NY: More on Shooting of Andre Tiwo Hair (Domestic Defense by Neighbor)

EMS was called to the scene and medics were unable to revive the man later identified as 27-year-old Victor De Andre Tiwo Hair of 1202 Main St., Buffalo.

Taylor said deputies found Hair lying on a weapon when they arrived. Hair had been shot while inside the home after he kicked open the front door brandishing a weapon.
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AL: Domestic Defense, Justin Tyler Bland Shot by family member

Police say a Dothan man shot twice Monday by a family member is now in jail on burglary charges.


Justin Tyler Bland, 31, of Dothan, was arrested Monday, and charged with first-degree burglary.
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Followup KY: Woman Shot as Police Execute Warrant at Wrong Address

The family says the police did not knock, and did not announce themselves. The police say they did. I hope there is video.

Breonna Taylor, an EMT worker, died on March 13 after officers with the Louisville Metro Police Department executed a search warrant at the wrong home, the suit states.

Police at the time said the officers knocked on the door several times and “announced their presence as police who were there with a search warrant.” The officers forced their way in through the door and “were immediately met by gunfire,” Lt. Ted Eidem said at a March 13 press conference.

Taylor's death gained national attention this week after the family hired attorney Ben Crump, who is also representing the family of Ahmaud Arbery, the black man in Georgia who died on Feb. 23 after being pursued and shot by two white men.
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Followup ID: Fatal Shooting of Zachary Stinson by Jesse Peterson was Self Defense

When police arrived, they discovered Jesse Peterson, one of the men involved in the fight, shot Stinson once in the neck, killing him. After Idaho State Police finished their investigation, they turned the case over to the Lemhi County Prosecutor’s Office.

Peterson said he was involved in an argument with Stinson. He admitted to firing the shot that killed him. But, according to investigative documents, all of his actions were taken in self-defense. No charges were filed against Peterson, and he was never arrested.

Peterson’s claim of self-defense is valid under Idaho law.
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TX: Homeowner Fatally Shoots 1 of 2 Burglary Suspects

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A burglary suspect was fatally shot by a homeowner on North Beach.

Police say a man and a woman entered the home on Snug Harbor Driver overnight, forcing the homeowner to shoot at least once.
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Horrific Murder and Felony Firearm in Flint, Michigan: Three Family Members Charged

Raymonyear Trayvon Bishop and Larry Edward Teague

Image from Genessee County Prosecutor Office

On Friday, 1 May, 2020, at about 2 p.m., Calvin Munerlyn, 43, a security guard at a Dollar Store in Flint, Michigan, was shot and killed. 20 minutes earlier, at about 1:40, he had confronted a woman, Sharmel Lashe and her daughter,  and ordered her daughter to wear a mask in the store, as required by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Stores are allowed to refuse service to customers if they are not wearing a mask.  The daughter left, but Sharmel got into an altercation with Calvin Munerlyn. Sharmel is reported as spitting on Munerlyn, then leaving in a red GMC Envoy.

Detroit News reports the event is recorded on surveillance video.

20 minutes later, security cameras showed Sharmel's husband, Larry Edward Teague, 44, and her son, Ramonyear Travon Bishop, 23 arriving at the store in what appears to be the same vehicle. They confronted Munerlyn. The video is reported to show Bishop shooting Munerlyn, who was shot in the back of the head, and killed.

Genesse Count Prosecutor David Leyton has filed charges against the three suspects.

Sharmel Lashe has been arrested on a first degree murder charge and a firearms felony charge.

Her son, Ramonyer Travon Bishop, and her husband, Larry Edward Teague, are being sought. They have been charged with first degree murder charges, felony firearms charges, and carrying a concealed weapon charges.

Larry Edward Teague is additionally charged with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, a felony, an additional felony firearms charge, and violating the Governor's order, a misdemeanor.

Michigan's felony firearm law is somewhat unusual. It carries a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison for a conviction of possession of a firearm in the commission or attempted commission of a felony, any felony. The mandatory prison term is extended to five years for a second conviction, and ten for a third conviction. from legislature.mi.gov:

 750.227b Carrying or possessing firearm when committing or attempting to commit felony; carrying or possessing pneumatic gun; exception; “law enforcement officer” defined.

Sec. 227b.

  (1) A person who carries or has in his or her possession a firearm when he or she commits or attempts to commit a felony, except a violation of section 223, 227, 227a, or 230, is guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment for 2 years. Upon a second conviction under this subsection, the person shall be punished by imprisonment for 5 years. Upon a third or subsequent conviction under this subsection, the person shall be punished by imprisonment for 10 years.

Prosecutors routinely overcharge in order to have material to plea bargain with. It does not seem necessary in this horrendous crime, captured on video; but I am not the prosecutor in this case, nor am I a lawyer.

This was a nasty, unnecessary murder. No testimony has been released as to what was said between Sharmel, Ramonyer, and Larry Edward Teague. 

So far, only one firearm is mentioned in this case. As a juror, I would want to know if two people could simultaneously be convicted with possessing a concealed weapon, and if a person some distance away from the crime scene could also be convicted of possessing the same weapon. It would depend on Michigan statutes, case law, and precedent.

Perhaps there is video of one man passing the firearm to the other; it is not said. Notice how the charge stacks. The first charge is a mandatory two years in prison. The second firearm felony is a mandatory five years in prison. In the case of Larry Edward Teague, that is seven mandatory years in prison before the concealed carry and first degree murder charges, and felon in possession of a firearm sentences start.

The first question a good lawyer might ask Larry Edward Teague:  Did he know his stepson had a pistol in his possession?

AP reporters Corey Williams and Mike Householder worked hard to tie the murder to peaceful protests by Second Amendment supporters at the Michigan legislature. From apnews.com:

On Thursday, gun-carrying protesters and other demonstrators rallied inside the state Capitol, calling for coronavirus-related restrictions to be lifted. Some protesters with guns — which are allowed in the statehouse — went to the Senate gallery. Some senators wore bulletproof vests.

There is no evidence the murder had any political motivations, yet David Leyton, the Democrat prosecting attorney for Genesee County, Michigan, attempted to tie the crime to politics.

“The hostile tone that we have seen in recent days on television and in social media can permeate our society in ways we sometimes don’t fully realize or anticipate,” Leyton told reporters Monday. “Decisions like staying home when we can, wearing a mask when going to the store and staying a safe distance from those around us — these should not be political arguments. They don’t necessitate acts of defiance, and we simply cannot devolve into an us versus them mentality.”

Leyton says wearing a mask should not be political, implying the murder was politically motivated, when there was no evidence of political motivation.

A person has to twist their logic in pretzel shapes to smear peaceful protestors with an irrational murder.

It has become fashionable to have enhanced sentences for possession of a firearm in the course of a crime.

There are downsides to that policy. It singles out firearms for demonization; it increases the legal liability of firearms ownership; it conveys the message that, somehow, firearms are intrinsically "bad".

As surveillance cameras become evermore common, it becomes more and more difficult for criminals to avoid being convicted for serious crimes.

This may be one reason the crime rate has been on a downward trend, overall, over the last two decades.

©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

SC: Domestic Defense, Armed Neighbor Shoots Ex Attempting Murder of Former Girlfriend and Baby

The woman had run across a busy street to Moore’s home, looking for help, after 26-year-old Victor Hair broke into her home and started shooting.

“They were in a relationship and we had answered a domestic call over here a few days ago,” Union County Sheriff David Taylor said. “We had active warrants on the suspect.”

“I didn’t ask her anything. Just as long as she was safe, it was none of my business,” Moore said.

Sheriff Taylor said another man in the home fired back at Hair.

When emergency crews arrived on the scene, Hair was found lying in the front yard. He died from his injuries.

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AZ: Armed Samaritan Shot and Killed by 17-year-Old

Police said after DeLegge turned his attention back toward the other three, the 17-year-old removed a revolver from his pants pocket, approached DeLegge and shot him through the right cheek. DeLegge was rushed to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

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SC: Domestic Defense, 16-Year-Old Shoots Step-Dad to Defend Mother, with Pistol he Handed Her

North Charleston police said they’re not planning to a charge a 16-year-old girl with shooting her mother’s husband after hearing she did so in self-defense.
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KY: Armed Homeowner Shoots 1 of 4 Home Invaders

It happened Friday at a home in the Keavy community.

Deputies with the Laurel County Sheriff's office tell WYMT the group attempted to rob the homeowner, who ended up shooting one of them.
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Ky: Man Justified in Shooting Deranged Driver who Weilded Ratchet

In this altercation, the shooter thought the aggressive man had a gun, when he had a ratchet. After an investigation, officers believe he was justified in shooting and wounding the aggressor.

The driver told officers the unknown male got out of the car. He tried to as well but could not open his door. He said the unknown male appeared to have a handgun and was approaching his vehicle.

The driver of the Camaro said he feared for his life and pulled out his gun and shot the unknown male, using all three rounds in the magazine.

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MD: Body Camera Video of Man with Gun Charged by Man with Knife

Police late Friday released video of the shooting, which happened Thursday evening in the 1500 block of Hadden Manor Court in White Oak:

Police say they first responded to the scene on a call of a disturbance involving a man with a knife in a residential parking lot.

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MD: Man with Handgun Wounds Attacker who Fired on House with Rifle

Diane Richardson, a spokeswoman for the Charles County Sheriff's office, says Dr. De Quang Tran walked onto the front lawn of a home on Spring Oak Drive on April 26th and began shooting at the house with a rifle.

The homeowner inside, who has not been identified, returned fire with a small caliber handgun, wounding Dr. Tran, Richardson said.
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Canadian Cops Take Down Star Wars Storm Trooper During Restaurant Promotion (video)

Link to video

On 4 May, a small restaurant in Alberta, Canada was using a person with a Star Wars stormtrooper costume as a promotion.  The Coco Vanilla Galactic Cantina is located at 531 13th St. North, in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. The promotion was on the unofficial Star Wars Day, "May the 4th be With You".





The police in Lethbridge decided to do their own interpretation of stormtroopers.

The 19-year-old woman who was employed by the Cantina as a draw, was assaulted by the police at gunpoint for having the temerity to wear her Storm Trooper costume with a plastic blaster.  Most of the interaction was caught on video.

In the police completely overreact. They draw guns on the young woman in the Star Wars costume and order her to get down. This is difficult to do in a hard plastic costume, as she attempts to explain. The Canadian police will have none of it, even after the restaurant owner tries to tell them it is a promotion.

There was no reason to require the woman to get down on the ground and be handcuffed after she puts down the toy gun.

When the videographer comes up to video, they one of the police tells him to leave, or  he will be arrested. He backs off, but continues to video. Then a police officer in police truck drives between him and the victim, and blocks his recording angle.

The Canadian police appear to be carrying Sig equipment. The long gun used by the officer confronting the Storm Trooper looks like a Sig 551. The sights, flash hider and fore end are distinctive.

Lethbridge police rifle, side view, twitter

Sig 551 from wikipedia

The police firearm has a flash hider, short barrel, pistol grip, folding stock, and standard 30 round capacity magazines. How do the Canadian police find all those things useful, when they are precisely the things Americans who want the public disarmed, find abhorrent? 

The Lethbridge police use Sig P226 pistols in .40 caliber, according to wikipedia.

The incident has drawn international attention. One commenter on the Lethbridge police facebook page, Chris Laidlow, posted a clip of a Star Wars movie and made this comment:

You people are so pathetic and stupid. You humiliated our entire country and you dint even have the bells to apologize.

You are simply the worst.

Canadian police are considered to be more familiar with firearms than Australians. It made the news when Australian police took down a man walking on the beach with a 1/3 scale plastic, toy rifle.   The Australian incident happened a year ago. The Australians had the excuse of a law requiring replica guns to be registered the same as real guns.

Perhaps that is anticipated in Canada.  In the United States, those pushing for a disarmed population have been pushing for a ban on toy guns for decades. New York City banned black, blue, and silver toy guns in 1955.

It is reasonable for police to respond to a "man with gun" complaint. Requiring a promotional actor to get on the ground and be handcuffed after they have been disarmed of a plastic toy, and have been told it is a promotion; seems beyong reason.

The incident is being investigated by the Lethbridge police. 

©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

PA: Off-Duty Officer Shoots Man who Lunged at him with Scissors

An off-duty officer shot a man who lunged at him with a pair of scissors, Philadelphia police said.

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MO: Gun and Knife fight at Residence in Bonne Terre

Calvert said Wann reportedly entered the residence and "slashed and cut" a man at the residence, also believed to be in his mid-30s. Officers believe the injured man then retrieved a handgun and shot Wann. The two men knew each other.
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GA: Armed Samaritan Stops Beating of 86-Year-Old

"He pulled him out of his house and started beating him," said Gravley.

That's when the neighbors heard Lee's wife scream for help and came running.

"Grabbed his gun, came down, tried to intervene and stop the fight," said Gravley.

Those neighbors say the attacker turned on them. He punched one in the jaw and tried to take the gun away from the other. That's when they fired two shots, hitting the attacker.

"I think all this was so useless, so awful," said Gravley.
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NE: Victim Shoots at Home Invaders, They drop the Goods and Run

The state patrol said the suspects broke into the man's home just before midnight late Tuesday May 5. The suspects beat the man and stole multiple firearms and ammunition. The patrol said the victim fired multiple shots at the suspects as they were leaving the home, after which they dropped most of the stolen property. The stolen firearms were recovered and returned to the victim. The patrol said only some ammunition was still missing as of Thursday afternoon. A patrol spokesperson did not have information about the kind of gun used by the victim to shoot at the suspects.
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ME: Man Attempting Break-in Shot and Wounded by Homeowner

The homeowner reported a man was trying to come through a bedroom window then started banging on the outside of the home with a hammer type tool.

Police say the 22-year-old man never got inside and was shot in the shoulder by the homeowner before police arrived.
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TX: Armed Houston Clerk Shoots, Kills 1 of 4 Robbery Suspects

HOUSTON — A clerk shot and killed at least one suspect when a group of alleged robbers forced their way into a store along Highway 90 in northeast Houston overnight.
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