From Fresno, CA
Police in California has confirmed that they will not charge a 16-year-old in the fatal shooting of his father after they concluded that he acted in self-defense. It was determined that the boy, whose name has been withheld because of his juvenile status, had shot and killed his 54-year-old father, Javier Vera, to protect his mother from physical abuse.
According to a news release by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, dispatchers received a call of an injured person inside a home on the 6800 block of W. Clinton Avenue in Fresno at around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. On arrival, responding officers found Vera had been shot and later succumbed to his injuries.
The officers learned that Vera, who had allegedly been drinking at the time, and his wife had been involved in a verbal argument that escalated into a physical confrontation. It reached a point where the 54-year-old began to strangle the woman, which prompted the 16-year-old to retaliate in turn.
A short time later, the teen discharged the gun, striking his father. He then dialed 911 to report the incident to the sheriff’s office, following which the murder weapon was secured, and the boy was taken into custody. Sheriff’s homicide detectives who later arrived at the scene had obtained a warrant to search the premises and questioned both the mother and the son.
Speaking about the incident, the sheriff’s office public information officer Tony Botti revealed to Your Central Valley that there was evidence of long-term domestic violence between the couple. He said, “[The boy was] visibly shaken up. Scary situation, your mom and dad are in this fight, next thing you know you end up taking your dad’s life.”
From WAUKEGAN, IL
After a botched gun robbery early Tuesday in Lindenhurst, one man is dead and the other has been charged with his murder and armed robbery, according to the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force. Police received a 911 call around 2:30 a.m. about a possible robbery at a home in the 300 block of Teal Road. When officers arrived, they found a Chicago man dead and an Evanston man being detained at the scene by a resident.
Michael J. Zachery, 23, of the 1600 block of Simpson Street in Evanston, was charged with first degree murder and armed robbery, according to task force spokesman Sgt. Chris Covelli.
Investigators believe he and the Chicago man, identified by the Lake County Coroner’s Office as 34-year-old Joseph McHaney, traveled to a home in the 300 block of Teal Road purporting to be interested in purchasing a firearm from a homeowner. Instead, Covelli said, they tried to rob the gun-owning resident with a knife and a hammer.
Zachery was armed with a knife as McHaney struck the homeowner multiple times with a hammer, according to the task force investigation. The resident responded by shooting in self-defense. McHaney was fatally shot by the homeowner and pronounced dead at the scene, Covelli said. Preliminary autopsy results suggest he died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Lake County Coroner’s Office.
Someone called 911 from inside the house, and when Lindenhurst police arrived they found Zachery being held at the scene by a resident. Tuesday evening prosecutors approved felony murder charges for the death of his fellow robber for his involvement in the incident, according to Covelli.
Under Illinois law, anyone found to have engaged in a “forcible” felony, such as armed robbery, where someone dies can be charged with first-degree murder, regardless of their intent.
Zachery appeared in bond court Wednesday morning, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. A judge set his bail at $5 million, meaning he would need to provide $500,000 in cash to secure his release ahead of trial.
From Clarksville, IN
Police have not yet identified the man they say was killed Tuesday after a bystander intervened during an alleged domestic violence incident at a Clarksville apartment complex.
Police responded to a report of shots fired in the 600 block of Harvard Drive in River Chase apartments just after 10 p.m. Tuesday. There, they found a deceased man with “multiple gun shot wounds,” according to a news release.
After talking with witnesses, police determined a domestic dispute started in an apartment which led to the man chasing a woman into the parking lot, beating and kicking her and her daughter, who is under 10 years old.
A neighbor intervened and held the man at gunpoint, reportedly to stop the attack. The woman and her daughter were able to escape, at which time the suspect reportedly went after the neighbor. The neighbor shot the suspect after multiple warnings, according to police. The shooter is not currently facing charges, although the case remains under investigation, said Clarksville Police Chief Mark Palmer.
Both victims were transported to a hospital in Louisville and treated for minor injuries. Palmer said they were in stable condition as of Wednesday afternoon.
The actions of the shooter are protected under Indiana’s Stand Your Ground Law, which states that individuals do not need to back down from threats against their person or others while in a public place, Palmer said.
Palmer wouldn’t comment on whether what the individual did in the situation was correct, but he said him being there may very likely have prevented further violence.
“I do believe that had the individual not stepped in, it would have been far worse for the female that was being attacked,” Palmer said. “It could have been a life-threatening situation for [her] or the child.”
He said people who witness a domestic incident or other abuse should contact police as soon as possible, and if they do feel they have to step in — because a person is in imminent danger of being seriously injured or killed —they should take their own safety into account.
“Use common sense and use the safest means that are available to you to help somebody, if that’s the only option you have,” Palmer said.
Melissa (Wynn) Weston lives in the apartment complex near where the shooting happened Tuesday. She said she and her husband were watching TV when she thought she heard someone scream. Soon after, she said they heard gunshots.
“I asked my husband to turn the TV down and we heard what we thought was just kids playing outside,” Weston said in a text message.
They turned the TV volume back up and then heard four to five “very loud booms,” she said.
“We both knew it wasn’t just a car backfiring as we hear sometimes, living this close to the interstate.”
The next minute, she looked outside and saw police lights.
“This all happened within two minutes or less,” she said. Weston and her husband have lived in the apartment for 10 years; she said they’ve never seen anything like this happen.
“My thoughts and prayers go out to all involved,” she said. “It’s so scary that these kinds of things happen in the world today. But for it to happen in my own neighborhood — and literally backyard — is horrifying.”
A letter from apartment manager Rob Cissell was sent to residents following the incident, expressing condolences for those involved and asking residents to alert police or management if there is ever a situation with safety. An apartment official provided a copy of the letter to the News and Tribune.
“Although we strive to maintain a safe, quiet and crime-free community, you never know when something could go wrong,” it reads, in part. “Thus we always ask our residents to speak up and notify the Clarksville Police, our courtesy police officer or the office if there is ever a concern.”
He also asked residents to keep the families in their thoughts and “please take care of yourselves and be good to others.”
Pending autopsy and toxicology reports may offer more information into the case, “to see if there could be outside influences on the suspect or if he was under the influence of anything,” Palmer said. “Or if this was… an anger issue.”
