A bank employee was leaving for the night Oct. 2 when she reportedly saw a naked man charging at her. After she repeatedly told him to stop, she drew her concealed-carry pistol and fired two shots, hitting him once and causing him to flee. Harrison Police officers found him nearby and took him into custody. The suspect was airlifted to a hospital. The Harrison police chief said no charges will be filed against the employee as she has the right to defend herself and was in legal possession of her firearm. He added that it was obvious that the armed citizen had trained with her firearm. (The Harrison Daily Times, Harrison Ark., 10/9/2019)
Trying to sell expensive hair extensions, a 23-year-old drove his car behind an apartment complex Sept. 18, after being led there by two potential buyers. An unknown man allegedly leaped through the driver’s side window, forced a handgun into the driver’s stomach and demanded property. In response, the armed citizen pulled his firearm and fired three shots at his assailant, fatally striking the would-be robber. The armed citizen turned himself in at the Clifton Heights Police Department. After a review, the district attorney’s office determined the armed citizen had acted in self-defense. (philadelphia.cbslocal.com, Philadelphia, Pa., 10/7/2019)
A pregnant woman in Florida used an AR-15-style rifle Oct. 30 to defend her family from two masked men in a reported violent home invasion that left her husband with numerous injuries. The intruders apparently barged into the home at 9 p.m. and pointed guns at her husband. They pistol-whipped and beat him while grabbing his daughter and demanding money. The wife, eight months pregnant, peered out of a back bedroom. The intruders reportedly fired at her, causing her to retreat into the room. There, she grabbed an AR-15-style rifle and returned fire. She struck one of the intruders, causing both to flee. The injured intruder made it 200 feet out of the house before he died in a ditch. The other suspect was still at large. (baynews9.com, St. Petersburg, Fla., 11/1/2019)
After his release from prison for breaking into a home two years ago, a 39-year-old convict allegedly returned to the same residence in Virginia where a 71-year-old man and his wife, age 62, lived. The Rockingham County Sheriff said the convict returned to the home Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. and engaged in a verbal dispute with the homeowner while attempting to enter the home. Hearing a commotion, the wife shot the convict in the torso with a handgun. The convict was taken to a medical center for treatment and was facing charges. (dnronline.com, Harrisonburg, Va., 10/21/2019)
While tending to his chickens at 7:30 p.m. in Maryland on Nov. 7, a man heard his French bulldog frantically barking inside his home. Upon entering the house, the homeowner saw two men allegedly attacking his fiancée. He loaded a 12-gauge shotgun from 1940 with buckshot and chased the two intruders outside, where he shot one man in the legs, while the other fled on foot. The armed citizen used the shotgun to defend himself, his fiancée and his property. Anne Arundel County Police called the incident a home invasion. They arrested the suspect who fled and charged him with multiple offenses while the injured suspect received medical treatment. The fiancée was pistol-whipped and punched, requiring stitches in her head. According to police, the one suspect allegedly disclosed that he and his accomplice entered the home while armed with a pellet gun. (capitalgazette.com, Annapolis, Md., 11/7/2019; wbaltv.com and baltimore.cbslocal.com, both from Baltimore, Md., 11/8/2019)
A New York state homeowner shot an armed intruder Nov. 5 around 9 p.m. According to Genesee County Sheriff’s deputies, the intruder, age 36, forced his way into the home with a handgun and allegedly threatened the homeowner and his wife, who uses a wheelchair, while demanding money. The homeowner said he gave the intruder cash from his wallet before being ordered to go downstairs. Fearing for his life, the homeowner went downstairs first and used the opportunity to retrieve a shotgun hidden in another room. The homeowner returned upstairs and shot the intruder, who had dropped the cash. He ordered the would-be robber to remain still while his wife called 911 immediately. Genesee County Sheriff’s deputies and New York State police arrived to take the intruder into custody. He was treated at the scene, then taken to a hospital and had charges pending against him. (13wham.com, Rochester, N.Y., 11/5/2019)
