Category: Feel Good Stories

From Houston, Texas;

A suspect was hit in an officer-involved shooting Sunday morning in north Houston, according to police.

No officers were wounded, and Houston police initially declined to say whether the suspect was wounded or killed in the shooting just after 8 a.m. in the 700 block of Doverside.

The shot man was believed to be involved in an aggravated robbery, authorities said, though they wouldn’t give out any further information about the circumstances leading to the gunfire.

From Lauderhill, Florida;

A Sunday morning alley encounter between a robbery suspect and a police officer ended with the suspect shot, Lauderhill police said.

The suspect, who wasn’t named, is in stable condition, according to Lauderhill police. The officer has been placed on administrative leave, as is standard procedure, while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigates the 10 a.m. shooting.

After an attempted robbery at the Valero gas station just inside Sunrise city limits at 6000 W. Oakland Park Blvd., Lauderhill cops were helping their Sunrise counterparts search the surrounding area. Lauderhill police say an officer rolling around the Inverness Plaza area, a strip mall across the street from Lauderhill city hall and less than a half mile from the Valero, ran into the suspect in an Inverness Plaza alley.

From Salisbury, North Carolina;

Police say the incident began about 11:30 p.m. Thursday, when officers were called about a suspected armed robbery, said a statement.

“Officers made contact with the suspect, who was armed with a handgun and attempted to negotiate his peaceful surrender. While negotiating with the suspect, he presented a clear threat to harm one of the hostages with the handgun,” said a statement.

That’s when one Salisbury officer fired a single shot, hitting the man, police said in a statement.

TV station WSOC is reporting the shooting happened after about 45 minutes of negotiations.

The hostages were then whisked out of the store as police performed first aid on the man, said a police press release.

He is in critical condition at N.C. Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, police said.

From Middletown, Ohio;

Officers were called to the 1300 block of Woodlawn Avenue on a report of a burglary. An investigation revealed a man entered the house and was lying in bed “with his pants down” and his genitals in his right hand and a hatchet in his left, according to the police report.

The woman called for her husband to get the man out of the house. The husband then attempted to wake up the man to get him out of his house.

During a preliminary hearing today in Middletown Municipal Court, the husband testified McClain was asleep on his wife’s side of the bed “propped up, covers pulled to one side and all my pillows behind him.”

The man’s wife, children and other family members had just returned home from watching fireworks, he said, noting he was at a residence just one minute away.

When the man bumped McClain and he awoke, that is when he saw the hatchet, he testified.

“He got up with the hatchet in his hand,” the man said. “I hit him on the head with my gun”

Then he and McClain fought and struggled through the house, according to the resident.

The man said he used some boxing skills to keep McClain at arm’s length. Eventually he was able to push McClain out the home’s back door. The man said he believes McClain came in that door, which may have been left unlocked.

When McClain made a move back toward the man, he said he fired a shot into the ground. He fired a second shot into the ground before McClain left his yard, he said.

During the incident the man said McClain was “swinging the hatchet.”

From Tucson, Arizona;

In the video, the crook can be seen standing behind a counter, armed with a knife and demanding money from employees. However, the workers were not amused and one of them decided to take action by throw a chair at the suspect. At least six employees then start attacking the man and subduing him until police arrive.

The crook did cut one of the employees with a box cutter which required 16 stitches.

From St Louis, Missouri;

A St. Clair County man fired shots at a truck thief who drove at the owner in his driveway early Tuesday morning.

Melvin C. Benson, of East St. Louis, was charged with burglary after allegedly attempting to steal a truck near Belleville early on July 10, 2018.

No one was injured in the shooting, and the thief ran off after crashing the truck into another vehicle, according to the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department.

An East St. Louis man, Melvin C. Benson, was later arrested and charged with burglary in the incident, police say. Benson, 52, was being held in the county jail in lieu of $75,000 bail.

From Charlotte, North Carolina;

The incident happened just after 1:00 Friday morning.

Police said the male suspect entered the gas station and robbed the store. They said the suspect threatened to shoot the employee during the course of the robbery, but a gun was not seen.

Witnesses said a customer in the store ran outside. When the suspect came outside, police said the customer fired at the suspect.

The suspect took off on foot toward West 10th street, according to police.

From Joplin, Missouri;

Jeremy J. Angel, 24, told police that he heard someone breaking into the back of his home about 6 a.m. and grabbed his rifle.

Police Capt. Trevor Duncan said Angel told police that he fired a single shot in an effort to ward off any intruder. Since he was uncertain if anyone was still in his home or not, police performed a sweep of the residence without finding anyone still there, Duncan said.

Officers subsequently determined that the shot Angel fired traveled out of his house and passed through the foundation of the house next door into a crawlspace. Nothing was reported stolen from the residence, Duncan said.

UpNorth sends us a link from Kalamazoo, Michigan;

The [Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety] says officers arrived at the scene to find a 46-year-old man who had been shot “at least once” in the torso. He was conscious. Investigators say, preliminarily, it appears the gunshot victim was “breaking into a home when the occupant shot him.”

But Kalamazoo Public Safety is still looking into the matter. It says there are no outstanding suspects or threat to the public.

From Louisville, Kentucky;

A woman in Louisville, Kentucky, is thankful to her rescue pit bull for saving her during a home invasion.

WAVE reported that Kelsey Leachman was in her living room Monday watching TV when her pit bull, Layla, started became agitated.

“She started barking and ran into the kitchen and I could tell by the way she was growling something wasn’t right,” Leachman told WAVE.

A man was standing in her kitchen. Leachman ran for the door and the man ran after her, knocking her to the floor.

“The whole time Layla was barking and biting his legs and going crazy, and I was kicking and screaming,” Leachman said.

Leachman was able to push the intruder away as Layla bit him. The man ran outside, and Leachman locked the door and called police.

From Wales, Wisconsin;

Investigators have identified the intruder who died during a home invasion back in May.

According to the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office, 33-year-old Brandon Kovacs got into a fight with a 76-year-old homeowner on May 30. During the fight, Kovacs became unconscious and unresponsive and was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

From Dayton, Ohio;

A 23-year-old man who shot another man multiple times tonight told police he shot his would-be robber.

Police were called at 7:30 p.m. to the Marathon gas station and convenience store at 119 N. James H. McGee Blvd. in Dayton.

The 911 caller said the other man, who also was armed, fled in a blue Chevrolet Cruze, but not before he dropped his gun, according to the Montgomery County Regional Dispatch Center.

The shooting victim, a 22-year-old man, was shot multiple times, Dayton police Lt. Steven Bauer said.

A worker said the incident happened at one of the gas pumps.

The gunshot victim was found inside his car a short distance away, on Home Avenue near U.S. 35 and was taken to Miami Valley Hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening, the lieutenant said.

Yellow crime scene tape surrounded the parking lot, and the shooter was in back of a cruiser while police investigated and the Marathon station and Subway restaurant inside were closed.

From Little Rock, Arkansas;

Edricus Drains, 37, of Little Rock told police that as he pulled up to his apartment, he saw three people acting suspicious nearby and placed a firearm into his pocket.

Drains said that someone, identified in the report as 30-year-old Tony Robinson of Little Rock, began assaulting him and reaching into his pockets as he got out his truck. Robinson grabbed Drains’ firearm, at which point a fight began over the weapon, police said.

According to the report, Drains fired up to three rounds at Robinson initially before firing four more rounds when Robinson refused to let go of the weapon.

Drains then ran to the complex’s front office, handed his gun to a security officer and told the official to call police, he told authorities.

Robinson was found lying on the ground surrounded by a “large amount of blood,” the report states. Police noted that he suffered bullet wounds in his abdomen.

An officer said he applied a chest seal to one wound that was “bleeding heavily” on the right side of his abdomen. While doing so, another wound was found in Robinson’s upper left thigh, he added.

Lt. Michael Ford, a spokesman for the Little Rock Police Department, said that Robinson went into surgery around 8:15 p.m. Tuesday in critical but stable condition. His condition was not known as of Wednesday.

From Memphis, Tennessee;

An East Memphis homeowner had to defend himself with a pair of wire cutters after his wife said a barefooted man with dreadlocks appeared in his garage and began attacking him Sunday.

Donna Crisp said it happened around 3:30 p.m. at their home on the 2000 block of Kirby Parkway as her husband was working on one of the patriotic signs he periodically places around the neighborhood.

“When he [the suspect] started putting his hands around his neck, he [the victim] started hitting at him as much as he could trying to get the release,” Crisp said.

But the terror didn’t end there. Crisp said the suspect made his way into the family home and began rummaging through the place.

“I’m like, ‘What are you doing? Stop doing that!’ You know, ‘Get away!’ and then I kicked him — gently, but I’ve never kicked anybody, anything before,” Crisp said.

Crisp said the man was in her home for several minutes before emerging with her purse and car keys.

He then jumped into her black Nissan Murano, she said, but her husband and neighbors were waiting for him with a shovel and a gun.

“They’re hitting him with the shovel and trying to point the gun at him,” she said.

Crisp said it didn’t seem to faze him as much as they had hoped. At that point, he already had the engine running and began backing up.

“The door’s hanging open, that knocks my husband over and hurts his hand,” Crisp said.

The suspect took off, demolishing the Crisps’ mailbox in the process.

Her neighbors chased him on the freeway, but eventually lost sight of him.

From Des Moines, Iowa;

Des Moines Police Sgt. Paul Parizek said the store owner discovered the burglary in progress when he arrived at the store, finding a pickup truck loaded with his merchandise. There front door of the business was also broken in.

There was a confrontation between the store owner and the suspect, and the store owner fatally shot the burglary suspect, according to police.

According to police, no one has been charged in the incident.

Parizek says it looks like a “stand your ground” case, but a decision on any charges will come from the Polk County attorney’s office.

The Iowa law says people don’t have to retreat before using deadly force if they think their lives are being threatened.

From Janesville, California;

Authorities say the man was travelling at speeds of upwards of 105 mph on US-395 near Honey Lake.

The officer lost sight of the suspect a short time later due to excessive speeds.

Police located the suspect’s vehicle on northbound Ponderosa Boulevard. The officer then contacted the man who refused to obey commands.

The man fled from authorities which ensued a chase with police.

CHP – Susanville says the man lost control of his truck during the pursuit in the area of Ponderosa Boulevard and Hicks Road causing a crash. The man struck a car traveling southbound causing injuries.

The man left the scene of the crash on foot and entered a residential area on the south side of Hicks Road.

Authorities say the man armed himself and broke into a nearby home.

When the man was inside the unknown residence, he was able to get away with a set of car keys.

The suspect then left the home in the stolen vehicle.

The homeowner armed himself with a handgun and confronted the man.

Police say the homeowner fired a single shot at the man after he lurched at him in the stolen vehicle.

The male suspect was pronounced dead on the scene. His identity has not yet been released.

From Boonville, Missouri;

The Cooper County Sheriff’s Office later spoke with the customer, who said he saw a man inside the store acting “suspicious,” so he stayed around the area to watch his next move.

Then the man allegedly went up to the cash register and demanded money. The man had a small knife and hammer, KOMU reported, citing a witness statement.

But [Jim] Hayes stepped in.

“When the suspect approached the register and began to demand the money, the patron was able to intervene with his concealed firearm and held the suspect in the store until law enforcement arrived,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Facebook.

The suspect was identified by the Sheriff’s Office as Elijah D. Carter, 26, of Kansas City. Carter has since been charged with first-degree attempted robbery, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon and receiving stolen property. He remained in the county jail Tuesday with bail set at $150,000.

From Broken Arrow, Oklahoma;

Police are investigating after a homeowner shot an intruder early Tuesday morning in Broken Arrow.

Police said just after 4 a.m., officers were dispatched to a residential robbery in the 2000 block of West Pittsburg Place.

Police said a suspect had been shot after forcing entry into a home. The suspect was found in a bedroom with a gunshot wound in the leg.

The suspect was taken to the hospital.

Officers also detained three people who were walking from the home when they arrived.

From Cleveland Ohio;

The [78-year-old] man told police he was watching TV in his kitchen with a loud fan on when he noticed a man inside his home, police reports say.

The robber walked through an open front door and ransacked several rooms on the first and second floors. The man stole a handgun hidden in the man’s dining room, according to police reports.

The robber walked into the kitchen and pointed a knife at the man, police reports say. He demanded money from the man, according to police reports.

The man grabbed the robber’s wrist below the knife and fought him off, according to police reports.

The robber broke free and told the man to turnaround as he ran out of the door, police reports say. The robber left with the gun, police reports say.

The man said he didn’t know the robber, but that the robber had stopped by his house the day before and offered to mow his lawn for money, police reports say.

From D’Iberville, Mississippi;

Police officials report four suspects tried to rob the Popp’s Lamey Convenience Store around 6 a.m. The store owner fired shots at the suspects. One suspect was hit. The extent of the suspect’s injuries is not known.

Investigators said the suspects then took off in a car and ended near the Biloxi High School softball fields on Brodie Road. Some ran into the woods behind the field. D’Iberville police caught three of the suspects and Biloxi caught the fourth near Michelle Drive.

From San Antonio, Texas;

Police said a homeowner fired a gun at a man who apparently tried to break into a home on Monday morning.

The shooting happened just before 10 a.m. on Kenmar Drive, located near South WW White Road and East Houston Street.

The homeowner told investigators a man arrived at the house on a bicycle and tried to break in through the front door. That’s when the homeowner pulled out a gun and fired at least one shot, scaring off the alleged intruder.

When officers arrived, they found the suspect around the corner from the house.

From Clanton, Alabama;

Two people are dead after what authorities are describing as a burglary attempt and shooting in central Alabama.

A statement posted on Facebook by the Chilton County Sheriff’s Office says deputies were called to a residence on Sunday morning about a possible break-in and a suspicious vehicle.

The statement says deputies then got another call from the property owner saying that two males had come on the property trying to take the vehicle. The owner believed the car contained items taken in a burglary.

An altercation occurred, and authorities say the property owner fired shots that left two people dead.

From Lewisville, Texas;

A teenager is dead after being shot while trying to break into an apartment in Lewisville.

The shooting happened just after 1 a.m. Sunday at the Oaks of Lewisville Apartments near Business Highway 121 and Bellaire Boulevard.

Police said there were three people home at the time and one of them was armed. The resident fatally shot the 16-year-old robbery suspect. His name has not yet been released.

Another 17-year-old suspect suffered minor injuries during a struggle inside the apartment. That suspect, identified as Ivory Dewayne Tatum III, was arrested and charged with burglary of a habitation.

From Elizabeth, New Jersey;

When a robber targeted a member of the New York Air National Guard in Elizabeth early Sunday morning, he got more than he expected: return fire.

The Union County Crime Stoppers are now offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information about the man who made off with the citizen soldier’s wallet and knapsack.

The victim — whom authorities did not name — was sitting in his parked car in the vicinity of Mary Street and Trinity Place around 1 a.m. when the suspect walked toward the airman’s car, opened a door and pointed a gun at him, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement Sunday afternoon.

The robber took the man’s wallet and military knapsack, which had personal items inside, before the airman retrieved his own gun from inside the car and confronted his assailant.

Authorities said the two men briefly exchanged gunfire before the suspect fled the scene, leaving his weapon behind.

No one was injured during the gunplay, the prosecutor’s office said.

Jarhead sends us a link from Milwaukee, Wisconsin;

Milwaukee police are looking for a man involved in an attack at a Milwaukee restaurant.

The man punched the manager in the face and went after a waitress until she pulled a gun on him.

The incident was caught on surveillance video.

Everything happened pretty fast at a George Webb restaurant.

The manager at the grill that night said the customer was shouting at the waitress.

She told him to get out, and surveillance video shows the man viciously punch her in the face. He then he goes after the waitress.

The woman pulled out a handgun from her apron and only then did he retreat, still shouting at them as he left.

Timothy sends us a link to a story from Phoenix, Arizona;

A woman shot a man who tried to break into her apartment Saturday afternoon in Phoenix, police said.

The shooting was reported near 7th Avenue and Colter Street, according to the Phoenix Police Department.

Police said the man tried to break into the woman’s apartment unit with a rock. The man claimed he had belongings inside the apartment.

Police said the woman shot the man. He was transported to a hospital and is expected to survive.

From Fort Worth, Texas;

An off-duty Dallas police officer thwarted two suspects who had just robbed a Whataburger in west Fort Worth, shooting them as they left the restaurant early Sunday, police said.

The suspects were in stable condition later Sunday morning, said officer Daniel Segura, police spokesman. No one else was injured.

The incident unfolded about 4 a.m. at a Whataburger in the 9500 block of White Settlement Road, off Loop 820 in west Fort Worth.

The off-duty officer, who was at the Whataburger, “engaged the armed suspects” as they were leaving the restaurant, Segura said. Both suspects were shot, and the off-duty officer and responding Fort Worth officers gave them medical treatment at the scene before they were taken to a hospital.

Police believe a third suspect fled the Whataburger in a vehicle. The suspects’ weapons were recovered at the scene, Segura said.

From Oklahoma City, Oklahoma;

A bystander armed with a pistol shot dead a gunman who opened fire in a restaurant in Oklahoma City.

The gunman was killed in the car park of Louie’s On The Lake after the shooting which left four people injured.

The shooting happened around 6.30pm last night at the restaurant on Lake Hefner.

Two customers, a woman and a child, were hospitalised with gunshot wounds, but police spokesman Captain Bo Matthews said both ‘are going to survive’.

‘I know is that it was just a good Samaritan that was there and looks like he took the right measures to be able to put an end to a terrible, terrible incident,’ quoted Matthews as saying.