Stupid Ohio prosecution defeated: "Kevin Teague acted in self defense when he shot a fellow Mansfield teenager in the face, according to Richland County Juvenile Court Judge Ron Spon. The judge on Thursday acquitted the 15-year-old Teague of attempted murder and two counts of felonious assault. Spon found him guilty of carrying a concealed weapon. The decision followed a three-day trial during which the Richland County Prosecutor's Office argued Teague shot and intended to kill Jacques Sutton outside MedCentral/ Mansfield Hospital on Feb. 18. "The defense ... successfully argued their case that what Kevin did was in self-defense," Spon said, claiming defense attorney Ralph Bove proved three specific points: First, Teague was not at fault in creating the altercation between himself, the victim and four other juveniles accompanying the victim. Spon cited testimony from witnesses saying the victim and his friends antagonized and bullied Teague for a lengthy period of time. On the day in question, one of the victim's friends got Teague to let his guard down, then punched him. Testimony and evidence indicated five juveniles pursued Teague and his acquaintance for at least one city block before getting to MedCentral. From there, security video shows five juveniles attempting to surround Teague to keep him from entering the hospital. "The video was chilling," Spon said. "It was like watching sharks circle in for the kill. Frankly, the line (Sutton) said that they were only going to the hospital because they were hungry and wanted to use the vending machines to get something to eat was a ploy." Third, the defense proved Teague did all he could to retreat from the altercation. "In short, Kevin was being relentlessly pursued by five people with the intent to cause bodily harm," he said. "The defense proved in that moment, his only means at hand was the use of force."


Florida homeowner shoots at burglars: "Leon County Sheriff's deputies have not filed charges against a homeowner who fired shots at burglars Monday afternoon. The man received a call from his alarm company around 1:45 p.m. that something tripped his alarm; the alarm company also contacted LCSO, said Lt. Rory Robbins. The man arrived at his home on Seasons Lane before deputies did and found a car behind his mobile home. He took the keys out of his car and drew his handgun when he heard a crash. He saw two men running away from the home and shot at them once. The men split up and the homeowner followed one around his trailer, Robbins said. He took three more shots at the fleeing man, who fell to the ground, but got up and continued running. Deputies think he fell because of the rough terrain, not because he was shot. There was no blood at the scene."


DC to appeal overthrow of their gun ban: "The DC government will appeal to the Supreme Court to defend its 30-year-old ban on most handguns. Mayor Adrian Fenty's office says the city's ban on most handguns can and should be defended. Washington's gun law bars residents from keeping handguns in their homes and carrying a gun without a license. Registered firearms must be kept unloaded and disassembled. In March, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals sided with six district residents who sued to be able to keep their guns for self defense. The decision repealed much of the city's handgun ban, but the ban stays in place through the appeals process. The city's sweeping gun ban is matched only by Chicago among large U.S. cities. If the high court takes up the case, it would mark the first time in 70 years that justices will consider the breadth of the Second Amendment."


CA: Armchair police criticize real police: "Civil rights activists are calling for a federal investigation into a weekend police shooting that left two suspected burglars dead. The Torrance Police Department has said that neither suspect was carrying a gun, but that they touched off the shooting by moving "aggressively" toward officers with "sharp yard tools" after investigators opened the door of the shed where they were hiding. Police officials have refused to say what tools the suspects had or how close they got to police. "You don't take two human lives and just say we have nothing else to say about it," said Eddie Jones, president of the Los Angeles Civil Rights Association, during a Thursday news conference with other activists. Jones questioned why police opened fire on the two men, who were cornered in the shed after a nearly four-hour search that ended mid-afternoon Saturday. He said police could have subdued the suspected home burglars with a police dog, tear gas or a baton, or brought in a special negotiator. The department said its officers called out to the suspects in the shed numerous times to surrender before the confrontation."