Talkative parrot leads to death of burglar: "A parrot chirping "hello" woke up his Texas owner who found and then shot dead a burglar in his garage. "I guess you could call him a stool pigeon,'' owner Dennis Baker said on the Dallas Morning News. It was the fifth time the house, which is also used as a locksmith shop, was broken into this month. So when Mr Baker woke to the sounds of Salvador, his Mexican red-headed parrot, saying "hello, hello'' he knew something was wrong. Mr Baker grabbed his gun and shot the burglar in his garage about 1.30am. The man died at hospital, police said. "I have tools in my garage, my house and my van,'' Mr Baker said. They were coming here like they owned the place. I hate what happened, but somebody has to do what's necessary.'' The bird also chirped "hello'' when police arrived, Mr Baker said. Texas has recently eased restrictions on people confronting intruders in their homes, businesses or cars. They are no longer obliged to retreat before responding with deadly force."


Michigan Teen Arrested for Attempted Robbery: "A suspect is behind bars after an attempted robbery in Jackson. It happened Friday at the Quick Mart party store on Greenwood Avenue. Police say a male suspect entered the store, showed a handgun and in response, the clerk grabbed his own handgun and chased the suspect out of the store. Then on Saturday, police say they received a tip that led them to arrest a 14-year-old Georgia boy for that crime. He is currently being held at the Jackson County Youth Home pending formal charges."


North Carolina teen shot, in critical condition: "A 15-year-old boy was shot Monday night after pointing a shotgun at a man's house, according to authorities. Investigators say the teenager was in a vehicle with four others. The driver parked the car next door to a residence. Four people, including the teen, got out of the car. The juvenile had a shotgun in his hand, said Sgt. Howard Reaves of the Lumberton Police Department. Jeremy Locklear, 26, told lawmen he was sitting in his car in his driveway when he heard his dogs barking. He got out of his car to see what was going on when he saw the group near a building next to his residence. They came toward the house, and the teen pointed the shotgun in Locklear's direction, Reaves said. Locklear had a shotgun in his vehicle. He shot at the teenager, Reaves said. The teenager was struck on the right side with buck shots, he said. The other men with the teen ran from the scene, he said. One person who remained in the car during the shooting was questioned by lawmen. No charges had been filed as of Tuesday.