Nine recent defensive gun uses by homeowners

A very quick news story search turned up these nine cases.

UPDATED CASES: Perkin, Illinois homeowner shoots a man who was trying to break into his home shortly after midnight (December 31, 2014):

. . .  The homeowner called police about 12:20 a.m. to report an unknown man was trying to get into his house through the back door. Officers found no one at that time.

“The scene was checked thoroughly” for signs of an attempted break-in or other damage to the garage and property, Eeten said. None was found.

About 20 minutes later, the woman in the home called 911. Eeten said he understood that the homeowner shot the purported prowler while she still was on the phone.

The wounded man ran “but didn’t get very far,” Eeten said. . . .

Memphis, Tennessee homeowner kills home invader who forced way into home (December 24, 2014):

. . . Officers responded to a home in the 2300 block of Devoy at about 6:20 p.m. Tuesday, where they saw 22-year-old Nico Carlisle with multiple gunshot wounds lying at the front door. Officials pronounced Carlisle dead at the scene. 

Investigators say Carlisle and another man knocked on the door, then forced their way inside when a woman answered the door. Carlisle then put a gun to the woman’s neck. 

The homeowner grabbed a handgun before going to investigate the commotion, and fired multiple shots at the men, hitting Carlisle. . . . 

The TV news segment makes it clear that the homeowner will not be charged in this case.

Original stories

Oklahoma City Pastor kills man who breaks into his home (December 22, 2014):

. . . The pastor's son called 911 around 3:15 Saturday afternoon and told dispatchers someone broke into their home in the 2400 block of Moulton Dive and his father shot them. . . .

According to the church's web site, Vineyard has been a pastor at Windsor Hills since 2007. The church is known as a staunch supporter of gun rights and has faced criticism for training youth to use firearms. 

A warning on Vineyard's front door that reads “Nothing on this property is worth your life” seemed to send a clear message to anyone questioning his conviction. . . . 

“If somebody is in the residence like that, they feel threatened they or their family feel threatened, they do have the right to defend themselves,” explained Sgt. Jennifer Wardlow, with the Oklahoma City Police Department. . . .

Jefferson County homeowner kills intruder inside his rural home (December 12, 2014):

. . . The shooting happened in the 26300 block of Clear View Drive about 8:30 a.m. near Rockland Community Church and Ralston Elementary School, north of Genesee.
The identities of the homeowner and the intruder were not immediately released. Both were adult men, the sheriff’s office said. It’s unclear how the intruder forced his way into the home.
A Sheriff’s Office spokesman said preliminary the case could fall under the “Make my Day” law. He added the homeowner ran to a neighbor’s house after the shooting and 911 was called from there. . . .

Hardinsburg, Indiana homeowner shoots man who breaks through front door at 1 AM (November 25, 2014):

. . . It was just after 1 a.m. when, according to Indiana State Police Sgt. Philip Hensley, a masked man carrying a knife broke into a Hardinsburg home . . . 

Two brothers, Barry and Terah Frost heard the commotion.  They moved their 86-year-old mother into a bedroom to protect her and went downstairs to investigate.  They found only the broken front door police say Jacob Grimes, 23, of Paoli, had forced his way in." 

The brothers got some tools out, a flashlight, a drill. They're gonna fix the door. Barry goes to open the cellar door and he looks down and sees feet," Hensley said. 

He says Grimes, armed with a knife began attacking Barry Frost, punching him repeatedly.  Grimes was on top of Barry when Terah shot him in the back three times with a handgun.  Hensley says under Indiana law the men acted within their rights."He's already attacked one homeowner. What's to say he's not going to take the knife and attempt to kill all three residents?" he said, adding the situation was "a tragedy." 

Police say the homeowners and the suspect did not know each other and they did not live close either.  The suspect, Jacob Grimes, would have had to travel 16 miles from where he lived in Paoli to the home police say he broke into.  Police are still investigating how he chose that home and how he got there, but they say, it appears to be random. . . .

Meonominee, Michigan homeowner defends himself again three men, kills one (November 14, 2014):

. . . According to the Eagle Herald out of Marinette - Menominee he is 19-year-old Hayden Gagnon of Pulaski. 
Police say Gagnon was shot by the home's owner. Two other men, Matthew Franjose and Thomas Hartman, both of Green Bay, were arrested in connection with the case. 
The homeowner does not face charges. . . 

Colorado Springs woman shoots to death man trying to break into her home (November 2, 2014):

. . . Police received a call just after midnight about a burglary in progress with shots fired. When officers arrived, they found a man with a gunshot wound.  Eduardo Gonzalez-Ortiz, 32, died at the hospital.
"She said she just heard some crashing, and got up and saw that this guy was climbing through her window," said homeowner Linda Orist of her tenant.
Orist said her tenant was upset and shaken up but was relived she was OK.
"She was upset that she had to kill someone to protect herself," said Orist.
Orist said the man initially tried to get in through the back door. When he was unsuccessful, Orist said he broke a window with a brick and tried to climb in.
"She warned him that she had a gun and to go away but he, I don't know, for whatever reason, he kept coming, and she shot a warning shot into the wall and he kept coming so she had to shoot him twice," said Orist. . . .

Gainesville, Texas homeowner fatally shoots man who broke into his home at 2 AM (October 28, 2014):

. . . the home invasion happened inside a home in the 1100 block of Hillcrest Boulevard about 2 A.M. The suspect is identified as 20-year-old Dakota Ray Huckaby of Gainesville.
Belva McClinton with Gainesville police says the homeowner told officers over the phone he had shot the intruder.
"Officers did arrive on scene and located a male laying in the backyard of the residence," said McClinton. "He succumbed to his injuries, so they did not transport from the scene."
Family members at the residence didn't wish to speak to the media, but they told us that the homeowner is the father of a 9-year-old boy, and he made the choice he felt necessary to protect his household--a decision that locals say they understand. . . .

Sarasota, Florida homeowner shoots armed man who breaks into home at 6 AM (October 21, 2014):

A father says he was forced to shoot and kill a burglar in order to protect himself and his son Tuesday morning.  The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office said the intruder, identified as Calvin Yoder, broke into their home in the 2100 block of Ernie Shank Court just before 6 a.m.  

Homeowner Christopher Bane called 911 to report the break-in. He said he was home alone with his 11-year-old son when he heard the intruder, so he grabbed his gun and walked out to confront him.   

As he did so, deputies said Yoder fired shots his way. Bane fired back, and during the hallway shootout, Yoder was killed."Apparently the homeowner has been a victim of burglary recently, and so he was on alert. He was on edge," said Sarasota County Sheriff's Spokesperson Wendy Rose. "And as soon as he heard glass breaking, he armed himself to protect himself and his 11-year-old child, who was in the home." . . .

Lumberton, NC grandfather uses gun to stop armed rapist who was attacking teen granddaughter (October 21, 2014):

A grandfather shot back and is believed to have killed a suspect in a home-invasion and attempted rape of his teen granddaughter on Monday night, Robeson County Sheriff's officials said. 

The grandfather was also shot – but  he also managed to shoot the 2 other suspects in the home-invasion and attempted rape, said Maj. Anthony Thompson with the Robeson County Sheriff's Office. 

The incident started around 10 pm at a house on Yedda Road in Lumberton on Monday night when someone knocked on the home of the grandfather, his wife and their 19-year-old granddaughter, according to the sheriff's office. 

Two of three men – all wearing black clothes, ski masks and gloves -- stormed into the house and demanded money, officials said. . . .

Omaha, Nebraska homeowner shoots, kills intruder (September 8, 2014):

 . . . Police were still on the scene in the Woodbridge Neighborhood hours after being called around 9 a.m.Police said the homeowner, Larry Rohatsch, told them he went to answer the front door after someone rang the doorbell and a man was standing inside the home. That’s when the homeowner opened fire, police said.
A neighbor said the intruder kicked in the homeowner’s door. . . .
The homeowner’s 4-year-old daughter was also home at the time of the shooting, police said. . . .
"I think everyone should have a gun and be ready to defend themselves, and if someone's in your house, I think you have every right to defend your home and your loved ones and shoot them if you have to," [neighbor Ann Gray] said.
In the last 6 months, six burglaries have been reported in the neighborhood and the neighborhood just to the west of 78th Street. . . . 

80-year-old homeowner kills intruder and scares off accomplish 

A Long Beach homeowner has no regrets after shooting and killing a woman who said she was pregnant after he got into a confrontation with her and another man who were ransacking his sprawling home.
Tom Greer, an 80-year-old retiree, arrived to his upscale Bixby Knolls neighborhood Tuesday night to find a couple in the middle of a late-night break-in.
"When I went in there, they tackled me," Greer told NBC4 Wednesday. "Both of them jumped up on top of me."The intruders, a man and woman, may have underestimated Greer, he said, as they ransacked his safe and yanked the door open right in front of him.The intruders threw Greer to the ground, but they didn't know he'd gotten his .22-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver. . . .