Justified Homicides Up 50% In Memphis

More people in Memphis are shooting to kill in self-defense. Memphis police say the numbers of justified homicides has risen 50% in 2008. The most recent justified homicide happened early Tuesday morning. Police say a security guard shot and killed Andre McLaren, 38, outside Tony's Bar and Grill on South Mendenhall in Southeast Memphis Tuesday. The security guard told police officers McLaren was driving towards him when he fired the shots. The Shelby County District Attorney's office decided the guard was acting in self-defense Wednesday.

McLaren's death marks the 10th time a homicide has been ruled justified in 2008. That number is double the number of homicides ruled justified from January 2007 to April 2007. At this time last year, only five homicides were determined to have been justified. 10 justified homicides is nearly as many justified homicides as in all of 2006. During that entire year, just 11 homicides were ruled justified.

"I think we've tried to put our thumb on it and really just can't, " said Major Joe Scott of the Memphis Police Department. He said Memphis police officers are aware of the increase in justified homicides, but are unclear why they are on the rise. Major Scott said, "It is concerning over the last couple of years that we've had so many, but we really can't isolate it to the point where we feel like we could do anything preventive."

Out of the 51 homicides in Memphis so far this year, most have been the result of domestic violence. However, with 10 ruled justified, police say about 20% of the city's killings this year were committed in self defense or to protect another person's life.

Major Scott said the increase could be tied to a recent rise in the number of people applying for and receiving handgun permits in Shelby County. He said the homicides are often similar to the incident at Tony's Bar & Grill, in that a security guard is involved.

Major Scott also said the public should not worry killers are getting away with murder. He said homicide detectives thoroughly investigate every homicide in the city. He said self-defense is a common defense used by killers. More often than not, Major Scott said, self-defense does not hold up after detectives investigate a homicide. Major Scott said, "We have charged several individuals who have said they were acting in self-defense."

However, the circumstances surrounding justified homicides can be murky. For example, the security guard at Tony's Bar & Grill may have been able to run from the car driving towards him instead of choosing to fire his gun. However, Major Scott said the legal standard for a justified homicide is that a "reasonable, prudent person has fear for their own safety." Major Scott said being in the path of an oncoming car legally qualifies as a valid reason to fear for your life.

It is up to the Shelby County District Attorney's office to decided if a homicide is justified or if a crime was committed. Homicide detectives investigate their cases, then detectives present their evidence to prosecutors to make a determination about the natures of the homicides.

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Va. Grants 60% More Permits For Guns

Concealed-Carry Surge Tied to Va. Tech Killings

The number of Virginians who obtained a permit to carry a concealed weapon jumped 60 percent last year over 2006, an increase that many gun experts say was a reaction to the fatal shootings of 32 students and professors at Virginia Tech.

In Northern Virginia, the numbers were much the same. In Fairfax County, there were 2,471 concealed-carry permits issued in 2007, a 64 percent increase. In Prince William County, the number rose to 1,636, a nearly 59 percent gain. In Loudoun, the number of permits issued was 962, a 52 percent increase.

People applying for a concealed-weapon permit do not have to explain why they want one. But most experts think the Virginia Tech shootings, in which a heavily armed student met no resistance as he went from classroom to classroom firing, could explain the sudden increase in applications.

Some gun rights supporters noted that the university had lobbied against legislation that would have required colleges to honor concealed-carry permits. "They wanted to create an environment where students and faculty can feel safe," said Joel Kliesen, manager of the Dominion Shooting Range in Richmond. "A lot of folks would rather be safe than feel safe."

The shooting incidents in turn create more publicity about gun-related issues and probably inspire more people to arm themselves, gun control supports said. Both gun-control activists and members of law enforcement noted that those people who take the time to get a permit are largely law-abiding and unlikely to commit a crime.

Gun stores report increased sales and increased participation in training classes. Completing a firearms safety class as well as a background check are prerequisites for obtaining a concealed weapons permit in Virginia. Permits are issued by the state's circuit courts and are good for five years, but they can be renewed if there is no good cause to refuse the renewal. "More people are wanting guns," said Robert Jensen, a salesman at Virginia Arms in Manassas. "They're not believing the myth that guns cause crime. It's like saying flies cause trash. We've got more people doing competitive shooting and more people taking defensive training, and that's all around the gun industry." ....

Kliesen said he saw greatly increased interest in guns for self-defense after the Harvey family was killed at home on New Year's Day 2006 in Richmond. "A lot of folks are realizing that, as much as the police would like to be there," Kliesen said, "the only person you can guarantee will be there if you're ever victimized by a criminal is . . . you."

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Florida prosecutor: Fatal shooting was justified: "After the Feb. 7 fatal shooting of Nikita Williams, Smith called the Manatee County Sheriff's Office and told detectives he shot Williams after Williams pulled a gun on him in Rubonia. "After careful review of all the evidence in this case, it is clear that China Smith felt his life was in danger and was justified in his use of deadly force," Assistant State Attorney Spencer Rasnake wrote in a decline memo. Rasnake also wrote that physical evidence and witness testimony matched Smith's claim of self-defense. On the night of the shooting, Smith said that he was in Rubonia selling drugs near a store when someone told him two men were looking for him, according to Rasnake's memo. As a result, Smith rounded the store and saw Williams pull out a gun and point it a him, the memo states. "In response, China pulled out his gun and fired one round," Rasnake wrote. "China told detectives that he shot Nikita only after he saw Nikita pulled a gun on him and he felt his life was in danger."


NC State law, school policy clash over guns: "For Robert Lumley, the decision to bar his East Wake High School club marksmanship team from a statewide shooting tournament was as arresting as a shotgun blast. Less than a day before the March 15 district round of the decades-old N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission competition, one of East Wake's principals, with the support of the area superintendent who oversees that school, stopped the team from participating. The reason: Ammo and students don't mix, the school officials said. Like districts across the nation, Wake County bans deadly weapons from campuses and prohibits students from carrying them on school trips. But the decision to bar the East Wake team from the tournament extends that prohibition to students participating in an off-campus event sponsored by a state agency and supervised by adults certified in firearms safety. That call pits school policy against state law that allows firearms education at schools. The decision also runs counter to the efforts of wildlife agencies, hunting organizations and gun groups to recruit youths to replenish the dwindling number of hunters. It also underscores the tension between the fear of school massacres and the traditions of rural Wake, where hunting is still common."