Category: Feel Good Stories

From Visalia, California;

Witnesses told police [37-year-old Nicholas] Wilkerson was attempting to burglarize a vehicle parked in the driveway of the home when the homeowner caught him.

The owner was armed with a gun, Sgt. Kevin Kroeze said. The confrontation escalated and the homeowner opened fire.

Wilkerson was hit once. The injury was not life-threatening, Kroeze said.

Once Wilkerson is released from the hospital he is expected to be booked into Tulare County Pretrial Facility on suspicion of vehicle burglary.

From Corpus Christi, Texas;

Officers say three men tried to rob the home. Two people were inside the home at the time and a shootout began, according to officers. It is unclear who fired the first shots.

One of the men who tried to rob the home, a 27-year-old, was shot and killed. The two 23-year-old men who were inside the home were also shot but their injuries are not life-threatening, according to officers.

Officers say the remaining two men got away with some property but police aren’t saying what was taken.

Officers say at least one of the three men who entered the home was known by the victims.

From Fort Pierce, Florida;

The brother of a store owner who shot an alleged robber said his brother almost started crying when he heard one of the suspects was 15-years-old.

The incident took place on New Year’s Eve at the Three O’s convenience store located on 25th street in Fort Pierce.
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The store owner, Sami Said, said the incident was captured on surveillance video.

It shows to teens waking in the store.

Said said the video shows one of the suspects pointing a gun at him and then both stuffing money into a bag before running out the front door.

“All I see is a gun in my face. I backed up and give them the money,” said Said.

He said seconds later one of the suspect’s went back to the counter and that’s when the store owner fired.

“The guys leave but one is coming in when he come I say you wanna come in for other cashiers and I shot him inside the store,” said Said.

Store employee Willie Plain was outside when he heard the shot.

“And when I looked up my boss man was shooting at him and he came out shooting,” said Plain.

From Houston, Texas;

A woman shot and killed a would-be burglar early New Year’s Day after the man allegedly broke into her apartment while she was sleeping, Houston police said.

The woman awoke in her bedroom at the Mirabella Apartment to the sound of broken glass, according to the Houston Police Department. She looked up, and a man was standing in her bedroom, she told police.

He came toward her bed, and that’s when police say she grabbed the pistol she kept near her and fatally shot him.

She had told the police she had seen the man walking around the apartment complex before.

From Mayfield Heights, Ohio, crooks should be careful of who they call their frineds;

Just after 7 p.m. on Dec. 22, police received a 911 call from a resident on the 1300 block of Ranchland Drive who said he had just returned home and found his house broken into and a body inside.

The body was identified as 17-year-old Phillip Moore of Euclid.

The resident also reported his laptop computer missing from the home.

On Dec. 30, Mayfield Heights police arrested 19-year-old Dewayne Gatson in connection with the death of the 17-year-old.

According to authorities, Gatson and Moore had planned to break into the home on Ranchland Drive together. Sometime during the burglary, Gatson pulled a gun on his cohort and shot Moore 15 times.

Police have not released a motive for the shooting.

Gatson has been charged with murder.

From Greenville, North Carolina;

Dispatchers received a call about 3:30 p.m. that an officer was involved in a shooting in the parking lot of Academy Sports, 3428 S. Memorial Drive, a Greenville Police Department news release said.

The altercation began after the officer was alerted by a civilian of a man shoplifting in the store, the release said. The officer confronted the alleged shoplifter, identified himself and displayed his credentials, the release said.

A struggle followed and the suspect attempted to attack the officer with a knife, the release said. The officer defended himself and shot the suspect, who died at the scene, the release said.

From Independence, Missouri;

Police say the caller told them he shot an intruder inside his home.

The suspect was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover.

Police say the incident should be a wakeup call for criminals.

“Some of these people are going around breaking into homes, they need to know that there could be an armed homeowner who’s going to defend them self if they get into a situation like this,” Independence Police Department Public Information Officer John Syme said.

The suspect is in police custody.

From Tolland, Connecticut;

A homeowner arrived at his house on Peter Green Road at about 6:40 p.m. to find a truck parked in his driveway. The female passenger told him she was lost and the driver was asking directions from a neighbor, police said.

While speaking to the woman, the homeowner heard a noise behind him and turned to see a man running toward him with something in his hand, police said.

“The victim feared for his safety, pulled a handgun that he carries and fired at the male suspect. The suspect got into the pickup truck and fled,” police said.

The homeowner did not injure the man. He is legally licensed to carry the gun, police said.

From Las Vegas, Nevada;

Las Vegas police say a driver who shot and killed a man climbing into his SUV likely won’t be arrested because it was apparently self-defense.

Police Lt. Dan McGrath tells the Review-Journal the driver warned the man before firing the fatal shots late Sunday.

He says the SUV full of people, including a baby, stopped to let another driver know there was a man clinging to his pickup truck.

But when the SUV came to a halt, the man went over to it instead.

McGrath say a teenager in the back seat was fighting off the intruder when the driver grabbed a gun and hit the man with it.

Police say he kept coming and ignored the warning before the driver fired. He died at the hospital. He was not immediately identified.

From St Louis, Missouri;

Police said a masked suspect entered the bar and announced a robbery. The bar was full at the time, with around 20 people inside.

The owner, who was bartending at the time, took out a gun from behind the bar, and she and the suspect started exchanging shots.

Police said the suspect then went outside while still shooting.

Police said the owner was shot in the arm, a female customer was shot in the ankle and a male customer was shot in the head. All three were taken to a hospital and are expected to recover.

Witnesses said there was a second suspect in the bar’s foyer. Both suspects ran.

From Atlanta, Georgia;

Police told FOX 5 News that the unnamed 25-year-old was shot after trying to rob a 19-year-old who was leaving the mall with food from the food court.

As the 19-year-old tried to get into his car, the shooting victim left his own car and attempted to enter the teen’s, possibly to rob him, police said.

The 19-year-old reached for his gun and fired shooting the suspect multiple times, according to officials.

Homicide is now investigating the incident. Police say that the shooter is cooperating with the investigation.

There is currently no word on whether the shooter will face any charges.

From Redwood City, California;

Police responded to a call about a man who was holding a black handgun near the ATM machines of the Wells Fargo Bank at 1900 Broadway, according to a news release issued by the Redwood City Police Department. The caller described the man as a Hispanic male in his 30s who was pacing back and forth.

Redwood City police, along with deputies from the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, “utilized a variety of active crisis intervention and de-escalating techniques” and used less lethal weapons to engage the man, police said. But when the man raised his gun and fired shots in the direction of the officers, they returned fire and killed the man.

Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

A Milton, Florida homeowner breathed a sigh of relief the other day;

The Pensacola News Journal reported the state attorney’s office determined the homeowner reasonably thought his family was in danger when 39-year-old Marcus Indigo Mulinix tried to force his way into the home on Oct. 21.

Prosecutors said Mulinix was screaming and twisting the front door knob trying to get inside. The homeowner got his rifle, went out the back door and walked to the front yard while his mother called 911. He saw that Mulinix had gotten the door part-way open.

Records say when the homeowner yelled at him, the man raised a baseball bat and approached him. That’s when the homeowner shot him in the chest.

From Silver City, New Mexico;

Silver City Police Capt. Ricky Villalobos said 48-year-old Eric Arzate died in the Tuesday shooting at 1000 Slag Road. The second suspect, 45-year-old John V. Shivner, is in stable condition after receiving gunshot wounds.

After police executed a search warrant, Villalobos said they discovered Arzate’s body dressed in a vest with a badge and markings resembling a police officer. Arzate also had a helmet with the word “police” written on the front.
Home invaders wore police disguises before fatal shooting, police say

Police believe Arzate and Shivner were armed with handguns when they went inside the home and wanted to rob it. Both men were shot, and Arzate was killed.

Authorities charged Shivner with aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, felon in possession of a firearm, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

From Akron, Ohio;

Three men, all apparently young black males wearing dark clothing and obscured faces, attempted to rob the pharmacy at 786 W. Market St., store employees told police.

Two of the males jumped over the pharmacy counter, near the register, and yelled “Don’t move!” to employees, police said.

The suspects started to pull plastic bags out of their pockets.

The store owner said he feared for his life and pulled out a 9mm handgun and fired several shots at the suspects, police said.

The males jumped back over the counter and ran to a nearby red Chevrolet Blazer parked on South Highland Avenue and drove off, police said.

Police said several minutes later a male was dropped off at Barberton Hospital with a gunshot wound. Because that person has not yet been charged by early Friday afternoon, his identity has not been released, police said.

The other suspects were not identified.

From Ewa Beach, Oahu, Hawaii;

The Ewa Beach man who shot an alleged masked trespasser in the back has been released pending an investigation while authorities decide whether he should be charged with attempted murder or if it was a case of self-defense.

At this point in the investigation, a law expert from the University of Hawaii said, it’s nearly impossible to know whether the shooting was justified, even if Hawaii’s self-defense law allows people to protect themselves, others and their property.

The shooting happened at a condo on Laaulu Street. Initial reports indicate the resident heard his dogs barking about 6 a.m. on Christmas Eve, just moments before he saw two men wearing masks and army jackets on his property.

He fired a single round and shot one of the alleged suspects in the back.

The associate dean for Student Services at the Richardson School of Law, Ronette Kawakami, believes the shooting could be justified, depending on what the shooter was seeing and feeling at the moment.

From Charles County, Maryland;

The homeowner reported two male suspects kicked open his front door and, at gunpoint, demanded money. A male occupant of the house heard the robbery, grabbed a gun, and hid in a nearby room. The suspects entered the room and pointed the gun at the man who then fired shots at the suspect with the gun.

Both suspects fled and were subsequently located nearby.

One of the suspects had a gunshot wound to his neck. He was transported to a hospital and treated for an injury that was not life threatening.

From Cincinnati, Ohio;

Police say an armed robber was fatally shot at a Cincinnati auto parts store by another person inside the business.

Police say two gunmen entered the store in the city’s Roselawn neighborhood Wednesday night. Another person inside the store opened fire, hitting one of them.

Officers found the body of the suspected robber in the parking lot.

From Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;

A homeowner fired to their gun after several suspects attempted to break into a home in North Versailles Saturday night.

Police were called to the home in the 300 block of Foster Road.

Police told Channel 11 that the suspects tried to force the door open, but after the homeowner fired the shots, they took off.

Bert sends us a link to a story from Putnam County, West Virginia;

After she heard the noise at the window, [Yvonda “Bonnie” Gatens] called 911 and grabbed her gun.

“I told him ‘you’re going to die’ and he fell over to the side,” Gatens explained to WSAZ.

Putnam County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the woman’s call, but they were unable to find the person.

Despite losing a sense of security, Gatens is relieved everything ended up OK. Now she’s encouraging her neighbors to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.

“If you come in here, it’s going to be you or me, and I’ll see to it that it won’t be me!” Gatens said.

From Mishawaka, Indiana;

A 13-year-old male was shot and killed during an attempted home invasion at Hickory Village Apartments in Mishawaka.

His name is being withheld pending family notification. The teen’s age was released by the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday afternoon.

The shooting happened around 10 p.m. Tuesday at the complex in the 4300 block of North Hickory.

Mishawaka police on the scene told NewsCenter 16 that the deceased person was the attempted home invasion suspect.

From Hyattsville, Maryland;

Friends of a babysitter who were inside a home overnight Monday along Sligo Parkway in Hyattsville say two men appeared to be breaking into a truck parked in the driveway when a man inside the home grabbed a gun from the second floor.

Neighbors who don’t want to be identified noticed something was wrong next door.

“I heard two noises. An officer asked me about it and I tell him it was two gunshots,” the neighbor said.

Authorities say a 911 call came from inside the house and police found a man shot in the driveway.

“Our Detective believes a resident inside the house shot and killed a man outside of the home,” Prince George’s County Police Corporal Tyler Hunter said.

Police believe a second suspect got away and ABC7 News is being told that people inside the home, including at least four children, saw a second man running from the scene.