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ARMED CITIZEN | NOVEMBER 2004 | ARCHIVE A St. Louis, Mo., woman knew
that she would have to defend herself late
one night as she heard her garage door being
kicked in. Despite the fact that 87-year-old
Nina Sloan walked with the aid of a cane, she
managed to retrieve her pistol and head toward
the kitchen where she heard sounds of breaking
glass. Seeing a hand reach through the broken
glass to unlock the kitchen door, Sloan fired
her gun twice. The intruder fled and Sloan
called authorities. Police are investigating
if this attempted robbery is related to one
down the street the previous day. When asked
about the incident, Sloan said, “I’m
a good person, but I’m not going to let
somebody run over me. You’re going to
break into my house when I didn’t invite
you? Oh, no!” (News-Democrat,
Belleville, IL, 08/06/04) A Pittsylvania, Va., homeowner
awoke at 2 a.m. to the sounds of a car driving
into his front porch. David Lee Gammon retrieved
his gun and headed for the front door as three
men broke in and began shooting in his direction.
Gammon returned fire, and the intruders fled
in their car, which was found three hours later
burning by the side of the road. The body of
one of the intruders was found outside of the
car, dead from a gunshot wound sustained at
Gammon’s home. Michael Robin Wilson was
arrested and charged in the burglary, while
Timothy Willard Thornton was being sought on
the same charges. Two men, posing as prospective
gem buyers, held up a couple trying to sell
their diamond through a local newspaper advertisement.
The Webster, N.Y., couple had advertised the
“loose diamond,” and subsequently
had several phone calls from two gentlemen
who said they were interested in purchasing
the stone. When the “buyers” showed
up for a 4 p.m. appointment, they held the
couple at gunpoint, bound them with duct tape
and stole the diamond and other jewelry from
the home. The two suspects attempted to escape
in their Geo Tracker, but were soon pursued
by the local police, who had received a distress
call from the victims. An officer followed
the vehicle to a cul-de-sac, where the suspects
fled on foot. A woman in the neighborhood,
seeing one of the suspects heading straight
for her house, warned her husband. He, in turn,
armed himself with a .45-cal. handgun and prevented
the man from entering. This allowed the police
to corner the suspect, Robert L. McKnight,
who was arrested and charged with robbery.
Brian K. Moton was arrested later and the jewelry
was recovered. Four burglars got a surprise
while attempting to rob a Bowie County, Texas,
home when the homeowner pulled in the driveway.
Spotting the truck, one of the four burglars
went outside and pulled a gun, but the homeowner
pulled out his own—which he kept in his
truck—and began to shoot first. The four
burglars escaped in a dark-colored four-door
Ford Escort. It was not known if any of the
burglars were hit. Bowie County Sheriff James
Prince said that the homeowner has every right
to protect his home and property, “especially
if a burglar is pointing a gun at you.”
(Texarkana Gazette, Texarkana, TX,
08/17/04) An 88-year-old Ripley,
Miss., woman was just trying to help out a
stranger who had knocked on her door and asked
to use the telephone. But once she opened the
door, the stranger forced his way into the
house, raped her and robbed her of $50. The
woman somehow managed to get away from her
tormentor and found her handgun, firing at
the suspect three times and sending him fleeing
from the house. With a clear description from
the victim, the police immediately suspected
19-year-old Ryan Burks because of his prior
run-ins with the law. Minutes later, when police
arrived at Burks’ grandmother’s
house, they found Burks bleeding from a gunshot
wound under his arm. Burks has been charged
with burglary and rape. The unnamed victim
was treated and released from the hospital.
Around the Grand Rapids, Mich., neighborhood, corner store owner Leon Moody is well-known for his generosity, which is why it came as a shock that someone would try to rob him. According to Moody, the suspect walked into the store, pointed a gun at his face and demanded money. When Moody asked why he would do this, the robber threatened to “blow his head off for that money.” Asking for a moment to gather the money, Moody reached down and pulled out his own firearm, then fired twice at the crook, hitting him once in the arm. The robber fled in a car, but was apprehended less than an hour later in the local emergency room. The unnamed suspect has been charged with assault with intent to rob while armed, and felony possession of a firearm. (Grand Rapids Press, MI, 07/07/04) Studies indicate that firearms are used over two million times a year for personal protection, and that the presence of a firearm, without a shot being fired, prevents crime in many instances. Shooting usually can be justified only where crime constitutes an immediate, imminent threat to life, limb, or, in some cases, property. Anyone is free to quote or reproduce these accounts. Send clippings to: “The Armed Citizen,” 11250 Waples Mill Rd., Fairfax, VA 22030-9400. |
