Georgia: Robbery suspect shot, killed: "Atlanta police identified the slain man as Jamarcus Usher, 29, of the Decatur area. Willis declined to name the man and woman police said were the intended robbery victims. The man who opened fire in self defense is a 28-year-old who works in the airline industry and lives in a northern suburb of Atlanta, possibly Cobb County, Willis said. Wednesday night, the couple made their way to the popular East Atlanta Village, known for its trendy bars and eateries, because they have been taking swing-dancing lessons, Willis said. When they left the bar around 11:15 p.m., the man gave his date the keys to his Ford Ranger pickup truck so she could drive. They walked to the truck, parked in an Ace Hardware lot across a side street on the same side of Glenwood Avenue. Inside the vehicle, the woman was adjusting the driver's seat and mirrors when the man looked over his shoulder and saw Usher standing at his passenger window, Willis said. Believing the man was going to beg for money, the passenger rolled down his window a few inches, Willis said. But he had a strange feeling about the man, so he grabbed his gun from the glove box and put it on his lap, Willis said. He asked the stranger what he wanted, and noticed the man was reaching for his waistband or pockets, the detective said. Instinctively, the passenger shoved open his door, knocking the suspected robber back a few feet, Willis said. The woman started screaming. The man got out of the truck and the suspected robber raised a weapon at him, Willis said. "When he saw that, he just started shooting," the detective said. The man shot the suspected robber five or six times, in the stomach and chest, Willis said. The robber did not fire any shots. "He just got the jump on him," Willis said of the victim. "He told me he fired until the guy was no longer a threat to him."


Virginia: Clerk shoots would-be robber: "A store clerk shoots a would-be robber. According to the Halifax County Sheriff's Office, the clerk called 911 to report an armed robbery at Max's Grocery in Scottsburg. The clerk told the sheriff's office a man entered the store around 6:30 p.m. armed with a handgun and demanded money. The sheriff's office said the clerk shot the suspect who then left on foot. Deputies found the suspect around 8:20 p.m. in some woods near the store. He was taken to Halifax Regional Hospital with an apparent gun shot wound to the chest. The suspect, Richard Anthony Snead, has been charged with attempted armed robbery and use of a firearm in commission of a felony."


Virginia: Sick woman shoots robber: "An armed woman who stayed home sick from work Wednesday turned out to be a would-be robber's worst nightmare. Police say an alarm went off Wednesday in broad daylight in the 3300 block of Dondis Creek Drive in Dumfries, prompting the home's owner to her basement door where she found three men trying to get inside. "When she confronts them, the men take off and one of them returned," said Officer Erika Hernandez, Prince William County. That is when the woman opened fire, striking the would-be robber in the upper body. Police caught him and he was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police later caught the second suspect, but are still looking for the third. "That was an experience with the cop cars and the helicopters, I was wondering what was going on," said Joshua Washington, a neighbor. Police say it appears the homeowner was within her rights to shoot the suspect, however, police are still investigating".


Arming against the thugs : "In 2002, when Shelley Parker discovered the Capitol Hill home she had recently bought was located on a block where men gathered to drink beer and possibly sell drugs, she got a dog for protection, installed a security camera and joined an anti-crime patrol. These actions earned her taunts and death threats from the men and vandalism to her home and car. Seeking advice on protecting herself, a police officer told Parker to get a gun. This was unhelpful, since most gun ownership in Washington was illegal. Guns are often used to commit violent crimes, but might they also be an answer for cities suffering from crime?"