Armed citizen stops bank robber.
UPDATE:
He told WXYZ.com he pulled out a 9 mm handgun (for which he had a CCW permit), racked a bullet in the chamber, pointed it at Webster and announced, "You are not robbing this bank!" The startled Webster countered with, "but, I have a bomb" -- but Fawzi wasn't impressed. "I don't care. You are not robbing this bank!"
Investigators say they were definitely going to rob him - possibly even kill him. But an 80-year-old North Texan wasn't about to let that happen, so he took action.
Link: Man shoots burglary suspect - Inside Bay Area.
Tuesday's shooting was the third time since last Thursday night that a resident or a merchant shot a suspect who was involved in criminal activity in Oakland. Thursday night, a clerk at an Eighth Avenue market shot an 18-year-old Pittsburg man who was trying to rob the store with an accomplice. On Saturday night, the owner of a 23rd Avenue liquor store shot a suspected robber after the man had shot him during a failed robbery. Holmgren defended their actions Tuesday, saying "the criminals brought the crimes to them, and they had to act accordingly."
Link: CRIME REPORT: Man shoots at carjacker : Local News : Commercial Appeal.
A man buying gas in South Memphis early today surprised an armed carjacker by pulling a gun and firing at least two shots at him.
Link: John Lott's Website: A Canadian with a Gun catches a horrible criminal.
A Canadian with a gun catches a criminal when the police failed:
Link (includes video): Woman holds burglar at gunpoint | KY3 | Local.
DADEVILLE, Mo. -- A burglar in southern Cedar County found himself in a standoff this week -- not with police but with a 57-year-old woman armed with a pistol and training for a conceal-and-carry permit. She held the burglar at bay until police could arrive to arrest him at the rural home where whe found him in the closet.
Gunshot might have been more survivable. Link: Boy, 12, Kills Man Who Attacked His Mom.
HYATTSVILLE, Md. (AP) - A 12-year-old boy fatally slashed a man who was attacking his mother at the boarding house where they lived, authorities said.
SANTA ANA - A man and a teenage boy were arrested on suspicion of a strong-arm robbery near South Coast Plaza after a retired officer stopped the fleeing duo, firing multiple gunshots at them, police said.
....
The officer, who has not yet been identified, retired from the Anaheim Police Department 31 years ago with the rank of sergeant, said Anaheim Police Sgt. Rick Martinez. The officer served in the department for 10 years and has been issued a permit to carry a concealed weapon, Martinez said. Honorably retired officers may be issued the permit and must show proficiency annually at their own expense at a shooting range approved by the department.
Link: Woman kills intruder, wounds husband in home invasion | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle.
An east Harris County woman said she was protecting her family when she fatally shot an intruder holding them at gunpoint inside their apartment.
This must be the third such case I've heard of recently. Link: Update: Arrest made in pizza shooting | DesMoinesRegister.com | The Des Moines Register.
A pizza deliveryman told Des Moines police that he shot a man who robbed him at gunpoint when he delivered a pie late Thursday to a south-side address.
HICKORY, N.C. - Police say two suspects are dead after an attempted home invasion.
Link: News: Gun statistics you seldom see | gun, homeowner, year, police, irvine - OCRegister.com.
It was the sort of incident that never makes it into the official crime statistics – that is, an incident in which a crime may have been prevented by a firearm. It happened earlier this month in Irvine. Police were looking for a man suspected of raping an 18-year-old woman in her home. As the cops searched, the fleeing suspect, a 27-year-old L.A. gang member, tried to hide by breaking into another home. Inside, the homeowner, a man who had recently undergone defensive firearms training, heard the commotion, grabbed a handgun and confronted the suspect.
....
Yes, the rape will be added to the grim numbers of that despicable crime, and the successful arrest will appear in the Irvine Police Department's annual statistics. And ironically, if the homeowner had justifiably shot and killed the intruder it still would have been listed in the overall statistics as a gun-related homicide – the same statistics that anti-gun activists use to promote stricter so-called "gun control" laws to keep firearms out of the hands of law-abiding citizens.
Link: RussiaToday : News : Mother avoids jail after burglar killing.
A Russian mother who shot two armed burglars, killing one of them, will not face any charges. Police in the Sverdlovsk region have decided she was acting in self defence, protecting her three children.
Victim shoots axe-wielder in Safeway parking lot. What is it about grocery stores? Brings to mind the samurai swordsmen decapitating people at the Irvine Albertson's a few years ago.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the incident started on the roadway and both subjects pulled into the store parking lot. Witnesses state that the deceased subject approached Mr. King with a raised axe. They heard two shots and the man with the axe fell to the ground.
Link: Victim's Wife Shoots at Home Invaders.
HIDALGO COUNTY - Two gunmen involved in a home invasion were chased away by the victim's wife.
Link: Intruder Shot During A Frightening Home Invasion.
The woman immediately alerted her boyfriend, who was also in the apartment and began calling 911. Just as she was dialing the numbers into her phone, Larson allegedly grabbed the woman and began attacking her. Seconds later, the woman’s boyfriend retrieved his loaded handgun and shot Larson in the abdomen.
Link: Boy survives mountain lion attack - People: Tales of survival - MSNBC.com.
Fortunately, another adult — P.J.’s uncle — in the party had brought a handgun along and had left it in a vehicle that was parked nearby. He ran to get the gun, and when the animal started to investigate whether P.J.’s head was bite-sized, Smith told him to shoot the animal, which he did with one extremely well-placed shot.
Link: Lawn feud shooter goes free - 03/07/2008 - MiamiHerald.com.
Both lawns are now badly overgrown.
Link: The Longmont Times-Call.
LONGMONT — A boy fired a gun and chased away a burglar who tried to break into a house north of the city this afternoon, deputies said.
It's impossible to know exactly how often guns stop criminals. Would-be victims don't usually report crimes that don't happen. But people use guns in self-defense every day. The Cato Institute's Tom Palmer says just showing his gun to muggers once saved his life. "It equalizes unequals," Palmer told "20/20." "If someone gets into your house, which would you rather have, a handgun or a telephone? You can call the police if you want, and they'll get there, and they'll take a picture of your dead body. But they can't get there in time to save your life. The first line of defense is you."
Link: SouthCoastToday.com: Rochester resident held purse-snatching suspect at gunpoint.
"It just didn't add up, so I called 911 and asked them if they were looking for anyone." Based on the description provided by the police, Mr. Correia realized that his guest was a wanted man. "When it dawned on him that I was talking to the police, he jumped out of his chair. That's when I pulled my gun. I told him to sit back down, that the police were on their way, and he did." "I've had my permit since I was 18, and that's the first time I've ever pointed a gun at another human being. I hope I never have to do it again. I tried to be a nice guy, but he had nothing to lose at that point. He knew he was going to jail." Minutes later, eight cruisers and about a dozen police officers arrived on the scene. "He was OK with me but became combative with the police, which was weird," Mr. Correia said. Asked what he might have done had the suspect lunged at him instead of sitting back down he said: "That would have been the tough part. But by then I was just protecting my family. This guy needed to be in jail."
Link: John Lott's Website: Man has three defensive gun uses this year.
According to WISH TV channel 8, a man in Indianapolis has used a gun defensively three times in less than two months
BRIGHTON, Tenn. - Police say a man attempting to rape a girl and a woman was shot and killed after one escaped and alerted her nearby cousin.
Link: John Lott's Website: Concealed Handgun Permit Holder Stops Man being Beaten by Three People.
In Pittsfield Township, Michigan a permit holder stopped a man from being beaten:
Here is news video of Florida permit holder who repelled carjackers:
Here is a video incorporating yet another 911 call of a woman using a gun to defend against a home intruder:
Link: KSDK NewsChannel 5 - Woman Shoots Intruder, And It's Recorded On 911 Call.
DISPATCHER: "OK, Can you get to a room with a lock on it?" CALLER: "Yes I can." DISPATCHER: "OK, I'm going to tell you when it's okay to come out, okay?" The woman takes refuge in an upstairs bedroom, then eventually in a closet. CALLER: "He broke through the window again...." DISPATCHER: "OK, is he in the house?" CALLER: "Yes, I think he is." Two minutes into the call she tells them she is armed. DISPATCHER: "Does he normally carry weapons at all?" CALLER: "I got one today." DISPATCHER: "You got one what?" CALLER: "I got a weapon today." DISPATCHER: "OK, A gun? You have it... Is it in the room with you?" The dispatcher informs the arriving officers that the woman is armed; then, about five minutes after the call began, this final exchange: CALLER: "He's at the door now." DISPATCHER: "He's turning the door knob.. okay.. Is that him I hear?" CALLER: "Yeah." DISPATCHER: "Is there anything you can put.." CALLER: "What are you doing??? "STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT!".. DISPATCHER: "Okay.. he's in with her!" CALLER CONTINUES: "STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT! Stop it.. (begging) Please stop it..." The woman then shot the man.
Catching up on a few recent Defensive Gun Uses making it through the media filter:
DGU's are so numerous, it's mainly the strange ones that get reported. Link: STLtoday - News - Jefferson County:
FESTUS — Police believe that a practical joke led to the shooting of a 23-year-old Ste. Genevieve police officer Tuesday. The rookie officer allegedly faked a break-in around 9:45 p.m. at his brother-in-law's home in Festus, said Festus Police Chief Tim Lewis. "He didn't tell the family he was coming and decided to sneak in the back door," Lewis said. "The resident asked him to call out who he was, and he didn't, and he shot him."
Link: John Lott's Website: Permit holder stops road-rage attack.
Here is another case where a concealed handgun stopped road-rage and saved lives.
Here are a few recent DGU's passing through the media filter:
I don't have all the facts on this case and we'll know more later, but my impression after listening to the 911 call is that this was probably an improper use of deadly force. (So I'm posting in this section as a counter-example.) Maybe it was legal, as Texas law and jury culture appear more permissive re deadly force, but it appears at least morally improper to me. I bristled at Bush calling my fellow minutemen "vigilantes" a couple years ago, but there are indeed a few out there with that mindset and this case appears to be the real thing, based on my limited information. It just seems he went out intending to use deadly force and the shooting happened so quickly with no apparent counterfire or audible scuffle. I wish media would focus on the many other, more clearly legitimate DGU's out there. On the other hand, what do you do if the police aren't protecting your neighborhood? Just move?
Link: Texan 'hero' shoots and kills burglars - Telegraph.
Mr Horn saw Miguel Antontio DeJesus and Diego Ortiz getting into a neighbour’s house at around 2pm on November 14. According to his lawyer, he grabbed a 12-bore shotgun and called the police. He spoke to a police dispatcher for several minutes during which Mr Horn insisted he wouldn’t let the intruders get away. The dispatcher repeatedly told him to stay inside as officers were on their way. When the burglars crawled back out of the neighbour’s window carrying a bag, Mr Horn told the dispatcher: “Well, here it goes, buddy. You hear the shotgun clicking, and I’m going.” A few seconds later, he could be heard warning them not to move and then came the sound of three gunshots.
In the first story, the robbery victim admits "I meant to kill him" -- this is an example of why it is important for religious instruction to engage the issue of self-defense in an informed manner. A soldier may intend to kill in an offensive action, but a defender may only legitimately intend to STOP the threat, nothing more.
Link: Orlando victims scare off armed robbers with own guns -- OrlandoSentinel.com.
Two holders of concealed-weapons permits surprised armed thugs who approached them in west Orlando this week. Both men opened fire rather than surrender their wallets. The robbers beat it.
Other recent DGU's making it through the media filter are found here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Defensive Gun Uses (DGU's) are estimated at 2,500,000 annually in this country (includes mere brandishing). Even the most conservative government estimates put it at several hundred thousand. Here are a few of the more notable ones to occur recently:
Link: FreeSpeech.com » Blog Archives » Stupid gun laws in Georgia almost enabled mass murder!.
Witnesses said Ojeda appeared to have been drinking when he drove up to the restaurant around midnight, Norcross Police Detective Jason Carter said. Ojeda joined a group of four other people “other regulars, but not well acquainted with the man” on the patio and became belligerent when one person asked Ojeda not to be obnoxious. After a brief scuffle, Ojeda left, only to return with a gun about 45 minutes later, Carter said. As people on the patio scattered, one of the men he’d been sitting with ran away but drew his own gun, police said. That man, whose name was not released, fired once and hit Ojeda in the head, police said.
Link: Civilian Gun Self-Defense Blog.
Where Clayton Cramer, Pete Drum, and "DaveLoneRanger" keep track of civilians using guns in self-defense.
Link: WorldNetDaily: Monument to 'Che' destroyed.
A monument erected to immortalize the life and death of Ernesto "Che" Guevara, the Argentine revolutionary who fought with Fidel Castro in Cuba and in the Bolivian jungle, was demolished by gunfire in Venezuela, the country presided over by Hugo Chavez, Castro's heir apparent in Latin America.
Link: Vindy.com - An ax, gun and vest, part II: Suspect lied.
Adams and Galen told police that a gunman wearing a bulletproof vest and a bandanna to cover his face surprised them on the porch when they arrived home around 11 p.m. Monday and forced them to open the door. The intruder screamed that he wanted all their money and threatened them with the gun.
She confronted a man who told her he was "scrapping" and would not leave.
"I said, 'Oh, no you won't,' and I shot their tires so they couldn't leave," Ramey told the Cincinnati paper.
(Via NRA-ILA.) ABC's 20/20 show (one of the few that approach the gun issue with some fairness, at least with reporting by John Stossel re: Myths of Gun Control), now seeks "armed citizen" self-defense stories. You can sumit the story with a simple online form on ABC's site. (I like that the form acknowledges: "Perhaps you warded off a potential attacker by simply showing a gun?")
Link: STLtoday - News - St. Louis City / County.
... used a pellet gun to rob a man legally carrying a real gun outside a Bridgeton motel Tuesday morning and ended up shot, police said.
Link: Hammond the Hero (Wayne LaPierre's blog). Photo courtesy of W. Clark Aposhian.
We can't expect every place that posts "no guns allowed" signs to be so lucky. The sign in Utah did absolutely nothing to stop a madman, but it might very well have prevented more law-abiding gun owners from acting with Officer Hammond. Those signs are one of those "feel-good" gun-control measures that can end up causing actual harm. Evil men won't be stopped by a sign, but the good guys will.
Of course, it is difficult to say for sure, but Utah has an extremely high rate of permit issuance and I think it's very likely more lives could have been saved if the Mall was not posted to prevent carry. (Reportedly, it took Mr. Hammond over three minutes to get to reach the shooter from the other side of the Mall, and a witness said on TV that he was looking for a chair to throw at the attacker when Mr. Hammond arrived.)
I hope the Mall gets sued.
(At least the attacker used smokeless powder.)
INTERESTING UPDATE in re shootings reported a couple of days ago:
The 18-year-old gunman who killed five people in a crowded Utah shopping mall was a Bosnian Muslim refugee who was prepared to kill many more, say investigators.
And he was stopped by an off-duty police officer (civilian) carrying concealed.
Link: WorldNetDaily: Utah gunman, 18, was Muslim from Bosnia.
