Category: Feel Good Stories

QMC sends a link from Springville, Utah;

A man is in custody after assaulting a Springville police officer Friday afternoon, and a good Samaritan with a concealed firearm helped end the attack.

Just before 2 p.m., an officer spotted a pair of feet dangling from a Tabitha’s Way donation bin along Main Street in Springville. He pulled over and asked the person to get out of the bin.

That person was Paul Douglas Anderson. Anderson eventually got out of the bin, leaving clothes and shoes on the ground, but he kept his hands in his pockets.

Springville Police said that officer asked Anderson multiple times to remove his hands from his pockets, for fear he had a weapon. When Anderson finally removed his hands, he used them to punch the officer in the face.

Police said he kept punching repeatedly until a passerby stopped to help.

Derek Meyer said he was driving north on Main Street when he spotted the police lights. He said when he looked over he saw Anderson punching the police officer.

Surprised at what he was seeing, Meyer said he made a U-turn and pulled up behind the police car, intending to help.

Meyer has a pistol and concealed-carry permit. He said he trains regularly and has thought before about times in which he would need to use his weapon.

“I carry a gun to protect me and those around me, but primarily I carry a gun to protect my family first and foremost,” Meyer said. “Outside of that, if I were to use my gun to protect anyone it would be law enforcement or military personnel.”

He told Fox 13 he got out of his car, drew his weapon and pointed it at Anderson, yelling at him to get off the officer and stop assaulting him.

Meyer said when Anderson saw the gun, he stopped and ran off. Immediately, other officers responded to the scene and Meyer put his weapon away.

An update to a Saturday morning story on Saturday in Vero Beach, Florida;

A Treasure Coast man who shot an intruder at his home Thursday night will not be charged.

Indian River County Sheriff Deryl Loar made that announcement Friday afternoon, saying it appears 25-year-old Taylor Reese was defending himself.
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According to Sheriff Loar, Reese heard someone breaking down the door of his home on 14th Place SW just before 6 o’clock Thursday night.

The sheriff said Reese grabbed his gun, went to check out the noises, and found himself face to face with two people trying to break into his home.

“One of the suspects fired several rounds at the victim,” Sheriff Loar said. “The victim returned fire, striking the suspect.”

Sheriff Loar identified the wounded suspect as Howard Bartee III.

Bartee was shot twice, once in the thigh and once in the head…Sheriff Loar…added he hopes this incident serves as a message to criminals that a good portion of residents in Indian River County are armed.

“Just shy of ten percent are lawfully possessing firearms,” Sheriff Loar said. “That’s something to keep in mind.”

From Springfield, Massachusetts;

Emilio Garcia-Cappas probably wasn’t thrilled to see the man who had just shot him three times.

But as his stretcher was being wheeled along a corridor at Baystate Medical Center, the shooter and his girlfriend were excited to see him, according to the arrest report.

“That’s him!” they both told police. The woman added she “would never forget that face,” the report said.

Two hours earlier, Garcia-Cappas, 21, of Holyoke, and Akeem Anderson, 21, of Springfield, allegedly showed up at the couple’s home on Edgewood Street in Springfield.

Standing on the porch, they demanded to see someone named Eric. Twice, the couple told them that nobody with that name lived there. The second time, the homeowner told the visitors to get off his property, the report said.

Garcia-Cappas turned away, then pulled a large firearm from his coat. The homeowner drew his own gun and fired seven shots, striking Garcia-Cappas three times. As he stumbled back toward his vehicle, Garcia-Cappas dropped a loaded handgun on the lawn, the report said.

The new case comes 12 months after Garcia-Cappas was charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute after police raided an apartment in North Adams.

The gun – a Springfield Armory model XD 9-mm with 15 rounds in the magazine – had been reported stolen in Atlanta in 2015, the report said.

Once Garcia-Cappas was shot, Anderson allegedly ran off, heading toward Sycamore Street.

Minutes after the shooting, Garcia-Cappas showed up at Mercy Medical Center for treatment of gunshot wounds. He was transferred to Baystate Medical Center, where he was treated and arrested after being identified by the couple.

Chief Tango sends us a link from New Orleans, Louisiana;

A tow truck driver shot a man in Central City Friday evening (Feb. 2), firing as the man attacked him along Felicity Street, according to an initial report by New Orleans police.

The tow truck driver will not be charged in the shooting, which remains under active investigation, police said.

The shooting, which occurred in the 1800 block of Felicity, was reported to police shortly after 6 p.m. The NOPD described the man’s gunshot wound as “non-fatal.”

According to NOPD spokesman Juan Barnes, the tow truck driver “fired in self-defense upon a subject who was attacking him.”

From Atlanta, Georgia;

The GBI said a suspect robbed an auto parts store and then tried to carjack someone across the street.

The suspect encountered police and there was a shootout.

“We do have at least one witness who actually saw him shoot at Atlanta police officers. The officers returned fire and from that particular point it just turned into a running gun battle,” GBI spokesperson Nelly Miles said.

Authorities said the suspect was shot and killed. No officers were injured.

GBI officials said it’s unclear how may officers fired at the suspect, but there were five officers involved in the incident.

From Pontiac, Michigan;

Deshawn Martin Simpson was formally charged in court this week with five crimes, including unlawfully driving away a motor vehicle, injuring a police animal and resisting arrest.

The unlawfully driving away charge is a felony punishable by up to six years in prison. The other two charges are also felonies, but they carry 2-year penalties.

He was also charged with violating his probation on a firearms possession charge.

A judge set his bond at $30,000 and scheduled his next court appearances. A hearing on his probation violation is set for Tuesday in Sixth Circuit Court in Pontiac. He is also set to appear in a Pontiac district court on Thursday for a hearing on the other charges.

Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies said they arrested Simpson last week after responding to a report of a carjacking in the area of North Perry and Pike streets in Pontiac.

Police interviewed the victim and she said her vehicle, a white GMC Jimmy, was parked in front of a pizzeria when it was stolen. She followed her vehicle with her sister in another car, officials said.

Deputies spotted the vehicle traveling east on M-59 west of Rochester Road and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The driver refused to stop and continued traveling on M-59 into Macomb County, authorities said.

A deputy executed a maneuver to disable the vehicle and the suspect got out of the car and fled on foot, police said.

During a foot chase, the suspect pulled out a large “Rambo-style” knife and was shot in the buttocks by police, officials said. He was then taken to a hospital to be treated for the wound and then transported to the Oakland County Jail.

From Hampton, Virginia;

Arriving officers encountered the suspect, 36-year-old Mark Shante Harrison, who police said was armed with a knife. In the ensuing confrontation, Harrison charged at the officers and was then shot by officers multiple times.

He was taken to a local hospital, where he was being treated for life-threatening injuries. He is currently suffering from non-life threatening injuries. No officers were injured in the incident.

From Gwinnett County, Georgia;

A man shot and killed someone who broke into his car and charged toward him outside the Gwinnett County home where he lives, police said.

The resident was upstairs when he heard a noise just before 1 a.m. Friday on Mayfield Farms Drive in unincorporated Lawrenceville, Gwinnett police Cpl. Wilbert Rundles said.

“He grabbed his firearm and went to investigate,” he said.

The resident found the intruder in one of his cars and confronted the man, police said.

“He verbally challenged the intruder,” Rundles said. “The intruder charged at the resident and the resident fired more than one shot, striking the intruder.”

[The intruder] died on the scene. The unidentified intruder’s body was found near the garage.

In Vero Beach, Florida;

A homeowner in Vero Beach exchanged gunfire with a person who he says broke into his home.

According to the Indian River County Sheriff’s office, Taylor Reese was sleeping in his home in the 300 block of 14th Place SW Thursday evening, when he heard his front door being kicked in.

Reece told police he grabbed his gun, then found Howard Bartee III standing in his house. The two then exchanged gunfire. Bartee was hit twice and ran off but was later arrested. He is in critical condition.

Deputies are searching for a second person of interest, Jessie Jones, 16 .

From Abilene, Texas;

Court documents state an Abilene homeowner was playing video games when his power went out, so he grabbed a gun and went outside to investigate.

Once outside, the homeowner saw a suspect, later identified as Rodriguez, carrying a baseball bat and wearing a bandana over his face, according to the documents, which state the homeowner fired his gun when Rodriguez began approaching the house in a threatening manner, striking him in the abdomen.

Police were able to determine the breakers were cut intentionally so the home would lose power. The documents state “Rodriguez did not deny that he and several friends had planned to rob [the victim], but when he got shot, his friends fled the scene.”

An update on the story from Fayetteville, North Carolina earlier this week;

In a 911 call released Friday, Quema told the 911 dispatcher a man – later identified as 51-year-old Jerome A. Allen – approached her, saying he was looking for a girl named Jasmine.

“This guy, he comes to me, he says, ‘I’m looking for a girl named Jasmine,” Quema explained. “… And then he stopped right in front of me and said, ‘Do you have an extra cigarette?’ And I handed him an extra cigarette and then pulled out a gun on me.”

The woman continued, claiming that Allen pushed her toward the apartment, demanding “all of her money.”

That’s when Quema said her husband, Fort Bragg soldier Dario Miranda, heard what happened and went for his gun.

“(Allen) pulled out a gun on me and my husband shot him,” Quema told the dispatcher with panic in her voice.

Donna Quiles, the property manager, said the apartment community has many military members among its residents.

“Military people around here, they’re gonna have guns,” Quiles said. “You can’t just go knock on a door and expect not to be met with a gun when you know that the military live here. And I support anybody who carries a gun to protect themselves.”

From Needles, California;

The woman told deputies she was in bed Wednesday evening when a man opened an unlocked door and entered her home, located in the 200 block of F Street, according to a news release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

The intruder confronted the woman, pulling a gun from his waistband and making some type of statement to her, the release stated.

He was standing in the living room area when, according to the victim, her small dog attacked his leg. The man then left the home and fled in an unknown direction.

I guess California will have to outlaw small dogs in order to make the state safer for armed robbers.

From Black Hawk, South Dakota;

According to a release from the Meade County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a call from a residence in the 9300 block of Heritage Drive at 11:23 p.m., reporting an unknown man had entered the home and stabbed one of the occupants.

The intruder fled the residence after being shot by one of the home’s occupants. Deputies later found the suspect hiding under a porch at a nearby residence. He was taken to Rapid City Regional Hospital for treatment of undisclosed injuries. The homeowner was also treated for facial injuries.

From Houston, Texas;

According to a preliminary investigation, the incident began as an armed robbery at the Exxon station at 10721 S. Post Oak. The male suspect went into the store and held a female clerk at gunpoint. He allegedly went behind the counter and grabbed money from the register and also stole beer.

While he sped from the scene, the clerk went outside to take photos of the suspect’s car. The suspect noticed this, however, and police say he turned around to confront the clerk. The clerk was not hurt and ran back inside, and the suspect fled once again.

Shortly before 9 a.m., Bellaire police received reports of multiple crashes on the West Loop in the northbound lanes. They arrived to find the suspect’s black Toyota Avalon stopped, and Houston police responded to the scene to assist.

Police say the man came out of his car with a handgun and refused commands from police. The suspect walked toward a nearby parking lot, clinic and the HCC campus across the frontage road. Police say he also tried to carjack passing motorists, who did not stop for him.

The man continued to point his weapon at officers and others, so one Houston officer opened fire and shot him. The wounded suspect then dropped his weapon and continued to flee on foot, but he soon collapsed.

Firefighters from Bellaire responded to assist him, but he died at the scene.

From Bowie County, Texas;

According to a press release from the Bowie County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect was taken to St. Michael’s Hospital for treatment, and he was in stable condition as of Thursday morning.

Bowie County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched out to a disturbance call in the 100 block of Bateson Lane on Wednesday at about 9:35 p.m. The 911 caller told the dispatcher that an intoxicated man wearing blue jeans, no shirt, and a teal hat was causing a disturbance at that location.

While the BCSO deputies were still on their way to the scene, the dispatcher told them that a burglary was in progress in the 400 block of Fricks Lane, which is adjacent to the location of the original disturbance call, the press release stated.

“This caller said that a white male was attempting to break into her home through the back door and her husband, Joseph Combs, had shot the intruder,” the press release stated. “Deputy Michelle Carrier and Texas Department Public Safety Trooper Chad Turner arrived a short time later.”

The law enforcement officers who arrived at the scene first found a man matching the description of the Bateson Lane disturbance suspect lying in the backyard of the home on Fricks Lane. The man, who was later identified as Michael Wade McBride, 26, of Texarkana, had a visible gunshot wound, the press release stated.

McBride was alert when the law enforcement officers found him, and a Life Net ambulance took him to St. Michael’s Hospital for treatment.

From Mitchellville, Maryland;

The incident happened around 12:30 a.m. in the 11700 block of Chantilly Lane, authorities stated.

Police said the suspect broke into the basement. The homeowner shot the suspect two times with a handgun. The suspect then fled from the home.

Officers located the suspect around 1:45 a.m. after responding to a person shot needing help in the 3800 block of Clairton Drive. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition, police stated.

From Myrtle Beach, South Carolina;

Police responded to a call of a burglary in process, and learned that the homeowner began shooting at the two subjects, the report states. The suspects shot back, and dropped a gun before running off.

The homeowner told police he was in his home with his girlfriend and their infant son when the burglary and shooting occurred.

Police found the gun dropped by the suspect, the gun the homeowner used to shoot at them, and several empty shell casings in the living room. There were also several bullet holes that appeared to be from the suspects’ gun.

Miracle Evans, 25, was arrested Monday and charged with first-degree burglary and attempted murder in connection with this incident, a NMB Police official confirmed.

From Kansas City, Kansas;

The police chief in Kansas City, Kan., says a suspect broke into a home early Wednesday morning and was confronted by a person at the home, resulting in the suspect being injured.

The suspect fled the scene after the victim wounded him or her.

From Chicago, Illinois;

The incident occurred at about 9:51 p.m. in the 2400-block of West Eastwood Avenue. Police said the two suspects encountered several family members at the front door.

One of the men began firing toward the front porch and struck his accomplice in the head. The accomplice, a 43-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene. He has been identified to the Cook County Medical Examiner as Luis Antonio Morales of Melrose Park.

No one inside the home was injured. Police are still looking for the shooter.

From Fayetteville, North Carolina;

A North Carolina man is accused of fatally shooting another man who was trying to rob his wife, according to WTVD.

The shooting happened around 10 p.m. Tuesday at a home in Fayetteville.

Officers say the robbery suspect was shot after knocking on the couple’s door and attempting to rob the woman. Police confirmed the husband pulled the trigger.

An update on a story last week from Pensacola, Florida;

New details have been released about a deadly home invasion robbery in Myrtle Grove last week. The State Attorney’s Office said one of the victims inside the home fired the shot that killed David Washington, 27.

According to an arrest report, Washington was one of four people involved in a home invasion robbery on Lillian Highway on Tuesday. Cleveland Golden, 37, Lyntonio Quinn, 22, and Tatiana Williams, 26, have been arrested for the home invasion and homicide. Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille told WEAR-TV Channel 3 News his office will file second-degree murder charges against all three even though they did not kill Washington.

“If the individual who dies is killed by somebody other than the perpetrators of the crime, then it’s second-degree felony murder,” Marcille said.

From Houston, Texas;

Herman said he saw the suspect and another man arguing about money the night before he was shot by deputies.

“The gentleman hopped out on the side of the car and said he was stabbed,” Herman said.

Sources tell Eyewitness News the 28-year-old victim was stabbed by the suspect, someone he trusted. ‘

Investigators said he then took off with the man’s car, leaving him bloody in the middle of the street.

Deputies said the suspect stabbed the man multiple times. Kurt and his wife rendered aid, but he said the bleeding wouldn’t stop.

“Please, help me,” the victim screamed, according to Herman. “Don’t let me die.”

The stabbing victim was taken to the hospital in stable condition, and is expected to be okay.

Within hours of the violent stabbing, two repo men were able to track the alleged stolen vehicle to Beltway 8 and Tanner Road. When they arrived, they found the suspect unconscious inside.

The repo guys called 911 to get help for the man, but when EMS got there, deputies said the man came to and pulled out a knife.

Investigators said the suspect fled the scene in the car and came to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, but deputies did not know why he chose to stop here.

A Harris County Sheriff’s deputy and a state trooper found the man inside his car, and tried approaching the suspect. That is when investigators said the man pulled out his knife again, this time coming at the deputy.

The deputy opened fire, killing the man. [The deputy] was not injured.

From Chattanooga, Tennessee;

When they arrived, police found the victims inside the home.

Neither of them had been injured.

Officers say the suspect, 21-year-old Damean Jones, entered the home with a gun.

Shots were fired at the suspect and he ran away from the home.

A short time after the attempted home invasion, police received a call that a man had arrived at a local hospital with multiple gunshot wounds.

Police determined the man in the hospital, Damean Jones, had attempted the home invasion.

Jones will be charged with aggravated assault and aggravated batter.

From Milwaukee, Minnesota;

Police say the victim, a 48-year-old man, was approached by an armed male suspect who attempted to rob him.

During a struggle between the victim and the suspect, the weapon discharged and the suspect, a 31-year-old man, suffered a non-life threatening injury.

The suspect was transported to a local hospital and taken into custody.

From Fulton County, Georgia;

Police said an Atlanta pizza delivery man shot a man after a dispute at a metro Atlanta hotel.

According to authorities, the Papa John’s driver was dropping off a pizza Sunday night around 5:15 p.m. at the Red Roof Inn on Frederick Drive when he became involved in a dispute.

The driver then pulled out a gun and shot the other man.

The victim, whom his family has identified as Clifford English, a maintenance worker at the hotel, was transported to Grady Hospital.

English family says he is a husband and father who did not deserve what he got.

“My brother dropped some personal items. The Pizza man picked it up. My brother went to him and ask for them back and it escalated and the pizza man pulled out a gun and shot like 8 times. They say he just started shooting wild,” English’s brother Donta told FOX 5 News.

The driver has been arrested by Fulton County Police.

Originally, police believed that the victim had attempted to rob the driver, but English’s family is disputing that narrative.

From Jackson, Tennessee;

It happened around 10 Friday morning on New Deal Road. Investigators say the homeowner grabbed a weapon and fired at the suspect. The suspect then ran away. Deputies were then notified of a man with a gunshot wound at a local hospital later that day, who has been identified as Marquese Wood. Authorities say Wood admitted he had been at the residence.

The suspect was treated for minor injuries and then taken into custody.

From Lexington, Tennessee;

Lexington police Lt. Jackie Newman…said officers were called to the home invasion on the 200 block of Old Todds Road at about 2 p.m.

The two males who kicked in the door ran after being fired on, and it was unclear whether either of them was hit, Newman said. She said late Saturday afternoon that no one had shown up at a local hospital with a gunshot wound.

From Hampton, Virginia;

A preliminary investigation revealed three armed, masked suspects approached a group of people at the Red Roof Inn. As they approached the group, the suspects began firing.

One of the suspects, 19-year-old Robert Woodford Jr., was shot by his accomplice and died on the scene. Two other men were also shot and taken to local hospitals.

Police have arrested a 17-year-old male in connection to the homicide. He has been charged with one count of murder, one count of use of a firearm in commission of a felony and two counts of maiming.

From Houston, Texas;

Houston police rushed to the 10500 block of Hammerly around 10 p.m. and found two wounded men in the parking lot outside the Spring Woods Village apartments.

One was shot in the back and the other in the side and hand, police said.

Both men were taken to the hospital in stable condition.

Police later said it appeared the two men started shooting at each other after one tried robbing the other at gunpoint.

Also, from Houston, Texas;

According to police, a man was walking to his car when he spotted a stranger pointing a sawed-off shotgun at him.

The car owner told police that he pulled out his pistol and opened fire on the stranger.

Police say robbery was a possible motive.

The shotgun holder was transported to the hospital in stable condition.

According to police, the driver holds a government issued permit to carry a firearm and will not be charged.

From Lakeland, Florida;

Gabriel Jacobs, 19, was shot by Michael Ives, 66, after Jacobs broke into Ives’ home, according to police.

Michael and his wife Charlotte were awoken shortly before 3 a.m. after hearing their doorbell ring. According to the report, Charlotte went to notify police as Michael attempted to communicate with Jacobs through the front door.

Police said Jacobs continued to repeatedly ring the doorbell, yell profanities, and kick the front door. Michael continued to warn Jacobs that he was armed with a shotgun and to stop, police said, but Jacobs ignored the warnings and kicked open the front door.

Michael again warned Jacobs not to come any closer or he would shoot, police said, however, Jacobs continued to walk through the doorway toward Michael, and was shot in the chest.

Jacob was transported to Lakeland Regional Health and remains in critical condition.