Dispatchers in Fayetteville, N.C., received a call from a distraught woman the morning of Dec. 20, 2023, who said she had used her Smith & Wesson 9 mm handgun to shoot a 30-year-old man forcing his way into the back porch window of her house. “Somebody just broke into my house,” the woman told the dispatcher, “And I had to shoot him.” Police arrived on scene to find the 30-year-old suspect wounded, but conscious, and rushed him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. (fayobserver.com, Hope Mills, N.C.; 12/28/23)
In Chicago, Ill., on the afternoon of Dec. 23, 2023, four armed people allegedly attempted to rob a 68-year-old man. This senior, however, was a concealed-carry license holder, and shot one of them; the other three suspects fled. The wounded suspect was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Robberies in the area of this incident were reportedly up 57% compared to the year prior and up 118% compared to 2019. (cwbchicago.com, Chicago, Ill., 12/23/23)
In Houston, Texas, a woman was leaving an apartment complex the morning of Jan. 6 when two armed people allegedly pulled her out of her pickup truck and held guns to her head. A friend of hers heard the commotion and came out of his apartment. Seeing the situation, he shot one of the assailants, killing him; the other would-be robber fled. (abc13.com, Houston, Texas, 1/7/24)
