OK: Fatal Road Rage Shooting: "Tulsa Police say Friday's fatal shooting on Brookside may be self defense. It happened Friday night near 41st and Peoria near the Slo Ride bar. Police say a motorcycle rider was being harassed by the driver of a pickup truck. The biker circled the block, then went inside the bar. Police say he then noticed the pickup had stopped in front of the bar. That's when detectives say one of the men in the truck got out and attacked the motorcyclist. Police say the motorcyclist then pulled a gun and shot him to death. TPD says the motorcyclist does have a weapons permit. It's still unclear if any charges will be filed."


South Carolina: Burglary Suspect Shot by Homeowner : "A burglar was shot Tuesday morning by a homeowner in Spartanburg County. The incident happened at a home at 632 Nodding Hill Road about 9:30 Tuesday morning. According to the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, deputies found Rick Clary standing in the driveway of his home, shotgun in hand. Clary told investigators that he was asleep inside the home when he heard the sound of breaking glass. He then said he grabbed his shotgun, went to the backdoor, and saw someone reaching through the broken door window, trying to unlock the door. Clary fired one shot at the suspect, saying he believed he hit the suspect with the shot. Two suspects fled on foot, but left a car registered to Apple Auto Rental, along with a 9mm pistol. The pistol turned out to be stolen. Soon afterwards, a 16-year-old male juvenile arrived at a local emergency room, suffering from shotgun wounds to his hand and forearm. Investigators were able to determine that the teen was one of the individuals involved in the break-in. The juvenile, identified as Jamarous Rogers, has been charged as an adult, with one count each of Burglary 1st Degree and Possession of a Weapon during a Violent Crime. Investigators are searching for two more suspects."


CA: Dubious prosecution of disabled home defender: "Wajeel said he had taken pain medications and begun an at-home treatment for a ruptured rectus femoris, an injury to a muscle in his upper right leg, when he heard banging around his house. He then walked down the hall and went to the front door. Wajeel said the front door opened as he got there and a man knocked him to the ground. “He was in my living room and I was yelling, ‘Get out of my house!’” Wajeel said. “I saw something pointed at me and all I remember a bang and a flash. Then a police officer was telling me to get back into the house. I was still on the ground. I can’t really walk or stand without help anymore.” Wajeel said he was being prosecuted due to Deputy District Attorney Shannon Faherty’s desire to get a promotion rather than the facts of the case. “I’m just a number or a conviction to them,” Wajeel said. “Even people from my church, where I’m the minority, have told me it’s because I’m black.” ... Wajeel was initially arrested as a murder suspect in Firkin’s shooting death on July 3, 2008. Police found Firkins with a fatal gunshot wound to the head in his truck, which was parked in front of Wajeel’s Barcelona Court home. Police also reported finding Wajeel in his front yard with a gun. Barstow Supervising District Attorney Michael Fermin later decided not to pursue the murder charges in court, saying that Wajeel shot Firkins in self-defense. However, Wajeel was arrested again by officers and was charged this time with voluntary manslaughter on Dec. 5, 2008".


WA: Assault weapons ban likely to fail: "After 2009 ended in a hail of high-profile gun violence, Washington state's gun-control advocates are frustrated by an apparent lack of political support for an assault weapons ban, warning that the state will likely face more deadly shootings without it. The bill comes just weeks after a spate of deadly police shootings, and proponents of the ban say those killings should force politicians to confront gun violence. "There's more guns, a repressed economy and a lot of angry people," said Ralph Fascitelli, board chairman for state gun control group Washington Ceasefire. "You can't sweep this problem under a rug. Apparently the shooting of eight police isn't enough to confront gun violence in the state." Similar bans have not fared well in the state Legislature in the past, and in an election year, supporters face a battle to even get the bill out of committee."