No charges in fatal Mississippi shooting: "A man who shot and killed a 17-year-old Saturday during an attempted robbery at his Forest home won't be charged, police said. Derrick Ficklin, 17, of Carthage and another teenager allegedly tried to rob the unidentified homeowner. The shooting occurred around 9:20 p.m. in the 500 block of Oak Street. The resident heard a loud knock at the door and answered it while carrying a gun, Forest Police Chief Robert Roncali said. As the resident opened the door, Ficklin pushed his way inside with a pistol in hand, Roncali said. Roncali said the resident fired four shots, hitting Ficklin twice in the chest and once in the leg. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Roncali said the man will not be charged because he shot Ficklin in self defense. Police said Luis Pedro, 17, of Carthage was Ficklin's accomplice. Pedro fled on foot but was picked up by Forest police about 100 yards from the home, Roncali said. Pedro is charged with attempted armed robbery and is being held at the Scott County Jail on a $30,000 bond. Roncali said Pedro confessed to police he and Ficklin were planning to rob the resident. He said they targeted the home because the resident is Latino. "It's widely known that some immigrants don't use the banks because they're here illegally, so they keep their money at home," Roncali said."


NM: Not guilty verdict in road-rage case : "A jury acquitted a 23-year-old Santa Fe man of criminal responsibility last week for firing a gun at another car in an alleged road-rage incident nearly a year ago. The Santa Fe County jury deliberated only an hour and 40 minutes Wednesday before deciding that Gabryl Romero was not guilty of two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, shooting at or from a motor vehicle, criminal damage to property and negligent use of a firearm, said Dan Marlowe, Romero's attorney. Romero allegedly shot twice through the windshield of his own car at another vehicle carrying Jason Anaya, his girlfriend and their then-7-month-old son, police said at the time. Romero, however, claimed that Anaya drove at his car twice and that he fired in self-defense. The incident, which took place Feb. 28 on Cerrillos Road, ended in the parking lot at Jiffy Lube, 1975 Cerrillos Road, where police arrested Romero."


KY: Detective wants domestic shooting vetted by grand jury: "Sheriff’s Detective Charlie Loomis, who is investigating the alleged shooting by Paul Vaughn’s ex-wife and another woman, said Wednesday the incident is still under investigation. The incident began at about 2 p.m. Tuesday when Paul Vaughn, reportedly defying a protective order filed by Connie Vaughn, showed up at her home. Loomis said he was told that Paul Vaughn entered the home with a lug wrench and swung it at his ex-wife several times, threatening her, Cathy and Jason Burke. A fight reportedly ensued inside the home and eventually wound up outside, but apparently not before a shot, reportedly by one of the women, had been fired into the floor. Three children were also inside the home and Jason Burke reportedly took them to the basement for safety when the fight began. Warning shots were apparently fired before Vaughn was shot, police said. It was not the first time Paul Vaughn had violated the protective order, said Connie Vaughn’s mother, Martha Jones, 62. The Vaughns had been divorced for about six months after a 28-year marriage, she told the Times-Tribune. Jones, who had come to the home following the fight, said the marriage had been rocky all that time, with alleged domestic abuse by Paul Vaughn. Even since the divorce, Paul Vaughn had violated the protective order and threatened his ex-wife several times, Jones said. Loomis said Connie Vaughn and Cathy Burke are cooperating in the investigation."


Nebraska lagging: "Law enforcement officials shot holes Thursday in a proposal that would give citizens more legal leeway to defend themselves with a gun, saying it was unnecessary and would increase shootings. Proponents of the bill, which included the National Rifle Association, said current state law might force people who killed someone in self-defense on their own property or car to defend themselves again against manslaughter or murder charges or against a civil lawsuit. “Rights are turned around (in Nebraska). It’s up to an individual to prove they’re innocent,” Jordan Austin, an NRA lobbyist, told the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee. Austin said 25 states have adopted “Castle Doctrine” laws such as LB 889. The name comes from the phrase “a man’s home is his castle” and refers to a person’s rights to defend his or her “castle” from intruders or deadly threats. He said of particular concern was a requirement in Nebraska law that people must refrain from using deadly force if they can safely retreat. While they aren’t required to retreat from their home or business, proponents said the bill would clarify that they would not have to retreat from their car or from outside their home, too."