Author: Dave Hardin

From Bridgeport, CT

Police are investigating after a woman called to report that her husband had shot an intruder in their home.  The Connecticut Post reports that the woman called 911 at about 8:30 p.m. Thursday to report the shooting.

Police spokesman Av Harris says as officers were heading to the scene, another 911 call came in from someone saying they had been shot. They reported being close by the home where the intruder was shot.

Several officers canvassed the area, searching for a gunshot wound victim for nearly 15 minutes before finding him.

The investigation into the shooting remains active and no names were released.

From West Palm Beach, FL

A man with a concealed-weapons permit shot one of three men who tried to rob him at a gas station just outside West Palm Beach, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said.

He had just paid for his gas and was walking back to his car when three men approached and demanded money. Rather than hand it over, he drew his gun and shot at them, the Sheriff’s Office said.  The wounded would-be robber is in custody and is expected to survive. The attempted robbery happened just before 7 a.m. Saturday at the Shell station at 2970 N. Military Trail, said sheriff’s spokeswoman Teri Barbera.

“The victim, in fear of this life, discharged his firearm, which he has a concealed weapons permit for, striking one of the suspects,” she said, in a statement.

The gas station clerk, who would only identify himself as Mr. Nasser, said the intended victim appeared unhurt.

“The guy came in and paid for the gas and they tried to rob him and he fired at them,” Nasser said. “He was not killed, but somebody was injured.”

The clerk had just arrived at work when he saw the commotion.  “The sheriff’s office was here for about five hours,” he said.  “All three suspects fled,” Barbera said. “The injured suspect is in custody and is expected to survive his wounds.”  There was no immediate word on whether the customer who fired the shots would face any charges.

Sheriff’s deputies were searching for the other two suspects Saturday afternoon

From Birmingham, AL

he shooting happened at about 2 a.m. at a home on 3^rd Avenue North in the Eastlake area. Police said a man was breaking into a house when the homeowner shot him in the stomach.

The homeowner told police he did not know the suspect. Police said they are still investigating the shooting, but they did not arrest the homeowner.

The man who was shot was taken to a local hospital in stable condition.

From Jacksonville, FL

A homeowner was defending himself during an armed robbery in his St. Augustine home.  It’s new insight into the deadly shooting yesterday near the St. Augustine Outlets.

An affidavit for arrest warrant says four people have been charged with first degree murder because the shooting death happened during the commission of a felony.  24-year-old Paul Pettigrew died in the shooting on Cowan Road.  Four men between the ages of 18 and 21 are now in custody, facing murder charges.  St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office Commander Chuck Mulligan says the homeowner has not been charged with any crime, and the investigation is ongoing.

The four suspects are identified as Christopher Pettigrew (who is the brother of the deceased), Zared Matthews, Jeffrey Balcom and Xavier Williams.  In addition to the felony murder charge, all four suspect are charged with attempted robbery.

On Thursday, St. Johns County Undersheriff Matthew Cline said their early investigation revealed that five individuals traveled from Duval County to this part of St. Johns County for something drug-related.

“Whether their presence was known by the residents on Cowan Road as being consensual or as a robbery, we’re not quite sure yet. Everyone is being interviewed as we speak. Obviously, things didn’t go very well. There were shots fired and an individual… is deceased on scene,” says Cline.

All four suspects were arrested through the day on Thursday.  “We had deputies that have suffered heat exhaustion. We’ve got deputies that are being treated at Flagler Hospital, as we speak,” says Cline.  But in the end, Cline says it was a citizen tip that led to the capture of the remaining two individuals.

From Logan County, OK

A man is facing felony charges after he was caught allegedly breaking down someone’s door to steal a water bottle, according to KFOR.  Deputies arrested Derrick Dumas just after they say he broke into a home near Edmond, Oklahoma and stole the bottle.

According to deputies, the homeowner woke up to a noise and discovered Dumas in front of the refrigerator with the door open. He told Dumas to “get the hell out” but Dumas replied that he was thirsty and needed water. Then Dumas grabbed some bottles of Pepsi and walked out the way he came in. The homeowner got his gun and told his wife to call 911, then followed Dumas out to the side of the house. Dumas continued wandering around the property, stopping at one point to sit and drink his Pepsi.

Dumas finally sat down on the house’s air conditioning unit and started hitting it. The homeowner told him to stop, and Dumas again said he was thirsty and needed water. This time, the homeowner gave him a bottle of water.

When police arrived, Dumas was still holding that bottle. “Probably not usual when somebody breaks into somebody else’s house just to grab a Pepsi bottle or a water bottle,” said Sgt. Alex Poe with the Logan County Sheriff’s Office.  Dumas never gave police a reason for breaking in. In fact, deputies said he wasn’t speaking logically at all when the caught him. He did, however, give them a different name when they arrested him, calling himself “Derrick Boyles.”

Deputies said Dumas was lucky the homeowner didn’t try to take stronger action.  “That definitely could have happened,” Sgt. Poe said. “The victim even said he grabbed a gun during the incident while it was occurring.”  Dumas is charged with felony burglary, obstructing an officer, and malicious injury to property.

From Gratten Township,  MI

Jamie Fredericks, who shot and killed Robert Morgan on August 12, was justified in his actions according to the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office.

The prosecutor’s office released more information about the incident that occurred at 7311 Parle Avenue NE in Grattan Township, where one man was killed and another injured in a shooting.  After interviewing several witnesses it was determined that Robert Morgan first encountered Macy Fredericks earlier in the night after she complained to Morgan about his reckless driving in the neighborhood.  Macy Fredericks confronted Robert Morgan at a vacant lot near her home on Parle Avenue NE and Macy reported to police that Robert Morgan threatened her.  Minutes after Macy returned home Morgan along with two passengers, Jake Morgan and Matthew Foster, reportedly drove the jeep into her yard.

Due to Robert Morgan’s threats Macy Fredericks woke up her husband Jamie Fredericks.  Jamie told police he tried to calm the situation down but when he couldn’t he went and grabbed his gun from the house.

“Jamie Fredericks was justified in using deadly force,” said a statement by the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office. “There is no question that he faced a ‘sudden, fierce, and violent attack’ that morning by Robert Morgan.  Mr. Morgan had driven his jeep onto the front lawn of Jamie’s home, and had been acting belligerently the entire night. Before ‘charging’ Jamie, Mr. Morgan had repeatedly threatened to harm him, his wife, and had expressed to people he asked to with him…when he went over to the house.”

It was when Robert Morgan charged Jamie Fredericks that Fredericks reportedly fired one shot into Morgan’s stomach.  That one shot also struck Jake Morgan in the arm. Robert Morgan was later pronounced dead at the hospital. An autopsy revealed that Robert Morgan’s blood alcohol level was almost twice the legal limit.

According to officials, Jamie Fredericks was justified in his action because it was self defense and he was in possession of a valid CPL license.

“Under the law he is justified in using deadly force at this time,” said a statement by the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office. “He is in his home, he has been attacked, he does have a right to defend himself and his family when the attack takes him inside his home.”

The statement goes on to say “This was an incredible tragedy. One person is dead, another, who from evidence presented to this office did nothing more than go with his uncle to the home, and who may have tried to stop his uncle from attacking Jamie, was shot in the arm. This is a lesson in what can happen when an individual consumes too much alcohol; under normal circumstances Mr. Morgan would most likely have not acted the way he did that night.”

No charges will be filed against Jamie Fredericks.

From Garland, TX

A man suspected of trying to rob another man and his girlfriend during a transaction that began on line, was shot and killed outside a Garland home.

It happened Sunday, September 9, just after 10:30 p.m. in the 3700 block of Hawaii Drive.

Garland Police said when officers responded to a shooting call, they found an unidentified man shot in the front yard where Quan Tran and his girlfriend had been waiting. Police believe the unidentified man showed up at the home to rob Tran, 23,  and his girlfriend.  Detectives said Tran and his girlfriend were in front of the home waiting to purchase a camera that was being sold online by someone they did not know.

While they were outside, the man approached them with a gun demanding money. Police said he “began assaulting Tran, threatening to shoot him and his girlfriend. Tran produced a handgun and shot the robbery suspect.”

This is an ongoing investigation. No criminal charges have been filed at this point.