Great story... I wonder why it took almost a month to run it.
-Andy
-Andy
Woman uses her new gun; two suspects face charges
By AMY JETER, The Virginian-Pilot
© November 4, 2003
PORTSMOUTH — Somewhere between a Food Lion and home, Temesha Greene noticed a van following her.
When she got to her driveway that August night, a man pulled out a gun.
Greene pulled out her own gun.
The man fired at her.
She fired back.
He missed.
She didn’t.
That night, officers found Emmitt M. Warren, 34, in a van near Greene’s house, suffering from gunshot wounds, according to court records. He was taken to a hospital and eventually was charged with attempted murder and weapons violations.
Dion C. Cameron, 35, was accused of driving the van and faces the same charges. Their cases were sent to a grand jury after a preliminary hearing Monday.
No charges were filed against Greene. The incident happened Aug. 9, shortly after Greene bought a house alarm system and her first gun.
The 26-year-old mother began worrying about the safety of her Peachtree neighborhood after she heard about several break-ins.
She ordered the .40-caliber Glock pistol in late July, and it arrived a few days later. She shot it for the first time at a range on Aug. 9.
At first, she said, holding the weapon felt strange. It scared her.
Then she started imagining the target picture was someone coming after her, and she felt more comfortable.
Later that night, someone did, according to court records and testimony Monday. Greene, her two sons and her boyfriend arrived home from a Food Lion about 11 p.m., according to testimony.
As they unpacked their Nissan Altima, a man appeared in the driveway.
Greene and her boyfriend, Cedric Williams, asked who it was, but the man said nothing. Through the back window of the car, Greene said, she saw the man pull out a weapon. She unlatched the Glock case on the floor of the car.
Shots rang out, several from each weapon. Williams ducked behind a tree, yelling for the boys, ages 8 and 9, to get down. Greene saw the man fall. The van started to pull away, and the man yelled for the driver to wait for him.
Greene called the police.
A gun was later found in her driveway, along with shell casings, according to testimony.
Officers tracked down the van and Warren on Fruitwood Court, and he was taken to a hospital, according to court papers.
On Monday, defense attorneys questioned whether Greene or Williams fired the gun that night. Greene said she was the shooter.
“I fired that gun,†she testified. “It had to have been more than five times.â€
Michael Rosenberg, Cameron’s attorney, said there was not enough evidence to support charges against his client.
But General District Judge Morton Whitlow said there was and cited three elements.
A man testified that Cameron borrowed the van from him that weekend.
Warren was found shot in that van. And Greene and Williams testified that the shooter shouted for “Dion†and “Cam.†as he limped away.
After the hearing, Greene said she was relieved.
The events of that night don’t haunt her like they used to, she said, but she remains shaken by the violence she experienced.
She’s still working for a collections agency, but she’s been trying to sell her house and move.
In December, a grand jury will consider the charges against Warren and Cameron. “I prayed that he wouldn’t die,†Greene said, “and that when he doesn’t die, he has to stay in prison for a long time.â€
Reach Amy Jeter at 446-2793 or [email protected]
