If you want to be out in a crowded public place with lots of people, and you don’t want to get shot and killed in a public mass shooting, one of the safest places you could be is a gun show.
I’ve read so, so, so many news articles about mass shootings where at least several people were shot and killed. They seem to happen almost everywhere. Schools. Restaurants. Movie theaters.
The one crowded, public place where there never seems to be a mass public shooting where at least several people are shot and killed, is a gun show.
A family is being evicted because the mother shot and killed a home intruder who was possibly trying to kidnap, rape, and murder her 8-year-old daughter
https://www.yahoo.com/news/had-think-babies-woman-tells-164531336.html
‘I had to think about my babies.’ Woman tells FOX 4 she shot 14-year-old to protect family
By Harriet Ramos
December 22, 2023
The woman who fatally shot a 14-year-old boy outside her south Fort Worth duplex said she saw him opening a bedroom window and she fired to protect her daughters.
Aleah Wallace told KDFW-TV in an exclusive interview that she was “devastated” to learn the teen’s age.
“I didn’t know he was 14 when he was on the other side of that window,” Wallace said in the interview with FOX 4. “All I knew was that somebody could come in and hurt me or my kids.”
Officers were dispatched to the Peppertree Acres Apartments in the 5200 block of Southcrest Court early on the morning of Dec. 14 after Wallace reported a prowler. When officers arrived, she told them the person had left the area, police have said.
Wallace called again shortly before 3 a.m. to report the person had come back and was attempting to enter her home. When they returned to the scene, officers found the teenager on the ground in the front yard with at least one gunshot wound to his torso, according to police.
Family members identified the 14-year-old as Devin Baker, an eighth-grade student at Rosemont Middle School. His family also lives in the Peppertree Acres Apartments. Devin died at the scene. According to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office, he was pronounced dead from multiple gunshot wounds at 2:53 a.m.
Wallace told KDFW that she got a gun to protect her family after some recent break-ins at her rental home. The Star-Telegram has not been able to reach her for comment.
Online police reports show officers responded to her home for a criminal mischief call on Nov. 29. Police found a window had been vandalized or damaged.
Officers also responded to a burglary call at Wallace’s address on the night of Dec. 12, a little more than 24 hours before the shooting. Several Nike Air Jordan shoes are listed as the items stolen in the burglary, according to the police report. No arrests were reported in either of those previous incidents.
No one was home when those burglaries took place, but Wallace, 25, was alone in the house with her four young daughters on Dec. 14 when somebody tried to get in again, KDFW reported. She called 911, but the prowler was gone when officers arrived. A short time later, Wallace was sweeping her living room floor when she heard a window being opened, she said.
“I stood in the hallway, and I could see him standing at the window, lifting it up,” Wallace told KDFW. “I just shot.”
The gunfire fatally struck Devin, who Wallace said was outside the bedroom window of her 8-year-old daughter, KDFW reported.
The Star-Telegram asked Fort Worth police if their investigation found evidence that confirmed the teen was trying to break into Wallace’s home, but was told there was no new information and the case is still under investigation. Authorities haven’t filed charges against Wallace and the case is expected to be sent to a grand jury when the investigation is complete.
Latoiya Landers, Devin’s mother, told the Star-Telegram he was a fun-loving boy who had dreams of starting a clothing line with art he’d created. He made good grades in school and was excited about joining the basketball team, she said. He’d just recently had his physical done.
“He used to tell me, ‘Mamma, watch. I’m going to make something of myself,’” Landers said. “I told him, ‘Yes you are, but you’re going to stay in school, too.’”
Durwyn Lamb, a martial arts instructor and youth mentor, said he spoke with a group of Rosemont Middle School students, including Devin, two weeks before the teen’s death. Lamb was getting ready to go back to Rosemont on Dec. 14 when he got a message from Devin’s teacher saying that he’d been killed. Later, he learned the woman who shot Devin had reported he attempted to break into her home.
“Tragic,” Lamb said. “You know, young man 14 years old, and I seen something in him. I seen myself in him actually, and I just thought, man, he had something good about him that I could tell, it’s just misguided. And it’s just sad he lost his life that way.”
Wallace told KDFW that she wants people to know she was protecting her children.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “But at that point, I had to think about my babies.”
Wallace is now being evicted from her duplex for having a gun, KDFW reported. She was told she has 30 days to vacate the premises, and she’s worried the eviction will make it harder to find other housing.
“I feel like I’m back at square one,” she said to KDFW. “I was there for six years, and now I don’t know what to do.”
Vermont was recently rated as the safest state. And Vermont lets anyone carry a gun, even without a permit.
Vermont was recently rated as the safest state:
Source: https://studyfinds.org/safest-states-usa/
And Vermont lets anyone carry a gun, even without a permit.
“Philadelphia cheesesteak shop hires armed agents to protect customers outside… Customers are thrilled… and they formed a line around the building.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRL32CEyMH8
https://6abc.com/jims-west-steaks-armed-agents-cheesesteak-shop-philadelphia/13788360/
Philadelphia cheesesteak shop hires armed agents to protect customers outside
The armed agents will be there during business hours Thursday through Sunday.
By Briana Smith
September 15, 2023
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Customers are thrilled the original Jim’s West Steaks & Hoagies in West Philadelphia is back in business, and they formed a line around the building.
“I’m so excited,” said Nitah Dunham from West Philadelphia. “The food has always been good.”
“In my opinion, it’s the best cheesesteak in town,” said William King from West Philadelphia.
But now, customers can expect to see armed agents out front.
“The violence has spiked,” said Co-owner Cortez Johnson. “It goes up and down. You want people to feel safe and be safe. So when they come out and eat, they don’t have to worry about no type of harm.”
“Our lines are down the block, so while you’re standing here in line, connecting with other people you may not know, we have security right here just to keep you guys safe,” said Saul Landers, the CFO of Jim’s West.
The owners hope the presence of armed agents prevents crimes.
“It’s not just myself,” said Kevon Darden, who owns Presidential Protection Services. “It’s usually other agents who are sworn and certified by the state of Pennsylvania to do security work when they’re off duty. All of us are former military, police, and law enforcement background.”
The armed agents will be there during business hours Thursday through Sunday.
Other business owners hired armed guards too, including the Karco Gas Station in North Philadelphia.
“If you want to secure your business and you want to make sure everyone is safe, you have to spend that extra money,” said Landers.
Some customers say they support the enhanced security.
“Safety and good food is always a plus,” said Dunham.
“If it deters it (crime), I can’t complain,” said Mario Maiale from West Philadelphia. “I’m not a big fan of guns, but I get it.”
Others think it’s not necessary outside of Jim’s West and say it’s an alarming sight.
“Now North Philly, where that gas station is, where the guy is out there with a machine gun, I can understand that,” said King. “Here, it’s a little overkill. Even if you have an armed guard, okay. But, walking around with a machine gun, it’s not family-friendly.”
“I’m here to protect you,” said Darden. “I’m not here to cause any trouble or be that guy with a rifle.”
I wish this happened to every shoplifter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRn6G1aUpis
https://nypost.com/2023/08/02/7-eleven-workers-beat-cali-thief-for-stealing-shelves-of-tobacco/
7-Eleven workers wallop California man who tried to steal trash can full of cigarettes: ‘Whoop his a–!’
By Katherine Donlevy
August 2, 2023
Two 7-Eleven workers in California took matters into their own hands and used a stick to wallop a man who tried to steal a trash can full of cigarettes.
Shocking video of the attempted robbery shows one employee holding the thief down while his colleague relentlessly whacks him roughly 25 times.
“Okay, okay!” the thief screams at his attacker while pleading for mercy.
Before he was taken down by the retail workers, the robber had casually sauntered behind the California convenience store’s register with a 20-gallon trash can in tow.
He nonchalantly grabs fistfuls of tobacco products — including cigarettes, cigars and vapes — and tosses them into the bin as the off-camera workers plead for him to stop.
“Just let him go. There ain’t nothing you can do. They’re not going to do nothing,” the bystander who took the video can be heard saying, seemingly referencing the national string of thefts in which shoplifters raid shelves of supplies before walking out with their loot.
The green-and-black-clad worker switches from a defensive role when the thief tries to push past him and orders him to move out of the way while he continues his heist.
The employee quickly grapples with the robber and tackles him to the floor, just in time for his co-worker to appear and deliver 23 brutal blows with what appears to be a broomstick.
The weapon-wielding employee takes a quick break from the whacking — while his co-worker squeezes in a punch of his own to the upper back of the robber — sending the thief writhing chaotically enough to knock over his trove of stolen goods at the feet of his attacker.
“That’s called whoopin’ your a–! Whoop his a–! Get him!” the bystander says, before asking the thief if he’s ready to give up the heist.
“Yeah, I’m done!” the robber pleads. “I’m going to go.”
In spite of the surrender, the stick-wielding employee delivers two final whacks while the bystander orders the workers to free the robber.
“No more! No more!” the cameraman says as the thief screams in pain.
In subsequent videos shared by the bystander, the employees contemplate calling the police on the thief, but opt to let him walk out empty-handed.
The bystander walks behind the counter and urges the workers to let the man free before berating the man himself, ordering him not to come back to the 7-Eleven or try stealing again.
The thief claims he was beaten so badly that he can’t stand up and walk out on his own, until the bystander calls his bluff.
“You better walk tonight,” he says while leading him out of the store.
Amid his agonized groans and pleas for his freedom, the thief asks whether he can get a soda for the road.
“What kind of s–t you telling me? You do this s–t and you want a soda? No, no, no. Get the f–k out, man,” the bystander says.
Though it is not entirely clear where the incident took place, lottery numbers visible at the beginning of the video indicate it happened in California.
The cameraman claims it occurred in Stockton, a city roughly 50 miles south of Sacramento, but the police department had not heard of the incident as of Wednesday night.
A representative from 7-Eleven did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The theft is just one of many in a growing epidemic of organized shoplifting that has affected cities across the country.
Last month, three women brazenly wheeled out three shopping carts worth of stolen merchandise that they jacked from a Burlington store.
A Bay Area family hardware store announced this week that it lost a jarring $700,000 in merchandise in 2022 thanks to rampant shoplifting.
Retail theft in America has skyrocketed to $94 billion — an alarming 90% increase since 2018, according to the National Retail Federation.
The ban on guns at the Allen, Texas outlet mall is 100% about virtue signalling, and has nothing to do with actually preventing mass shootings
By Daniel Alman (aka Dan from Squirrel Hill)
May 7, 2023
Allen Premium Outlets: “Code of conduct… No weapons.”
Source: https://www.simon.com/legal/code-of-conduct
That’s the official policy of the shopping center in Allen, Texas, where a mass shooter named Mauricio Garcia recently killed 8 people.
The shooter was killed by a police officer.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Allen,_Texas_outlet_mall_shooting
By comparison, last year at the Greenwood Park Mall in Greenwood, Indiana, a would-be mass shooter named Jonathan Sapirman was shot and killed by a law abiding gun owner named Elisjsha Dicken.
We will never know how many lives Dicken saved.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwood_Park_Mall_shooting
If I had to choose between both of these horrible situations, I would choose the less horrible of the two. I would choose the situation where a law abiding gun owner saved some unknown number of lives.
Of course the ideal situation would be that bad guys would obey a policy that bans guns. But bad guys don’t obey policies that ban guns.
Therefore, I believe that the ban on weapons at the Texas shopping center is 100% about virtue signalling, and has nothing to do with actually preventing mass shootings.
Applebee’s diner stops knife-wielding attacker after worker slashed in face, NY cops say
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article271240282.html
Applebee’s diner stops knife-wielding attacker after worker slashed in face, NY cops say
By Julia Marnin
January 16, 2023
A man dining at Applebee’s watched another man grab a steak knife and start swinging the weapon — so he leapt into action, authorities in New York say.
After the knife-wielding attacker slashed one worker in the face while fighting several staff members, the man eating dinner pulled out a handgun at the New Hartford restaurant the evening of Jan. 14, a police news release said.
The diner, with his gun drawn, ordered Esteban F. Padron, 28, to drop the knife and get on the ground, according to police.
Padron listened to the commands and stayed on the ground until New Hartford police officers arrived at the Applebee’s to arrest him after being called to the restaurant around 6:45 p.m., they said.
Padron is facing charges including second-degree attempted assault, two counts of third-degree assault and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, according to the release.
Police said the incident unfolded when Padron walked into the Applebee’s that evening and workers asked him to leave because he previously acted “disorderly” at the same location and was similarly ordered to leave, according to authorities.
While being escorted out by staff, Padron ran behind the bar and grabbed the steak knife before fighting the workers, police said. In addition to the worker who was cut in the face, another Applebee’s employee received a non-life threatening injury as a result of the attack, according to police. The diner who stopped the attack had a license for the firearm, the release said. Padron was taken to a nearby hospital for a mental health investigation, according to police. Authorities said the investigation continues and additional charges could be filed. New Hartford is about 100 miles northwest of Albany.
A Chicago auto parts store manager shot and killed a would-be robber Saturday after the suspect flashed a gun, according to police.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/armed-store-manager-turns-tables-174835873.html
A Chicago auto parts store manager shot and killed a would-be robber Saturday after the suspect flashed a gun, according to police.
By Haley Chi-Sing
April 2, 2023
A man between 30 and 40 years old reportedly entered an O’Reilly Auto Parts store in Calumet Heights, took out a firearm and demanded money from the register, police said.
The store manager, whose name has not yet been disclosed, pulled out his own firearm and fired shots at the robber. Police said the manager is a valid FOID cardholder.
The would-be robber was transported to the University of Chicago Hospital in critical condition and later died from his injuries, police said.
Multiple bullet holes riddled the vestibule, along with shattered glass out front of the building. A gun was also seen near the entrance to the shop. Detectives were later seen taking photos out front of the auto parts store.
Police have not yet publicly identified the deceased man.
The incident comes as many Chicago residents have become concealed carry holders.
A Fox News Digital analysis based on local media reports going back to 2020 found at least 44 incidents where individuals with a gun – who had concealed carry permits or an FOID, an Illinois identification card used for gun possession and purchase – have thwarted an attack or other crime.
NYC garage worker charged with attempted murder after shooting armed thief
https://www.yahoo.com/news/nyc-garage-worker-charged-attempted-074301782.html
NYC garage worker charged with attempted murder after shooting armed thief
By Landon Mion
April 2, 2023
A New York City parking garage attendant was hit with an attempted murder charge after confronting an armed thief and wrestling the gun away before opening fire on the suspect.
Moussa Diarra, 57, is also charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the incident that occurred at around 5:30 a.m. Saturday morning.
The attendant had observed a man looking into cars on the second floor of the West 31st Street garage in Manhattan, police said, according to the New York Post. Diarra suspected the man was stealing, so he brought him outside and questioned him about what was inside his bag.
The man then pulled a gun on Diarra, who attempted to grab the firearm. The gun was fired, leaving Diarra with a shot to the stomach and grazed in the ear by a bullet.
Diarra proceeded to turn the firearm on the potential thief and shot him in the chest.
The alleged thief, 59-year-old Charles Rhodie, was also charged with attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon. He also faces a burglary charge, police said.
Diarra and Rhodie were transported to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition after Saturday’s incident at the parking garage.
The charges against Diarra for defending himself against an attacker come after a similar incident last year. In July, Manhattan bodega clerk Jose Alba was charged with murder after a confrontation in the store with an angry customer who attacked him behind his counter. Alba stabbed and killed the attacker in self-defense but found himself at the Rikers Island jail charged with murder.
Alba spent six days in jail until District Attorney Alvin Bragg dropped the murder charge amid intense public pressure.
Woman shoots, kills man who tried to rob her SW Houston food truck, HPD says
Video description: Houston police said a 23-year-old man was shot and killed when he tried to rob a food truck on South Main on Tuesday afternoon.
In Denver, the family of a dead 12-year-old armed robber named Elias Armstrong is upset that the victim defended himself. I think the family of Elias Armstrong should have done a better job of raising him.
Family of 12-year-old shot, killed in stolen vehicle speaks out against vehicle owner
By Rob Low
February 23, 2023
DENVER (KDVR) — The family of Elias Armstrong is furious the man who killed the 12-year-old boy won’t face criminal charges.
The boy was found shot to death in a stolen vehicle in the 2900 block of West 10th Avenue on the night of Sunday, Feb. 5.
The vehicle owner, using a phone app, had tracked his stolen vehicle from the 8300 block of East Northfield Boulevard to the area of West 12th Avenue and Decatur Street, where he shot Elias Armstrong.
The 12-year-old then drove the vehicle a few blocks away, where he died from at least two gunshots.
“I think that if he would have just let the police approach the car and he sat back and waited till they got there, that my son would be alive right now. Since he took the law in his own hands, my son is dead because of him, and nothing is going to happen to him but a pat on the hand,” said an emotional Thomas Armstrong, the father of Elias.
Boy’s family shown video of shooting
The Denver District Attorney’s Office announced last week that the truck owner would not face criminal charges because it determined there wasn’t sufficient evidence to charge the man with a crime.
“I just couldn’t believe it,” said Armstrong, who said the man was rewarded for vigilante justice.
The Armstrong family told the Problem Solvers that prosecutors obtained surveillance video and shared it with them to explain the decision not to charge the vehicle owner.
Thomas Armstrong said the footage shows a single bullet was fired from the back of the truck first, before the truck owner allegedly unloaded 15 shots into the vehicle, as one of the three boys inside the vehicle fired back twice.
“And the video, it showed the man with his hand on his gun, running towards them with a real fast speed … you heard one shot, then you just heard him let off 15 rounds into the car,” Thomas Armstrong said.
“The man, when he first pulled up to the car, he’s seen the little boy this tall is standing by his car, running and jumping into the car. He’s seen it was a little boy before any gunplay,” he added.
Thomas Armstrong said investigators told him there were two others boys with his son, both 16 years old, who were also shot but were able to run away.
Armstrong insisted his son was unarmed and that it was one of the two 16-year-olds who must have fired a gun toward the driver, because he said his son was in the front driver seat with his hands on the steering wheel. The shot, Armstrong said, came from the back seat, where the two 16-year-olds were sitting.
FOX31 has not been able to confirm those details.
Other teens under investigation
A Denver Police spokesperson told FOX31 that because detectives have an ongoing investigation involving juveniles, they would not comment or confirm what the Armstrong family told the Problem Solvers.
“I know the car had insurance on it, you know, there’s insurance on his car, but there’s no insurance on my brother’s life to get him back,” said Alicia Henderson, the 29-year-old sister of Elias Armstrong.
Henderson said the vehicle owner should have listened to Denver 911 dispatchers and waited for police to handle the situation instead of taking matters into his own hands.
“So the fact that this man was running up with the gun, showing them that he was very angry, he was going to shoot at them, in my eyes, they (the boys) were defending themselves,” Henderson said.
She is not just upset with the vehicle owner. She said the two teens who were with Elias have refused to talk with investigators.
“And for you guys to leave him there like that, and not even speak on his behalf, it will eat you up for the rest of your life. You’ll never sleep a day without thinking about that. You know, it’s going to hurt you real bad. And I just pray that you guys come forward, because ultimately your story plays a big part of this,” Henderson said.
Thomas Armstrong said his son had overcome a lot of adversity in life, including a liver transplant when he was just 6 months old.
“Elias’s death, it breaks my heart. I just can’t think about him so much, because there’s no coming back and I can’t replace him, and I just pray that he made it to heaven.”
Vehicle owner’s name has not been released
The vehicle owner has not been identified, and it’s unlikely that he will be since he does not face criminal charges.
That angers the Armstrong family, who say they want to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the man but are being stymied by prosecutors and police who refuse to release the man’s name.
Denver District Attorney Beth McCann released the following statement to FOX31:
“My heart goes out to Elias Armstrong’s family in this time of terrible and overwhelming grief. I met with members of his family last week along with the DPD detective and members of my office to explain why a criminal case could not be brought based on the facts. The DA’s Office can only file charges when guilt can be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. In this instance, we cannot file charges because of self-defense issues which were present at the time.”
– Denver District Attorney Beth McCann
Alicia Henderson has created a GoFundMe page to help cover her brother’s funeral expenses.
Visitation is on Friday, Feb. 24 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Pipkin Braswell Chapel Of Peace at 6601 E. Colfax Ave. in Denver.
Video from Houston restaurant: Armed customer kills armed robber
After the shooting, the customer discovered that the robber’s gun was fake. But the customer didn’t know that when he killed the robber. And the robber had pointed his fake gun at customers’ heads. So I’m glad the customer killed the robber. I hope this sends a message to anyone else who is considering committing armed robbery in Texas.
The robber was an idiot to try this in Texas. What did he think was going to happen in Texas? This is not San Francisco or New York City or Chicago, where armed robbery is tolerated and goes unpunished. It’s Texas.
This is the censored version of the video from NBC News. The description says, “On Thursday night, a masked man pointed a gun and demanded money from the patrons inside Ranchito #4 Taqueria. A customer attempted to stop him, pulling out a gun of his own and opening fire, shooting the suspect multiple times. After the robber was killed, the shooter retrieved the stolen cash to return to the other customers when he discovered the gun the suspect used was fake. The question now is whether the shooter will face any legal action for his deadly intervention.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4xNs0HwQ7c
This is the uncensored version of the video. The description says, “Houston Police want to speak this man, but he’s not charged with a crime. HPD says a gunman was robbing people at a taqueria on S. Gessner last night. During the robbery, this man shot and killed the suspect… collected the money, gave it back to the robbery victims, and left.”
Armed robber from Chicago travels to Florida, and is actually surprised when his would be victim also has a gun. Video and audio at link.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/florida-alleged-robber-armed-gun-003250247.html
Florida alleged robber armed with gun claims ‘I’m from Chicago, bro,’ leaves when clerk displays own weapon
By Louis Casiano
September 26, 2022
A man casually carrying a shotgun and claiming to be from Chicago walked into a Florida convenience store during an attempted robbery but walked out when a clerk displayed his own weapon, authorities said.
Rakim Stephen Tate, 32, made a bad decision that “became a worse decision” when he walked into a convenience store on Sept. 9 with a visible shotgun to his side, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
He is charged with openly carrying a prohibited weapon and attempted robbery with a firearm.
Tate walked around the store for a few seconds before a clerk out of view from a camera in the store is heard talking to him, according to security footage. The clerk apparently noticed Tate arming himself before he entered the store and went into a back room to arm himself with his personal weapon, authorities said.
“I don’t mean no harm, I’m just not from around here,” Tate is heard saying while holding his weapon. “I got a big (expletive) (expletive) gun, but I’m not from around here is what I’m saying. I’m from Chicago bro.”
Tate is heard asking the employee what kind of weapon he is holding. The employee responds before Tate slowly walks out of the store.
“He then fumbles for words, resorting to meaningless babble about being from Chicago,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “Words seem to fail you when your felony attempt is thwarted by lawful and righteous force.”
Tate was arrested on Sept. 15 in Santa Rose County, authorities said, adding “You’re not in Chicago anymore; you’re under arrest.”
The Benelli shotgun he allegedly used was also recovered, authorities said.
This is self defense. Once the robber jumped over the counter, the owner’s life was potentially at risk.
Indiana police say ‘Good Samaritan’ took out mall shooter in 15 seconds, landed 8 of 10 shots
https://www.yahoo.com/news/indiana-police-apos-good-samaritan-143501980.html
Indiana police say ‘Good Samaritan’ took out mall shooter in 15 seconds, landed 8 of 10 shots
By Michael Lee
July 20, 2022
Police say it took Elisjsha Dicken just 15 seconds to neutralize a man who opened fire on shoppers at an Indiana mall — quick action they believe saved countless lives.
“The time lapse between the moment that Jonathan Sapirman exited the restroom and began shooting, and when he was shot by the civilian was only fifteen seconds, not two minutes,” Greenwood Police Chief James Ison said Tuesday in a statement. “The surveillance video shows Sapirman exit the restroom at 5:56:48pm. He was neutralized by Dicken at 5:57:03 pm.”
The statement corrects a previous police timeline in which authorities said the incident lasted two minutes. Police also revealed that a preliminary autopsy report on the gunman showed that he was struck eight times and died of his wounds, meaning Dicken only missed the shooter twice despite engaging the threat from a distance.
Police say the gunman was armed with two rifles, a Glock pistol, and was carrying at least 100 rounds of ammunition with him. Sapirman killed three people before being quickly neutralized by Dicken, who began closing the distance on the shooter as he waved for bystanders to flee behind him.
Ison said that Dicken’s actions were “heroic” and “very tactically sound” despite him having no police or military background.
“Many more people would have died last night if not for a responsible armed citizen who took action within the first two minutes of this shooting,” Ison said.
Guy Relford, an attorney hired to represent Dicken, said he was proud of his client’s actions at the mall.
“I am proud to serve as Eli Dickens’ attorney and spokesperson,” Relford said in a statement. “He is a true American hero who saved countless lives during a horrific event that could have been so much worse if not for Eli’s courage, preparedness and willingness to protect others.”
Police identify armed ‘good Samaritan’ who killed Greenwood mall shooting suspect
Police identify armed ‘good Samaritan’ who killed Greenwood mall shooting suspect
By Dylan Stableford
July 18, 2022
A day after a gunman killed three people at a mall in Greenwood, Ind., officials identified the victims, suspect and armed bystander who fatally shot the gunman before he was able to kill more people.
At a press conference on Monday afternoon, Greenwood Police Chief Jim Ison said Elisjsha Dicken, 22, of Seymour, Ind., was shopping with his girlfriend at the Greenwood Park Mall when shots rang out in the food court on Sunday just before 6 p.m. local time.
“His actions were nothing short of heroic,” Ison said. “Many more people would have died last night had an armed citizen not taken action within two minutes of the shooting.”
The first gunman, identified by police as 20-year-old Jonathan Douglas Sapirman of Greenwood, entered a food court restroom with a backpack at 4:54 p.m. ET. He exited the restroom an hour and two minutes later with a rifle and fired 24 rounds, Ison said, killing 30-year-old Victor Gomez, 56-year-old Pedro Pineda and his 37-year-old wife, Rosa Mirian Rivera de Pineda.
Two other people, including a 12-year-old, were wounded or grazed by bullets or bullet fragments, Ison said.
Dicken confronted the gunman, who was trying to retreat back into the restroom, Ison said, firing 10 rounds from a handgun he was licensed to carry.
“He engaged the gunman from quite a distance with a handgun,” Ison said, adding that Dicken is “very proficient” and “tactically sound,” despite having no known police or military training.
According to Ison, Dicken told mall security that he had shot the gunman, and waited for police to arrive. He was handcuffed and taken to police headquarters, where he was interviewed. Officers were able to corroborate his story using footage from security cameras, Ison said.
At the scene, police recovered a second rifle, Glock pistol and over 100 rounds of ammunition purchased legally by Sapirman in Greenwood within the past two years, Ison said. They also recovered the gunman’s cellphone, which they believe he dropped in the toilet.
During a subsequent search of the suspect’s rented apartment, a SWAT team found the oven on with a laptop and butane canister inside.
The cellphone and laptop were turned over to the FBI for analysis, Ison said.
Investigators have not been able to establish a motive for the shooting.
Ison said that the 20-year-old suspect had a juvenile record but no criminal history as an adult. Sapirman resigned from his job at a warehouse in May, and family members told police that they believe he was recently served an eviction notice.
Still, according to Ison, the suspect’s relatives were “just as surprised as anyone” and had no indication he was violent or unstable.
‘Good Samaritan’ Takes Down Gunman Who Killed 3 in Mall Food Court
https://www.yahoo.com/news/multiple-victims-reported-several-injured-230456324.html
‘Good Samaritan’ Takes Down Gunman Who Killed 3 in Mall Food Court
By AJ McDougall
July 17, 2022
Four people are dead and several injured after a man with a rifle walked into a food court at Greenwood Park Mall in Indiana and began shooting, local authorities said Sunday evening.
One of the dead is the suspected shooter, according to Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers. The gunman, an adult male, has not been identified. Police said he had been carrying a long rifle and several ammunition magazines.
“This tragedy hits at the core of our community,” the mayor said in a news release. “Please offer your prayers to the victims and our first responders.”
The gunman, according to Myers, was shot “by an armed individual.” The “good Samaritan,” as Greenwood Police Department Chief Jim Ison identified him at a press conference, was a 22-year-old civilian from nearby Bartholomew County.
“The real hero of the day is the citizen that was lawfully carrying a firearm in that food court and was able to stop the shooter almost as soon as he began,” Ison said, according to the Indianapolis Star.
The armed bystander “appears to be cooperating fully” with investigators, Ison added.
Two people were hospitalized following the shooting. One was a 12-year-old girl, who sustained a “minor injury,” the Star reported.
“We are sickened by yet another type of incident like this, in our city, in our country,” Indianapolis Assistant Chief of Police Chris Bailey said.
Authorities responded to the scene in Greenwood, a city of 60,000 just south of Indianapolis, just before 6 p.m. Witnesses told FOX59 that the shooting began after “a group of teenagers started arguing,” according to a tweet from a channel anchor. Others told 13News that they had heard roughly 20 shots being fired inside the mall’s food court.
Olivia Harding said she was at the mall with her mom when they heard four gunshots go off, telling CNN she thought the mall carousel had broken down.
“Next thing you know, you hear about six more shots and you see everybody running,” Harding said, adding that it would be “a very long time” before she’ll set foot in a mall again.
Chris Roy, a 30-year-old assistant manager at the mall’s Vans store, told the Star that he had been working when he saw people sprinting away from the food court. No one in the store heard gunshots, but the panic outside spoke for itself, he said.
“So I jumped over the counter, locked the door, gathered my associates and other managers at the back door,” he told the newspaper, adding that police arrived and escorted them out of the building after 15 tense minutes.
Then, “I called my mom,” he said.
In addition to the heavily armed officers swarming the area outside the mall, a bomb squad had been dispatched to the area to investigate a suspicious package in one of the mall’s bathrooms, according to BNO News.
The backpack was labeled suspicious and confiscated by investigators but later declared harmless, according to the Star.
“I’ve been a police officer most of my life,” Mayor Myers told The New York Times in an interview on Sunday evening. “Still, this is incredibly shocking, to not only me but our entire community.”
State Sen. Kimberly Lightford recounts harrowing carjacking details: ‘I begged them not to shoot us’ [Democrat says she’s glad her husband had a legal gun with him at the time]
https://abc7chicago.com/il-state-senator-kimberly-lightford-carjacked-broadview-carjacking/11376398/
State Sen. Kimberly Lightford recounts harrowing carjacking details: ‘I begged them not to shoot us’
By Craig Wall
December 23, 2021
BROADVIEW, Ill. (WLS) — Illinois State Senator Kimberly Lightford is recounting the harrowing details of being carjacked in west suburban Broadview this week with her husband, Erin McKennie.
The incident happened Tuesday night around 9:45 p.m. in the 2000-block of South 20th Avenue.
Police said three men driving a Durango took a black Mercedez Benz SUV that belonged to Lightford. The state senate majority leader said she was dropping off a friend at the time.
Lightford, who said she feared for her life, described it like a scene out of a movie.
“Three guys just hopped out with guns and they demanded that we get out of the car and they put my husband on the ground,” said Lightford. “They had me over on the other side. I begged them not to shoot us and I begged them not to shoot my husband and not to shoot me.”
Lightford had a gun pointed at her and feared she was going to die.
“After we got the guns off of us my husband told me to run,” Lightford recounted.
As she ran, gunfire erupted, her husband exchanging shots with the carjackers.
“I thought for sure they were gonna shoot me down,” Lightford said. “It was a lot of shots being fired. I think they were shooting at my husband and me and luckily enough my husband is concealed and carry and he was able to protect us.”
No was injured in the shooting, according to police.
The suspects took off in both the senator’s car and in the Durango, police said.
The incident has not deterred her from taking part in a Christmas giveaway in Hillside. She attended Christmas in Proviso Thursday morning. It’s a massive community giving effort that is blessing hundreds of kids with holiday presents.
Lightford is providing specific Christmas gifts for 59 kids in the community who are being raised by their grandparents.
In the loaner Mercedes SUV were some of the gifts Lightford had bought for the event. She went out shopping again Wednesday night to replace them.
Despite the trauma of two nights ago, Lightford called the event it therapeutic.
“For me as a little girl, Christmas has always just brought so much joy and happiness,” said Lightford. ” And I love giving back to other children so my entire time shopping was identifying specific requests from kids instead of just giving them anything, I wanted to give them what they actually asked for on their wish list.”
82-year-old Merdise Lee attended the giveaway with her five-year-old great grandson RJ. She said she had no idea about the carjacking.
“It says something about her as a person that no matter what happens, she’s still willing to carry out, you know what she needs to do? And oh my gosh,” Lee said.
Lightford made Christmas for little RJ even more special with a bike that wasn’t even on his wish list. As for herself, she celebrates the gift of being alive.
“I’m happy that my husband and I made it out of that safely and I’m going to enjoy, just enjoy life,” Lightford said.
Police said they have recovered the loaner vehicle, which was abandoned on Chicago’s West Side.
Lightford said she does not believe she was targeted but instead believes it was a random carjacking.
At a Philadelphia pizza shop, a 14-year-old boy saved his mother’s life by shooting a robber who was strangling her
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd0BMT0yEkc
https://6abc.com/philadelphia-shooting-spring-garden-broad-street-robbery-pizza-shop/11318485/
14-year-old son of pizza shop employee shoots would-be robber in Spring Garden
Police say the 33-year-old suspect was found after officers followed a trail of blood to a nearby SEPTA station.
By 6abc Digital Staff and Corey Davis
December 10, 2021
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — The 14-year-old son of a Philadelphia pizza shop employee shot an armed robbery suspect who started choking one of his parents, police say.
Police say the series of incidents unfolded around 9:30 p.m. Thursday when three men robbed the CVS pharmacy at North Broad and Spring Garden in the Spring Garden section of the city.
Moments later, police say at least one of those men went a block away to rob the Bold Pizza Shop at 15th and Spring Garden.
Employees say the man forcibly reached over the counter and tried to take cash from the register.
A struggle ensued between an employee and the robbery suspect when the offender started to strangle the victim.
The victim’s 14-year-old son grabbed a handgun from under the counter and shot the offender one time in the face, police said.
“There was money on the floor and there was also some broken glass inside the store, and there was also a large amount of blood,” said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.
The pizza shop was closed on Friday.
Some people who live nearby said they understand the teen was just trying to protect his parent.
“I think most people would do that in that situation to protect someone they love and they’re being threatened so violently,” said Nina Adams.
“I am very proud and its kind of sad that a 14-year-old had to shoot the suspect, but it was quick thinking and I’m glad they were able to catch the person so fast,” said Raina Harris.
Investigators say they followed a trail of blood down the stairs of a SEPTA subway station at Broad and Spring Garden.
Police say that’s where they found the 33-year-old male suspect.
“From following the trail of blood, we also found some cash in the subway where the suspect was found,” Small said.
The suspect was rushed to an area hospital where he was placed in critical condition.
According to police, surveillance video from the pharmacy matched the description of the injured suspect. Police are still looking for two suspects in connection with that crime.
The man who was shot has not been identified. No other injuries were reported.
Black Oklahoma man faces 1st-degree murder charge after killing white alleged burglar
In my opinion, this black guy doesn’t deserve to have any charges filed against him for killing a burglar. But they are filing charges: first degree murder. What nonsense.
The fact that the burglar had not yet entered the building should not matter. The burglar was trying to break the lock on the door. That’s good enough for me to vote not guilty on the first degree murder charge if I was on the jury. There’s a reason we have jury nullification.
Black Oklahoma man faces 1st-degree murder charge after killing white alleged burglar
By Marquise Francis
June 1, 2021
LaRue Bratcher, a 34-year-old Black Army veteran from Oklahoma, remains behind bars on a charge of first-degree murder more than a year after he shot and killed a white man allegedly trying to break into his marijuana grow business.
With his trial date delayed until later this year, Bratcher’s family and friends and members of the Oklahoma City community are rallying behind him, saying the murder charge is unjust.
“I feel like this was an injustice for the simple fact that if the roles were reversed, if this was a white person inside the facility, he would not be in this situation,” Bratcher’s wife, Vicky Bratcher, told Yahoo News in a video interview.
“Someone broke into his place,” Bratcher’s uncle, Derrick Neighbors, said at a rally last month. “He didn’t go out looking for trouble. He was in his own place of business.”
In 2018 when Oklahoma voters legalized medical marijuana, Bratcher established Premium Smoke LLC, a marijuana grow shop located in Oklahoma City, whose business license expired a year later. Bratcher had planned to renew his license in 2019, his wife said, but learned he would not be allowed to do so until he made nearly $100,000 worth of renovations to the warehouse that housed it, so he held off.
On May 27, 2020, around 1 a.m., Bratcher was at the grow operation warehouse when Daniel Hardwick, a 42-year-old white man, allegedly attempted to break into the business for the second consecutive night. Video from that night reportedly shows Hardwick park his car at the rear of the shop, walk to the business’s door and jostle with the door handle, attempting to gain entry.
“He was trying to break in when the business owner, who was inside the business at the time, apparently opened fire with a handgun, striking and killing the man who was breaking in,” Master Sgt. Gary Knight with the Oklahoma City Police Department told KFOR.
Bratcher called the police shortly after the shooting, and once at the scene, officers called the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority to ensure the business was legal. When they found out that the business’s license had expired, Bratcher was arrested for operating a grow shop illegally, a felony, and was held on $5,000 bond. He was not, however, initially arrested in Hardwick’s death. In addition to arresting Bratcher, authorities also seized 480 marijuana plants worth an estimated $1,500,000.
A day after the arrest, Bratcher was released on bond. But just a week later, the city’s district attorney’s office reviewed the case and upgraded Bratcher’s charges to second-degree murder. One week later, police raided Bratcher’s home, escorting him, his children and his wife to the street, and arrested Bratcher again. Then, after he refused to accept a plea deal late last year, Bratcher’s charges were upgraded to first-degree murder. The family told Yahoo News that it does not understand why.
Individuals convicted of second-degree murder in Oklahoma can expect to serve a minimum of 10 years in prison to a life sentence, which is classified as 45 years in the state of Oklahoma, with eligibility for parole after serving 85 percent of the sentence. The penalties for those convicted of first-degree murder vary but include a life sentence without the possibility of parole, or death.
Despite Oklahoma being a state with a “stand your ground” law, or castle doctrine, those rights do not apply to those who are found to have committed a felony. Prosecutors say that because Bratcher operated his grow business without a license, he was felonious and any self-defense clause is thrown out.
Knight also told Yahoo News that because Hardwick was on the other side of the door, Bratcher had no legal standing to shoot him.
“[Bratcher] shot a burglar who had been working on the doorknob,” Knight said. “To use deadly force you have to determine you or the life of an innocent person is in imminent peril. The guy was on the other side of the door. … This is not ‘stand your ground.’”
Knight added that officers did not arrest Bratcher initially in Hardwick’s death because it’s not their job to determine who was right or wrong. Police are responsible only for gathering all of the information at the scene, Knight said, and “it’s up to the DA to decide from there.”
The Oklahoma County district attorney’s office did not return Yahoo News’ request for comment.
Bratcher’s lawyer, Clay Curtis, believes that even without the “stand your ground” defense, Bratcher acted in a “reasonable” manner.
“The evidence shows Mr. Bratcher acted reasonably under the circumstances,” Curtis told Yahoo News. “I think anyone would be in fear for their life in that circumstance. … This case isn’t about us growing weed in terms of the homicide, it’s about whether people think he acted reasonably under the circumstances.”
Bratcher’s wife, who also served in the U.S. military, believes the courts are making Hardwick out to be the victim and using her husband’s Army training against him.
“We’ve been fighting for this country and at the end of the day, it feels like you come home and it doesn’t mean anything to anybody,” Vicky Bratcher said.
Vicky added that at last year’s bond hearing, prosecutors said her husband was a “threat to the community” because of his previous combat training and expertise with a weapon.
“They used our experience of being a veteran [against us],” she said. “That’s literally a slap in the face.”
A petition in support of Bratcher’s release had received more than 5,800 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon. Dozens of demonstrators marched through downtown Oklahoma City last month in support of Bratcher and protested outside the county jail.
“When you’re in trouble, somebody has to fight for you,” Neighbors, Bratcher’s uncle, said. “This is my family and we’re going to fight for him.”
The trial date for Bratcher has been set for Oct. 11 of this year.
Feeling a mix of emotions, Vicky Bratcher is cautiously optimistic that justice will prevail.
“I feel deflated … my heart is broken,” she said. “This whole year has been very hard. I am still managing the warehouse, taking care of the kids and making sure that everything at home is good for his return. But it’s been hard to know that I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Meanwhile, the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority updated its policy this year to allow cardholders to apply for a new license while still using their expired one until the new one comes in the mail.
Doorbell Camera Captures Audio From Moment Alleged Home Intruder Was Shot in Neptune Beach
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er-7tvhsMQ0
https://www.yahoo.com/news/doorbell-camera-captures-audio-moment-233448171.html
Doorbell Camera Captures Audio From Moment Alleged Home Intruder Was Shot in Neptune Beach
April 15, 2020
A person was reportedly shot in Neptune Beach, Florida, on April 14, after allegedly breaking into a home. The home’s doorbell camera captured audio of the suspected break-in, and police are searching for suspects.
In the video, a hooded man can be seen repeatedly rushing the front door, eventually getting through, followed by two others. Gunshots can be heard and the three suspects run from the home.
The Neptune Beach Police tweeted on their official Twitter account that they have been searching for suspects and urged the public to provide any information to the police tip-line.
The person shot was taken to a local hospital and treated with gun shots wound to the chest, reports said.
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