A masked intruder allegedly entered a home the morning of Aug. 18 in Lexington County, S.C. and struck three people with the butt of a shotgun before being shot in the chest by one of the occupants. The 26-year-old man was reportedly attempting to steal a safe from the home. Police arrested him after he was released from the hospital and charged him with numerous crimes. An accomplice, who reportedly drove him to the home, was also arrested and charged. The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department confirmed the homeowners are not being charged. (WIS News 10, Columbia, S.C., 8/22/2019)
A woman reportedly shot a man in Des Moines, Iowa, Aug. 27, after he hit her with a liquor bottle in a dispute. Police told reporters that the 27-year-old suspect, who had a gunshot wound to his leg, initially gave them a fake name and said he had been shot by an unknown man for unknown reasons. The man was charged with willful injury and other crimes unrelated to this incident; the woman defending herself was not charged. (Des Moines Register, Des Moines, Iowa, 8/30/2019)
A concealed-carry permit holder stopped a man reportedly threatening people with a knife at a McDonald’s during lunchtime in Coshocton, Ohio, Aug. 31. According to the Coshocton County Sheriff’s office, the 70-year-old concealed carrier drew his gun and ordered the knife-wielding 22-year-old man to drop his weapon. He refused, but left the restaurant. The armed citizen then followed him outside, convinced him to drop the knife and held him at gunpoint until deputies arrived. The suspect was charged with attempted aggravated robbery. The sheriff’s office credited the concealed-carry permit holder with “heroic actions” that prevented injury or loss of life. (Coshocton County Sheriff’s Office, Coshocton, Ohio, 9/3/2019)
A Metro PCS employee shot and killed an alleged robber around 4 p.m. Aug. 26 in Philadelphia, Pa. Surveillance video showed the would-be robber pull a gun from the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt and turn toward the clerk just before the employee shot him. The employee, who is reportedly a concealed-carry holder and Marine reservist, was the only person in the store when the suspect entered. The district attorney’s office concurred with police that the shooting was in self-defense. (6ABC, Philadelphia, Pa., 8/29/2019; WCAU NBC 10, Philadelphia, Pa., 8/26/2019)
A 62-year-old hearing-impaired woman reportedly shot a 31-year-old male intruder in her home around 5:30 p.m. Sept. 22 in LeFlore County, Okla. According to the LeFlore County sheriff, the woman saw the stranger in her home and yelled at him to leave, but he did not comply. She retrieved her rifle and again ordered him to leave. When the man advanced toward her, she fired one round at his chest. The man, who police say had a lengthy criminal history, was pronounced dead at the scene. (LeFlore County Sheriff, Poteau, Okla., 9/24/2019)
An armed citizen in Spartanburg, S.C., reportedly shot a man threatening him with a piece of lumber outside a home-improvement store about 3 p.m. Aug. 18. News reports say the two men, who knew each other, began arguing in the store, but the armed citizen disengaged and tried to avoid the other man. The suspect went out to the parking lot, retrieved a 4-foot piece of lumber from his vehicle and awaited the other man. He then followed the armed citizen to his vehicle and threatened him with the lumber. The assailant ignored the man’s order to back away and continued to advance until the armed citizen was forced to shoot. The suspect died shortly afterward. Police said the shooter acted in self-defense and will not be charged. (FOX Carolina News, Greenville, S.C., 8/19/2019)
A female manager of a rural drive-in movie theater in Hockley, Texas, shot a suspected robber who attacked her with a baseball bat. The manager was finishing her shift around 2:30 a.m. Sept. 16 when she and another employee heard unusual noises. They went to investigate and found two men allegedly hiding inside the theater. One of the men ran off, but the other reportedly wore a mask and gloves and struck the manager with the bat. She pulled out her gun and shot him dead. (CW39 Houston, Houston, Texas, 9/16/2019)
