A woman alone in her Las Vegas home the morning of Dec. 28 ignored a knock at her front door, but heard her sliding-glass back door shatter a few minutes later. She retrieved her firearm from her bedroom before a 30-year-old male intruder confronted her. The man allegedly lunged at her and she shot him once, whereupon he fled. The man reportedly struck several vehicles with his car before police located him half a mile away from the home and transported him to the hospital, where he died of the gunshot wound. Police said the shooting was in self-defense, and they believe the man had been parked outside the home for several hours while “casing the area.” (fox5vegas.com, Henderson, Nev., 1/3/20)
A truck driver unloading bread at a restaurant the morning of Nov. 30 saw employees run from the building calling for help. They said a man with a gun jumped over the counter and demanded cash. The delivery driver reportedly retrieved his firearm and went inside. He and the suspect exchanged gunfire before the suspect fled. Police tracked the suspect to a home and called in the SWAT team. The suspect surrendered and was treated for two gunshot wounds. Impressed by the delivery driver’s actions, the county sherriff made him an honorary deputy and inducted him into a “Sheriff’s Posse Hall of Fame.” (Clayton County Sheriff’s Office, Jonesboro, Ga., 11/30/19)
A Houston man said he was working outside his home at lunchtime Nov. 27 when he saw a passing black sedan make a U-turn and return to his house. Two passengers are seen on a home-security video getting out of the vehicle and dragging the resident into his house, demanding money. A third man, the driver, joined the assailants after parking the car. The homeowner’s wife heard the commotion and retrieved a gun from the bedroom. She pointed it at the suspects, who reportedly shot at her, but missed. The suspects then fled the home. Police were still searching for the suspects. (khou.com, Houston, Texas, 12/17/19)
A 30-year-old man allegedly entered a gas station outside Detroit, Mich., on Dec. 6 at 8 p.m., grabbed a liquor bottle and assaulted two store clerks with it. One clerk, a 28-year-old concealed-carry permit holder, reportedly pulled out his gun and shot the man, stopping the attack. After being treated for his injuries, the suspect was charged with two felony counts of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder or by strangulation. Earlier in the day, deputies had been called to another business because the same man was acting suspiciously, but had not committed a crime and was then released. (detroitnews.com, Mich., 12/9/19, and Macomb County Sheriff’s Office media crime report, Macomb County, Mich., 12/17/19)
In Columbia, S.C., a man and woman selling a pair of shoes agreed to meet another man in a restaurant parking lot at 6 p.m. Nov. 30. However, the purchaser, age 23, supposedly pointed a gun at them. The seller responded by pulling out his firearm and shooting the alleged robber in the hand and leg. After being treated for his wounds, the suspect was charged with armed robbery, possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime and unlawful carrying of a weapon. (wistv.com, Columbia, S.C., 11/30/19)
Three masked men entered a smoke shop in Fresno, Calif., on Dec. 20, and threatened the store’s clerk at gunpoint. One suspect reportedly held the clerk down while the others stole merchandise and cash. The store owner, who arrived before they left, was concerned about his clerk’s safety since he couldn’t see him. The owner entered the store with his legal firearm and exchanged shots with the suspects, killing two while the third fled. Fresno police said they believe the suspects fired first and the store owner responded in self-defense. They also said the incident was related to a previous robbery. (abc7news.com, San Francisco, Calif., 12/23/19)
A convenience store security video shows a store clerk (also a U.S. Air Force veteran and former private security officer) focused on his till when two masked robbers entered the store in Bay Point, Calif., at night on Dec. 22. One robber held an employee at gunpoint off camera and one came behind the counter and pistol-whipped the clerk several times. As the robber removed cash from the register, the clerk retrieved a firearm from a drawer, and the two men struggled until one of the firearms discharged. The robber who had beaten the clerk died of a gunshot wound in the parking lot. The veteran required 17 staples in his head from the pistol-whipping. “Sure, he is deceased now, but then again I’m lucky to be alive; I am lucky my co-worker is alive,” the clerk said in a news report. (foxnews.com, Los Angeles, Calif., 12/24/19)
