Alabama: 80-year-old goes down fighting: "'Brutal' and 'gruesome' are the adjectives Athens Police Chief Wayne Harper is using to describe the shooting and stabbing death of an 80-year-old Athens man who apparently fought with and shot his assailant. Police plan to get an arrest warrant charging a suspect, who is in serious condition at Huntsville Hospital, with capital murder. ... The victim, Charlie Newman of 611 North Hine St., was a retired contractor and builder who lived alone in his multi-story brick home. Neighbors said he was quiet and kept to himself. Someone encroached on Newman's solitude Halloween night, shot him once in the chest and stabbed him numerous times, Harper said. The chief did not know the number of stab wounds but said a preliminary autopsy indicates Newman died of massive blood loss. 'I would never in my life have thought Charlie would go down without a fight, so there is some consolation in that he shot the person who did this to him, which probably helped police find a suspect,' said Newman's minister, The Rev. Patrick Lawrence of Berea Baptist Church."


Louisiana: Homeowner shoots burglar: "Police said a couple arrived at their home about 6 a.m. today and found their home burglarized. They were in the house about two hours later when another burglary attempt occurred. 'They fired shots at this individual,' Police Department spokeswoman Kacee Hargrave said. 'We believe the suspect was shot. We have a blood trail that's leading from the house.'"