America's Shooting Gallery, 3-20-08

[zanne]

CA: 31-year-old Lee Isaac Bedwell Leeds, the a son of an auto wrecking yard owner, shot four people to death at the business, including at least one relative and two employees.
NE: One teen injured, another arrested in accidental shooting.
TN: Jerome Black, 19, has been charged with criminally negligent homicide in the shooting death of a 6-year-old Memphis boy, who was the owner of a revolver that ended up in the hands of two young boys.
MS: Dustin Reese, 24, of Tupelo was shot in the head when a gun he and some others were playing with accidentally went off; he's still in critical condition.
NJ: A naked stabbing suspect was killed and a female police officer wounded in South Camden in a hail of 18 bullets fired from police-issued guns.
CA: Police weren't saying much about a suspected road rage incident in which an off-duty San Diego police officer, Franklin White, shot and wounded a woman and her 8-year-old son; their injuries were not life threatening.
CA: Madera officers found the bodies of a 27-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman when they arrived at the home; the deaths appeared to be a murder-suicide.
OR: The bodies of a father and 10-year-old son were found at Fort Stevens State Park were thought to be the result of a murder-suicide and related to a custody battle.
TN: A 15 year-old boy was shot behind a home in South Shelby County and still in critical condition. Investigators say it is not known if the boy was the target of the shooting or if he was hit by a stray bullet.
FL: The two boys and a girl, all 13, who authorities say were plotting to massacre fellow students at DeLand Middle School and then commit suicide will remain in juvenile lockup, a judge ruled.
***

[Turbo Teg]

1. And let me be the first to counter!

Thursday, March 20, 2008


Peoria, Arizona

From KTAR of March 20, 2008
Peoria Homeowner Shoots Intruder

A Peoria homeowner shot an intruder Thursday morning.

Peoria Police Public Information Officer Mike Tellef said the 62-year-old man heard someone breaking into his house near 85th and Olive avenues. Armed with a handgun, he went to investigate.

"He told us that he told the subject to stop," Tellef said. "The subject kept approaching on him, he felt in fear of his life, that's why he fired the single shot that he fired."

The 18-year-old suspect, Jason Rodriguez, a Glendale resident, was shot in the shoulder, and transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries where he was treated and released to police.

Rodriquez was booked into 4th Avenue Jail and charged with burglary and aggravated assault.

Labels: AZ, home invasion


posted by Dave at 7:13 PM permalink




Frisco, Texas

From the Courier Gazette of March 20, 2008
Man shot in home by intruder

A Frisco man received minor injuries after being shot in the arm by an intruder after arriving home from work Thursday afternoon.

Steven Geddie, 24, told police that he grabbed a 12 gauge shotgun when he heard someone breaking into the rear door of his home after arriving home from work in the 8400 block of Hickory Street shortly after 6 p.m.

“Initial reports show that he and another subject exchanged gunshots,” Frisco police Sgt. Gerald Meadors said.

Police said that the intruder used a small caliber pistol to fire two rounds at Geddie, who then fired one round at the intruder. Geddie suffered a minor injury to the left arm but refused to be transported to the hospital.

Police said Geddie described the suspect as a Hispanic or Oriental male wearing a blue Dallas Cowboys cap, grey and white jacket, jeans, and a red bandana over his face.

The motive for the shooting is unknown, and the incident is still under investigation.
Labels: defender shot, home invasion, tx'


posted by Dave at 7:10 PM permalink




Hickory, North Carolina

From WCNC of March 20, 2008
Police: Home invasion victim shoots, kills suspects

Police say two suspects are dead after an attempted home invasion.

Catawba County sheriff’s deputies say two men dressed in black and carrying pistols forced their way into a home on 33rd Avenue in Hickory around 11:00 last night. According to a sheriff’s official, the homeowner was armed with his own gun, and shot the suspects. Both suspects were pronounced dead at the scene.

Major Coy Reid with the sheriff’s office said both men were wearing masks and latex gloves.

At this time, no arrests have been made.
Labels: home invasion, NC


posted by Dave at 7:01 PM permalink


Wednesday, March 19, 2008


Anton, New York

From the Anton News of March 7, 2008
Resident Shoots at Suspects

A resident of Elmont shot at two suspects who broke into his residence in an attempted burglary.

According to police, at approximately 1:25 a.m. on Feb. 28, two male suspects kicked open the side door of a Post Avenue home and ordered the 36-year-old male resident not to move.

Police said the suspects then removed cash that was on a piece of furniture in the living room. Police said the resident was a licensed pistol permit holder and produced a handgun. The resident then chased after the suspects, firing one shot, police said. It is not known whether one of the suspects was struck.

One of the suspects is described as a black male, wearing a black, puffy jacket and a dark skullcap.
Labels: concealed carry permit, home invasion, NY, residence robbery


posted by Dave at 7:02 PM permalink




Scott County, Indiana

From the Louisville Courier-Journal of March 18, 2008
Two men wounded at Austin business

Two Scott County men are recovering from gunshot wounds at University Hospital in Louisville after they were wounded last night on the property of a modular home dealership in Austin.

Malcolm Abner, 28, and Michael West, 33, are listed in fair condition today.

Scott County Sheriff John Lizenby said 32-year-old Chester Stacey told officers that he shot the men when they came at him as he investigated what he thought were people stealing things at Countryside Mobile Homes at 2771 E Ind. 256 in Austin.
Stacey is the son of Countryside owner Grover Stacey.

Lizenby said a Scott County officer who had been called to the scene to investigate possible trespassers was talking to the elder Stacey when they heard voices and then heard gunshots in a field on the property.

Officer Joe Johnson found the younger Stacey holding a 9-mm automatic handgun with Abner down in front of him.

West later came out of the field and told an Indiana state trooper that he’d been shot.

Lizenby said this morning that no one has been charged but the investigation is continuing. He said officers are searching for two other men that Chester Stacey said were also in the field.
Labels: business burglary, IN


posted by Dave at 6:56 PM permalink




Gloucester County, Virginia

From the Daily Press of March 19, 2008
Landscaper shoots rabid fox after attacks

A rabid fox was shot Friday in the Pine Mill Subdivision off of Pinetta Road, making it the second confirmed animal with rabies in the county this year.

The fox was seen acting strangely in the neighborhood last Thursday, prompting residents to call Gloucester Animal Control, said M.B. Sheppard, the county's Environmental Health Supervisor. But deputies were unable to find the fox and advised residents that if the fox was spotted again and acting similarly to shoot it.

On Friday, the fox first attacked two adult dogs that were penned up and then two puppies playing in a ditch and exposed the two puppies to rabies, Sheppard said. A landscaper working in the subdivision saw the fox and borrowed a homeowner's shotgun before killing the animal. Tests later confirmed the fox was rabid.

A 9-year-old girl who came in contact with the puppies is undergoing post-exposure rabies treatment, Sheppard said.
Labels: animal, VA


posted by Dave at 6:42 PM permalink




Phoenix, Arizona

From the AZCentral of March 18, 2008
Stunt man turned salon owner shoots robber

A would-be robber, “picked the wrong business and the wrong cowboy to mess with,” when he entered a Phoenix storefront and pulled out a gun.

That’s because Rodd Wolff leads a double life. He is a movie stuntman. In training for roles in films like “Rambo III”, “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” and “Miracle at Sage Creek”, Wolff had to be able to shoot a gun while riding a horse. He got a chance to put those cowboy skills to use in the unlikely setting of the business he owns, a hair salon.

Wolff, his wife and three clients were inside Hair Productions at 25 Street and Indian School Road about 3:30 Tuesday afternoon when the suspect walked in wearing a wig and dark sunglasses. Because of previous crimes at nearby businesses, Wolff had established a code word his employees would use in the event of a robbery.

He was in a back room when he heard his wife utter the code word three times. As the robber moved further into the salon, Wolff removed a gun that had been wrapped in a towel and ordered the man to drop his gun. When he did not comply, Wolff fired three shots, striking the suspect.

The robber dropped his wig and sunglasses and managed to get a green SUV outside the store. Wolff followed and held the man at gunpoint until police arrived.

The suspect was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

Phoenix Police Lt. Robert Sparks was impressed at Wolff’s use of the code word. “It’s good for business owners to be prepared and have a plan,” Sparks said.

Wolff says he first opened the salon in 1972. His acting career began in 1966’s “Duel At Diablo”. The Internet Movie Database credits him as a stuntman in18 films or TV shows. He is also listed as an actor in one film.

Despite his actions taking down an armed robber in a salon with five innocent people, Wolff says, “I’m no hero.”
Labels: AZ, business robbery


posted by Dave at 9:11 AM permalink




Tucker, Georgia

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of March 19, 2008
Elderly Tucker man kills intruder

If a DeKalb County home invasion suspect thought an elderly Tucker couple would make an easy target Tuesday night, he thought wrong.

Now the suspect is dead, and DeKalb police say the 81-year-old homeowner will not face charges for shooting and killing the man.

DeKalb police spokesman J.T. Ware said that about 11 p.m., the unidentified suspect, who appeared to be in his 20s, broke into the home on Zemory Drive, in a neighborhood off Lawrenceville Highway.

"The suspect, as he was entering the location, made enough noise to arouse the suspicions of the homeowner, and he was able to locate his weapon and load it," Ware said.

The homeowner confronted the suspect, and after a brief struggle, shot and killed the man, Ware said.

He said the homeowner, whose name has not been released, was hospitalized for treatment of wounds suffered during the struggle, but is expected to be okay. The man's 78-year-old wife was not injured.

Ware said police do not plan to charge the homeowner.

"He defended his home, defended his wife," Ware said. "He did what everybody would hope to do in a situation like that."
Labels: GA, home invasion

[zanne]

10. I provided a link for my information...

Will you please provide a link for yours?

[Turbo Teg]

2. Also, you've listed an incedent

where a police officer shot at some woman and an 8 year old after some road rage. Is this one of trusted few that you think should be the only ones carrying weapons?

[zanne]

12. As I've stated before, this shows how screwed up our gun culture is. nt

[shireen]

3. how do you both gather this information?

Is there a website that publishes it? Or do you actually go through the police blotter of every local newspaper and extract these items? Just curious about your sources.

[zanne]

4. You're right. I should provide a link. Here it is.

http://www.gunguys.com/

[slackmaster]

5. GunGuys Web site - Home of the Whopper

:rofl:

[shireen]

6. thanks, i had a quick look at it ...

It's not clear to me, from reading the "about us" section, how they plan to go about reducing gun violence.

I don't want to see guns banned in this country. But I think pro- and anti-gun advocates need to call a ceasefire to their own verbal sniping, find some reasonable middle ground, then work together to address the ROOT causes of most gun violence:
- lack of education in safe gun handling,
- poverty and hopelessness that permeates many inner cities and increasingly, many suburbs,
- improved and affordable, even free, health care resources, especially for mental health, that encourage people to seek help in dealing with stress ... before it gets overwhelming to the point of driving them to commit irrational reckless acts to hurt others (whether it's with a gun, a knife, running down someone with a car).

Addressing these issues is very hard work; it's not just about gun violence, it's about the condition of our society and how we treat our fellow citizens.

Here's the stereotypes we've come to know, not because they necessarily represent the majority of their constituencies, but because they're often the loudest voices heard in gun controversies:
- conservatives, who are traditionally pro-gun, don't want to address root problems of violence because it forces them to face the realities of their seriously-flawed political philosophies concerning the distribution of wealth in this country.
- Liberals, often associated with anti-gun activism, as well-meaning as many are to stop violence, take a superficial knee-jerk approach by advocating to restrict or ban guns.

A gun is simply a machine. The real issue that needs to be addressed is HOW we use that machine, and why. These two most vocal sides of gun control need to grow up and take a hard look at the conditions of our society and ourselves, and address the root causes of the violence.

[zanne]

9. I agree that we have to get to the root of gun violence...

That's going to take a long time to address those problems. In the meantime, we need sensible gun control.

[benEzra]

7. Gun-control lobby site.

Take with the same grain of salt that would be appropriate for NRA press releases.

[Turbo Teg]

8. Sorry, here's the link

http://www.claytoncramer.com/gundefenseblog/blogger.html

[zanne]

11. That's a Right-Wing website...

Good to know where you're coming from.

[DonP]

15. Actually no, it's a Libertarian web site if you must use labels for facts.

So even though the links to the actual newspapers are included, its easier to just disqualify and dismiss the story based on which particular web site it came from?

I find that particularly ironic when you quote the Republican run Brady group site.

Wow, that's some serious insecurity on your position.

But I'm still waitng for an example or two of what you might term "common sense" gun control, that might actually make some kind of difference in the real world, until we solve all of society's social problems.

[L1A1Rocker]

20. But don't you understand?

If it from a Rightwing associated source then it can be dismissed as if it doesn't exist. Please don't confuse the issue with facts.

[krispos42]

13. 30 gun-related homicides a day..

210 a week, on average, out of 301 total homicides a week, on average.

You're posting two murder-suicides, which are likely emotional, domestic issues which would have happened regardless of whether a gun was in the home, and one "mass shooting", which makes up a tiny fraction of homicides in a given year.

So where are the other 204 run-related homicides this week?

Not tragic enough for gunguys.com? They don't want to report about gang members killing other gang members?

[iverglas]

16. ah, would have happened anyway ...

You're posting two murder-suicides, which are likely emotional, domestic issues which would have happened regardless of whether a gun was in the home

One hears that a fair bit. I'm curious when one ever actually sees it.

Man kills woman with firearm, walks across town and jumps off bridge.
Man kills woman with firearm, pulls green garbage bag over head and suffocates self.
Man kills woman with firearm, takes overdose of sleeping pills.

There was a case in Canada in the last year where the man killed his wife and mother-in-law with a knife ... and then shot himself.

When the intent is murder + suicide, I'm not just too sure that it is very often carried out otherwise than by firearm.

Murder + suicide is fairly common among men who kill their intimate partners and/or their children. They commit the murder only because they are also planning to kill themselves. If they did not have access to firearms, how likely would they be to embark on the adventure?

How does the fact that some gang members kill other gang members obviate the fact that some men kill their intimate partners?

How much nicer might everyone's world be if gang members didn't have the firearms with which to kill other gang members (and the occasional bystanding child) ... and thus were unable to carry out most of their other unpleasant activities?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

19. Statistics show these types or crimes to be a small fraction of gun homicides.

Tragic nonetheless but in the United States, family members murdering other family members accounts for a small fraction of gun homicides. Not sure if people in Canada murder more of their loved ones percentage wise than people in the U.S. do. Hard to compare cultures though, the U.S. is clearly far more violent, in all regards, than Canada. I have heard about asian gangs becoming a problem in Montreal, do you know if this problem is on the rise?


David

[Indy Lurker]

14. maybe you will respond in this thread.

I suggest we find and arrest the criminals who committed these crimes if they are still alive.

I also suggest we lengthen prison sentences for violent offenders, as statically most crimes are committed by repeat offenders.

What do you suggest?

[iverglas]

17. great suggestions

I suggest we find and arrest the criminals who committed these crimes if they are still alive.

What do you suggest the families of the victims do to bring them back to life?

A better question might be: do you give a shit?

[Indy Lurker]

18. I'm glad you think its a great suggestion.

I don't believe it's possible to bring the victims back to life.

without possible solutions, we simply have a list of problems.

I believe everyone agrees there is a problem with the criminal use of firearms.

The difficulty is in finding a solution.