A woman arranged to sell a video-game console to a 20-year-old man. The two agreed to meet at her apartment in Baton Rouge once she got off work around 8 p.m. on Sept. 28, 2021. The man reportedly approached the woman and held a pistol to her head, according to local sources. The woman dropped the console and fled to her car, but the alleged attacker picked up the console and fired at her. Upon reaching her vehicle, the woman was able to retrieve her own firearm and return fire at the man before fleeing and contacting the police. The assailant was later found at a local medical center with gunshot wounds and was identified by the woman as her attacker. He was booked for attempted murder and armed robbery. (theadvocate.com, Baton Rouge, La., 10/7/21)
A Spotsylvania, Va., man was at an ATM with cash in his hand around 9 p.m. on Oct. 15, 2021, when another man approached him and then began striking him. The victim, a concealed-carry permit holder, drew his gun and fired several shots at the attacker, who was not hit and immediately fled and called 911 to report having been shot at. Local law-enforcement officers were already responding to a separate reported robbery attempt; they determined that the 911 caller matched the description of the earlier robbery suspect and took him into custody. The suspect, who also had a prior criminal record, was charged with attempted robbery. (fredericksburg.com, Fredericksburg, Va., 10/18/21)
In Foresthill, Calif., a man attempted to break into a trailer around 5:30 a.m. on Oct. 25, according to local law enforcement. The resident reportedly heard banging and screaming outside his trailer and told the individual to leave, but the man threw rocks at the trailer, breaking windows, while threatening to kill the resident. The assailant then reached through a hole he ripped in the front door and grabbed the resident, who was able to get himself loose, draw his firearm and shoot the suspect in the leg. The suspect was treated at a local medical center and later charged with burglary, criminal threats and assault with a deadly weapon. (goldcountrymedia.com, Auburn, Calif., 11/1/21)
A 54-year-old woman jogging in St. Charles, Ill., on Dec. 16, 2021, noticed her neighbor’s labradoodle dog escape its electric fence. She managed to snag the dog by its collar and was attempting to return it to its owner when two other dogs—Rottweilers owned by the same neighbor—also escaped and attacked her. The dogs’ owner and a man who had been passing by attempted to stop the animals’ attack unsuccessfully. The passerby was a concealed-carry license holder, but was unarmed at the time; fortunately, he was able to call his father, who was only a block away, to bring over his gun. The man shot one of the Rottweilers, killing it, frightening the other dog away and saving the woman’s life. The sheriff later told reporters the dogs had been “using the woman like a chew toy […] one had her by the leg and the other had her by the scalp.” The sheriff also praised the man’s judicious marksmanship: “If he had tried to shoot from a distance or into the dog’s head, that would’ve struck the woman, so he was very tactical about the way he deployed his [firearm].” The woman was airlifted to a trauma center for extensive suturing, but was expected to fully recover. (chicagotribune.com, Chicago, Ill., 12/16/21)
An elderly couple in Abbotstown, Pa., were sitting in their living room Dec. 22, 2021, when a half-naked man entered the home and began punching the male homeowner. The husband yelled for his wife to get their revolver in their bedroom, but the intruder followed her and began assaulting her as well. The husband was able to retrieve his gun during the tussle, however, and shot the attacker multiple times. The homeowners both unfortunately sustained injuries from the attack; the intruder died at the scene. Police said they had received reports of a man in the area behaving erratically, trying to enter homes and banging on cars in traffic, which they believed to be this suspect. He was apparently fully clothed during the other reported incidents but removed all but his shirt for unknown reasons before entering the elderly couple’s home. (eveningsun.com, Hanover, Pa., 12/22/21)
A man in Lakeland, Fla., forced his way into a home by throwing a flowerpot through a glass backdoor at about 1 p.m. on Dec. 16, 2021. However, the 42-year-old home invader was subsequently shot three times by the homeowner. Detectives said they found a shotgun belonging to the suspect in the backyard and had video evidence of him approaching the home. “A person’s home is his refuge,” said the county sheriff. “The homeowner did exactly what he had a right to do. I commend him for protecting himself and defending his home.” (clickorlando.com, Lakeland, Fla., 12/16/21)
