Beech Bluff, TN

5/16/17 WBBJ:

“We were asleep, and I thought I had heard something but I wasn’t for sure,” Lee remembered. “I thought I was just dreaming something, and then I heard a big bang again.”

She knew something was not right.

“I got up and came running through the hallway and my gun was sitting on the dog cage, and the guy was standing in the kitchen. He had just busted my door open,” Lee said.

Lee then grabbed her .45-caliber handgun and her shotgun.

“I put the gun in his face and asked him if there was something I could do for him, and he was gone just that quick,” Lee said. “I chased him out the back door trying to look at the tag number on the car, something I could describe other than just him.”

Within an hour, Madison County deputies arrested Quentin Childress, 20, of Jackson, Jaylon Chiles, 18, of Biloxi, Miss., Amar Johnson, 21, of Jackson, Kendrick McMullin, 19, of Jackson, and a juvenile male. Each is charged with aggravated burglary.

Boise, ID

2/22/17 KBOI:

BOISE, Idaho (KBOI) — A woman saved herself from a dangerous situation with her pistol kept in her car Monday.

"I couldn't believe it, it was shock and fear," said the unidentified woman.

It happened at the corner of west Kootenai and south Hilton streets. A woman just dropped off her 9-year-old daughter Monday morning around 7:30 a.m. She was driving alone when a man jumped out in front of her car. She slammed on the brakes and it stalled.

After he beat her:

“When I turned to give him my purse, I reached in my center console and I grabbed my gun and I pointed it at him, and it scared him off,” the woman said.

Looks like a purple Ruger LCP.

Boynton Beach, FL

6/30/16 CBS 12 West Palm Beach:

BOYNTON BEACH (CBS12) — A Boynton Beach grandmother was home alone when three burglars entered her house.
But what she did next may surprise you.
"It was really scary. It was a very, very scary situation. 'Cause I had no idea what they were gonna do," said the woman, whom we agreed not to identify.
About 12:45 Tuesday afternoon she went to the peephole and saw a man was at her front door, banging on the door, ringing the bell.
He left but came back a few minutes later, with a T-shirt over his head, and putting on gloves, so she ran to the bedroom to get a handgun from the dresser beside her bed.
"I heard something, glass breaking and then I was freaking out," she recalled.
Three menthree burglars---- were in her living room, and she was in the bedroom standing just inside the doorway ready to shoot them if they entered.
"I decided that it's either them or me, you know. I had to save my life. One of them came to the door here and opened it and when he did I had the gun in his face," she said.

Sultan, WA

5/8/16 KOMO:

SULTAN, Wash. (KOMO) - Four shots fired. Three hit the intruder.
It was one surreal moment, says Barb Moles.
"I was just intent upon stopping him. I didn't have any other thought in my head," says Moles. "I just knew I had to stop him."
Moles, 80, was home with her husband, John, and their adult son Thursday night when she says she heard a commotion. She walked into the kitchen and found her husband bleeding on the floor.
John, a retired Boeing worker, had been attacked with a knife and beaten with a crowbar, authorities said. He said three words to his wife: "I've been stabbed."
Barb, a grandmother of eight and great-grandmother of three, walked down the hall and into the master bedroom. She found her .38 caliber pistol -- a Christmas gift from John a few years prior.

Vicksburg, MS: Trespassers Will Be Shot, Survivors Will Be Shot Again

3/10/16 Vicksburg Post:

Eight days after he escaped from the Warren County Jail, Rafael McCloud’s luck ran out.

McCloud, 34, was found dead about 7 a.m. Thursday in the tub of a bathroom of a home he broke into, shot by the residents.

According to Vicksburg police, McCloud was holding the couple and their 5-year-old son in the bathroom, when he allowed the wife to leave. She returned with a handgun and  fired one shot, which she believed to hit McCloud. After she freed her husband, he took the gun and fired additional shots at McCloud. The family left the house and ran outside, where they flagged down a passing motorist and asked them to call 911

- See more at: http://m.vicksburgpost.com/2016/03/10/man-killed-following-home-invasion-believed-to-be-mccloud/#sthash.uUNGnhH0.dpuf

Eight days after he escaped from the Warren County Jail, Rafael McCloud’s luck ran out.

McCloud, 34, was found dead about 7 a.m. Thursday in the tub of a bathroom of a home he broke into, shot by the residents.

According to Vicksburg police, McCloud was holding the couple and their 5-year-old son in the bathroom, when he allowed the wife to leave. She returned with a handgun and  fired one shot, which she believed to hit McCloud. After she freed her husband, he took the gun and fired additional shots at McCloud. The family left the house and ran outside, where they flagged down a passing motorist and asked them to call 911.

- See more at: http://m.vicksburgpost.com/2016/03/10/man-killed-following-home-invasion-believed-to-be-mccloud/#sthash.uUNGnhH0.dpuf
 

Eight days after he escaped from the Warren County Jail, Rafael McCloud’s luck ran out.

McCloud, 34, was found dead about 7 a.m. Thursday in the tub of a bathroom of a home he broke into, shot by the residents.

According to Vicksburg police, McCloud was holding the couple and their 5-year-old son in the bathroom, when he allowed the wife to leave. She returned with a handgun and  fired one shot, which she believed to hit McCloud. After she freed her husband, he took the gun and fired additional shots at McCloud. The family left the house and ran outside, where they flagged down a passing motorist and asked them to call 911.

- See more at: http://m.vicksburgpost.com/2016/03/10/man-killed-following-home-invasion-believed-to-be-mccloud/#sthash.uUNGnhH0.dpuf

Eight days after he escaped from the Warren County Jail, Rafael McCloud’s luck ran out.

McCloud, 34, was found dead about 7 a.m. Thursday in the tub of a bathroom of a home he broke into, shot by the residents.

According to Vicksburg police, McCloud was holding the couple and their 5-year-old son in the bathroom, when he allowed the wife to leave. She returned with a handgun and  fired one shot, which she believed to hit McCloud. After she freed her husband, he took the gun and fired additional shots at McCloud. The family left the house and ran outside, where they flagged down a passing motorist and asked them to call 911

- See more at: http://m.vicksburgpost.com/2016/03/10/man-killed-following-home-invasion-believed-to-be-mccloud/#sthash.uUNGnhH0.dpuf

Eight days after he escaped from the Warren County Jail, Rafael McCloud’s luck ran out.

McCloud, 34, was found dead about 7 a.m. Thursday in the tub of a bathroom of a home he broke into, shot by the residents.

According to Vicksburg police, McCloud was holding the couple and their 5-year-old son in the bathroom, when he allowed the wife to leave. She returned with a handgun and  fired one shot, which she believed to hit McCloud. After she freed her husband, he took the gun and fired additional shots at McCloud. The family left the house and ran outside, where they flagged down a passing motorist and asked them to call 911

- See more at: http://m.vicksburgpost.com/2016/03/10/man-killed-following-home-invasion-believed-to-be-mccloud/#sthash.uUNGnhH0.dpuf

Eight days after he escaped from the Warren County Jail, Rafael McCloud’s luck ran out.

McCloud, 34, was found dead about 7 a.m. Thursday in the tub of a bathroom of a home he broke into, shot by the residents.

According to Vicksburg police, McCloud was holding the couple and their 5-year-old son in the bathroom, when he allowed the wife to leave. She returned with a handgun and  fired one shot, which she believed to hit McCloud. After she freed her husband, he took the gun and fired additional shots at McCloud. The family left the house and ran outside, where they flagged down a passing motorist and asked them to call 911

- See more at: http://m.vicksburgpost.com/2016/03/10/man-killed-following-home-invasion-believed-to-be-mccloud/#sthash.uUNGnhH0.dpuf

Eight days after he escaped from the Warren County Jail, Rafael McCloud’s luck ran out.

McCloud, 34, was found dead about 7 a.m. Thursday in the tub of a bathroom of a home he broke into, shot by the residents.

According to Vicksburg police, McCloud was holding the couple and their 5-year-old son in the bathroom, when he allowed the wife to leave. She returned with a handgun and  fired one shot, which she believed to hit McCloud. After she freed her husband, he took the gun and fired additional shots at McCloud. The family left the house and ran outside, where they flagged down a passing motorist and asked them to call 911

- See more at: http://m.vicksburgpost.com/2016/03/10/man-killed-following-home-invasion-believed-to-be-mccloud/#sthash.uUNGnhH0.dpuf

Chicago, IL

Remember Jim Croce's "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" about the South Side of Chicago?  1/31/16 Chicago Sun-Times:

A woman fatally shot a man who broke into her home and beat her early Sunday in the Woodlawn neighborhood on the South Side.

About 5:15 a.m., the 30-year-old man broke into a home in the 400 block of East 62nd Street and began to beat the woman who lived there, according to Chicago Police.

The 28-year-old woman was able to grab a handgun and shot the man to death during the struggle, police said.

The man has been identified as Reginald Brown of the 400 block of North Springfield, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:35 a.m. An autopsy showed he died of a gunshot wound to the chest, and his death was ruled a homicide.
Police said the woman knew the man and the incident was domestic-related.

The woman has a valid FOID card and no charges were expected to be filed in the shooting.

Manchester, N.H.

From 1/6/16 WMUR:

MANCHESTER, N.H. —A 65-year-old Manchester woman shot and injured a man Monday night when he tried to rob her, police said.

Manchester police said the woman, who did not want to be identified, told them that she shot the man when he tried to grab her while she was trying to get into her apartment building. She said the man had been in a car that followed her into the parking lot of her apartment complex, police said.
Police identified the man as Michael Bontaites, 23, of Manchester. He was treated for a serious but not life-threatening chest wound at Elliot Hospital....

After she left her car, she heard another vehicle door close and heard someone approaching her quickly from behind, police said.

"Something in my head said to take the gun out of my purse," the woman told News 9.

With her hand on the gun now in her coat pocket, she told News 9 that she headed toward her apartment. She said she looked behind and saw a man following her.

The woman told police that a white man wearing a dark, hooded sweatshirt ran past her and blocked her path.

"Ten feet from the front stairs. That's when he caught up to me, and he came around me and stood right in front of me. Right in my face," she said.

The woman told News 9 that the man yelled at her.

She said he reached out and tried to grab her, but she pulled her handgun from her pocket and shot him once in the chest at close range....

Investigators said the woman, described as 4 feet, 11 inches tall and weighing 105 pounds, feared for her safety and has a valid concealed carry permit. Bontaites is described as 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighing 200 pounds.

Police said the man fell to the ground while the woman ran inside the building. The man called 911 while he was on the ground....

The woman told News 9 that she had a valid concealed permit through the Manchester Police Department for more than 10 years.

"Last night was the first time I ever shot that gun in all the time I've owned it," she said.

Dayton, OH: Second Use By This Resident

From 9/9/15 Dayton Daily News:

A Dayton woman targeted by criminals at least five times in 11 years fatally shot a man she said broke into her home Wednesday morning, the second intruder she has hit with gunfire in about two years.

The 46-year-old woman, who lives in the 200 block of Richmond Avenue, told officers the man smashed a window and entered the second floor of her Five Oaks neighborhood home. The woman’s brother said the intruder initially broke a first-floor window but could not get inside because of metal security bars installed after a burglary last month.

The same female victim, whose name police did not release, also shot and wounded a juvenile who kicked in her back door in June 2013, according to police reports and her brother, 54-year-old Efrim Goldsmith.

Dayton police said the initial evidence indicates the woman acted in self-defense.

The deceased was identified as 22-year-old DeBrandon Jurrod Dickerson, who is from Detroit, and who has only been in the Dayton area for about a week, officials said. Police said they do not believe Dickerson was acting alone.

This woman needs more ammo.  Also, another victim of bizarre naming syndrome.

Ohio: Great-grandmother who shot robber says 'God was with me'

Columbus, Ohio

From the Columbus Dispatch of October 22, 2009

Great-grandmother who shot robber says 'God was with me'

When an armed robber barged into a North Side motel room Wednesday night and ordered the six people there to the floor, he put a 70-year-old woman closer to her handgun.

The great-grandmother knelt between the beds, reached into her purse on the floor and pulled out her .357 Magnum pistol.

She fired one shot at the robber, who staggered from the room, collapsed in the parking lot and died.

"It's a wonder she didn't shoot us all," said her 51-year-old son, who was preparing to hand over his cash when he heard the gunshot. "She's the worst shot in the world.

"She said to me, 'God was with me tonight. You know I couldn't have done that myself.'"

None of the family members, who live in Ironton, wanted to be identified, fearing retaliation; and the woman didn't want to be interviewed. They have moved to a different room in the motel.

"She's torn all to pieces," her son said. "Who would ever want to shoot someone?"

Wayne Winston, 25, died of a single gunshot wound in the chest, Franklin County Coroner Jan Gorniak said yesterday. Police listed his address as "streets of Columbus."

The woman has a permit to carry a concealed gun, her son said, and carries the gun she inherited from her late husband.

Asked to describe his mother, he said, "Religious. She's always been my hero."

The family was staying in a first-floor room at the Continent Inn, near I-71 and Rt. 161, while attending the All-American Quarter Horse Congress. The son said he was in the room with his mother, his wife, his daughter and son-in-law and a family friend.

The door was partially open so the adults could stay within earshot of two girls, ages 12 and 17, in the room next door.

The son said the door flew open shortly after 9 p.m. and they found themselves confronted by a man who pointed a black handgun at them and said, "Everybody here knows what the game is." He told them to get on the floor and began demanding money from the son and his son-in-law, who were closest to the door. The gunman seemed angry that the son-in-law had only $14.

"I was going into my pocket for money" when a shot rang out and the gunman ran from the room, the son said. "I thought I was shot. I didn't realize my mother had shot him. It was mass chaos."

He still wasn't sure what had happened when he went outside and saw the intruder's body in the parking lot. Then he heard a second shot. His mother, the gun at her side, had tensed up and "squeezed off another shot into the floor," he said.

Columbus police don't expect to file charges against the woman but said the case probably will be presented to a Franklin County grand jury as a routine procedure. The son said the officers who met with his family were "extremely supportive."

He has a horse farm and is attending the Quarter Horse Congress to watch his 21-year-old daughter compete and to support others who train at his farm.

Word of the shooting spread quickly yesterday among those attending the event, which is in its third and final week at the Ohio Expo Center.

"That's a hell of a woman," said George Wyeth, 63, of Claysville, Pa. "I don't blame her a bit. You pull a gun on someone, you ought to get shot."

"I give her a lot of credit," said Beverly Hicks, 77, of Perrysburg in northwestern Ohio, who doesn't know many people her age who carry guns. "I'd be afraid to carry a gun."

Police Sgt. Ken Tischler, a community liaison officer, said armed robberies of motel guests near the Continent are rare, but he had warned people attending the Congress about a rash of vehicle break-ins at motels in the I-71 and Rt. 161 area - 102 thefts from autos between mid-August and late September.

Attempted Rape Foiled by Armed Victim

Forest Grove, Oregon

From October 16, 2009 KATU channel 2:

FOREST GROVE, Ore. - Police have arrested a man after a woman was sexually assaulted in her own home in Forest Grove, just west of the Portland suburb of Hillsboro.

Floyd Dale Elliott faces rape and burglary charges after being accused of entering the victim's home in the middle of the night last month. Police said he then tried to rape her.

The woman reportedly grabbed a gun, hidden near her bed, and started firing.

Virginia: Late night antics lead to charges

Goochland, Virginia

From the Goochland Courier of October 15, 2009

Late night antics lead to charges

Werewolves aren't the only things to be wary of during a full moon.

After a month of little crime, the Goochland Sheriff's Office received a call from a Whitehall Rd. resident during the early hours of Oct. 3.

According the Sheriff Jim Agnew, the woman was home alone and reported to deputies that someone had attempted to break into her house by entering through the front door.

The woman called a second time, telling deputies that there was another attempt to enter her home, upon which the woman exercised her Second Amendment rights and drew a pistol on the man.

"She did the right thing," Agnew told the board of supervisors on October 6. "She said, 'Leave, or I'm gonna kill ya.'"

Deputies quickly apprehended Timothy Justin Tirado, 25, of Goochland, who is charged with burglary. At that time, Agnew said deputies had not yet found a passenger who was seen in Tirado's car.

Deputies remained in the area, looking for Tirado's partner.

"Around sunrise, we got a call from another resident off Forest Grove Rd.," Agnew said, "who said somebody was in the basement."

Tirado's partner, Valerie Lee Oliver, 32, of Chesterfield, had emerged from the basement, greeting the homeowner who had just poured herself a cup of coffee to start her morning.

Oliver is charged with breaking and entering with the intent to commit a misdemeanor and petit larceny.

"They were both very intoxicated," Agnew alleged.

A sheriff's report stated that Oliver was wanted for a probation violation from Dinwiddie, and Agnew said both have prior histories.

"Hopefully they'll be going away for a while and won't be bothering us anymore," Agnew said.

Tirado and Oliver were eligible to be released on $5,000 secured bonds. Both are scheduled to appear in Goochland County General District Court on November 23.

Tennessee: Woman In Shower Shoots At Intruder

Mount Juliet, Tennessee

From WSMV of September 24, 2009

Woman In Shower Shoots At Intruder

A woman in Mount Juliet got a scare this week when a man broke into her home while she was in the shower.

The intruder quickly ran out, but the woman grabbed her gun and shot at his car.

Police arrested Franklin Fish a short time later. The woman identified him as the burglar.

Detectives believe Fish is wanted for several other home break-ins.

Tennessee: Burglary/assault suspect shot by victim's mother

Knoxville, Tennessee

From WBIR of September 18, 2009

Burglary/assault suspect shot by victim's mother

A burglary suspect is recovering from a gunshot wound near his groin--a wound 75-year-old Ruth Robbins gave him after he fought with her son and then got in a scuffle with her.

Jesse Williams, 28, sits in the Morgan County jail, charged with burglary, aggravated assault, and simple assault, as he nurses a gunshot wound to his leg. He was taken there after being treated and released at UT Medical Center.

According to the Morgan County Sheriff's Office, Williams broke into David Brandenburg's Petros home Thursday night. Brandenburg, 43, and Williams fought, eventually making their way out into the yard.

Ruth Robbins came over from her home next door and tried to intervene to help Brandenburg, who is her son. At that point, authorities say Williams turned his attack on her--so she shot him.

The shooting happened at 9:03 Thursday night.

Brandenburg was injured in the fight but declined treatment. No charges have been filed against Robbins.

Florida: Burglars Held Up By Homeowners

Titusville, Florida

From the Central Florida News of September 16, 2009

Burglars Held Up By Homeowners

Two burglars attempting to steal a car from a Brevard County home were held at gunpoint by the homeowners.

Matthew Clark, 20, and Justin Sheppard, 19, are facing several charges including burglary and grand theft.

Authorities say the pair was burglarizing a home near Titusville on Karen Drive when the homeowners confronted them with a 12-gauge shotgun.

The woman and her son held the two until police arrived.

Clark and Sheppard are now being held on $5,000 bonds.

Alabama: Pregnant woman holds intruder at gun point

Mobile, Alabama

From Local 15 of September 10, 2009

Pregnant woman holds intruder at gun point

The lesson here is never threaten an expecting mother, especially if she's armed with a shotgun.

"I was angry," Randi Fairley says. "I was really mad that he was in my house."

At around 4 A.M. Sunday, Fairley was wide awake, because her unborn daughter was kicking. That is when she heard a noise; it sounded like someone touching a potato-chip bag downstairs.

"I came and looked over the stairs," Fairley says. "I saw this kid, down at the bottom of the stairs. He was about to grab my computer."

Fairley is six and a half months pregnant. So, she says she yelled down at Justin Delhomme, he walked out of the house and she grabbed a shotgun. In the street, Fairley confronted the 18 year old. "He pulled a gun on me, and I told him, 'You know, you need to put that away before I shoot you because mine's bigger,' and he put it back in his pocket."

Fairley saysshe held Delhomme until the cops came with a little help from her husband and mother. "He seemed really sorry and scared, you know, he started saying he was sorry and had a baby he had to take care of."

As for her own baby, Fairley says crime fighting seemed to stir something in her. "I couldn't get her to be still. For hours after that she was just kicking away, excited. We're probably just gonna laugh about it and tell her mom caught a burglar."

Fairley also has a 4-year-old son who got a kick out of all of this. Police say they believe Delhomme is responsible for at least 13 home and vehicle break-ins over the Labor Day weekend in the Regency and Pinehurst neighborhoods of Mobile. Investigators say in all but about one case, Delhomme got in through unlocked doors.

Police say they recovered several stolen items from Delhomme, including $5,000 in cash, electronics and marijuana. Court records show Delhomme was arrested earlier this year on similar charges.

Missouri: Intruder Shot At Northland Apartment

Kansas City, Missouri

From KMBC of September 7, 2009

Intruder Shot At Northland Apartment

olice said an intruder was shot during an attempted break-in at a Northland apartment complex early Monday morning.

Officers were called to the Wild Oaks complex at Highway 152 and Flintlock Road shortly before 3 a.m.

Police said a man was trying to break into an apartment when the woman inside grabbed her gun and fired at the intruder through the door.

The man pulled out his own gun and fired back.

The intruder was hit twice and was taken to a hospital. He is expected to recover.

The woman was not injured.

Michigan: Woman: Shooting man was self-defense

Bedford Township, Michigan

From the Battle Creek Enquirer of August 22, 2009

Woman: Shooting man was self-defense

A 70-year-old Bedford Township woman said Friday she had no choice but to shoot a man coming at her with a shovel.

"I didn't want to hurt him but I didn't want him to hurt me," Virginia Hawes said in an interview at her home in Bedford Hills Mobile Village. "I didn't want to kill him. I just wanted to stop him. If he would have stopped, no one would have gotten hurt."

Battle Creek police said Hawes shot Nicholas Beltz, 24, in the leg in her yard about 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

"He kept coming at me. I pointed the gun at his head, but I didn't want to shoot him in the head. I wimped out," she said.

Hawes said Beltz threatened her after she called police because his girlfriend, Emily Bannister, 18, said she was being assaulted.

Hawes said Bannister came to sit on her porch until police came. When Beltz began walking toward them, Hawes said she warned him to stay off her property.

"She was sitting on the porch and she got up but I told her to stay," Hawes said. "He said he just wanted to talk to her and he wanted to tell her he loved her and he kept coming. I thought he was going to hurt her."

Hawes' grandson, Bryan Hawes, 23, was outside with his grandmother and picked up a shovel, held it out horizontally in an attempt to block Beltz. But Beltz pushed Bryan Hawes aside and took the shovel.

Virginia Hawes said that is when she went inside her home, put five bullets in her .38-caliber revolver and walked back outside, holding the gun to her side.

She bought the handgun in March as protection from a former family member, registered it and had taken classes and practiced at South Side Sportsman Club in Battle Creek.

"I told him to get back and he kept walking toward me. I put the gun up and told him to get back or I will shoot. He called me an old bitch and he kept coming at me and holding the shovel."

Hawes said he told Beltz a half-dozen times to stop and leave her property.

When they were about four feet apart, she said he dropped the shovel but continued forward.

"He said, 'Shoot me in the head old bitch and I will take the gun away from you,' and I thought, 'If I shoot him in the head, how can he take the gun away?'"

Hawes said she believed that Beltz had been drinking and taking drugs and she decided she had to shoot.

She pointed the gun at his foot and pulled the trigger but said he stepped into the bullet and it hit him above the right knee.

"I figured I had to stop him. He was too drunk or high to understand," she said. "He went down like a tree."

After the shooting, Hawes went back inside the trailer, put the gun away and told her grandson to call police. When officers arrived, Beltz was on the ground moaning and she was handcuffed and placed in a patrol car after officers went inside to retrieve the gun.

Hawes, her grandson and witnesses were taken to the police station and questioned and she was released.

"I was prepared to spend a night in jail, but I didn't want to."

She doesn't regret the shooting.

"He was on our property and we were in danger. I didn't want to shoot in the air. I probably could have reached out and conked him with the gun.

"I have nothing to say to him. I really don't want to see him anymore."

Detective Sgt. Carter Bright of the Battle Creek Police Department said a report about the shooting will be sent to the prosecutor's office "but it appears to be self defense."

Bright said warrants have been issued charging domestic violence against Beltz and his girlfriend and assault and battery against Beltz, with Bryan Hawes as the victim.

Beltz's mother, Denise, said Friday afternoon her son remains in the hospital with significant pain.

"I am very upset by this. It was wrong that she had a gun and shot him. Nick is very upset and doesn't know why she did it."

Denise Beltz insisted her son would not hurt anyone and that her understanding was that he had turned to walk away when he was shot in the back of the leg; Bright said that theory does not appear to be true.

"It doesn't give her a right to have a gun when Nick didn't have a gun," Denise Beltz said.

Nevada: Armed homeowner fends off possible home invasion

Gardnerville, Nevada

From the Record Courier of August 26, 2009

Armed homeowner fends off possible home invasion

A Gardnerville woman fended off someone who was trying to break into her house early Thursday morning.

According to the Sheriff's Office, the Pin Oak Drive resident was awakened by her dog, who was barking insistently inside her home at 3:20 a.m. The woman said she looked out of the windows, and when she didn't see anything, she armed herself and let the dog out into the backyard.

She said a man approached her quickly in her backyard, but then she pointed her handgun at him and shoved him backward before retreating into her home. She locked the door and called 911. When she returned to the back door, the man began knocking on her rear window.

She yelled that she'd called the Sheriff's Office, and the man ran to the far side of the yard and jumped over the fence.

The man was described as being 6 feet, 2 inches tall, thin with blonde hair. She estimated he was in his late teens or early 20s, wearing black earrings, a dark hooded sweatshirt and dark shorts with yellow writing down the side.

When deputies arrived on the scene, they searched the neighborhood, but did not find the man.

They did find a window screen had been removed from the home's rear window and a fingerprint on the glass.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Douglas County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer, Sgt Jim Halsey, at 782-9931.

Halsey said it's important that residents checking suspicious activity be careful.

“This incident brings to light the importance of safety and vigilance by residents when checking suspicious activity or noises around a residence at any time of the day or night,” he said. “If you have any reservations or misgivings, call 911 and request the sheriff's office respond.”

Tuscumbia, Alabama Woman Shoots At Burglar

Tuscumbia, Alabama

From the August 19, 2009 Times-Daily:

TUSCUMBIA - A man is in the Colbert County jail after he was accused of breaking into a home where the owner fired a shot at him.

John Allen Elom, 34, 4125 Woodmont Drive, Tuscumbia, is charged with second-degree burglary, Sheriff Ronnie May said.

May said Elom is accused of breaking into a residence only a few doors down from his house on Woodmont Drive early Monday.

During the break-in, May said the 32-year-old homeowner tried to protect herself and shot at Elom. The incident occurred around 1:20 a.m.

"The victim said she was awakened by dogs barking," May said. "She said she got out of bed, picked up her pistol (a 9 mm) and walked down the hallway."

May said the woman told authorities that when she got near the kitchen, she saw the suspect and fired the gun.

"She only had one bullet and she missed," May said.

At that point, Elom charged her and they struggled for a few minutes, the woman said.

"He was wearing a dark-colored hoodie, and during the struggle, she was able to see his face enough to recognize him," the sheriff said.

May said the suspect broke free and called the woman a derogatory name as he ran out the door.

"The victim ran out the back door and called 911," the sheriff said.

May said the woman gave authorities a description of the suspect and a name.

"Our investigators put together a lineup and she picked him out and he was arrested (Tuesday)," May said.

He said the back door was forced open. Investigators believe that's when the woman's dogs started barking.

South Carolina: Husband, wife hold off robber until police arrive

Charleston, South Carolina

From the SC Now of August 14, 2009

Husband, wife hold off robber until police arrive

An Horry County husband and wife fight off would-be robber inside their business.

According to a press release, a man tried to rob Ron’s Busy Corner, 5709 Juniper Bay Rd, Conway, Thursday afternoon when he placed a knife to the back of the store’s owner.

Police said Roger Lee Green, 34, of Galivants Ferry came into the store and pointed a knife to the back of the store owner while he was sitting at a table.

The owner stood up, struggled with Green, along with a customer, and took the knife away.

The owner’s wife was then able to get a pistol and hold the man there until police arrived.

Green is currently in J. Ruben Long Detention Center charged with Armed Robbery.