arrested numerous times for burglary, theft, failure to appear, and obstructing governmental operations.

 

[LiveLife]

October 22, 2011 - http://www.theblaze.com/stories/very-afraid-66-year-old-woman-shoots-and-kills-home-intruder/

Very Afraid 66-Year-Old Woman Shoots and Kills Home Intruder

... she was terrified when she heard the intruder at her her door, firing two warning shots through her window to scare the man away. When 37-year-old Jesse Edward Theis persisted, attempting to come back in, Hopper fired a fatal shot in his abdomen, killing Theis on the scene.

Redding, CA prosecutors say Hopper’s actions were justified ... "He meant her lethal harm," Shasta County Chief Deputy District Attorney Josh Lowery said.

Local officials say the shooting is yet another example of how inmates at the continually full Shasta County jail are being released early and going out and committing more crime, sometimes within hours of their release ... Theis had been released from jail the morning before the shooting took place.

 

[LiveLife]

July 23, 2012 - http://roxborough.patch.com/article...ots-kills-intruder-at-andorra-home-police-say

An off-duty, Buck County police officer shot and killed one person who attempted to rob his Andorra home, while another alleged burglar stole his car, Philadelphia Police said.

the officer and his wife were asleep when he was awoken by a commotion near his vehicle early Monday morning. He went outside and saw Tim Zgrzepski, 29, man near his Honda Odyssey and got into a confrontation with him.

The officer returned indoors to retrieve his weapon and found Mehlberger in his house. Little said he shot and killed the man. The other man fled in the officer's vehicle. Later, police apprehended him.

Neither the officer nor his wife were injured in the incident ... no charges will be filed against the officer as he was protecting his home.

 

[LiveLife]

April 19, 2012 - http://www.wkrn.com/story/17573774/home-invastion-turns-into-deadly-shooting

a masked and gloved gunman later identified as convicted drug felon Michael Martin knocked on the door of the apartment that Michael Moffitt shares with his girlfriend. Moffitt directed his girlfriend to the bedroom and told her to call police.

Moffitt, who is a firearms enthusiast and had legal weapons in the apartment, retrieved an AR-15 rifle and again checked the peephole. Seeing that it was no longer covered, Moffitt opened the door. Police said at that point, Martin, armed with a semi-automatic pistol, forced his way in and shoved Moffitt hard into an interior wall.

Moffitt opened fire on Martin, 35, with the rifle, fatally wounding him.

A second man wearing a ski mask was seen on the backside of the apartment building. Police said he fled the area after hearing the gunshots ... detectives theorize that Martin may have come to the apartment as part of a plot to rob Moffitt of his firearms.

The preliminary investigation indicates that Moffitt fired on Martin in self-defense and no charges were filed. Martin was convicted of six felony drug counts last November and received a seven-year probated sentence, police said.

 

[LiveLife]

February 15, 2012 - http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Antioch-man-wrestles-away-gun-kills-intruder-3321750.php

An Antioch man at home with his young son disarmed an 18-year-old man who kicked in his front door and shot him dead with his own gun, the second time in three months that a resident in the city has fought back with deadly results, police said.

The latest incident happened about 8:20 p.m. Monday, when a resident ... heard his doorbell ring ... The resident, who was home with his 7-year-old son, did not answer the doorbell right away and then peered out a window, only to see his front door being kicked in ... "He just jumps the guy and realizes the guy has a gun ... He somehow (got) it away from him" and shot the intruder three times in the torso, then called police, she said.

The intruder died at the scene, and ... had a criminal history that included weapons violations.

The resident and his son were not hurt. Police said the man would not be arrested. Investigators believe Stovall and at least two accomplices chose the home at random, intending to steal items.

 

[LiveLife]

November 28, 2012 - http://www.khou.com/news/local/Depu...burglar-caught-taking-property-181130391.html

a homeowner came home and noticed an upstairs light was on that wasn’t supposed to be. He went back to his car, got his gun, and headed back to the house.

Deputies said as he was heading inside, the thieves were on the way out with stolen property. That’s when the men tried to take off. One managed to get away, but the other ended up in a scuffle and then was shot by the homeowner.

The injured man sped off in a car but turned himself in to authorities ... Deputies said the homeowner carries a concealed handgun license.

 

[LiveLife]

November 27, 2012 - http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2012/11/27/grand-prairie-homeowner-shoots-home-invader/#

the homeowner called 9-1-1 around 2:30 ... to report someone breaking into a window of his home ... The homeowner continued to talk to the 9-1-1 dispatcher, as he grabbed his handgun and argued with the suspect as he entered the home.

Police say the homeowner mentioned the suspect ... was carrying a knife, right before he fired his gun.

“Why the suspect picked this specific house I have no idea,” said Grand Prairie Police Detective Lyle Genslar. “But he picked the wrong house.”

Police say the shooting will be investigated, but the preliminary investigation shows the homeowner owned and used his gun lawfully.

 

[LiveLife]

Sempember, 2012 - http://www.mountaineagle.com/pages/...e-Dora+homeowner+shoots+intruder &id=19807064

At approximately 3 a.m. ... police received an emergency call from a woman ... the caller said someone had kicked in her door and entered the house.

As the intruder advanced up the stairs, the homeowner fired one shot, and Jacobs left the house through the front door ... Jacobs was found in the yard of the house, bleeding from the gunshot wound. Though the homeowner’s two children were in the house at the time of the incident, none of them were injured.

The homeowner will not be charged, according to police.

 

[LiveLife]

March 19, 2012 - http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S2544729.shtml

According to Albuquerque Police, Richard Garcia has been arrested 37 times for various crimes including Criminal Sexual Penetration, ID theft, and a laundry list of property crime offenses since the late 1980s.

... Once Garcia was set free, police said he broke into a home ... On the 911 audio tape ... Torres explained to the dispatcher that he heard a loud bang and the alarms going off. He reached for his gun and found Garcia at the top of his staircase. Torres told the dispatcher he fired twice, hitting Garcia once in the back.

Torres will not face charges for shooting Garcia. Roseman said Torres was within his legal rights to defend his property with a gun

.

 

[LiveLife]

March 29, 2012 - http://www.wthr.com/story/17282365/homeowner-shoots-burglar-in-fairland

the man ... tried to break in the front door of a house ... Investigators say he broke through a side panel and was reaching in trying turn the knob from the inside when the homeowner fired a single shot, hitting the suspect in the hip.

"The homeowner gave him every opportunity to go away. In fact, he wished he would have. He wouldn't and the homeowner, by his credit, he waited until the last possible moment to protect his family and that's what he had to do," said Det. Dan Crafton, Shelby County Sheriff's Department.

There was about a five-minute delay in the police response to the shooting since, detectives say, the initial 911 call was received by Marion County Dispatch and had to be routed to Shelby County. The neighborhood is very close to the Marion-Shelby County line.

Detectives say the homeowner will not be charged.

 

[LiveLife]

January 17, 2012 - http://www2.wkrg.com/news/2012/jan/17/elberta-homeowner-shoots-intruder-ar-3062775/

James Huppart was shot by the homeowner in the chest when he entered the back door of his house. The man's wife and children were sleeping just a few feet away. Huppart staggered out of the house and collapsed outside near the roadway.

People living near the crime scene say they wouldn't hesitate to use deadly force and protect their families if confronted by an intruder.

Elberta Police Chief Julie Joyner says a homeowner was justified when he shot a man during an attempted home invasion and will not be charged

.

 

[LiveLife]

March 28, 2012 - http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/03/28/elderly-homeowner-fatally-shoots-young-burglar/

The 75-year-old Willie White said he was watching a basketball game in his home when he heard the suspects breaking in through a side door. His wife was asleep upstairs.

White shot and killed one suspect, an 18-year-old man ... White said he feared for his life ... and, as the man approached, he had no other choice but to fire. “... he was into the kitchen and coming up the stairs ... And I felt threatened and I shot him,” White said.

A search by police determined the intruder was armed.

 

[LiveLife]

November 20, 2011 - http://www.whas11.com/news/crimetracker/Police--134209288.html

Heather Dawson and her two sons came home around 11 a.m. Sunday morning she noticed something wasn’t right in the home ... When she went to look is when she found him in the basement ... Heather confronted the man while her sons called 911.

“He produces a shotgun out of the items he was taking from the home,”

Heather took action.

“The struggle over the gun falls to the outside, goes upstairs and out the door. He's shot on the driveway to the house. One shot --apparently to the head," Said Sgt. Troy Armstrong

Neighbor Randy Mills says there have been several break-ins lately in the area.

 

[LiveLife]

July 23, 2012 - http://www.wfsb.com/story/19089473/milford-homeowner-shoots-intruder-in-chest

the 67-year-old resident realized there may have been an intruder inside the home after hearing a noise outside his home. While he was investigating ... the homeowner was confronted by the burglar.

A struggle ensued and the homeowner retreated to the second floor and armed himself with a gun. He then returned to the first floor of the home and found the intruder attempting to steal his TV. The homeowner pleaded with the man to leave, and again the suspect began to physically assault the homeowner.

At that point, police said, the homeowner shot the home invader in the chest.

Investigating officers said they found a vehicle owned by Prue a short distance away from the homeowner's home ... inside the vehicle police ... found evidence of crack cocaine and paraphernalia used to ingest it.

 

[LiveLife]

May 1, 2012 - http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2012/05/01/modesto-homeowner-shoots-masked-intruder/

The shooting happened at a home ... around 8:30 a.m.

Police say two men wearing ski masks broke into the home. The suspects had one person at gunpoint and demanded money and property. Another person in the home opened fire on the suspects. One of the suspects was hit.

Police do not plan to file charges against the victim.

 

[LiveLife]

January 17, 2012 - http://www.wect.com/story/16533019/2012/01/18/suspect-shot-during-burglary-in-progress

around 3:00 a.m. ... the homeowner ... was asleep when he heard a noise. He went to check to see if everything was okay and noticed a man trying to get through the front door of his brand new home. The homeowner says the burglar had smashed in the glass window on the front door. The homeowner then pulled out his weapon and fired a shot from inside the house.

The homeowner says he just purchased the house three days ago. "I thought it was a pretty quiet area. I guess at night that's when they try to get in." The suspect tried to run but collapsed in the yard. Police found the suspect on the ground near the home.

Police said the homeowner will not be charged.

 

[LiveLife]

February 9, 2012 - http://www.clayconews.com/laurel-county/1450-home-owner-shoots-intruder-laurel-county.html

Home owner shoots intruder - 3 subjects are suspects in a burglary (that turned into an apparent home invasion) that occurred at a house. A male suspect apparently entered the house where the home owner and his infant child were asleep.

The home owner was awakened to a suspect walking around in the bedroom. Shots were fired by the home owner striking the intruder at least once in the upper chest.

When Deputy John Inman arrived at the scene, three suspects were taken into custody near the residence ... near the suspect's black Ford explorer.