In Chicago, Ill., a 28-year-old garbage-truck operator was working around 5 a.m. on Jan. 31 when two men approached, allegedly showing a gun and announcing they were robbing him. The man, however, was armed as well, and seeing the gun, fired at the would-be robbers, striking one in the head and killing him and striking the other in the neck, critically injuring him. Charges are pending against the surviving suspect. (abc7chicago.com, Chicago, Ill., 1/31/25)
A man in Boardman, Ohio, reportedly had been receiving “weird” text messages from one of his neighbors on Feb. 3, and told the man to leave him alone, but at about 2 a.m. on Feb. 4, he heard loud noises and thought the erratic neighbor was slamming the laundry-room door next to his apartment. Then the neighbor texted him “get ready,” and the resident heard another slamming noise. He got out of bed to find the neighbor inside his home. Fearing for his life, the resident shot the alleged intruder in the leg. Responding police applied a tourniquet and transported the suspect to the hospital. When he was handcuffed to the bed and informed that he would be charged with burglary, the man attempted to disconnect himself from the IV lines and cables, took off his wound dressings and refused treatment, saying that he’d rather “bleed out” than be arrested. The armed citizen was briefly detained, then given a courtesy ride home. Police said he was acting in self-defense, and no charges were expected against him. (vindy.com, Warren, Ohio, 2/6/25)
