North Carolina: Resident shoots intruder: "A resident shot and wounded one of four men who forced themselves into his apartment Tuesday night, police said. About 10:18 p.m., Joseph Tyler Cox, of 5039 Winster Dr., Apt. 203, responded to a knock on the door, according to Winston-Salem police. Four men dressed in dark clothes with their faces concealed forced themselves inside. One was armed with a knife. Cox retrieved a handgun and began to fire at the suspects, police said. Quenton Alphonzo Taylor, 18, of 5489 Country Side Drive, Apt. F, was struck by several rounds, according to police. Cox also shot himself in the hand and was stabbed several times in the back. The three other suspects fled on foot, leaving Taylor behind, police said. Cox and Taylor were taken to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, where they were treated for their injuries. Charges are pending for Taylor, police said."


California: Attempted robbery at pawn shop ends with robber, employee shot: "Three would-be robbers stormed a North Long Beach pawn shop Tuesday morning armed with one gun and a lot of bravado. When the suspects fled Long Beach Pawn & Jewelry, however, all they had to show for their efforts was a bullet from the shop supervisor's gun lodged in one suspect's leg, witnesses said. The 64-year-old supervisor from Long Beach was also shot, and hit in the face, but is expected to survive, authorities said. The witness told the Press-Telegram that he was walking into the pawn shop to pay his bill when the armed suspect walked in right before him. He recalled the gunman vividly due to his custom-looking, three-piece white suit, which looked like it belonged in church more than a pawn shop. "(The shop's employees) even complimented him on his dress," the witness recalled, saying the suspect asked a female employee to show him some rings because he was shopping for his girlfriend. After she took the armed man to the back of the shop, the other two suspects - dressed in casual clothes - rushed in, the witness said. One man jumped the counter and the other stayed by the front door as the armed suspect ordered everyone on the floor. That prompted the shop's supervisor - who the witness knew only as Bob - to confront the trio, the witness said. As the other employees ran to the back of the store and customers hit the ground, the shop's supervisor and the gunman faced off and both opened fire, the witness said. The supervisor was shot in the cheek and fell back while one of the suspects was hit in the leg, the witness said. "After the first shots I heard three more shots, and then (the suspects) crawled out of there," the witness said. "They got nothing...but one of them left his gun behind," he added. Long Beach Fire Department paramedics treated the victim at the scene and took him to a hospital. He was listed in mild distress and stable condition... The three suspects were described as black males in their 20s"


Pennsylvania: Police nab shirtless, tipsy home intruder: "Oakmont police said they arrested an intoxicated man early Sunday as he attempted to enter a house in which the owner had armed himself. The man, Brian Adam Witkovitz of Elicker Road, Plum, gave no statements and indicated no motive as to why he tried to enter two houses in the 600 block of Ninth Street about 3 a.m., according to the police report. Police said officers responded about 30 seconds after the owner of a house called the Allegheny County emergency dispatcher to report a burglary in progress. Officer Joseph Cattani observed Witkovitz, who was shirtless, open the storm door to the attached garage, according to police. Despite instructions to the contrary from the dispatcher, the homeowner had armed himself in anticipation of meeting the intruder. Cattani, backed up by another officer, entered the garage and subdued Witkovitz without incident before the suspect entered the house. Witkovitz has been charged with burglary, criminal attempt, public drunkenness, loitering and prowling at night, disorderly conduct, criminal trespass and simple trespass. He is free on a non-monetary bond. Oakmont Police Chief Dave DiSanti praised his officers for their quick response. "They managed to keep the burglar from bumping into the armed homeowner," he said. "You can see how bad it would have been, had there been a confrontation. It took a lot of fortitude for Cattani to enter the garage."


Illinois: Burglar Shot During Home Invasion: "A home invasion late Tuesday night ended with an alleged burglar in the hospital, according to Hardin County Sheriff Tom Seiner. The sheriff reported in a press release that the woman in the home shot the intruder. The home on Tower Rock Road outside Elizabethtown belongs to Marty Impastato and her husband Bruce, who was not home. Impastato's daughter tells News Three that the man entered the home through an unlocked window. Shawna Stevens says the man is a friend of the family who visits the home regularly. She says she's not sure why he broke in. According to Stevens, Impastato grabbed her gun when she heard the man make his way across the house. Stevens reports that when the man entered the bedroom and rustled through the safe where the family keeps jewelry and prescription drugs, Impastato shot him. Illinois statute makes it legal for the victim of a home invasion to shoot someone in their home if they believe they can prevent violence to themselves or others in the dwelling or they reasonably believe that force is necessary to prevent a felony."