It was early Sunday morning, September 28, 2008. Approximately 3:00 AM in Indianapolis Indiana. A seventeen year old girl slept peacefully in her bed. In the room adjacent to her bedroom, a window slid open from the outside. In crept David Myers. He knew the home well. His uncle owned it, and he was an acquaintance of the family.
Meyers, a registered sex offender had been released from prison two years ago, after he served 10 years of a 20 year sentence for criminal confinement and sexual deviate conduct. He had been living with his mother down a gravel road near the girl's home. On this night, the felon was naked, except for a mask and rubber gloves. He carried a knife, rope, condoms and a gag. As he entered the teen's room, she awoke and began screaming.
The girl's father, 64 year old Robert McNally, awoke and caught the masked and naked intruder in the hallway. A vicious struggle ensued. As they struggled, McNally's wife dialed 911. McNally managed to get Myers in a choke hold. As the criminal thrashed about, McNalley held on for dear life.
When the police arrived, they found McNalley still on the floor with him arm around the intruder's neck. They ordered him to let go. McNalley complied, and the officers found Meyers to be unresponsive. Responding paramedics pronounced Myers dead.
The Marion County coroner found that Meyers had been strangled. Prosecutor Carl Brizzi declared that Robert McNally acted in defense of his daughter and that charges were not warranted.
September 14, 2008. It was 9:00 PM at the A1 Discount Beverage Store in Lake Worth, Florida. A seven month old infant sat on his father's lap behind the counter. His mother stood nearby. It was tough visiting the infant's grandfather, he always seemed to be working. The baby's grandfather, Noel Nagi, was working the cash register of his liquor store this evening. It was the night shift.
A blond man entered the store and walked to the drink cooler, and selected a bottle of Gatorade. He ambled up to the counter and asked "How much for a pack of cigarettes?" Rather than reaching for his wallet, he pulled out a handgun and demanded money.
As Noel was handing the gunman about $150, he uttered "Just don't do anything crazy. There's a baby."
"I don't give a fuck," snarled the gunman and he turned to point the firearm at the infant. At that moment, a customer entered the store, and the gunman was distracted. The infant's father, Yamen Abdelfattah, passed the baby to it's mother who quickly locked herself and the baby in the office of the store. The blond gunman returned his attention to Noel Nagi.
After having been robbed at his check cashing business, Abdelfattah had obtained a concealed carry permit and had purchased his own firearm for self protection. He had practiced with his handgun diligently at the range. After ushering his wife and child into the office, Abdelfattah drew his weapon and fired as he rounded the corner. He shot the would be robber, Robert C. Martin. The infant's father shot the vicious criminal who had threatened his family to the ground, killing him. The attack on his family was over. Afterwards, Abdelfattah said someone asked why he fired so many shots. "How many shots does it take to kill someone? I don't know," he replied. "It's family first."
"I feel sorry for the guy and his family," Noel Nagi said. "But we didn't go after him, he came after us."
Martin is suspected of at least one other armed robbery. "We're not expecting charges at this time, but it will be turned over to the State Attorney's Office," a Sheriff's spokeswoman said.
On June 18, 2008, two Texarkana teens rode the train from Dallas to downtown Garland Texas. They planned to commit a crime. Demarius Cummings claims he and his cousin, James Broadnax, were not planning on committing murder in Garland, only robbery. They had stolen their aunt's "chopper" (a Kalashnikov rifle) to swap on the street for a pistol, and taken the handgun on the trip. The two discussed killing, but Cummings claims he did not believe it would happen. Broadnax concealed the pistol, and the two boarded the night train to Garland.
In Garland, in the early morning of June 19, the two encountered Matthew Butler and Stephen Swan who were leaving Zion Gate Records, a Christian music studio which Butler owned, at 810 State Street. The four men conversed for a while. The men parted, and then Cummings went back with Broadnax and asked for a cigarette. Suddenly, Broadnax pulled his gun. Without hesitation he shot Swann, then Butler. As each man struggled to get back up, Broadnax shot them again, this time in the head, killing them.
The two murderers quickly rifled the dead men's pockets, stole two dollars, and the keys to Butler's car. They drove Butler's tan 1995 Crown Victoria to Dallas, and hid the pistol. The next morning they switched the license plates at a relative's house, swapped the pistol back for the AK, pawned a few tools found in Butler's car, and tossed Stephen Swann's ID out the car window as they left in the stolen automobile heading back to Texarkana. There, they were apprehended after a traffic violation. A bicyclist had discovered the two dead men's bodies lying in a pool of sticky blood and spent shell casings at about 1:00 AM the previous night. Both criminals are charged with capital murder. Bond is set at one million dollars each. Both victims are dead.
Those are the facts of the case. There are other facts that may not be as apparent, however. One is that these two men were prowling Garland Texas for a victim, or two. They were not carrying an illegally concealed weapon for self protection against criminals. They were carrying an illegally concealed weapon to use in victimizing an honest citizen. These two men did not stop their victims on the street to discuss recording contracts. They did not ask for a cigarette because they were hungry for nicotine. A package of Marlboros would not have saved Matthew Butler and Stephen Swan.
These two thugs did not go to Garland Texas to buy, bum or steal a pack of smokes. In Cumming's own words, they went there because "dat's where the rich white folks stay at." These two thugs stopped two honest citizens and probed them to ascertain their willingness to be victimized. Chances are, one or both of the victims refused to give the two men a ride, or let them gain access to the recording studio. Then came the cigarette ploy.
The first criminal tactic that many victims of a crime recognize is a violation of the victim's right to passage, and their right to privacy. By the time this tactic is employed, the criminal has already been on the prowl with the intent of selecting a victim, and they have chosen their prey. The criminal is simply ascertaining whether or not their choice is one that will have tolerable consequences. The level of risk is commonly determined by the criminal through asking or demanding something from the victim. Whether the victim gives in to the request makes no difference to the criminal. It is the victim's reaction to the request that determines the outcome of the encounter. While this interview process is happening the criminal and their accomplices are gaining position for the inevitable attack.
So what should a person do? At this point there is only one way to stop an attack. The criminal predator is behaving like an animal, a predator. To stop the attack, the victim must quickly and unequivocally convince the criminal that he is a superior predator. The criminal predator must suddenly realize that he has encountered someone who will kill him.
Keep your distance. Recognize and refuse to allow the positioning for attack. Do not engage in the attacker's conversational ploys. Tell the attacker loudly and without hesitation to back off. Position yourself for repelling an attack, and get your hand on your gun.
Oh, yes, the gun. Reportedly, one of these two victims had a concealed carry permit. Perhaps he left his weapon at home that day. After all, he was going to a Christian recording studio. No danger there......Perhaps the victim had his gun on him, but he lacked the ability to recognize the threat. Perhaps he believed in the innate goodness of all men. Perhaps he recognized the wrongness of the encounter, but the victim lacked the initiative and willingness to employ his weapon to save his own life. One thing is certain, however, by the time a cigarette was requested, this encounter on the streets of Garland Texas could only have been stopped through the use of deadly force.
Butler is survived by his wife Jamie, and two children. "I hope that whoever did this that they would come to know Christ," Jamie Butler said tearfully. "I hope and pray that my husband gets a chance to meet them in heaven and gets a chance to shake their hand and gets a chance to forgive them himself." May the souls of Matthew Butler and Stephen Swan rest in peace, and may we learn from their mistakes.
Below is a jailhouse confession from James Broadnax. Do not watch this video if you want to remain ambivalent about carrying the means for your own self protection. In the video you will see a sociopathic killer blaming his victims for causing him to "go into dat mode" and causing him to kill them. You will see utter and unmitigated lack of remorse. You will see stupefying excuses for a life that he himself wasted, his own, but which he takes absolutely no responsibility for. You will see not only total disregard for the human lives he destroyed, but also the most vulgar contempt for the grief of the families left behind. You will see inexcusable evil personified. You will see the evil that walks among honest citizens in every city in the U.S. You will see why I carry a gun, and why I train to use it to protect my life.
The confession of Demarius Cummings can be viewed here.
The teller activated a silent alarm while filling a bag with $1 bills. Then the criminal claiming to have a bomb demanded "bands of 50s and 100s."
Another bank teller alerted Nabil Fawzi, a long time customer, who was standing in line. Nabil Fawzi, a former soldier in the Lebanese army, took matters into his own hands.
On July 20, 2006, Michigan passed the Castle Doctrine Law which states that a citizen has the right to defend themselves, with lethal force if necessary, if they are in a place they have a legal right to be, and they reasonably feel their life or the life of a loved on is in jeopardy.
It was April 17, 2008. Columbus Ohio. A drive-through business owner was investigating his burgular alarm that was set off at his place of business after he had closed the doors for the night. The time was approximately 10:37 PM, thirty-seven minutes after closing time. An intruder had entered the building.
The owner, after investigating the outside of his building and finding nothing amiss, believes he is dealing with a false alarm. He goes inside, and turns on the lights. The intruder is in the owner's office down the hall.
Alerted to the owner's arrival by the lights being turned on, the criminal leaves the office. The two men encounter each other in the hallway. The owner is fortunate to have a firearm. He knows that stored in his office, which the criminal has emerged from, he keeps a .45 automatic and a 12 gauge shotgun. The likelihood that the criminal has found them is extremely high.
The owner's first reaction is to defend himself, and he raises his fists telling the criminal to get on the ground. The criminal refuses, advancing towards the owner. The property owner takes a couple of steps back, draws his gun, and takes control of the situation. The criminal goes to his knees and acts as though he wants to comply as he lies about why he is there. He claims he was locked in the building by mistake. The property owner knows better as he begins to call 911 from his cell phone. Then the criminal gets to his feet again, refusing to comply with the owner's verbal commands at gunpoint to go prone. While the owner dialing the cellphone, the criminal advances towards him, lifting his shirt, obviously trying to close the distance so he can attempt to disarm the property owner.
The armed defender/property owner wisely steps back, maintaining his distance to counteract the criminal's advance. He points his firearm at the criminal's head, again commanding him to back off and get on the ground. The criminal turns around, and walks away while displaying the universal "I'm a felon" sign, placing both hands on the back of his head, fingers interlaced. The criminal goes prone and the owner finishes dialing his cell phone.
A Columbus 911 operator answers. "I've got a gun on a guy that's in my business," the property owner informs her immediately, "Get the cops here."
Realizing he will not be talking his way out of this one, but also that the property owner is distracted, the criminal again gets to his feet. He paces, trying to quickly formulate a strategy as he advances on the business owner. The business owner gives the operator his address while backing up, maintaining distance between himself and the criminal. Quite obviously, the only thing preventing the criminal from attacking the property owner is the prospect of a loud injection of lead to his body.
After having been told why, the operator asks the property owner "Why do you have a gun on him?" She is again informed of the dire situation the property owner faces. Trying to again take control of the situation, the owner begins to give the advancing criminal verbal commands, telling him to back off and get on the floor. The operator, incomprehensibly, begins to give a few commands of her own. "Sir," She says, "You need to talk to me....You need to talk to me...Who is this gentleman that's in your business?... Hello?"
The criminal can barely be seen moving against a background of stock. At one point, it appears he sits on it, and then he appears to be getting on the floor, closer to an escape route, between the pallets of stock, this time. The business owner turns his attention back to the uncomprehending 911 operator. "Yeah, what can I do for you?" he asks.
"You need to talk to me and tell me why do you have a gun to this man's head!" the operator demands. "Is the business closed? Did he break in?" After having been told previously exactly what the business owner was facing, the 911 operator amazingly thinks the property owner may have a gun to a clerk's head. At this point, the property owner is in grave jeopardy, if responding officers have a false impression of the situation created by the 911 operator.
Fortunately, the property owner corrects her. "Yeah, my business is closed, I was here a half hour. He was hiding in here. I shut the door and then my alarm went off. I come over here and the guy's in my business," he says.
"Stay on the line with me," the operator replies. "I have officers en route." Over a minute has elapsed, with a resistant criminal advancing time and time again on an armed citizen. Each time, the property owner has shown amazing restraint in not shooting the advancing man. Then the operator tells him "When an officer gets there you have to put the gun down. Do you understand that?" The property owner states his understanding.
Next, the criminal, being closer to an escape route, puts his plan into action against the distracted property owner. The criminal introduces another threat to deal with. He lies. Desperate criminals have been known to lie in the past, and this one is no different. The criminal fabricates an illusion out of thin air. He either lies or he speaks aloud to an unknown party, giving the property owner the impression he has an accomplice. As the 911 operator asks for the property owner's name, he responds "There's two of 'em in here."
Now, the playing field has shifted. The armed defender must be prepared for an unseen attack from any direction. His focus must be divided between the man he has on the ground between pallets of stock, an unknown threat, and the 911 operator. He can be seen backing up, scanning the area. Meanwhile, his daughter arrives outside in her automobile, alarmed that it has taken him this amount of time to return home. She toots her horn outside. The criminal, hidden from view in the security video apparently again rises to his feet, with the property owner commanding him to get back down.
Then the 911 operator inexplicably asks, "Do you have a permit for that gun, sir?" No permit is required to own a handgun in Ohio. The man has already informed her time and again that he is on his own property.
"Yes I do," he replies, referring to his concealed handgun permit, "And I'm on my own property," he informs her again.
Now the 911 operator decides to get testy. "OK, well, you need to answer my questions and stop being brief to me," she tells the citizen who is trying to defend himself against a repeatedly advancing, noncompliant criminal. "What is your name?" she asks.
Apparently auditory exclusion has diminished for the property owner and he hears his daughter honking the horn outside. He believes it is the police and he moves to unlock a door to allow them in. The criminal immediately seizes the opportunity, rises to his feet and darts out another door. "Get back here!" the property owner vainly shouts into the darkness outside.
The 911 operator asks for a description, and can finally be heard relaying the information to someone else. "Obviously I've got an emergency situation. I have a gentleman with a guy at gun point," she says, with the alarm blaring in the background. The property owner lets the criminal disappear into the night, turning his attention to the second threat, an illusion the criminal created of an accomplice. Apparently, the 911 operator still has not grasped what is occurring on the other end of the line. She has been told time and again exactly what is occurring, but her own prejudices are coloring what she is telling others, placing a citizen who is defending his life with admirable restraint at risk for being gunned down by responding officers. "We have officers en route. They're still en route," she tells the property owner, "You called the Columbus police department so we're having to relay the information to the county if you could stay on the line with me."
The property owner is vainly searching for the imaginary second intruder. He shuts off the alarm. "I'm here," he informs her, letting her know he is still on the line.
"I understand that sir," she replies, getting defensive and again showing her inability to understand what she is being told. "I'm, ah, we're trying to get the county out there. You called the Columbus police department."
"I called 911," the property owner corrects her.
"You've called the Columbus police department. Your cell phone has come to the Columbus police department. We're getting on the phone with county to have them respond sir," the 911 operator argues defensively.
Know what lady? Who gives a damn? "I'm glad there were no shots fired," the legally armed business owning citizen observes dryly.
"OK, sir, do not be angry with me," he is told. The business owner continues to search for the second imaginary threat telling the 911 operator "He's in here somewhere."
Four minutes have passed since 911 picked up the phone. "I'm going to patch you through to the county. They are en route. I'm gonna transfer you there. You need to stay on the line," she tells the citizen. Then she places the icing on the 911 cake. "Don't do anything stupid," she says.
A cruiser can be seen finally arriving outside the building as the first police officer arrives on the scene. Meanwhile, the two 911 operators discuss the incident. The first 911 operator tells the other operator that the caller "had a gun on these people that were inside." Fortunately, a quick thinking uniformed officer is already on the scene to prevent the property owner from being killed because of the 911 operator's misinformation. Obviously, the first responding officer grasps the reality of what is occurring. He does not make the property owner go prone. Indeed it can be seen that he allows the armed defender to retain his weapon in the face of a possible hidden criminal in their midst. They join forces to search the building for the imaginary accomplice, guns drawn.
Several lessons can be learned from this 911 debacle.
First and foremost, when a citizen is trying to preserve their life against a very real threat, they do not need an incomprehensibly dense 911 operator berating them with questions and spreading misinformation of what is occurring. Dividing one's attention between the threat at hand and a cell phone link to a 911 operator's demands places the citizen at grave risk.
Each time the property owner's attention was diverted away from the intruder, the intruder responded by getting up from the floor, advancing, and gaining advantage. I have little doubt that had the intruder discovered the firearms that the owner had kept in his office, he would have shot the property owner to escape. Instead, because the intruder was not armed, he willingly placed his life at risk again and again to gain advantage while he formulated an escape plan to put into action. When he was in the right place, and the citizen was distracted, the criminal upped the ante, making the citizen believe there was an additional threat. Finally, with the citizen's attention divided between a real threat, an imaginary threat, and a demanding 911 operator, the criminal escaped into the night.
The property owner did everything right. He maintained his distance. He did not try to restrain the criminal, only detain him. When the stressors became to much too endure, he kept his focus on staying alive in the face of the imaginary threat and allowed the known threat to escape into the night. He gave a good description to the county dispatcher. The only thing he could have done better would be to initially give the 911 operator his location, a description of the criminal and then one of himself so they could be differentiated by responding officers, and then put the phone down with the line remaining open to record the incident. The property owner did not need the 911 operator's input, nor her defensiveness and judgemental attitude. She was intent on screwing up anything she was told with her own bias anyway. Far better to deal with one real threat and the possibility of another without the additional distraction of a 911 operator clouding your judgement and diverting your attention. It is not a crime to provide the information necessary and put the phone down. Doing so may be the best course of action.
Kudos to the quick thinking responding officer. Thank you to Oleg Volk for the use of his images.
It was a balmy night in Fort Worth Texas. Richard Lane was wearing a mask when he burst into Happy Donuts demanding money. He was carrying what appeared to be a rifle. Chong Im Randle, the owner recalls: "I say you not to shoot. Okay, you kill me I'm going to heaven. You going to jail." The masked criminal cleaned out the cash drawer. The thief then assaulted the donut proprietor. "He followed me, then grabbed me, says Randle, "I hit him with my elbow. I say 'you gotta go'."
"I grabbed my telephone," Randal said, "He said, 'don't call police'. I say 'I gotta do something.'" Richard Lane responded by beating the lady. He then tried to steal her automobile.
Stanley Livingston, a neighbor, overheard the attack, and the 54 year old Texan grabbed his shotgun. Responding to the criminal assault, Livingston found his friend and neighbor in distress and a rifle pointed through the night at him by the masked man. Stanley Livingston raised his shotgun and stopped Richard Lane's criminal career and ended his despicable life with one well aimed blast. Police arrived minutes later to find a dead criminal with a BB gun. Richard Lane had an comprehensive criminal portfolio, including aggravated assault and aggravated robbery.
Fort Worth defense attorney Trey Loftin states it is unlikely Livingston will be charged. "We're a gun toting state. We have a lot of John Wayne in our blood. We're gonna shoot first and ask questions later," he says, "A man, in a mask with what looks like a rifle, has just robbed and beaten my neighbor, my friend, this little old lady, and now he's pulled the gun on me. I've got to shoot. Totally justified in doing so."
"If my neighbor no come, what is going [to] happen? I might die," says Chong Im Randle. Only one problem there Mrs. Randle. Stop counting on your neighbor. Buy your own gun and learn to use it.
"A citizen just like a police officer has the right to defend themselves or others, if they're in fear of death or serious bodily injury and that right extends to using deadly force," said Capt. David Imhof of the Nashville Police. Damned skippy Cap'n Dave!
On April 26, 2008, two armed bandits entered Sinkers Wine and Spirits in Nashville Tennessee. Manager Clifford Baxter ducked into a back room to call 911 when he saw the two criminals with guns drawn. They did not want liquor. They did not ask for cigarettes. They demanded money. The two criminals stuck their guns in the clerk's face and then ordered two customers to the ground during their rampage.
They did not know one customer had a CCW. They did not know he had the willingness to use the concealed gun he carried. They did not expect that he would draw his weapon, engage them in gunfire and kill one of their criminal asses before they could complete their crime.
Yeah, I'm sure their crackhead baby's mama will be getting some air time bawling about how they were good boys who just wanted a loose cigarette when they entered Sinkers, but the manager and employees are telling a different tale. They are damned glad their customer carried a gun. They have plans to arm themselves in the future.
Pumping gas....At many gas stations, there is not a rachet in the pump handle to allow you to have both hands free while gassing up. You are on open display for every vagrant, criminal and gangsta wannabe, with your automobile unsecured, and you on the outside. I insert the gas cap in the handle at those times to keep my hands free. Here's why.
Memphis Tennessee. April 22, 2008. Charles Todd, 64, was filling a gas can at a BP gas station. A lawnmower was in the back of his black Toyota Tacoma. A criminal arrives in a a stolen gold Acura, gets out with a shotgun, and levels it on Todd, demanding his vehicle. Todd tells the carjacker his keys are in the gas cap. As the criminal is distracted, Todd draws his legally carried handgun, and fires on the criminal while seeking concealment behind the fuel pumps.
Berkhanu Fekadu was the clerk inside the gas station. "I heard the sound of guns, somebody shooting," he said. "I just heard Boom! Boom!" The criminal ran like hell, avoiding Todd's gunfire. Police do not believe he was struck by the gunfire. They have his accomplice in custody.
Inmates are waiting to say hello to three sweet young men thugs who think the law does not apply to them. Say gotcha to three arrogant criminals who think they are smarter than anyone else. Mikey Rolla (the coward who abandoned his partner in crime as soon as resistance was encountered) and Jeremy Fuller (the greasy haired punk with the bruise on his forehead) were the team........breaking into homes and stealing honest citizen's belongings. They are thieves. Kyle Pousta, the smug looking piss-ant on the right was apparently their fence, selling guitars and electronics. Pousta's apartment was filled with stolen goods. He's a thief too.
During the night of April 14, 2008, Steve Reemer awakened to a unusual noise in his home in Buffalo, Minnesota. Getting up to investigate, Reemer found his bedroom door tied shut with a rope. Then a home invader in the hall told him they were going to cut the rope and come in with duct tape. Steve Reemer armed himself with his .357 magnum Taurus revolver.
Bursting through the door, Steve Reemer chased Mikey Rolla out of his home, placing several rounds into Rolla's stolen SUV as the tires slung gravel getting the hell out of Dodge. Going back inside, Reemer discovered Jeremy Fuller cowering in a locked bedroom. "Come on out! Put your hands on your head! I’ll show you a little about Hanoi!" Reemer shouted. Jeremy Fuller did not want to know anything about Hanoi. He bailed out a window, skidding across the ground as he ran into the night.
Law enforcement captured Rolla as he was trying to steal another car. Not surprisingly, Rolla led police to Fuller. Pousta was arrested after Reemer's stolen guitars and electronics were found in his apartment. The dots are not that difficult to connect. Guitars don't run off by themselves.
Speaking with news media after the break-in, Reemer said he didn’t want to shoot the fleeing Michael Rolla in the back. Reemer said that since they gave him a break and didn’t do anything to him while he was sleeping, Reemer wanted to make sure he saw Rolla's face if he had to pull the trigger. Reemer did, however, punctuate the stolen SUV with lead. I have a feeling that Steve Reemer possesses an understanding of how things get all twisty after the results of an armed confrontation finally makes it way before a judge and jury. He knows he wasn't given a break at all. He was given a break-in.
Conventional wisdom holds that it is best to not talk to the press after an armed encounter. The news media often gets things wrong, inserting their own bias into the story, and tainting the righteous outcome of a justifiable defense after a life is placed in jeopardy by criminals. Still, for those who study and learn from these types of confrontations, gratitude for the defender's comments must be expressed as we vicariously place ourselves in their shoes. The smile that Steve Reemer wears while speaking to the press no doubt conceals the personal violation he must be feeling after having his home invaded by criminals. That invasion is an affront to us all.
When seconds count..........The police will show up eventually and shine a flashlight through your broken window.
An Oak Cliff, Texas homeowner informed police that he was awakened around 1:30AM on April 14, 2008 by the sound of shattering glass. The homeowner grabbed his handgun and discovered two men inside his home, according to police. One of the criminals was still holding the board used to break through a window.
Police say the homeowner began shooting and hit one of the suspects in the upper torso and jaw. That suspect is in critical condition at Baylor Hospital. The other nocturnal invader bolted from the home and has not yet been found. The case will go before a Grand Jury, but investigators say the homeowner appeared to be justified in protecting his life and property according to the laws of the great state of Texas.
"Get on the ground! Get on the ground! Do not move!" commanded Thomas Williamson of Southeast Houston, Texas on Thursday.
Williamson had stayed home from work, after he had been burgularized twice. He had a feeling it was going to happen again. Just after 1 P.M. he saw a man cross his back yard towards his garage. Thomas Williamson called 911, then armed himself with a shotgun and went outside. The burbular emerged with a pair of bolt cutters as Williamson intercepted him. With the burgular on the ground, Williamson fired one shot into the ground "just to show him I meant business."
The burgular tried to get up. Williamson shot him in the lower back. When police arrived, Williamson surrendered his shotgun. The burgular was taken to Ben Taub Hospital with a gunshot wound. His condition has not been released. The District Attorney's Office said charges would probably not be filed. Reason given: Williamson was protecting his property. God bless Texas.
“I think he got what he deserved. He’s lucky he’s alive. He’d ran straight at me, I’d have killed him. I wouldn’t have hesitated for a second ‘cause I’m sick and tired and I’m fed up with people stealing my stuff. I work hard for what I get and I’m just tired of people coming over here and stealing it,” Williamson said. “It’s a problem in this whole neighborhood over here and everybody around here is fed up with it. And these people are getting tired of it with a bunch of thieves around here. I’m gonna be around here protecting my property and anybody who wants to come over here to my house I’m gonna be here waiting for you...and that’s all I gotta say about that.”
11 P.M. April 3, 2008. Houston Texas. Peter Quang Dan, owner and operator of the Colony Express Market, lay pistol whipped on the floor of his convenience store, wondering if he was enduring his last moments on Earth. Two vicious bandits quickly bagged all the money from his cash register. As the two men tried to exit the store, Dan grabbed a handgun he kept behind the counter, rose, and fired. He struck one robber in the head, killing him. The other criminal escaped.
When police arrived, they found the dead criminal with Dan's cash and a handgun. "Two suspects walked in the store and attempted to rob, or did rob the convenience store. The store clerk discharged a firearm and hit one of the suspects, and one suspect fled the scene," Sgt. J. Rubio said.
Dan was not seriously injured in the attack, but a grand jury will decide whether the killing was justified.
Steve Geddie, 24, of Frisco, Texas, had just gotten home from work and was sitting on the toilet when he heard his back door being smashed in. Geddie had only seconds to act. He moved from his bathroom to his bedroom, where he armed himself with a 12 gauge pistol grip Mossberg 500 shotgun that he kept under his mattress for home defense. He chambered a #1 buckshot round.
In his hallway, Geddie encountered a man wearing a red bandanna over his face. Geddie suddenly found a small revolver pointed at his chest. Geddie moved to the inside of the intruder as the intruder fired his weapon. One of two bullets struck Geddie's left shoulder. Geddie dropped his shotgun, then immediately dove after it. He came up firing at a retreating home invader. Geddie's shot flew wild, penetrating his wall with sixteen pellets. The intruder was lucky the shot was wild. "Otherwise he would have had size one buckshot all through his thighs and butt," said Geddie, "I believe that every home owner should be able to be prepared for self preservation in the event that something like this happens."
Glenn Heights, TX-- An attempted break-in early Sunday morning led to a terrifying and unexpected wake up call for a woman in Glenn Heights. While four men failed to break into Carrie Shannon's home on Brentwood Street, their attempt was captured on surveillance video. Shannon was home alone when the men tried to kick in her door around 4:35 a.m.
"I immediately jumped up," she said of when she heard the loud kicking. After hearing the men, Shannon said she got out of bed and called police on her cell phone. "I grabbed my handgun and I proceeded right to the back, because as soon as I saw a shadow, I was going to go ahead and start shooting," she said.
After several kicks, the men gave up and took off. "I just want to be safe here in my own home," Shannon said. "That's it. That's all I want." Signs of the attempted home invasion were everywhere in the form of broken glass, damage to the door and a broken lock. Shannon's home security camera didn't miss a beat either. It even caught one of the men cutting the phone line. The video was turned over to police.
Two men were captured on video trying to kick in the home's door. "I hope you go to jail," she said of the suspects. "You need to leave people alone." Shannon said she believes the incident may be connected to a burglary that happened at her home nearly three weeks ago. In that case, four men stormed into her home through the front door. "[I'm] just a hard working woman trying to live, trying to support her son and trying to support herself and live a better life," she said.
In the first incident, the suspects stole at least $1,200. The Glenn Heights Police Department said they believe both cases may be connected.
By Monika Diaz / WFAA-TV
And finally, Xavier's Thoughts:
First, a home security system is an extremely worthwhile investment. Strong locks and doors can help keep criminals at bay. Unfortunately, windows break easily. I have to wonder what kept these door kicking imbeciles from breaking a window other than their own ignorance and Ms. Shannon's good fortune. The damage done to her home is infinitely preferable to years of civil litigation.
Next, in the video she displays an AR she purchased to supplement her handgun for home protection. I won't get into the AR vs AK vs shotgun application and suitability debate. There may be valid reasons for her choice beyond a gun counter commando selling a woman a tactical rifle. A .223 is a bad mojammy, that is true. I don't want to try to catch one fired from an AR. I still prefer a 12 gauge shotgun or two.......Or six. For what she paid for that AR, she could have purchased a home defense shotgun, a trunk load of ammunition, gotten a CCW and training. Even so, I'm happy she purchased a more effective life preserver for her home.
"I grabbed my handgun and I proceeded right to the back, because as soon as I saw a shadow, I was going to go ahead and start shooting," Shannon stated. Even though the men had been identified as criminals on video, shooting at shadows is foolhardy when armed with a weapon of limited capacity. Far better it is to identify your attacker and not waste ammunition shooting at shadows........Especially when there are four of them.
Finally, it does old Xavier's heart good to see a woman committed to her own defense. It does old Xavier proud to see a black woman committed to preserving her own life. If ever there was a segment of our population that could and should appreciate the value of armed self defense, it is black women in the United States. Good on you Ms. Shannon. Now get some training along with that rifle.
It was a balmy Sunday morning several years ago, and Little Darling had been saving her dollars and cents for a GameBoy. I am a man of the pinball generation, and I have little appreciation of video games. I see the results they build in skilled hand eye coordination among the younger laproscopic surgeons, compared to the surgeons of my own age strata, but still, I resisted buying her the toy. When she proudly announced she had the funds herself, I relented. Better to teach her the benefits of thrift than the tyranny of a father my wife told me. So, before church, we took off for Wal-Mart. She had her little purse of greenbacks and I had a 1911 under my sportscoat.
Inside the mega-store, she waited patiently as an employee summoned a manager and the manager found the keys to the locked case of video toys. No, we could not take it to the front to check out, so the milk my wife wanted would have to wait. I glanced impatiently at my watch. Little Darling stepped proudly up to the counter and counted out her money. After taxes, she was eighty-seven cents short, and tears welled up in her eyes. I fished the change out of my pants pocket.
Time was short as we made our way to the front of the store. I cringed as I approached the greeter at the door with a bag in my hand. Thankfully, the elderly lady ignored me and we exited the first door into the foyer. I became vaguely aware of two scruffy young men behind us as I stopped to look for traffic in preparation of entering the parking lot. They stayed behind us, rather than coming alongside.
I handed Little Darling her bag and took her hand as we began to negotiate the maze of parked automobiles. I glanced back and saw that the two young men had spread apart, one on either side of us and to the rear. That is when I felt it. They had matched my stride and were circling me. Like an antelope, I knew I was being stalked by jackals, only I did not know why. Time was accelerating at head pounding speed, and Little Darling, blissfully unaware, was along for the ride.
I saw our vehicle and began to approach it, but I wanted to be certain. I walked past, and cut between two unoccupied SUVs, grabbing a shopping cart to block the path from my front. The man on my right turned towards me and cursed as he saw his path was blocked by the cart jammed between the two vehicles sideways. I spun and drew my pistol from it's holster, keeping it at low ready, facing off the other young man who was quickly approaching me from behind. My thumb had already snicked off the safety and Little Darling, confused, peered from behind me.
It seemed an eternity looking into the menacing, sneering face of the hoodlum who had began his approach from my rear. He sized up the man with the gun, a little girl behind him. I heard nothing to my rear. Not a word was spoken. Then "God damned mother fucker......." he snarled as he sauntered away. I said nothing. I couldn't. I turned to the rear, shoving Little Darling to the side. Nobody was there. I pivoted back around, my gun still at low ready. Nobody. I waited between the SUVs. Within seconds, a mother with her child in tow strolled past. I took my daughter's sack, as well as her her little hand, and used my remote to unlock my Jeep's doors two vehicles away. I held my pistol in my right hand, concealed underneath my jacket and left arm as we made our way to the vehicle.
I made Little Darling enter the driver's side and told her to crawl over. As she scurried past the console, I followed and locked the doors behind us. It was clear behind us as I started the engine. Then a green Cadillac paused behind us. I was trapped. The blue haired lady waited a moment in her Caddy, and then pulled forward. I took the opportunity and quickly backed out. I drove to an area of the parking lot that was empty for at least 75 feet all around us. I left the motor running.
I opened my cell phone and struggled to call the police. My fingers were still suffering from the loss of fine motor skills. When the cruiser arrived, I kept my hands visible and waited for the officer to ask me to exit my vehicle. The officer asked for my identification, and I presented my driver's license and my carry permit. At his request, I shut off my engine and got out of the Jeep. My knees were weak. I shuddered as I told the officer my story. I did not know why I was being herded and stalked, but I explained that I knew what was happening and felt it deep in my bones. I had been prey. I told him I had drawn my weapon. He asked if I was still armed, and I said yes. "Good," he replied. God I love Louisiana sometimes. He never asked to see my gun. He made out a report, which I gladly gave to prevent accusations of "a man with a gun" in the Wal-Mart parking lot. With a smile he told me I was free to go.
Through church and over the next few days I was perplexed. Why would a man of my stature, a fit six foot one, be chosen as prey by two criminals? I could not understand it. Those kind of things happened to the elderly, women, the weak. They did not happen to big guys with crew cuts and broken noses. Hell, most of the time, all it took was a cold professional stare to change the direction of young men. Was my world changing? Was I getting older? Did it show? Or were the cretins becoming bolder? I was dumbfounded. I did not know why I was singled out as prey, and it bothered me. I began to grow apprehensive. I could not change it unless I knew why, and I was still going into the worst of neighborhoods to provide nursing service. Were these thugs targeting me specifically? Did they know me? Had I unwittingly crossed into some unknown gangland pissing grounds? God damn it, did they want my child?
I doubled my awareness, and I slept lightly for two nights. Then, on Wednesday, as I was changing the dressing on Miss Eleanor's abdominal surgical wound, Judge Judy was blaring on the television. Two idiots were arguing over a GameBoy as though it was a bag of diamonds. It was then that everything became clear to me. The two thugs could not steal a GameBoy from the locked case inside the Wal-Mart. I remembered them being present looking at CDs while Little Darling and I waited on the manager to open the locked display case. They had waited for a customer to purchase the object of their lust, and then followed the customer out of the store to score. My little girl's life and my own life had been threatened for a damned toy. The idiots had not planned on risking their own life, however. The jackals had unwittingly encircled a lion.
That was the last time I drew my weapon in fear of my life. I still feel that my life and my little girl's life was at risk. While they may not have willingly killed for a toy, these criminals had no compunctions about starting a fight and possibly pushing a child into traffic to get a damned electronic toy. My world had not changed, but the world around me had. I relaxed a bit, and I released the knots in my stomach. I knew my selection as a victim had been the result of a specific action, not because of a perceived weakness.
Still, it was a lesson reaffirmed. We never know when or why an attack might commence. We do not know what lengths others might take to obtain that which they deem valuable. It is impossible to predict any and all contingencies. Because of the differences between people, and the dangers that result from those differences, we can only be prepared to protect ourselves and our children, at any time, by any means necessary.
James Pickett was minding his own business on Saturday, February 9, 2008, when Paul and Holden Perry showed up at his door. They had a knife. "He just came through that door, stabbing and beating," said Pickett. The two criminals may have had plans to kill Pickett. They definitely had plans to injure and rob him.
The 80 year old North Texan had other plans. He had a gun. James Pickett pulled his handgun from a pocket and began to fight for his life. The Perry brothers immediately saw they had misjudged their intended prey. They turned tail and ran like the cowards they were. A bullet barely missed Paul Perry's spine. Paul Perry is in the hospital. Holden Perry is in police custody. Both brothers face assault, burglary and robbery charges. They should be facing attempted murder charges.
"The only problem was I run out of bullets," Picket said.
The news media is making a point to say Pickett is "a WWII veteran, former firefighter and lifelong John Wayne devotee." That is well and good. Criminals should be advised that he is no different from many old men. James Pickett has lived his life, he has lived his life honorably, he despises criminal youth, and he has accepted that he will die. He knows it is not a matter of how we die, but rather how we live. And that is a man you do not want to jack with.
Retired Army Green Beret Smokey Taylor was court martialed this weekend, and came away feeling good about it. Taylor, at age 80 the oldest member of Chapter XXXIII of the Special Forces Association, was on mock trial by his peers under the charge of "Failing to use a weapon of sufficient caliber" in the shooting of an intruder at his home in Knoxville, Tennesee, in December.
The entire affair, of course, was very much tongue in cheek. Taylor had been awakened in the early morning hours of Dec. 17, 2007, when an intruder broke into his home. He investigated the noises with one of his many weapons in hand. When the intruder threatened him with a knife, Taylor warned him, then brought his .22 caliber pistol to bear and shot him right between the eyes.
"That boy had the hardest head I’ve ever seen," Taylor said after his trial. "The bullet bounced right off." The impact knocked the would be thief down momentarily. He crawled out of the room then got up and ran out the door and down the street. Knoxville police apprehended him a few blocks away and he now awaits trial in the Knox County jail.
The charges against Taylor were considered to be serious. He is a retired Special Forces Weapons Sergeant with extensive combat experience during the wars in Korea and Vietnam. "Charges were brought against him under the premise that he should have saved the county and taxpayers the expense of a trial," said Chapter XXXIII President Bill Long of Asheville. "He could have used a .45 or .38. The .22 just wasn’t big enough to get the job done."
Taylor’s defense attorney, another retired Weapons Sergeant, disagreed. He said Taylor had done the right thing in choosing to arm himself with a .22 caliber handgun. "If he’d used a .45 or something like that the round would have gone right through the perp, the wall, the neighbor’s wall and possibly injured some innocent child asleep in its bed," he said. "I believe the evidence shows that Smokey Taylor exercised excellent judgment in his choice of weapons. He did nothing wrong, and clearly remains to this day an excellent weapons man."
Counsel for the defense then floated a theory as to why the bullet bounced off the perp’s forehead. "He was victimized by old ammunition," he said, "just as he was in Korea and again in Vietnam, when his units were issued ammo left over from World War II."
Taylor said nothing in his own defense, choosing instead to allow his peers to debate the matter. After the trial he said the ammunition was indeed old and added the new information that the perp had soiled his pants as he crawled out of the house. "I would have had an even worse mess to clean up if it had gone through his forehead," Taylor said. "It was good for both of us that it didn’t."
Following testimony from both sides, Taylor was acquitted of the charges and was given a round of applause. Meanwhile, back in Knox County, the word is out: Don’t go messing with Smokey Taylor. He just bought a whole bunch of fresh ammo.
This 911 call took place in a town in Indiana. The woman went on one date with Ryan Bergner. She declined further dates, but the man refused to leave her alone, stalking and harassing her. The woman filed six complaints against him. Then he made the last wrong decision of his life - he broke into her house.
Milton Florida---A Santa Rosa County woman is alive tonight because she fought off an intruder. According to deputies, Chris Price broke into a woman's home on Javid Road in Milton Monday morning around 9:30. He was hiding in the shower. When the victim walked into the bathroom, Price jumped out and held a gun to her head. The woman managed to get the gun away from Price, then pointed it at him and pulled the trigger. But the gun did not go off.
Deputies say Price then stabbed her in the hand with a hunting knife. The knife broke off in her hand. When Price pushed her to the floor and tried to strangle her, the woman grabbed her cell phone to call 911. But Price grabbed the phone and broke it. In a sheer act of desperation, the woman pulled the broken knife out of her hand and stabbed Price. She then managed to get away and ran to a neighbor's house, who called 911.
Deputies eventually found Price hiding in a storage shed behind a home on Dalisa Road. He had blood on his hands and face. The victim was taken to Santa Rosa Hospital. After his arrest, Price told deputies he planned to sexually assault the victim. He faces numerous charges including aggravated assault, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, kidnapping and armed burglary.
Orlando, Florida-- A Central Florida man who collects cash for parking at a church fought off five armed men who had ambushed him and demanded cash. The 65 year old victim, who did not want to be identified, said he was collecting cash in the Parramore area before an Orlando Magic basketball game when someone put a gun to his head. He noticed that that he was surrounded by four other men as well.
The man said he pretended to reach into his jacket for cash but instead pulled out his hidden gun and opened fire. The men fled during the shooting and it was not known if any of them were hit by bullets.
The victim said he had a permit for the concealed weapon.
He said he has been a victim of crime before.
"A couple of years ago, eight teens attacked me with a pipe trying to rob me," the man said.
Some have professed that a gun on your hip is useless when a criminal puts a gun to your head. Having a gun is only part of the equation.
In the first hour of New Year's Day, in San Antonio Texas, a motorist with a CCW permit shot another driver to death when threatened with a baseball bat.
Police are stating they do not plan to charge the shooter, 24 year old Brian Correa. "It was apparent to us that he was defending himself," said police spokesman Sgt. Gabe Trevino. The medical examiner's office identified the dead man as Tomas Garza.
Witnesses state Garza swerved his Mitsubishi Lancer behind Correa's Chevrolet Camaro around 1 a.m. Tuesday, aggressively trying to hit the Camaro. The cars were forced to a stop at a traffic light, and Garza got out of his vehicle with a baseball bat. He hit the Camaro several times with the bat, according to the police report.
Correa ordered Garza to stop, but Garza advanced towards him. Correa defended himself, shooting Garza three times. "I'm still really shaken up. I don't really want to talk about it at all," Correa told a reporter when contacted at his home. The wailing Wilma's have yet to emerge.
Prosecutors in Summerville South Carolina will not be prosecuting Joseph Harriott. Harriott, claiming self defense, shot his roommate Brian Sessoms three times, in the chest, stomach and elbow, on New Year's Day.
The 25 year old Harriott tossed the 24 year old Sessoms out on his ear after Brian Sessoms hit his 16 year old girlfriend. He warned him that he would shoot him if he came back inside. Harriott's 21 year old fiance' called 911, describing Sessoms as intoxicated, in a violent rage and beating his girlfriend. She begged the dispatcher to expedite the police response.
Sessoms re-entered the home by climbing onto an air conditioning unit, and crawling through a second story window window. Harriott shot him in the abdomen as he came down the stairs. Harriott began to treat Sessom's injury, and his fiance' dialed 911 again. While waiting for officers EMS to arrive, Sessoms decided to fight. Harriott shot him two more times. "I shot Sessoms because he was trying to get to the girls," Harriott told deputies at the scene.
911 tapes reveal Harriott attempted to save Sessoms' life by applying direct pressure to an abdominal gunshot wound immediately after the shooting. Harriott can be heard in the background of the audio tape telling Sessoms not to fight him. Police recovered a .380 caliber handgun at the scene.
Prosecutor Scarlett Wilson states she will not to charge Harriott for the shooting. She refers to state law for self defense stating if the first shot is justified, a person can keep shooting until a threat is eliminated.
Still even though criminal charges will not be pressed, civil litigation is probably on the horizon. One must consider that Sessoms also lived at the domicile where the shooting took place. Real injuries occurred, and not much can be said for the mature decision making skills of a 25 year old man who has a 16 year old girlfriend. The Sessoms family is outraged that criminal charges were not brought forward. "We feel my nephew was murdered in cold blood," said Regina Sessoms. "He was not a home invader, he was living there and paying rent. How can it be self-defense against someone who was unarmed?"
A comment from Buffy: "I live in the town where the shooting occurred. The news media have no interest in accuracy. The shooter(Harriott)was 25 and was with his 21 year old fiance' who is the one who made all the 911 calls. The man who was shot (Sessoms) was 24 with a 16 year old girlfriend. His girlfriend had another 16 year old friend with her."
When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.
You never know when it's going to happen. Violence will never be removed from human society. Even if all firearms were banned, violence will still erupt. Vermin who seek to force their will on others, or to inform the world of their pathetic and pathological pleas for attention as they remove themselves from their own misery, will need to be dealt with. They will need to be dealt with swiftly, surely, and with the greatest of regard towards the safety of those whom they threaten.
Jeanne Assam may not have thought it was her day to be called upon as she got ready to go to Sunday service in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Never the less, she armed herself with her handgun. Jeanne Assam was granted a concealed carry permit by her state government, a right to self preservation that should be indisputably guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Over the years, this right had been eroded by ill guided thinking and politics, but in the past decade the right to keep and bear arms had made a resurgence. Jeanne Assam took advantage of new laws that gave her greater options to defend her own life as well as the lives of others. Because she is a community oriented individual, Jeanne Assam also was willing to place her life at risk to prevent the killing of innocents.
Twelve hours earlier, Matthew Murray had slain two people at a missionary training center, Youth with a Mission, sixty five miles away. Murray was still at large. Ms. Assam was aware of that fact, but that is not why she carried a gun. Jeanne Assam may have strapped a Glock under her jacket. She may have placed a .38 snubbie into her purse. The handgun and her mode of carry really does not matter. Ms. Assam says she was weak from a three day religious fast as she left her home on December 9, for the New Life Church. She had not slept since learning of the previous shootings. She was not weak though. She was not armed with only a handgun. She was armed with the will to use the handgun in the defense of herself and others. Her body may have felt weak, but her conviction and determination was resolute. Along with the pistol, that would be enough.
The wolf violently invaded the flock before Jeanne Assam arrived on the scene. Stephanie and Rachael Works lay dying. Their father, David Works, and Judy Purcell were wounded. A Vietnam combat veteran, Larry Bourbonnais, had found himself unarmed facing the murderer's fury. Two armed security guards, with guns drawn, were frozen, facing an unchecked killer, not acting. Bourbonnais pleaded with one of the men to relinquish his firearm so that a man with the will to kill might be able to persevere against overwhelming and deadly force. The armed man did not respond, continuing to hold a drawn handgun on a frenzied psychopath as though it were some talisman against evil.
Armed only with words, Mr. Bourbonnais used what he had. "First, I called him 'Coward' then I called him 'Shithead.' I probably shouldn't have been saying that in church," said Mr. Bourbonnais told the Denver Post. The gunman turned his assault on Bourbonnais, who survived only by finding concealment behind a non-metaphorical hollow, decorative pillar. Bourbonnais was struck in the arm.
Then another pillar appeared. Not a decorative one, this pillar was a pillar of immutable strength. Jeanne Assam entered the church hallway, approaching the deranged killer, demanding that he surrender....Now. The wolf turned a handgun on the approaching sheepdog. He managed to fire off three shots. Jeanne Assam responded with conviction and courageous determination to live and save others from death as she continued to close on the killer, firing off shot after shot into his body, emptying her gun and putting an end to his bloody rampage.
"I saw him, it seemed like the halls cleared out, and I saw him coming through the doors, and I took cover. I waited for him to get closer, I came out of cover, and I identified myself. I engaged him and I took him down," Jeanne Assam said modestly at a news conference in the Colorado Springs police station. "I didn't think it was my sole responsibility. I didn't think about this. It was, it seemed like it was, me, the gunman and God."
"I didn't run away, and I didn't think for a minute to run away. I just knew that I was given the assignment to end this before it got too much worse," she said. "I just prayed for the Holy Spirit to guide me. I said, 'Holy Spirit, be with me.' My hands weren't even shaking. Honestly, I was very focused, and it was chaotic and it was so loud. I'll never forget the gunshots. It was so loud. I was just focused and I knew I wasn't going to wait for him to do any further damage. I just knew what I had to do."
Sgt. Jeff Johnson of the Colorado Springs Police Department reported that Matthew Murray was carrying two handguns, a rifle, and close to 1,000 rounds of ammunition. He obviously had plans. Investigators have said that Murray, 24, may have, in fact, died of a self inflicted gunshot wound. Autopsies should be cold and clinical things, based on factual evidence and removed from the shifting sands of human interaction. That is well and good. Murray may have brought about his own end. It is indisputable, however, that his killing spree was brought to an abrupt halt by a woman with steel determination, the will to to preserve lives, and a handgun.
George Orwell once said: "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." Sometimes the sheepdog is neither rough, nor a man. That is as it should be. Introduce a woman to shooting today. The life she saves may be your own.
Mesa, Arizona -- She was asleep when Gricel Ruelas was suddenly awakened by a crash in the night. The fifteen year old girl let out a scream when the home invaders burst into her bedroom. She was grabbed by the hair and dragged away from the closet she was trying to hide in. The men brandished a Kalashnikov style rifle, holding it to her head.
Arming himself with a BB gun and a firm resolve to protect his daughter, her father, Leonardo Lucia appeared to face down the criminals. The intruder with the rifle dropped his gun and ran. Daniel Lopez, a parolee did not retreat. He was held by Lucia and an uncle until police arrived on the scene.
Lopez was taken into custody and booked into jail on suspicion of first-degree burglary, aggravated assault and criminal damage. Thus far charges of attempted kidnapping have not been filed. Police have not yet captured his partner in crime.
When seconds count, the police are only minutes away. When men like Daniel Lopez decide to pillage a man's family and property in the middle of the night, a firm resolve is necessary to repel the attack. A real firearm helps as well. Thank God the determination of Mr. Lucia and company as well as the fear and uncoordinated attack of the assailants made up for his lack of firepower. The best BB gun for a home invader is this one.
She was beaten, kicked in the face, gagged, tied to a chair and locked in a closet. After escaping that nightmare, Beth Ferguson needed nearly two weeks to garner the courage to step out of her home. Her first trip was to church, her safe haven. She went on a Saturday night, hoping fewer people would be there as opposed to the heavily attended Sunday morning service. But it was packed. "It's odd, because when you're a victim of something like this, you almost begin to act like a victim. I got real overwhelmed and nervous. I was scared half to death, and I didn't know why," Beth said. "Have you ever seen a scary movie and been scared afterward? That's what it's like."
She endured the glances from curious church members, who couldn't help but see the bruises and cuts on her face. After that night, Beth decided she needed to return to a normal life. But she still felt violated, unsafe. She was living in fear. Her second trip out of the house: a gun shop on Cross County Road in North Charleston. "I'm going back to work one day," Beth said. "And when I do, I'll have a gun."
The Attack; The Recovery
Beth, 41, was the only customer in the Carolina Florist shop on Ashley Phosphate Road late in the afternoon on April 10. The man behind the counter advised her to look through a book so she could pick out a corsage for her son's prom. Suddenly, he held a knife to her throat. She fought, but he choked her until she was unconscious. She woke up to find him standing over her. When she fought again, he kicked her in the face until she agreed to cooperate.
In the locked closet, Beth sat tied to a chair, a tennis ball stuffed in her mouth. But then the man drove away, and Beth seized the moment to free herself. After she climbed through the false ceiling and dropped down into the bathroom next door, she smashed her way out through the front glass window to freedom. Lemar "Tommy" Mack, the 45-year-old husband of the florist shop owner, was arrested two days later. He was charged with kidnapping, armed robbery and assault and battery with intent to kill.
Mack had previously been convicted and served jail time for abducting a woman at a Kmart on Rivers Avenue and raping her. He also had been convicted for attacking women in 1979 and 1984. He remains at the Charleston County Detention Center because he can't make the $3 million bail. Beth has filed a $1.5 million lawsuit against Mack and his wife, Deborah Mack, and Carolina Florist.
Weeks after the attack, she walked into a gun shop for the first time. A steady stream of customers flowed in and out of Trader World Gun & Indoor Range, where dozens of shotguns, rifles and assault weapons line the walls. Shaking, Beth headed for the glass encasement filled with handguns. It runs the length of the shop. Boxes of ammunition sat on the counter. Behind it stood Frank DiNardo, a handgun in a holster on his side. Frank, a firearms instructor for nearly 30 years, was expecting Beth. Her instruction began with their first handshake; firm, thumb straight forward, not to the side. "That's how you hold a gun," Frank told her.
As the two talked, Beth saw a fellow church member from Cathedral of Praise. The woman had heard of Beth's kidnapping; she was there to buy pepper spray. Several women from the church, in fact, had come in for spray and stun guns. A group of them was considering purchasing handguns. One of them already was receiving private firearms instruction from Frank. Beth asked Frank if she needed to buy her gun before her firearms lessons began. "You're not ready," he said. He worried about her emotional state so soon after the attack.
"One minute I'm fine, and the next, I'm crying for no reason," she had told him. Counseling sessions were being arranged. Frank scheduled her gun classes to start about 10 days after their first meeting. Four hours each class. Five classes. Maybe then she would be ready, Frank said.
Frank sees a difference between the sexes when it comes to buying a gun. Men tend to walk in and buy on the spot, then schedule only the training required if they decide to apply for a concealed weapons permit. Women are more cautious. They want to learn how to properly handle and fire a gun first, then decide if they will buy, Frank said. Frank recommends taking three courses before the purchase — a basic course in the handling, firing and storing of a handgun; a personal protection course; and a course on carrying concealed handguns.
On May 6, Beth started classes, and she found a new friend in her instructor. Frank listened as she told him her story and cried. "We're going to go through this together," he said. The bruises on her face had healed. Some redness in her left eye was the only visible trace of the assault.
"My outside's healed a lot, but my inside needs healing," Beth said. She cried less often, and she and her husband had resumed their weekly date nights. Still, she sometimes had panic attacks when she was alone, or if she saw someone who looked like the man who attacked her. She found strength in the 100-plus cards and letters from friends and strangers. She resolved to arm herself with a gun. "What the Lord told me is, 'You're going to be the victor, not the victim.' "
A Gun in the Hand
The three basic rules for handling a gun were in large, capital letters on a screen in the training room May 6:
ALWAYS MAKE SURE THE GUN IS UNLOADED.
ALWAYS POINT THE GUN IN A SAFE DIRECTION.
ALWAYS KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER.
Frank takes a slow and easy approach to teaching people how to use handguns. He starts with a toy gun, then uses dummy cartridges to teach people how to load a real revolver. In the hot, darkened firing range, the first gun Beth shot was an air pistol. The recoil is slight when the gun is fired, and it makes little noise. She fired at inflated balloons, which made a pop that helped prepare her for the sound of a gun blast.
Next, Beth brought in a .22- caliber pistol. It is loud, and the recoil made her hand jiggle slightly as she shot off 10 rounds at the target — a paper figure of a man. Tiny puffs of smoke wafted from the gun, and the metal casings pinged against the concrete floor beneath her. Beth grinned. "It's not so bad."
June brought a different Beth to the Trader World gun shop for her second class. She prepared a short speech for a judge when her accused assailant requested that his bond be reduced. She was relieved when she learned the judge would not consider it. A counselor had helped her deal with post-trauma stress. Panic attacks came less frequently, and she felt much stronger. Frank took off the kid gloves and put a 9 mm pistol in Beth's hands.
A startling blast and a bright red flash erupted from the gun, and Beth's hand jumped upward. She winced and then stood motionless in a cloud of gray smoke. "Your whole body just jolts. It was so powerful. I felt like I couldn't control it," she said. Beth learned that choosing a firearm is like buying a good pair of shoes. It has to fit.
The 9 mm was too much. The .38-caliber revolver was easier to control — less recoil, but the trigger was more difficult to pull and it had no safety lock. She definitely wanted her gun to have a safety feature. Something between those two, a .380-caliber pistol, seemed just right. Moderate recoil, good control and a safety lock. It was small to boot — the perfect concealable weapon.
Back to Work
By mid-June, Beth felt a lot more like her old self — the one who was strong and trusting and confident. She had vowed not to return to work without a firearm, but she was needed to help run the six mattress stores she and her husband own. Pepper spray would do while she finished her firearms classes and applied for her concealed weapons permit. Her first day back overwhelmed and frightened her. Finding a full day too much at first, she eased herself back to work. "Baby steps," Beth said.
With the basic gun course behind her, Beth started an eight-hour concealed weapons course that would teach her the laws about guns. Although citizens with a permit can carry a weapon, the gun cannot be visible. Beth experimented with a variety of options, including keeping her gun in her purse, in her pocket or in a holster on her hip or ankle. She quickly ruled out keeping it in her purse, because one of the first things her attacker did was take her purse. "If there was a gun in my purse, he would have had it," Beth said.
The Big Day
On July 2, Beth was strong again, empowered even. She held a pistol with conviction as she stepped onto the range for the shooting test for her concealed weapons permit. She had to hit the target at least 35 times out of 50 shots, and she made it look easy. "She shot a 46 out of a possible 50," Frank said. "She did extremely well." Beth aced her written test as well, and the permit application was off in the mail.
In mid-October Beth's concealed weapons permit arrived. She met up with Frank and purchased the little .380-caliber pistol that she had eyed months earlier. The attack earlier in the spring was behind her. Beth has her life back, and now she's packing heat. "If I'm in a situation that's life or death, I want to live," she said. "So I'm prepared."
Thank you Nadine Parks! Ms. Parks concludes her article with a primer on the basic steps towards gaining a CCW in South Carolina. she also includes a listing of those prohibited from buying a gun, such as felons, the mentally defective or incompetent, illegal aliens and those subject to a restraining order. If only other journalists would write such positive articles!
Beth Ferguson chose to protect herself with a Bersa Thunder 380. Congratulations Beth!
Xavier is a Registered Nurse who specializes in complex wound care. He has been practicing for over ten years in his community. He often treats patients in areas where law enforcement refuses to enter without back-up.
Xavier has been an avid shooter for over 25 years. He strongly supports the 2nd Ammendment, opposes gun control of any sort, and carries a weapon 24 hours a day.
Xavier is known on various internet gun forums as XavierBreath. He is married with three children, and is moderated by a one eyed cat and a crippled dog.
after he served 10 years of a 20 year sentence for criminal confinement and sexual deviate conduct. He had been living with his mother down a gravel road near the girl's home. On this night, the felon was naked, except for a mask and rubber gloves. He carried a knife, rope, condoms and a gag. As he entered the teen's room, she awoke and began screaming. 
after he served 10 years of a 20 year sentence for criminal confinement and sexual deviate conduct. He had been living with his mother down a gravel road near the girl's home. On this night, the felon was naked, except for a mask and rubber gloves. He carried a knife, rope, condoms and a gag. As he entered the teen's room, she awoke and began screaming. 
