Category: Feel Good Stories

From Miami, Florida;

A federal agent fatally shot an intruder inside her home near Miami.

Miami-Dade police say it happened just before 2 a.m. Monday inside the agent’s home in the Pinecrest neighborhood.

Local news outlets report the surrounding area has been blocked off as police investigate.

Investigators confirmed to NBC 6 that the homeowner is a Border Patrol agent, saying she opened fire after hearing a bedroom sliding glass door break and finding a person inside.

In Decatur, Georgia;

When officers arrived, they found the store owner suffering from a gunshot wound to his chest, a possible suspect suffering from a gunshot wound in his back and another individual who may or may not be involved in the incident was suffering from a gunshot wound to his foot.

Police believe that this was an attempted robbery and the store owner had come to this establishment during closing time when he was confronted by three individuals.

One of the alleged suspects fired at the store owner, hitting him in the chest, and a bystander then shot the individual in the back.

Police say that the bystander allegedly works as a jailer in a nearby county and was just a possible patron during the time of the incident.

The individual who was shot in the foot may or may not be a suspect but is being questioned at this time.

There are two suspects in custody and another being treated for his gunshot wound in his back.

The store owner was transported to a nearby hospital in serious but stable condition and no fatalities have been reported.

From Fargo, North Dakota;

Police say a customer in a Fargo convenience store foiled an armed robbery.

Authorities say the customer confronted a rifle-toting masked man who entered a Tesoro store about 8:30 a.m. Sunday and was able to grab the gun.

The 18-year-old suspect fled the store on foot but was arrested a few hours later.

The customer suffered a few minor scrapes in the scuffle.

From California City, California;

California City Police were sent to the home in the 8000 block of Columbine Ave. Police were told the owner of the home arrived to find a man burglarizing their house at around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. A fight broke out between the homeowner and the burglar; the latter was taken to a local hospital.

The homeowner is being interviewed by police and was unharmed.

From St Petersburg, Florida;

When detectives arrived, they were told the intruder, who was identified as [Zachery] Eggleston, and the man who lives there fought after the home invasion.

During the struggle, the victim stabbed Eggleston.

Eggleston and the apartment resident, Jonathan Garcia, 29, were both taken to an area hospital for treatment of their injuries. Eggleston later died at the hospital.

A Graves County, Kentucky grand jury indicted Miranda Murphy for murder. She was the getaway driver in a home invasion robbery during which Timothy Roper was killed by the target homeowner;

In a previous hearing, Kentucky State Police Detective David Dick testified that Roper may have been alive when Murphy drove him to Jackson Purchase Medical Center following the shooting but that she left before seeking treatment for him. When she returned with him a second time, he was dead, Dick said.

When asked whether those circumstances played a role in the charges, Hargrove said, “All of the facts play a factor in that. Obviously I can’t comment on the status of the case evidentiary wise, but certainly all that went on is important and were factors in this case.”

From Holmesburg, Pennsylvania;

Authorities say a prison guard leaving work for the day has shot and critically injured a just-released inmate who attacked the officer in a parking lot near the prison.

The Philadelphia Department of Prisons says 26-year-old Jamal Bennett attacked the 66-year-old Currran-Fromhold Correctional facility guard around 11 p.m. Friday.

The guard fired his personal weapon, striking Bennett in the chest. Bennett was in critical condition at Jefferson Torresdale Hospital but was expected to survive.

Police are investigating after an off-duty correctional officer shot a recently freed inmate Friday night during what they say was an attempted carjacking.

Bennett had just been released from custody on a probation violation for a weapons charge. Court documents don’t list an attorney representing him.

Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small called the incident “somewhat bizarre.” He said it appears Bennett “was starting his life of crime over again within minutes of being released.”

From Antioch, California;

The man shot and killed by Antioch police at a 76 gas station was wanted fugitive Lloyd Harris Jr. The 40-year-old has a long criminal history and is well known by local officers.

Sources tell KTVU that Harris was wanted on a federal warrant and for ramming a female Contra Costa County sheriff’s K-9 deputy. He was also a person of interest in an Antioch homicide.

Antioch police, because they’re so familiar with him, offered to arrest Harris and turn him over to the feds.

Officers tracked him to a home and followed him to the 76 gas station at Lone Tree Way and Golf Course road at about 5 p.m. Thursday. After he got out, police tried to subdue him with “less-lethal” beanbag rounds fired from a shotgun.

“When I tried to look at the gas station over there, all of a sudden I hear a shotgun sound,” said Imsoo Park, who works at a nearby dry cleaners.

But the suspect managed to make it back inside his vehicle– and while inside, he refused to show his hands, instead reaching in between the car seats, according to police. At that point, a 10-year Antioch police officer opened fire.

“There’s about four, five shots. Gunshots. I was like, ‘Oh, that’s real gunshots,’ because this isn’t the first time I ever heard them,” Park said.

Antioch Police Chief Tammany Brooks said, “During the attempted arrest, at least one officer fired his handgun, and the subject was struck.”

As Harris was taken out of the car, a realistic -looking BB gun fell from his waist, police say.

At the time of the deadly confrontation, he was wanted by the feds for failing to appear in court after violating his probation in a meth case.

Court records show that Harris has a history of evading police and has many convictions, including assault with a deadly weapon, having ammunition and DUI.

From Atlanta, Georgia;

A man who led authorities on a chase in southwest Atlanta was shot and killed by a Georgia State Patrol trooper Friday afternoon, the GBI said during a news conference.

The trooper was not injured in the shooting.

Atlanta police spotted a stolen car about 2:20 p.m. and then requested the GSP’s assistance, GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said.

Police initiated a stop, but the driver of the car did not comply, Miles said. At that point, a manuever was attempted at Doane Street, but the driver again failed to stop and then hit an APD patrol car while trying to flee.

The trooper then fired his gun and hit the suspect, Miles confirmed. The vehicle hit another car at a residence on Doane Street.

Chief Tango sends a story from Kinston, North Carolina;

Police say two men walked into the USA Store on South Adkin Street around 10:00 p.m. Wednesday night.

In the video, one would-be robber points the rifle at the worker, who then fired a shot at the men. They ran from the store and in the video you can see them drop the rifle at the front door.

Police say they got away in a silver vehicle.

From Tampa, Florida;

Early Friday morning, Tampa police responded to the shooting scene at the Sunoco gas station located at East Hillsborough Avenue and 34th Street, they say.

Investigators say, according to preliminary information, the suspect may have attempted to rob the gas station at gunpoint, and the clerk armed himself with his own firearm and shot the suspect in the leg.

The suspect has non-life threatening injuries. No other information has been provided.

From Nashville, Tennessee;

According to police, 44-year-old Jerry Smith Jr. walked into the Kwik Sak on S. Hamilton Road at 2:30 a.m. Friday.

He reportedly brought an 18-pack of beer to the counter. When his credit card was declined, Smith allegedly ran out the door with the beer.

The store clerk, 31-year-old Said Hermina, chased after him. Smith made it several yards down Clarksville Pike before Hermina allegedly shot him in the leg.

Smith dropped his case of beer after being shot. He was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries but was later released.

Hermina is charged with aggravated assault and is being held on $10,000 bond.

From Natchez, Mississippi;

Deputies arrived in the area and observed a vehicle trying to leave. Officers stopped the vehicle and identified the driver, 40-year-old Marlon Dean, who had a handgun between the driver’s seat and the center console.

Law enforcement drove to the scene of the original call, ambulance dispatch transported 35-year-old Bilal Assabor to Merit Health and told deputies they believed a second intruder was outside, possibly dead.

They found a man lying on the ground wearing a mask with a rifle underneath him. He was pronounced dead on the scene, then later identified as 52 year old Richard Washington.

According to interview, investigators say they believe Washington was trying to enter the house and was shot.

Marlon Dean, 40 has been charged with attempted armed robbery. He’s being held on a $150-thousand bond.

Tim sends a link from Phoenix, Arizona;

A man was fatally shot by a security guard Wednesday evening at a Jack In The Box in west Phoenix, police said.

The shooting was reported just before 7 p.m. near 35th Avenue and W. Buckeye Road, according to the Phoenix Police Department.

Police said the man died at the scene.

From Francis, Oklahoma;

It was just before 3 a.m. when Dennis Reif heard the commotion in his kitchen.

“I got my gun out of the drawer because I heard someone smashing in here and I saw a flashlight beam,” Reif said.

Reif says he came face to face with Chris Born, who he claims fired four shots at him, but missed.

That’s when Reif grabbed his .38 caliber revolver and shot Born twice in the chest.

“I just quickly leveled at him and fired to protect myself and he screamed and yelled he was hit,”Reif said.

“When the shots were fired they dropped everything and left the residence,” Pontotoc County Sheriff John Christian said.

Investigators say Born took off with Dustin Hoots in a pickup, they were caught after a short chase, but Hoots, the second burglary suspect ran off and is still missing.

Two other women, Jeanette Matthews and Tara Whittecar were in a separate pickup, and were also arrested.

The sheriff says he thinks they were acting as the lookout for born.

From Adams County, Mississippi;

Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten said an older man…attempted to rob a residence on Proby Road…the resident was shot in the hand, but the resident’s return fire proved fatal.

From Houston, Texas;

The mother and father opened up to Eyewitness News about the violent attack. It happened just before 7 p.m. outside the Taqueria Mexico stand, off Airline Drive near Parker Road on the city’s north side.

The couple had their four young children with them at the time, ages 3 to 8. They asked we not identify them out of safety concern.

“My daughter had told me, ‘Mom, I thought he was going to kill daddy,’ My daughter said that. My 8-year-old,” said the mother. “Oh my gosh. It was horrible. You know he had the gun to my husband’s head. It felt like a nightmare. I’m like I can’t believe this is happening.”

The father said he went and placed an order. As he returned with the tacos, a gunman showed up and pulled at his door. The gunman demanded the family get out of the vehicle. The father said he resisted at first. Mom said she frantically pulled the kids to safety.

While she did that, the father reached for his own gun.

“I always carry a weapon in the cars,” said the father. “As I started walking back, he jumps in the car. So when he jumped in the car, I went around the back of the car. I pulled the gun out. I loaded it. I put my hands inside the car and shot him.”

The father told ABC13 he believes he struck the suspect in the hand. The gunman dropped his weapon and fled with another suspect.

Houston police said they are investigating the case and are now looking for at least three young men in their late teens to early 20s.

From Mt Vernon, Indiana;

The homeowner told officers two men came into his house and one of them had a gun.

Officers say the homeowner shot at the attempted burglars, hurting one of them. That man was taken to the hospital. His condition is not known at this time.

Police say the other man ran off.

From Starkville, Mississippi;

A Houston man who escaped from the Mississippi Department of Corrections was shot during a carjacking Wednesday morning and was taken into custody in Webster County soon after.

Webster County Sheriff Tim Mitchell said inmate Eugene Robinson knocked on the door of a Webster County home at approximately 8 a.m.

The homeowner refused to let Robinson inside, but offered to drive him into town. About halfway through the trip heading south on Highway 9 near North Lake Circle, Robinson attempted to stab the driver in the side and told him to exit the vehicle.

The driver, who held a concealed carry permit fired six rounds at Robinson, one of which hit Robinson in the back after going through the truck’s windshield. Robinson drove the truck to Eupora and then to Mathiston.

A Webster County employee who recognized the vehicle then followed the truck.

“He stayed behind the truck, and kept us updated on where it was until we could get there,” Mitchell said. “(Robinson) went to Mathiston, turned on (Highway) 15 and went south toward Ackerman. Then he saw a bunch of work trucks with their lights on. It must have spooked him, because he turned around in a driveway and came back to Mathiston.”

At the last bridge before Mathiston, deputies swarmed him, taking him back into custody. He was treated for his gunshot wound at OCH Regional Medical Center in Starkville and released from the hospital.

From Kalamazoo Michigan;

Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard Fuller told Newschannel 3’s Franque Thompson that the case has more questions than answers.

Fuller says they want to know if there’s a problem with home invasions in a Texas Township neighborhood and he says that’s why investigators are asking people who live there speak up.

It all stems from a home invasion turned shootout at a home in Texas Township. Fuller says deputies were called to the property twice in one day.

He said, “When we arrived, of course the suspects were gone, the vehicle was gone, the last person there was the person reporting this and their description of the events still leaves us with questions.”

Fuller says deputies didn’t find the invader during their first search of the house. The intruder got away after a shootout with the person watching the home.

Fuller says investigators are now hoping neighbors can help find answers.

From Blakely, Georgia;

During a 9-1-1 call placed late Saturday the victim reported she was assaulted after discovering 53-year old Michael Lindsey hiding in a closet of her home. The woman’s 12-year old daughter was also present.

“Deputies arrived at the scene and insured the safety of the victims who had locked themselves inside a room because they weren’t sure if the intruder was still inside the home,” Early County Investigator Captain Will Caudill said.

Officers also discovered 53-year old Michael Lindsey outside the home. He was taken to a Blakely hospital and pronounced dead. He’s believed to have stumbled from inside before collapsing. Prior to the shooting she fought off her attacker with a spoon, a police report states.

Caudill said Lindsey molested a child in 1999 and is listed on the Georgia Sex Offender Registry.

From Los Angeles, California;

A man is under arrest and in the hospital Tuesday after he was shot by a security guard for attempting to rob a marijuana dispensary in the Arlington Heights area of Los Angeles.

The 22-year-old suspect was shot on the sidewalk at around 11 a.m. after things reportedly got physical inside a store near the corner of Pico and Crenshaw boulevards.

Detectives say they did not fire a weapon on the robber.

According to business owners in the area, the dispensary opened up just a few months ago.

From San Marcos, Texas;

A car theft involving three minors ended with one of them suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the leg.

San Marcos police said around 3:28 a.m. Wednesday there were reports of shots fired at Hutchinson and Moon Street. Two minors were found at the scene after attempting to steal a silver 2011 Subaru Outback.

One of the minors accidentally shot himself in the leg with a sawed-off shotgun during the robbery. The injured juvenile was transported to a hospital for treatment.

The second minor is currently being questioned by police. The location of the third minor is unknown.

From Boynton Beach, Florida;

Around one clock this morning Holly Ernst’s phone lit up.

“I looked over and it actually said motion detected on courtyard,” said Holly Ernst. She checked out her security camera system. She did not see the typical raccoon or cat, instead, she saw an intruder in her family’s backyard.

“He is looking to see is there anything loose, and of value to take, definitely up to no good,” said Holly Ernst. So she rushed over to tell her husband, Dean Ernst.

“I said there’s somebody on our back porch,” said Holly. “I am ready to protect not only myself but any innocent bystander as well,” said Dean. “So up gun in hand, he rushed out the backdoor,” said Holly.

After taking a few steps out the door and just feet away from the couple’s kayaks, life vests, and lawnmower, Dean Ernst spotted Canson St. Fort. “I pretty much told him, don’t move a muscle, I have a gun aimed at your head,” said Dean.

“My heart was racing out of my chest of course, I’m crying,” said Holly. She was on the phone with police, while David commanded St Fort to get on the ground. “What am I going to do if he jumps up and rushes at me, I might have to shoot this guy,” said Dean, recounting the event. After four minutes, which seemed like hours, Boynton Beach Police arrived and took St. Fort away in cuffs. Then the couple, happy to be alive and safe, embraced. “We were up until about 4:45am just holding each other, life is short,” said Holly.

St. Fort is in jail charged with burglary. The Ernst couple credit their surveillance system and the second amendment for his arrest.

From Apple Valley, California;

Two burglary suspects in Apple Valley early Saturday morning were stopped by armed neighbors.

The men were trying to break into a home which hasn’t been occupied since its previous owner passed away. A neighbor noticed something wasn’t right and after calling 911, confronted the thieves with a handgun.
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The neighbor shot the tires on the suspect’s vehicle and the ground, keeping the suspects detained until deputies arrived. Another neighbor heard the gunshots and arrived at the residence armed with a shotgun.

“Seems like they might have tried to hop in the car and drive away,” said neighbor Eric Rhinehart. “He did shoot some shots into the car to prevent the vehicle from leaving, and it didn’t leave.”

When sheriff’s deputies arrived, they arrested 31-year-old Justin Elder and 59-year-old David Turner. They found evidence that the Apple Valley men had burglarized the same home just a couple months ago.

Neighbors say it is the type of area where people look out for each other and that’s why this pair of thieves was caught.

Stepping up may have consequences. The Victor Valley Sheriff’s Department says the neighbor could face charges for reckless discharge of a firearm. Other neighbors say that’s wrong.

The Sheriff’s Department says they’re just submitting a report on the shots that were fired and it’ll be up to the District Attorney’s Office whether to file any charges.

From Springdale Township, Pennsylvania;

When officers arrived on the scene, the residents of the home told police the suspect ran across Butler Road. Officers found him lying in a field across the street, suffering from a gunshot wound.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Allegheny County medical examiner’s office has identified the victim as 39-year-old Joseph Secora, of Springdale.

During their investigation, police discovered a resident of the home shot Secora after he broke through a glass door and entered the home.

Police say the motive for the home invasion is unknown, but the residents did know Secora and police say they believe he had mental health issues.

No residents were injured during the home invasion and shooting.

Secora was the criminal, not a victim. Although, other news stories say that Joseph Secora was the brother of the homeowner who shot him, so a Secora may have been the victim, but not Joseph.

From Greenville County, South Carolina;

According to a sheriff’s office news release, Tamyah Malichi Harris’ body was found in a ditch near Hudson Street and Church Street on Jan.31.

Harris reportedly found to have suffered from at least one gunshot wound.

According to the release, investigators learned that on Jan. 30, Harris and three others allegedly committed a home invasion at a home in the 100 block of Burdine Road in Greenville.

Investigators said Harris and others forced their way into the home and Harris — who was armed at the time — was shot by someone inside the home.

The suspects then left the scene and Harris’ body was found hours later.

According to the release, Damoni Ahmir Barker, 18, and Daniel Dennie, 18, have since been arrested for their connection with the home invasion.