Bogley

[jumar]

Thought I'd continue this thread under the shooting forum.
Here's another one

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/16/BAGGNPRKOT1.DTL&hw=Tommy+Ray+Spencer&sn=001&sc=1000

Quote: OAKLAND
Store clerk fired fatal shot
Slain suspect's accomplice faces murder charge
Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

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In the second slaying of an apparent robber in Oakland in a month, an East Oakland liquor-store clerk fired the fatal shot that killed a 17-year-old boy who had fired first, authorities said Tuesday.

A second suspect, the robber's alleged accomplice, was charged Tuesday in the liquor-store death Friday and in an incident two days later when he allegedly fired at an officer trying to arrest him.

Tommy Ray Spencer Jr., 17, of Sacramento was shot and killed at about 10 p.m. Friday by the clerk at the Oak Tree Market at 1601 28th Ave., authorities said.

Spencer and Juan Antonio Gonzalez, 23, also of Sacramento, went in the market intending to rob the employees, said Alameda County Assistant District Attorney Tom Rogers.

After accosting the store clerk, Spencer fired two shots, prompting the clerk to produce a gun of his own and fire back, hitting Spencer, Rogers said.

It was unclear in earlier reports who fired the shot that killed Spencer.

Spencer was killed, and Gonzalez fled, police said. The clerk, whose name wasn't released, won't face criminal charges because he acted in self defense, Rogers said.

The store has been robbed two other times in the past six months, said a store employee, who didn't want to be identified.

"In this case, if we didn't have a gun, we were going to get shot and maybe killed," he said Tuesday.

The investigation led Oakland police on Sunday to Sacramento, where Gonzalez fired at Officer Jason Lancaster -- narrowly missing his head -- before escaping, Rogers said. Gonzalez was arrested without incident Monday after police tracked him down at a Sacramento motel.

Gonzalez was charged Tuesday with murder with the special circumstance that the killing happened in the course of a robbery, making him eligible for the death penalty. Under California's "provocative act" rule, murder charges can be brought against a co-defendant if a crime leads to a homicide.

Gonzalez, who has a conviction for receiving stolen property, was charged also with assault with a deadly weapon for shooting at the Oakland officer and two counts of being an felon in possession of a weapon.

Told by The Chronicle Tuesday that investigators believe her son fired the first shots, Nina Jones, 38, of Sacramento said she was shocked. Jones said Gonzalez was the person who told her that her son had been killed, and she thought Gonzalez had killed him.

"I never thought my son would do something like that," Jones said. "I didn't know him as good as I thought."

Jones said she believed her son may have felt pressured by Gonzalez to participate in the robbery. She said she tried to get her son to stop hanging out with Gonzalez, but he resisted because Gonzalez gave him marijuana.

Spencer would have turned 18 June 2, his mother said. He attended a continuation high school in Sacramento, worked at a Carl's Jr. restaurant and was on probation for a gun-possession conviction, she said.

"All I can say is, watch your kids as much as possible," Jones said.

The killing evoked comparisons to an incident April 19, when the owner of an Oakland pizzeria at 89th Avenue and International Boulevard shot and killed a would-be robber armed with an assault rifle, police said. The pizzeria owner also acted in self defense and wasn't charged, authorities said.

E-mail Henry K. Lee at hlee@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page B - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle

[MY T PIMP]

What a great article. If enough incidents happen where common citizens save the day, as this store clerk did, a message of failure is going to be sent to these thugs. If they know they can't win, they won't try. More people need to exercise their right to bare arms.
And the commonwealth of this nation need to trust these people to make the right decision.

[jumar]

http://www.timesdaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070516/APN/705161813


Quote:
Bessemer bank customer praised for helping halt gunman


The Associated Press



Last Updated:May 16. 2007 10:57AM
Published: May 16. 2007 10:57AM
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DEL.ICIO.US DE.LIRIO.US FARK FURL REDDIT TECHNORATI YAHOO MY WEB Law officers have praised a bank customer who pulled his gun and helped deputies capture a gunman who opened fire during a robbery of a Wachovia branch, killing two tellers and wounding two.

Chris Chappell, who was in the bank Monday morning getting $40 in change on the way to his job in Adger, fled the bank when gunshots rang out, drew a gun for which he has a concealed weapon permit, took cover by his sport utility vehicle and alerted deputies who came up.

The gunman, cornered by Chappell and the deputies when he tried to flee the bank with a hostage, stumbled and was shot by Deputy Alan Rhea.

"It's certainly commendable," Jefferson County Sheriff's Sgt. Randy Christian said. "It's obvious he played a key role in keeping the guy there until we could get there. It's a great testament of someone willing to take action."

"He kept him from escaping, and he gave deputies time to get to the scene," Bill Veitch, chief assistant district attorney, told The Birmingham News in its moment-by-moment account of the robbery and arrest.

Bessemer Mayor Ed May, while calling Chappell a "good Samaritan and a brave individual," added that "I would not encourage anyone to do that."

Chappell, however, said he just went by his instincts.

"I know what's right and what's wrong. There wasn't nothing I could do differently. I'm always going to do what I think is right," Chappell said.

William Merriweather Jr., 30, a 1994 Jackson-Olin High School graduate who also attended Alabama State University and Lawson State Community College, was taken into custody after being shot outside the bank. He was charged with capital murder in the deaths of the two tellers.

According to witnesses and police investigators, the gunman fatally shot Eva Lovelady Hudson, then continued firing down the line of tellers, killing Sheila Prevo. He shot two other tellers, who survived, while demanding money, and forced bank manager Myron Gooding to open the vault.

Grabbing a bag of money, he left the bank, only to find Chappell waiting.

"I was prepared to shoot," Chappell said.

According to the News account, the gunman threw his hands up and went back inside when he saw Chappell. He eventually came out holding Gooding as a hostage. By then, deputies had arrived and Merriweather was shot and captured.

"I don't think you had time to be scared," said Chappell.

---

Information from: The Birmingham News

[jumar]

Hey! A local story. :2thumbs:

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,660222331,00.html

Quote: Armed pharmacist stops robbery in progress

Police say a 35-year-old Salt Lake man didn't really have a gun when he walked into a pharmacy and handed an employee a note demanding painkillers. But a pharmacy co-worker did.
According to charges filed against the man Friday in 3rd District Court, surveillance video at the Millcreek Pharmacy, 1260 E. Vine St., showed the man pulling his hoodie over his head and putting on a pair of cotton gloves before entering the pharmacy last Monday.
A pharmacy worker told police the man handed her a note stating "This is a robbery. Give me 2 bottles of Oxycontin ... Do NOT make a scene and no one will get hurt. I have a gun."
When another pharmacy co-worker showed his gun, and the suspect attempted to flee. The suspect, however, "deferred to suggestions" made by a passer-by armed with a golf club to wait for police, according to the charging documents.
A search by police revealed the suspect was armed with a hunting knife. He has been charged with first-degree aggravated robbery and a misdemeanor count of carrying a concealed weapon.
As of Friday, he remained in the Salt Lake County Jail on $50,000 bail.

[Glockguy]

Good ending on that last one. That is right by where I grew up. Their candy always tasted like it was 40 years old lol.

[jumar]

It's interesting, I've never paid much attention to how often there's firearm self defense stories in the news, until this thread. I see new ones every single day. :2thumbs:

[Udink]

For anyone interested in this type of news, this blog has TONS of self-defense stories, mostly from mainstream news sources.

http://www.claytoncramer.com/gundefenseblog/blogger.html

It's amazing to hear how often lawful self-defense occurs.

[jumar]

Intruder shot at church fireworks stand (OH)
Burglar shot in Crowley (NY)
Lakeland Man Shoots, Kills Burglar (FL)
Woman fatally shoots husband (MS)
Market Owner Shoots At Robbers, One Suspect On Loose (TN)
Pit bull attacks Roswell woman (GA)
Ex-cop shoots attacker, who had been served divorce papers (NY)
Off-duty cop kills intruder (CA)
Homeowner Shoots, Kills Home Invader (FL)
Woman Claims Self-Defense In Shooting (OH)
Miami Man Shoots, Kills Small Dog (FL)
Armed man fends off robbers (FL)
Pizza Hut Worker Fired for Shooting at Armed Robbers (FL)
Sallisaw woman shot ex-husband in self-defense, police believe (OK)
Jury acquits man of murder (AL)
Crawford County Man Shot, Killed (AR)
Business as usual at grocery store (FL)
Local Resident Fights Back Against Alleged Carjacker (TX)
Stepdad kills son (AL)
Police: Man Injured In Shootout With Burglar (TX)
Woman allegedly shoots, kills estranged husband (OK)
Homeowner fatally stabs suspected burglar (CT)
Police: Man shoots neighbor's intruder (NM)
Alleged attacker shot by ex-girlfriend in DeRidder (LA)
Police: Stabbing looks to be self defense (IN)
No arrest yet in fatal shooting (CA)
Akron Robbery Victim Survives Due to Concealed Handgun License (OH)
Man Found Dead After Dispute Turned Deadly (TX)
Man shot dead after fight; brother-in-law is charged (IN)
Police give details in justifiable shooting (TN)
Soldier kills home intruder (NC)Tenant shoots suspect during home invasion (NY)
Intruder shot in the arm after breaking into home (FL)
City shop owner wounds intruder
(NY)
Armed pharmacist stops robbery in progress (UT)
Man with unloaded gun killed by victim (MI)
Kalamazoo man fends off attackers with handgun (MI)
Charges dropped in case of Tarentum lawyer pulling gun on brother (PA)
Man says he shot teen at motel in self-defense (TN)
DA considering self defense in Lawton shooting (OK)
Bessemer bank customer praised for helping halt gunman (AL)
Avondale resident kills intruder (LA)
Suspect slain in botched robbery ID'd (CA)
Man shot after breaking into home (NC)
Homeowner fatally shoots burglar (IN)
Wife tells her side of alleged domestic dispute (AZ)
Lunch wagon driver defends life when armed robbers attack (OH)
Police: Teen Would-Be Robber Fatally Shot Breaking Into Home (PA)
Shooting ruled as self-defense (VA)
When delivering pizza turns deadly (MI)
Boggs Tract store owner shoots robber (CA)
Pistol packin’ grandma stops robbery attempt at her liquor store (OK)
Liquor store owner foils robbery attempt (OK)
Jewelry store owner wounds 2 robbers in gun battle in Fort Lauderdale (FL)
'I Thought This Would Never Happen to Me' (OH)
Kingsport senior citizen shoots sister-in-law's attacker during intersection fracas (TN)
Pizza Parlor Owner Shoots at Burglar (NC)
Man, 84, shoots would-be burglar (GA)
Purchase of gun ends thefts at area store (PA)
Iraq War Vet Blasts Burglar (GA)
Off-Duty SWAT Officer Shoots McDonald's Robbery Suspect (TX)
Murder Charges Dropped Against Kings Mountain Woman (NC)
Man's wounds healing after being bit by stray dog (TX)
Shots fired at armed midnight intruder (AR)
Man with gun vs man with dog; no charges filed (IA)
Police: Homeowner Confronts Intruder, Fires Rifle (NH)
Grand jury to hear charges in fatal Norfolk shootout (VA)
Passions stir over dog shooting on coast (CA)
Murder Charges Dropped Against Kings Mountain Woman (NC)
Huntsville homeowner kills intruder (AL)
Man shot still hospitalized (CA)
Man acquitted in neighbor's killing (CA)
Prosecutors decline to charge suspect in alleged gang slaying (FL)
Police: Store Worker Shoots, Kills Robber (TX)
Jury: Stella man not guilty (NE)

[Rev. Coyote]

I remembered a story from 10 years ago about a Chicago store owner who put 220 volt plates on his windowsills and fried a burglar. Good riddance, I figured. Tried to find the story for this thread, then found the family of the dumb-ass who broke in gets awarded $75,000! This pisses me off. Read on, see if you agree...

-----

Family of electrocuted thief gets $75,000 from jury

Dan Rozek
The family of a convicted burglar who was electrocuted in 1997 when he tried to break in to a bar in Aurora after-hours and triggered a homemade booby trap has been awarded a $75,000 jury verdict to be paid by the owners of the bar and the property.

Larry Harris was wrong to try to break in to George O's Place, but the bar and property owners share responsibility for his death, the Kane County jury reasoned in ordering the wrongful-death payout after a two-week trial.

Frustrated after three burglaries at his tavern in a month, Jessie Ingram installed the homemade security system in late July 1997. He jury-rigged the inside of the bar's windows so anyone breaking in would get a strong shock, then posted several warning signs outside, including one outside the window Harris broke in through.

Drunk and high on cocaine, Harris, 37, either didn't see or ignored the warnings. He forced open a rear window and crawled in, triggering the homemade, electrified booby trap just five days after it was installed.

In a verdict returned Friday, jurors placed 50 percent of the blame for the death on Harris, but assigned the bar's owners 40 percent and placed 10 percent on the property's owner.

No criminal charges were filed.

Jurors weren't allowed to be told that Harris was drunk and on cocaine, nor that he had served time in prison for two burglary convictions.

The verdict sends a message that property owners can't use lethal security systems to defend their homes and businesses, said John Winters, the Chicago lawyer who represented Harris' mother and brother in the civil case.

"You can't set these type of traps because property isn't worth a human life," Winters said, adding that the booby traps might just as easily have been tripped by firefighters or police officers answering an emergency call at the bar.

Ingram was a defendant in the lawsuit but died last year before the case went to trial against the remaining defendants, including his wife, Barbara Ingram.

Barbara Ingram's lawyer said the award left the Aurora woman "devastated."

"She's the victim, and she gets victimized again," said attorney Fred Morelli, who also represented the property owner, Alma Moody of Virginia.

Morelli said the jury ended up giving Harris' family "more than he would have earned in his entire life" and promised to appeal the verdict.

Winters contends there was little evidence linking Harris to the earlier break-ins and said it wasn't clear why Harris was entering the bar through the window around 2 a.m.

"We're never going to know Larry's intent, but we know Jessie's intent," Winters said, noting that, after installing and testing the security system, Ingram then boosted its power to 220 volts from 110 volts. "There was a clear intent to cause harm."

Harris' brother, William, couldn't be reached Monday for comment. In an earlier interview, he said, "I know my brother wasn't an angel, but I don't feel like the way he died was justified."

[jumar]

Quote: then found the family of the dumb-ass who broke in gets awarded $75,000! This pisses me off. Read on, see if you agree...

Holy Cow! :dropmouth:

[Rev. Coyote]

Here's what gets me -- a jury of 12 Americans agreeing on this stupid verdict. I can forgive a judge, since he/she usually represents the lowest form of humanity (and is therefore incapacble of rational thought), but a jury doesn't have that excuse. Why couldn't one person call BS on this? This is why I never try and get out of jury duty -- just in case it's something like this.

[jumar]

Quote: Here's what gets me -- a jury of 12 Americans agreeing on this stupid verdict. I can forgive a judge, since he/she usually represents the lowest form of humanity (and is therefore incapacble of rational thought), but a jury doesn't have that excuse. Why couldn't one person call BS on this? This is why I never try and get out of jury duty -- just in case it's something like this.

I totally agree

[Udink]

Rev. Coyote wrote: I remembered a story from 10 years ago about a Chicago store owner who put 220 volt plates on his windowsills and fried a burglar. Good riddance, I figured. Tried to find the story for this thread, then found the family of the dumb-ass who broke in gets awarded $75,000! This pisses me off. Read on, see if you agree...
What's sad is that if the bar owner had greeted the burglar with a face full of buckshot, he'd probably not have had any legal problems afterwards.

[basilone0331]

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/gilchrist_2986___article.html/wife_finney.html

Quote: Shootout in garage
Homeowner exchanges fire with masked gunman; Two arrested in traffic stop
KATHERINE ROSENBERG
VICTORVILLE — Roger Gilchrist woke from a dead sleep when he heard his pregnant wife screaming for her life, as she honked her car horn incessantly in their garage.

He grabbed his gun.

It wasn’t 20 seconds after his wife pulled in and saw a masked gunman standing near her vehicle that gunfire erupted at point-blank range, the couple said.

pull quote“Under the circumstances, with him having a gun and standing next to my pregnant wife, I’m not going to wait and see what happens — I’m going to fire,” Gilchrist said.

Officials said the crook shot first, and Gilchrist returned fire. About 10 rounds were let off in the confines of the garage, officials said.

“I hit him once, and then I heard the click, click, click, and I knew he was out of ammunition,” Gilchrist said.

His wife, who asked not to be identified by first name, said those “clicks” were aimed at her head from about three feet away.

“I told him I was pregnant and not to hurt me, and he said he wasn’t going to. But when he got shot, there is no doubt in my mind that he decided he was going to kill me — only he was out of bullets,” she said.

Authorities said that around 12:30 a.m. Sunday they responded to a call of shots heard in the 12400 block of Blazing Star Way.

When they arrived they saw a garage door lying in the street behind a car with shot out windows and a trail of blood.

Apparently, Gilchrist was screaming at the intruder — later identified as Timothy Finney, 35, of Rialto — to get out of the house, but Finney responded that he couldn’t, said Deputy Bob Thacker of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Victorville station.

Gilchrist’s wife then put her car in reverse and slammed through the garage door, allowing Finney to run out, and escape in a white PT Cruiser, officials said.

It all happened in less than a few minutes, but now the events of those few minutes will stay with the family for the rest of their lives.

“It’s such a violation, it’s really indescribable,” the female victim said. “Reality still hasn’t set in, I still haven’t cried, I’m still in shock.”

Deputy Luke Gaytan, one of the first deputies on scene, notified sheriff’s dispatch to contact all area hospitals to look for anyone admitted with a gunshot wound.

When no one was found, Gaytan called the valley dispatch center, Thacker said.

“They told him there was a deputy from Central Station who had just pulled over a white PT Cruiser at Highland and State Street for blowing stop signs,” Thacker said. “Gaytan gets his cell phone number and was talking to him when the deputy found the passenger with a bullet wound and a gun in his waistband.”

Authorities said Finney was bleeding out and pools of blood filled the vehicle.
While medical aid was called for Finney, deputies also detained the driver, Roland Ryland, 38, of San Bernardino.

Days after both were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, Gilchrist found out that Ryland, a friend since childhood, was one of the arrestees.

“I couldn’t believe it was someone I know. He’s been to my house, we’ve gone on vacations together and apparently his wife lost her job and they’re not doing well, so he finds someone to rob me,” Gilchrist said. “He couldn’t do it himself.”

Deputy District Attorney Britt Imes on Tuesday said he filed two counts of residential robbery and two counts of assault with a firearm on both Finney and Ryland. There were also transportation and possession of marijuana charges against both, Imes said.

Imes said that no charges are to be filed against Gilchrist for the shooting.

“You just can’t shoot a trespasser, but you have the right to self defense that is proportionate to the threat or danger that is applied to you,” Imes said. “If someone pulls a weapon on you, you can certainly pull one back, but the law can be very case specific.”

As for the Gilchrists, they are just thankful that they owned guns, and were able to ward off tragedy.

Gilchrist’s wife said: “If he didn’t have that gun, we would’ve both been dead.”

[deathcricket]

Udink wrote: Rev. Coyote wrote: I remembered a story from 10 years ago about a Chicago store owner who put 220 volt plates on his windowsills and fried a burglar. Good riddance, I figured. Tried to find the story for this thread, then found the family of the dumb-ass who broke in gets awarded $75,000! This pisses me off. Read on, see if you agree...
What's sad is that if the bar owner had greeted the burglar with a face full of buckshot, he'd probably not have had any legal problems afterwards.

***Note to self... After discovering a body in the lethal boobytrap, prop it up and shoot it a couple times***