On Sunday, July 17, a mall in Indiana was full of innocent shoppers when a man entered with a rifle and opened fire in the food court. The murderer fatally shot three people and wounded two others, including a 12-year-old girl, before a 22-year-old armed citizen was able to shoot and kill the assailant. During a news conference, officials said that the murderer had several additional magazines of ammunition with him; officers also confiscated a suspicious backpack found near the food court. Greenwood Chief of Police James Isom called the armed bystander a “good Samaritan” and a real hero for stopping the murderer from causing more harm. (wlwt.com, Cincinnati, Ohio, 7/17/22 and wftv.com, Orlando, Fla., 7/18/22)
A creaking noise woke up a Clare, Mich., homeowner in the early-morning hours of May 5. He armed himself, and then investigated the noise, whereupon he found a man standing in his kitchen. He told the intruder to leave, but the intruder refused and referred to himself as Satan. During this commotion, the homeowner’s wife woke and called 911 from the bedroom. The homeowner positioned himself between the intruder and the area where his family was. As the police arrived on the scene, the suspect started to yell and swear at them and again claimed he was Satan. The police entered the home at the same time the intruder lunged at the homeowner, who fired three shots at the assailant, striking him once in the chest and once in the abdomen. The officers gained control of the situation and tried to administer medical aid to the 48-year-old man, but he later died from his injuries. A toxicology report revealed that the assailant had recently used methamphetamine and marijuana; the man had also had interactions with the police before for suspicious behavior. According to the prosecutors’ report, the homeowner was justified in this shooting and no charges were to be brought against him. (upnorthlive.com, Traverse City, Mich., 6/15/22)
