New Jersey Resident Shoots Intruder

Berkeley Heights, New Jersey

From the May 12, 2009 New Jersey Star-Ledger:

BERKELEY HEIGHTS -- A resident shot a man last night when the would-be intruder tried to enter a home in the Deserted Village of Feltville, authorities said.

The shooting in the secluded section of Watchung Reservation occurred around 9 p.m. on Cataract Hollow Road, Union County Police Chief Dan Vaniska said. He said the victim, whose name and address were not available, was taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital and was listed in stable condition.

"An unwanted guest forced himself into the residence and a resident responded by shooting him," Vaniska said at the scene.

Details were scant last night, but Vaniska said the home's residents were brought to county police headquarters, where they were being questioned.

It was not known where on the premises the shooting occurred, but a sedan parked near the porch of the two-story, wood-frame house had a shattered left rear window.

Cataract Hollow Road is part of the historic Deserted Village of Feltville. The site in Watchung Reservation was inhabited by small businesses, a mill and families on and off from 1845 to 1916. Visitors can stroll the village, which includes homes the county leases.

New Jersey: Intruder shot by homeowner in critical condition

Lakewood, New Jersey

From Newsday of July 18, 2008

Intruder shot by homeowner in critical condition

Police say a man who allegedly broke into a Lakewood home and was shot in the head by the owner remains in critical condition.

The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office says 31-year-old Eric Tucker of Lakewood was shot by an elderly man who confronted him when he broke in through a kitchen window around 5 a.m. Friday.

Police have not released the homeowner's name, but say the gun used in the shooting was registered to him and that he called 911 to report the incident.

Two other men have been arrested and charged with burglary in connection with the break-in.

From Newsday of July 24, 2008

Burglary suspect who was shot in head dies

Authorities say a robbery suspect shot by a Lakewood homeowner last week has died.

Authorities say Eric Ticker was pronounced dead Wednesday, five days after the 31-year-old was shot in the head.

Police say Tucker climbed through a window to get into the home. Because of his injuries, he was not charged.

Two other men are accused of burglary in the incident.

The 66-year-old homeowner who shot Tucker has not been charged with a crime. But authorities in Ocean County say their investigation is continuing.

Paterson, New Jersey

From NorthJersey.com of September 27, 2007

Woman causes burglar to bolt

The woman had little choice but to pull the trigger. She was locked in her bathroom. An enraged burglar was pounding on the door. A loaded pistol was in her hands.

But now Paterson police are wondering what would cause a burglar to try to attack his victim, when most attempt to flee the scene when they are caught.

The 22-year-old woman indicated that she did not know the man.

The incident occurred at about 10:30 a.m. Monday, when the woman returned to her Thomas Street home.

She walked into the kitchen through a side door, looked up and noticed a man rummaging through her living room, Detective Lt. Anthony Traina said.

The man, who was described as slender, 5 feet 2 inches tall and dressed in blue jeans and a green shirt, saw the woman and charged at her, Traina said.

The woman ran to her bedroom, locked the door and grabbed her husband's handgun and ammunition, Traina said.

The gun is legally registered to the woman's husband, he said.

She then ran into the bathroom, locked that door and loaded the weapon while sitting on the floor.

Meanwhile, the burglar burst through the bedroom door and began pounding on the bathroom door. "But he's not saying anything to her," Traina said.

The woman, still on the floor, pointed the gun at the door and fired.

While the bullet missed the burglar, it pierced the woman's bedroom wall and lodged itself into the outer wall of a neighboring house.

No one was injured and the burglar fled the house.

With her would-be attacker gone, the woman called police on her cell phone. Several patrolmen soon arrived. They entered the ransacked home and proceeded to the bedroom.

They discovered the woman still on her bathroom floor, crying with the handgun by her feet, Traina said.

Bridgeton, New Jersey

From the Bridgeton News of August 3, 2007

Bell acquitted in 06 [sic] shooting

A 31-year-old Bridgeton man was acquitted Thursday on charges of first-degree attempted murder in connection with a 2005 shooting incident in Gouldtown.

Leroy Bell, of Hampton Street, was also acquitted on various weapons charges, with the exception of fourth-degree possession of a firearm without a permit, for which he was convicted.

Bell was found guilty of two counts of aggravated assault as well. However, jurors found he acted in defense in connection with those charges, negating those convictions.

Because Bell was convicted of a felony, Superior Court Judge Timothy Farrell ordered him to turn over all firearms he may own.

In a 2005 statement to detectives, Bell admitted shooting at the alleged victim in the case, 20-year-old Douglas Lawson, of North Pearl Street, Bridgeton, but only after Lawson shot at him during an incident on Longview Avenue in Fairfield Township on Aug. 30, 2005.

Neither Bell nor Lawson were injured in either of the two incidents.

Detectives who testified during a one-day trial Wednesday said that they found no evidence corroberating Bell's assertion that he was acting in self-defense.

Lawson declined to testify against Bell.

Lawson is facing charges of attempted murder himself, in connection with a separate incident that also occurred on Longview Avenue on Aug. 30, 2005, in which its alleged Lawson fired a gun at Bell.

The only witnesses in the trial were two detectives who worked on the case, although several other people were said to have been at the scene of the shooting.

Bell was facing a potential prison sentence of 30 years to life in prison if convicted of attempted murder.

Somerset, New Jersey

From the March 19, 2007 Home News Tribune:

A man who was the intended victim of an armed robbery head butted his assailant several times, wrestled a handgun away from him, and then had a drug store clerk call police, who took the suspect into custody.

Police said the intended victim in the Sunday afternoon incident ran into a Rite Aid drugstore to get help.

As the man was walking in the area of Lewis Street and Matilda Avenue around 3 p.m., Sante A. Patron, 37, of New Brunswick Avenue in Fords, approached him, brandishing a 9 mm pistol, said. Cpl. Philip Rizzo.

A struggle ensued, and the 28-year-old victim, a Somerset resident, wrestled the weapon away from Patron while head butting him, Rizzo said.

After the suspect fell to the ground, the victim ran into the Rite Aid drug store on the corner of Hamilton Street and Matilda Avenue, advised a clerk to call the police, and handed them the weapon when they arrived. About seven officers responded to the scene.

West New York, New Jersey

From Jersey City’s The Jersey Journal of February 13, 2007

WNY burglar runs from gunfire

A would-be burglar was frightened off in West New York yesterday afternoon by a gun-wielding homeowner who "accidentally" fired a shot in his direction, according to the West New York Police Department.

A man wearing a gray North Face jacket with a gray hooded sweatshirt underneath tried to kick in the door to a first-floor apartment, the 39-year-old resident told police.

The man ran to the door after hearing dogs barking and heavy pounding on his door, police said. He picked up a licensed handgun, leaned out a window, and yelled "what are you trying to do, I have a gun!" and tried to display it.

The gun fired accidentally, said West New York Police Director Tim Griffin, and the frightened burglar took off running.

Asbury Park, New Jersey

From the Asbury Park Press of August 17, 2006

Police: Asbury Park store clerk shoots robber during scuffle

Suspect, hit in stomach, sustains "significant wound"

A Long Branch man who recently served 30 months in prison for an attempted murder in Florida tried to rob the Super Discount store at 700 Main St. Tuesday night but was shot in the stomach during a struggle with the store clerk, police said.

Adrian Miller, 23, walked into the store about 6 p.m. with a handgun, Detective Capt. Anthony Salerno said. During the attempted robbery, the store clerk, Wonil Pak, 59, of Ocean Township confronted Miller. They struggled, and the gun went off with three shots fired, one of which hit Miller in the abdomen, Salerno said.

Miller fled the store on foot and made it a few blocks before he collapsed in the 1100 block of First Avenue, Salerno said. Police found Miller there after being alerted by someone at the store. One of Miller's shoes had come off and was left in the store, Salerno said. Miller was rushed to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune.

"He sustained a very significant wound, but at this time his condition is stable," Salerno said about 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Miller is charged with armed robbery, aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and possession of a weapon by certain persons, meaning, in this case, possession by a convicted felon, Salerno said.

Miller is under guard in the hospital, with bail set at $355,000 bail. Salerno said Miller was convicted in Florida in 2003 of first-degree attempted murder. He was sentenced to three years and served 85 percent of his time, Salerno said.

Miller also was arrested last week in Jersey City and charged with weapons possession, Salerno said.

Trenton, New Jersey

From NJ.com of March 14, 2006

Robber shot to death by storekeeper

A young man who police say was armed with a gun and was trying to rob a corner store was shot to death last night after the storekeeper pulled his own gun from behind the counter.

The deadly confrontation inside the La Nueva Grocery in the 500 block of North Clinton Avenue occurred about 10 p.m.

At midnight, detectives were still trying to unravel exactly what happened but Sgt. Pedro Medina, a police spokesman, said preliminary investigation indicates three young men entered the shop, allegedly intending to rob it.

One of the young men was armed with a handgun, Medina said.

But the holdup did not go as planned, Medina said, because the storekeeper pulled out a gun he kept behind the counter and fatally shot the robber armed with the gun.

The gunman was pronounced dead at the scene. Medina said the suspect's weapon was recovered at the scene.

The two other alleged robbers fled and were being sought by police last night.

Medina said the police department's gang unit is helping with the investigation, but late last night he said it was too soon to tell if any of the would-be robbers were affiliated with any gangs.

Livingston, New Jersey

From New York’s 7Online.com of February 14, 2006

Bullets fly during attempted armored car robbery

Three suspects taken into custody

As the suspects fired shots at the truck, the guards inside fired back. The incident started in Livingston and ended in South Orange.

That's where we find Eyewitness News reporter Anthony Johnson.

The FBI is in charge of this investigation. The getaway vehicle, a black Jeep Cherokee was still taped off as FBI agents began to comb the area looking for more clues, but we understand that all three suspects have been taken into custody.

The drama ended in an open area at the end of Church Street in South Orange. That's where cops used bloodhounds and tracked down the last suspect in what apparently started as a robbery of an armored car or a Bank of America branch on South Livingston Avenue.

There was a shoot out between the suspects and the guards. One suspect was shot in the thigh and one of the armored car guards was hit but his bulletproof vest apparently stopped the bullet.

The suspects fled in the black Jeep Cherokee, traveling about five miles southwest with cops in hot pursuit. Two of the suspects were quickly apprehended, the armored car was left about a block and a half away from the bank.

The SUV was taped off as police launched a massive manhunt and the third suspect was finally caught.

From PhillyBurbs.com of February 15, 2006

Four accused in botched robbery, including driver of armored car

A day after leading police on a chase through three towns, suspects accused of robbing an armored car were expected in court expected to face charges. The four suspects include the armored car's driver, authorities said Wednesday

The suspects are accused of leading police on a chase Tuesday through three northern New Jersey towns before the pursuit ended with the cash scattered in a field.

The robbery attempt began at 2:25 p.m. at a Bank of America branch in Livingston as two employees of Dunbar Armored Car Service were making a pickup, Livingston police Chief Michael Erb said.

The employees returned to the car, and found two would-be robbers waiting, said Special Agent Steve Siegel, spokesman for the FBI's Newark office.

The suspects fired several gunshots inside the car, Siegel said. A bulletproof vest saved the Dunbar employee in the passenger seat from serious injuries. Authorities, who declined to release that employee's name, say he was not involved in the robbery.

"When he saw individuals were in the back of the truck and attempted to take over, he reached for his gun and that's when assailants shot at him," Siegel said.

A police chase ensued through Livingston, Millburn and South Orange before the Jeep collided with a car driven by a South Orange detective, left the roadway and came to a halt, Erb said.

Authorities say the armored car's driver, Evrol Dean, 42, of Newark, was part of the heist.

West Paterson, New Jersey

From New York City’s WCBStv.com of February 2, 2006

NJ Man Defends Home From Burglars

Fires Several Shots And Scares Them Away

Three masked men attempted to rob Eucledes Moya's West Paterson home at around 9 a.m., Moya told police. His wife called from her car and told him that a vehicle followed her and parked in front of their house. That was when Moya reached for his gun.

According to Moya, he foiled an attempted burglary. "They tried to rob my house, three guys came in, one with a gun. I opened the door, and they tried to put a gun to my head,” he said.

The men did not know it, but Moya was armed himself.

Moya said, “I had a gun. He shot at me, and I shot back."

He fired his handgun a least four times but he wasn't sure if he hit the burglars.

"I was afraid for my life. They were shooting at me" Moya recalled.

But three of his bullets landed across the street, including inside neighbor Jessie Gurley's bedroom closet. His wife was in the adjacent bathroom at the time of the shooting incident.

"If I would have been in the line of fire, I would have lost [my life]," he said.

Bridgeton, New Jersey

From the Vineland Daily Journal of December 10, 2005

Home invader gets 10 years, blames victims

William Burden laid the blame for many of his problems at the feet of an Upper Deerfield couple who wouldn't answer their door when he and an accomplice tried to burglarize their house on July 4, 2003.

In addition to a 10-year attempted burglary sentence handed down Friday, Burden's problems are many:

The 32-year-old Bridgeton resident already is serving a 20- to 30-year sentence for burglaries and other crimes committed in Cumberland and Salem counties in 2002 and 2003. His crime spree triggered the largest state police investigation in the region's recent history.

He faces additional years if convicted of two robberies where police said he and Howard Dunns, a 28-year-old Fairfield Township resident, shot and seriously injured two elderly Salem County men.

Police also tied the handgun used in the two shootings to the murder of a Millville youth. Burden has been charged with providing the gun to the accused killer in that case.

In court Friday, Burden faced Robert and Wanda DuBois, an Upper Deerfield couple who happened to be at home when Burden and a man police said is Dunns called on the afternoon of July 4.

"I wish they had answered the door," Burden said before he was sentenced Friday. "Had they done that, me and my boy would have gone on our way."

"Maybe it wouldn't have brought down all these other burglaries and stuff I didn't commit on me," Burden said. "Not to minimize what I did, but I'm going through a terrible situation because of all these charges I'm facing."

But Robert DuBois, who chased the two men away from his rural house by firing two shots from his own handgun, wasn't buying Burden's tale of woe.

DuBois chased down Burden and Dunns until state police arrested the pair."I think Mr. Burden and all the career criminals ought to get new jobs," DuBois said. "It gets dangerous when you try and do what he did out where I live."

Superior Court Judge Timothy Farrell said he didn't believe Burden had only a simple burglary in mind when he and Dunns kicked down the door of the DuBois residence.

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Camden, New Jersey



From the Philadelphia Inquirer of January 1, 2005

Camden reports its 54th homicide



A store owner shot a robber who held a knife to his wife. The 2004 total was second to the city's 60 killings in '95.



Hours before one of the most violent years ever in Camden came to a close yesterday, a store owner shot and killed a knife-wielding assailant, the city's 54th homicide of 2004.



A man walked into Camden City Wireless & Fishing Supply at 27th Street and Westfield Avenue around 12:30 p.m., grabbed the owner's wife, and held a knife to her, saying he intended to rob the store, police said.



The owner, in his 30s, pulled a handgun and told the robber to drop the knife. When the robber refused, the owner fired one shot, striking the assailant in the head, authorities said.



No one else was in the store.



The robber was declared dead at the scene. His name was withheld until police could notify his relatives. He was described as a 32-year-old whose last known address was in Philadelphia.



The identities of the store owner and his wife also were withheld while police investigated. The couple were speaking with detectives last night. Their store was closed.



No charges were filed yesterday. Authorities said that the gun was properly registered, and that the owner was permitted to have it at the store.



Even if no charges are filed, the death is considered a homicide. Included in the 54 in 2004 were four people killed by police officers.

UPDATE: January 5, 2005, WPVI Channel 6 in Philadelphia reports:

January 5, 2005 — A man who was killed while attempting to rob a store last week was the man who raped three women in Camden over the last two months of 2004, authorities said Wednesday.



Camden County Prosecutor Vincent P. Sarubbi said the state police DNA lab confirmed that Antonio Diaz Reyes, 32, was the rapist.



Three women were raped in the relatively safe downtown Camden area in November and December. Authorities said they were unable to figure out who had committed the brazen daylight attacks.

Woodbury, New Jersey



From Philadelphia’s NBC10.com of October 21, 2004

Man Who Shot Would-Be Thief Won't Face Murder Charge



Killing Took Place In Shed Of Man's Property



A man who shot and killed a would-be thief in his yard will not face murder charges after a Gloucester County grand jury voted against indicting him.



Neighbors had protested when Robert J. Clark Jr. was first charged with murder after slaying a man who was trying to steal his all-terrain vehicle from a backyard shed.



The grand jury, which decides whether there's enough evidence in criminal cases to proceed to trial, took the actions Wednesday, but the Gloucester County prosecutor's office did not announce them until Thursday.



The grand jury did return one indictment in the case: The alleged accomplice of the victim was indicted on charges of burglary and theft.



Authorities initially charged Clark with murder, aggravated assault and a weapons offense after he killed William Hamilton on April 26. The grand jury voted against indicting Clark on those charges or any others, including a lesser offense such as manslaughter.



"I've always felt the people of Gloucester County were solid, commonsense Americans and they saw this exactly as it was -- a person defending his home, his family, his life," said Clark's defense lawyer, Mike Pinsky.



But prosecutors are not giving up.



After the shooting, prosecutor Sean F. Dalton defended the charges, saying that New Jersey state law does not allow the use of deadly force to protect property. That's still his line.



Spokesman Bernie Weisenfeld said prosecutors are considering all their options for where to continue, including presenting the case to a second grand jury.



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Blue State

Trenton, New Jersey



From Long Island’s Newsday.com of September 24, 2004

Retired officer shoots pistol-pointing man



A retired city police officer shot and wounded a man who pointed a gun at him Friday morning during an argument in a bar, police said.



Earl Hill, 47, who was carrying his personal Glock 9mm semiautomatic pistol, said other bar patrons were involved in a verbal altercation when he arrived there around 10 a.m. Hill told authorities that Theodore Demetrius Meekins, 39, of Trenton, then took out a handgun and pointed it at him.



Hill told Meekins, who also is known as Theodore Wilson, to drop the gun, but he refused, police said. Hill then fired three shots at Meekins, who was hit once in the lower abdomen and once in the right leg.



Meekins then dropped his gun as he ran out of the bar, but later went to St. Francis Medical Center where he underwent surgery for his wounds.



Meekins, who is expected to fully recover, was charged with aggravated assault.