FL: Bystander with gun comes to rescue of Marine and wife: "A group of unruly teenagers attacked a 27-year-old Marine and his wife who had asked them to be quiet during a Christmas night showing of 'Little Fockers.' ... The couple was kicked and punched in the parking lot before a gun-brandishing witness told the crowd to step back just before deputies arrived."


MI: Man shot during home invasion critical: "Ryan Edger, 28, remains a patient at Battle Creek Health System, where he was taken after the shooting about 11 p.m. Thursday. Battle Creek police said Edger was one of three men wearing masks when they kicked open a side door and entered a home in the 100 block of Cliff Street, apparently searching for money or other property. Edger was armed with a handgun, detectives said, and the others may have been armed also. A man and woman and the woman's 7-year-old girl were inside the house and a short time later the woman's boyfriend, 28, returned to find the robbers still inside. Detective Jeff Coons said the boyfriend and Edger began to fight and the boyfriend, whose name has not been released, took the gun away from Edger. The boyfriend then retrieved his own gun, a .223 caliber semi-automatic handgun and began firing at the men, hitting Edger several times, including once in the face."


S.C.: Tow-truck driver shoots, kills man after dispute: "A Bluffton man was shot and killed Christmas Eve by a controversial tow company operator, who put a boot on his minivan as he was visiting with relatives, according to Sheriff P.J. Tanner. Carlos Olivera, 34, was shot multiple times at about 8:30 p.m. Friday in front of his brother's home at 408 Live Oak Walk in the Edgefield neighborhood, Tanner said. The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office is investigating, but Preston Oates, a principal of Pro Tow, has not been arrested, Tanner said. Both men were armed, Tanner said, adding his department is reviewing witness statements and evidence, including two confiscated weapons, to determine what led up to Olivera's death. Oates -- who says he acted in self-defense -- was detained by deputies and released later that evening, Tanner said."


NC: One Dead after Barber Shop Shooting: "Police are investigating a shooting in an Asheboro barber shop that left one man dead on Christmas Eve. Witnesses say that a man was asleep in one of the chairs in the Real Cuts barber shop, located at 801 MLK Jr. Drive, when two men came in on Friday morning. One of the men walked over to the man who was asleep in the chair and started beating him up. When the man awoke, he pulled out a gun and shot one of them in the stomach. The other man fled the scene, and so did the shooter, said witnesses. Police are currently interviewing the shooter, who they have in custody."