TX: Armed Homeowner Wounds Burglary Suspect in Head

BIG SPRING -- The Howard County Sheriff's Office is investigating after a homeowner shot a suspect who had reportedly burglarized his home.
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AR: Armed Brother and Friend Hold Burglary Suspects at Gunpoint

LAVACA (KFSM) — A Lavaca homeowner's brother and a friend caught two men burglarizing his brother's house and held them at gunpoint until authorities arrived, according to the Sebastian County Sheriff's Office.

Police reports show that on Sunday, Feb. 10, at 7:04 a.m., deputies were called to 8606 E. Tate Lane in Lavaca on a report of a burglary in progress. Once there, they encountered the brother of the homeowner and a friend of both, and the friend was holding a rifle on the two burglary suspects, later identified as Thomas Link and Johnny Hoang.

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TN: Armed Robbery Suspect Wounded by Armed Victim

The man stated he was driving home from work when he noticed a silver Acura following him. Once he reached his driveway, he said the suspect jumped out of his car and approached him asking “where the cash was at.” The suspects then pulled out a gun and began shooting.

Fearing for his safety, the man said he also pulled out his weapon and returned fire, apparently striking the suspect in the foot before he fled.
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NC: Armed Business Owner holds Burglary Suspect for Police

A theft suspect met his match when he tried to haul off a pickup truck load of tools from the Cronland Lumber Yard on Highway 73.

Deputies were dispatched to the business at around 5:40 p.m. on Feb. 7 in response to a breaking and entering in progress. When they arrived on the scene the business owner, Stan Cronland, had the suspect out of his truck and on the ground at gunpoint, according to a press release from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
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FL: Burglary Suspect Held at Gunpoint for Deputies

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office says a New Smyrna Beach man held a suspected would-be burglar at gunpoint, until deputies arrived.
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December 2018 NICS Background Checks Make 2018 Second Highest on Record

The National Instant background Checks System (NICS) checks for December of 2018 were 2,543,385. They were just a little less (42,753) than NICS checks for December of 2017. That makes them the fourth highest December on record, and puts the total for 2018 as the second highest year of NICS checks on record with 26,181,936. The top year was 2016, with 27,438,673.

But gun sales are in a minor slump. Some call it the "Trump Slump". How can this be?

Two things conspire to bring about the "Trump Slump". The first is that President Trump is not Hillary Clinton. Gun owners are not as concerned about being able to purchase the gun and ammunition they want, or whether emotional driven politics will be used to deny them the guns they wish to have.

The second part is many NICS checks are for other purposes. Once we take out the background checks done for permits and permit renewals, The numbers drop.  The numbers of permit and permit recheck numbers for December of 2018 were 737,926 and 285,273, respectively. Those are 1,023,199 checks not done for firearms purchases.

Last month I predicted there would be over 2.5 million NICS checks for December of 2018. It was an accurate prediction.  If, as expected, about .56  firearms are added to the private stock for each NICS check done, then NICS checks in December will translate into 1.42 million additional private firearms.

That increases the number of private firearms in the United States to about 433 million at this time. In April of 2018, I predicted the U.S. stock of private firearms would be more than 430 million by the end of 2018.

Over 177 million of those firearms have been added during the 20 years of NICS checks since 1998.  A hundred million were added in the last seven years.

With Nancy Pelosi the Speaker, and a Democrat House of Representatives in Congress, we can expect the introduction of numerous restrictive gun laws.

They will try to ban semi-automatics.

They will try to ban private sales.

They will try to impose national waiting periods.

They will try to impose "lock up your gun" laws.

They will try to increase the age a person has to be to purchase a firearm.

They will insist all of these laws will be "gun safety" laws, when none of them increase safety with guns an iota.

They will insist all of these laws will be "gun safety" laws, when none of them increase safety with guns an iota.

Many of these laws will pass the House and be sent to the Senate. With a partisan media, these laws will have major attention. Even with the 177 million firearms added to the private stock over the last 20 years, there are still 200 million or so Americans who are not adequately armed.  Man of those unarmed Americans will listen to the rhetoric. They will see the hatred directed toward the President and his supporters.

A portion of the other side will believe the propaganda designed to dehumanize coservatives, particularly white, Christian, straight men.

Some people on both sided will decide they need guns.

Some will want to defend the Constitution.

Some will wish to destroy it.

I do not expect the highly restrictive infringements on Second Amendment rights to pass.

I expect them to give the gun industry a bump.


©2019 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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Followup IL: Billy Cowart Cleard of All Charges in 2016 Self Defense Shooting

Then 50-year-old Ford employee Billy Cowart was charged with attempted murder for shooting off his gun in the United Auto Workers 551 parking lot in June 2016. He struck two fellow union members, both in the leg.

And within a matter of days Cowart was suspended and then terminated from his job with Ford where he had worked for nearly two decades.

But Cowart, a veteran with extensive combat training and a licensed CCW holder, said he pleaded with Ford and the union to understand that this was a clear case of self-defense.
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LA: Armed Homeowner Shoots, Kills Intruder Attempting Break-in

“The initial investigation by detectives indicates that the homeowner shot the man as he was trying to break into the residence,” Landry added.

The man shot is identified as Richard Bernard Williams, 26 years-old, of Bossier City. Detectives collected evidence that Williams was forcibly attempting to enter the house when he was shot by the homeowner, BCPD said.
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Followup AL: Wolverton Bridges found not Guilty in Fatal Shooting of Christopher Coffelt

A jury on Friday acquitted a man of first-degree murder in a Valentine’s Day 2017 shooting in south Tulsa that the man and his attorney argued was self-defense.

William Wolverton Bridges, 46, faced the charge in connection with the death of his friend, Christopher Coffelt, based at least in part on claims he provided inconsistent accounts of what happened leading up to the shooting.
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AZ: Mother uses Gun to Turn Suspect Over to Police

TEMPE, AZ — One mother said her quick thinking and nearby pistol helped protect herself and her kids during a home invasion.

The situation ended with an injured police K-9, two hurt Tempe police officers and a mother who forced the suspect out of her apartment at gunpoint.

"It was either me or him, and I had two kids. There was no way I was going to let them get hurt," the mother said.
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CA: Retired Officer Arrested for Shooting Thief

A former Cypress police officer was arrested after he allegedly shot at and grazed a shoplifting suspect in the parking lot of a Home Depot in Riverside on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 9.

The retired officer, identified as Michael Munoz, 61, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, said Officer Ryan Railsback, a spokesman for the Riverside Police Department.
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FL: No Charges for Fatal Shooting of Two Home Invaders

TITUSVILLE, Fla.(WOFL FOX 35) - There will be no charges in an incident in which two men were fatally shot in alleged home invasion, according to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.

On Friday, deputies released the identities of the two men, Alvin Smalls, 20, of Titusville, and Amir Lynn, 18, of Mims.

The incident happened around noon on West Court. According to deputies, the two men, one which was armed, and another wearing a mask, were attempting a home invasion when the occupant shot them both. One died on the scene. The other died at the hospital.
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TX: Dog Shot by Man Claiming it was Killing his Rabbits

The Travis County Sheriff's Office confirmed they are looking in to what happened but so far haven't found signs of criminal activity. TCSO spokesperson Kristen Dark says the neighbor told police that the dog was on his property eating his rabbits.

According to attorney Eric Harron with the Law Office of Eric Harron, a state statute allows property owners to shoot animals that are threatening their livestock, crops or their life.
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NC: Home Invasion Gunfight, Resident Wounded Intruder hit 4 Times

During the investigation, police discovered that a resident shot at the alleged home invader.

That man was hit by gunfire multiple times.

The wounded suspect fled on foot to a residence on the 200 block of Moore Avenue. An ambulance transported that man to a hospital in critical condition, Togneri said.

Link was incorrect and has been fixed.

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AL: Homeowner with Gun Catches Burglary Suspect, Stops Crime Spree

Turns out it’s not the only door the suspect knocked on. According to another victim, he knocked on their door Tuesday and allegedly returned on Thursday. After knocking on the door, the homeowner recognized him from his surveillance video and social media posts and met him at the door with a gun. He held him their until Prichard Police arrived to make the arrest.
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NC: Homeowner Shoots Intruder After Intruder Broke Door

According to the sheriff's release, the homeowner said Brown kicked in the door - busting the door casing - and continued to try to force himself into the home.

The homeowner told Brown to leave several times, but could no longer stop him from getting inside the home. The homeowner then shot Brown through the door, injuring him.
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Followup TX: Man who Carjacked Woman, Ran into Home was Austin Reed, 26

The ex-military man who grew up boxing managed to fight Reed off and ran toward his bedroom for his gun.

"He was kicking [the door] and hitting it, trying to bust the door so he could get to us. I opened the door and put the gun to his face and he took off running down the hallway," he said.

Outside, officers swarmed the home on Jackson Creed Drive and shot the man after he allegedly refused their commands to drop the knife.

"If Dallas police didn't tell me to drop my weapon I would've pulled the trigger," said Hernandez. "I would've pulled the trigger to save my own life and my friend's because that was pretty scary."
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WI: Serving Warrant Results in Police Death

Image from CBS58.com

In Houston, on Monday, 28 January, a no-knock search warrant resulted in the wounding of four police officers and the death of middle aged couple who had owned their home for 20 years.

The deaths and woundings seem to have come from the use of the no-knock warrant. There have been many problems with no-knock warrants.

Thousands of no-knock warrants are used each year.

In Milwaukee, on 6 February, a Milwaukee tactical team was serving a search warrant in an investigation of illegal drug and firearms sales.

It is unclear if the warrant was a no-knock warrant. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the warrant was announced from a loudspeaker during the attempted service of the warrant. From jsonline.com:

The Tactical Enforcement Unit arrived to search a home in the 2900 block of South 12th Street at 9:17 a.m., and three minutes later officers made contact with two people and "shots were fired," Assistant Chief Michael Brunson Sr. told reporters earlier Wednesday.

Three law enforcement sources have told the Journal Sentinel Rittner was shot with a high-powered rifle. Two of those sources said Rittner was shot through a door.

(snip)

A neighbor said he heard a loudspeaker calling out an address about 9:20 a.m. Wednesday and walked to his window. He then saw a black armored vehicle and police officers swarming the house and heard about five seconds of gunfire followed by someone yelling, "Shots fired!"

It is not known if the officers were attempting to break down the door of the house before, during or after the loudspeaker announcement. Here is part of the statement from the Milwaukee Police Department:

On Wednesday, February 6th, 2019, at about 9:17 a.m., the Milwaukee Police Department's Tactical Enforcement Unit responded to the 2900 block of South 12th Street to conduct a search warrant. The target of the search warrant was wanted for the illegal sale of firearms and drugs. While conducting the search warrant, officers announced themselves as police at which time the suspect fired several rounds. Officer Matthew Rittner was struck by gunfire and transported to Froedert Hospital, where he unfortunately succumbed to his injuries.

Unlike the Houston case, other officers on the scene did not unleash a hail of gunfire into the house. Two suspects were taken into custody. One of them was Jordan P. Fricke, 26.  Fricke was reported as being the target of the raid.  We do not know if his name was on the search warrant.

There is no mention of how Fricke was arrested, or if he claimed he did not know it was police who were attempting to break down his door. We know that he must have given up quickly and surrendered peacefully.  There was another person in the house who has not been identified. It is not clear if they were arrested.

I have not found any statement that any contraband was found at the house.

Fricke did not have any misdemeanor or felony arrests prior to the raid.

The search warrant has not been published as of this writing. 

I have not found any reports of charges being filed against Fricke or the other person in the house when the raid was conducted. 

It is unknown if recordings of the raid and gunfire are available, or if body cameras were worn.

The Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation is investigating the incident.

Wisconsin requires an outside agency to investigate police shootings.

Wisconsin has a strong "Castle Doctrine" statute. People may use deadly force to prevent an unlawful forcible entry of their home. There are exemptions if the person was engaged in criminal activity or if the person forcibly entering was a public safety worker, and the person inside knew, or reasonably should have known, they were a public safety worker. Here is the wording of the statute with the exceptions.  From wisconsin.gov: 

1. The actor was engaged in a criminal activity or was using his or her dwelling, motor vehicle, or place of business to further a criminal activity at the time.

2. The person against whom the force was used was a public safety worker, as defined in s. 941.375 (1) (b), who entered or attempted to enter the actor's dwelling, motor vehicle, or place of business in the performance of his or her official duties. This subdivision applies only if at least one of the following applies:
a. The public safety worker identified himself or herself to the actor before the force described in par. (ar) was used by the actor.
b. The actor knew or reasonably should have known that the person entering or attempting to enter his or her dwelling, motor vehicle, or place of business was a public safety worker.

I have doubts that a person inside a house would "reasonably have known" that the people breaking in were public safety workers, simply from a loudspeaker on the street.

There are many details about the raid that are not known at this time. They include the number of shots fired, what caliber(s) were used, whether officers returned fire, the particulars of the warrant, and whether any contraband was found at the house.

It could be days or weeks or even months before we determine if this is another tragedy caused by the overuse of no-knock raids.


©2019 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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NV: Armed Samaritan Stops Carjacking/Armed Robbery

LAS VEGAS - Metro Police are looking for a man who was involved in a carjacking turned shootout in a northeast Las Vegas neighborhood. It happened Tuesday evening near Owens and Pecos.

According to officers, a neighbor tried to stop the crime and exchanged gunfire with the suspect.
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AR: Former Governor Candidate Uses Gun to Stop Threat Against Daughter

"My daughter called me on her cell phone screaming and crying and panicked. She said some guy had just charged at her," Morgan said.

Her daughter locked herself in the car and Morgan came out with her gun. She says the man was banging on the car window and yelling at her daughter.

"I yelled at him, 'I'm armed, get on the ground, get on the ground, put your hands behind your head,' and he did," she said.

Morgan said she asked him questions, he admitted to being on drugs, her daughter snapped a picture and she let him go saying he was no longer a threat.
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