A man in a Natchez, Miss., Walmart became irate over a self-checkout machine “shorting him” 21 cents on July 3. A witness tried to de-escalate the situation by offering to reimburse the irate man the amount he believed he was shorted. The two men and a woman accompanying the complaining individual walked out together. But then, according to witnesses, the angry man drew a knife and threatened the man who’d offered to reimburse him, who then showed his firearm in response. This, however, failed to de-escalate the situation. The woman drew a gun and aimed at the Good Samaritan, who then shot her in self-defense. Authorities reported that the woman, who has a criminal record, was taken to the hospital, and the irate man was arrested after a struggle with police. The man who had tried to help was not injured. (newsweek.com, New York, N.Y., 7/9/21; and wlbt.com, Jackson, Miss., 7/5/21)
An elderly homeowner returned July 20 from a brief trip to find that his property, located in a rural area just north of Guinda, Calif., had been burglarized and that some tools and a gun were missing. A law-enforcement official told the media that the elderly man was in the house when he saw headlights coming up his driveway—the robbers returning. A man and a woman got out, entered the residence and confronted the homeowner, who fired his gun, striking both intruders, and called 911 to report the break-in. Upon arrival, deputies performed CPR until the paramedics arrived, but the male suspect died at the scene. The female was taken to a local hospital with a serious injury from a gunshot wound, but is expected to survive. Both suspects had “extensive and recent” criminal records, according to representatives from the sheriff’s office. (abc10.com, Sacramento, Calif., 7/21/21; and sacramento.cbslocal.com, Sacramento, Calif., 7/21/21)
A woman was sitting alone in her car during the early morning hours of July 27, in a Sebring, Fla., parking lot, when she was approached by four or five masked men. One of the men allegedly pointed a gun at her and demanded she exit the vehicle and give him her purse and phone. A second masked man reportedly opened the passenger door and began to fumble through her belongings while demanding her wallet, phone and keys. The woman engaged in a brief struggle with the man in her car and drew her firearm. The other armed man was still pointing his gun at her and was walking closer to the car, so she fired one shot toward him, causing all the assailants to flee. Other robberies were reported in the same area, and the suspects were still being sought by police. (wtsp.com, Tampa Bay, Fla., 7/28/21; and theblaze.com, Irving, Texas, 7/30/21)
At around 5:45 p.m. on Aug. 3, a shirtless, bearded man was allegedly attempting to gain illegal access to various homes in Pleasant Hill, Calif., by banging on windows. One of the homes’ residents called police to report the man acting erratically, as he was stumbling around, vandalizing cars and banging on home windows. When officers arrived, they heard gunshots. A resident had used his legally owned 9 mm handgun to protect himself and his wife from the deranged man after he broke into their duplex. Officers found the intruder lying on the resident’s living room floor with gunshot wounds in his chest and head. He was taken to a medical center, where he later died. Pleasant Hill Police Lt. David Nichols said the resident who shot the 46-year-old intruder was not considered a suspect and that he and his wife were cooperating with the investigation. (ktvu.com, Oakland, Calif., 8/3/21)
In Des Moines, Iowa, a man armed with a handgun allegedly broke into an apartment around midnight on Aug. 6. Once inside, the armed assailant threatened and assaulted the residents. During the attack, one of the residents was able to retrieve their own firearm and shoot the intruder once, causing him to run from the apartment. The accused intruder later showed up at a local emergency room with a bullet wound and is expected to live. Police confirmed they believe the resident acted in self-defense. (kimt.com, Mason City, Iowa, 8/6/21; and wowt.com, Omaha, Neb., 8/7/21)
The west side of San Antonio, Texas, became the scene of a bizarre wreck and shooting on the night of Aug. 11, when a car traveling at an extremely high speed crashed into a parked car. The crash was so loud that people came outside to see what the commotion was. The owner of the parked and now-wrecked car, plus two others, came outside to offer help, but the female driver who had crashed bizarrely pulled out a gun and started firing, striking all three people. The owner of the car she’d plowed into, who was in his 50s, was killed. A nearby armed neighbor heard the gunfire and came to the aid of the victims. He fired on the suspect, striking her multiple times, killing her and thus ending her attack. (foxsanantonio.com, San Antonio, Texas, 8/11/21; and ksat.com, San Antonio, Texas, 8/12/21)
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