Lillington, North Carolina

From December 19, 2008 WRAL:

Lillington, N.C. — Harnett County authorities are investigating a shooting that happened late Thursday night during a home invasion in Lillington.

Sheriff Larry Rollins said Derrick Womack, 31, was at home with his wife and stepson around 10 p.m. when four men entered his home at 232 Tacia Drive and tried to rob them.

Womack said he heard banging on the door and that when he opened it, he saw a man pointing a handgun at him.

Womack said he wrestled the gun away from the man and that in the process the gun went off.

He noticed another man on his porch and two others in his yard and with the gun, started shooting. He also said he believed another assailant had a shotgun and might have shot a third assailant.

Rollins would not say how many guns were involved or how many shots were fired. He said Womack did not have a gun.

Womack, who was shot in the hand, was taken to a hospital, treated and later released.

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Deltona, Florida

From December 15, 2008 WFTV channel 9:

DELTONA — Bullets went flying in Deltona early Sunday morning, after the victim of a chaotic home invasion fought back, apparently shooting one of the suspect’s in his groin as he fled the crime scene.

It started just before 1:00am, when three men burst into Julio Blanco’s home on Lackland Drive and forced him, his mother and girlfriend to the ground and robbed them. Volusia County sheriff’s deputies said the suspects pistol-whipped Blanco and grabbed a safe, loaded it into their dark Ford Explorer and took off.

During the escape, the suspects and Blanco started firing shots back and forth in the middle of the neighborhood. The other victims and neighbors called 911 and Sgt. Thomas Dane quickly spotted the vehicle and initiated a pursuit. Deputies said the suspects crashed within two minutes and the vehicle rolled over and came to rest at Ft. Smith Boluevard and Outrigger Drive.

Deputies found four people in the vehicle. Suspected driver, 17-year-old Brandon Prather, was transported by ambulance to Orange City’s Florida Hospital Fish Memorial and released. The passengers, 30-year-old Adam Salgado, and two teen girls were taken into custody for questioning.

A third scene emerged at 1:30am, when deputies received a 911 call reporting a man suffering from a gunshot in a front yard on the 2100 block of Puerto Rico Drive. Deputies identified him as Patrick Lauby, 33, and determined he suffered the gunshot wound during the course of the robbery he was involved in.

Deputies weren’t sure if Lauby accidently shot himself during his escape or if Blanco hit him during the gun fight. Lauby was airlifted by Sheriff’s helicopter to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach.

Deputies questioned all five suspects before determining what charges to file. So far, they’ve charged Prather with home invasion with a firearm, aggravated battery and fleeing and eluding. They believe Prather is the suspect who pistol-whipped Blanco.

As of last check, Lauby was still at Halifax Health Medical Center being treated for his non life-threatening gunshot wound. He is being charged with home invasion and aggravated assault.

Adam Salgado, 30, was also charged with home invasion.

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Walhalla, South Carolina

From December 23, 2008 UpstateToday.com:

WALHALLA — The Oconee County Sheriff’s Department incident report lists Donnie Murphy as the victim, but it appears the suspect arrested for the burglary of Murphy’s house might have gotten the worst end of the deal.

Sheriff’s deputies responded Sunday afternoon to a burglary call at 163 Murphy Drive in Walhalla and learned that Murphy had shot a burglar in the buttocks. Kirby Alan Ridley was later brought into custody on burglary charges at a Ranger Road home in Walhalla and sent to Oconee Medical Center for treatment of his wound.

The report summary states Murphy told officers he was in the bathroom when he heard a noise near his kitchen. He then walked out of the bathroom, retrieved his .22 pistol from his closet, and discovered a man standing in front of his fireplace. After telling the burglar to stop, the subject allegedly reached into his pocket as if to get a gun or weapon and began walking back towards the kitchen, at which point Murphy shot him.

Deputies located Kirby, called an ambulance and followed him to Oconee Medical Center.

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Columbus, Ohio

From the December 23, 2008 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer:

Ludwig Leonard Grudisher, the Columbus man fatally shot Saturday night at a Reese Road home, had been arrested two weeks earlier for firing a gun at the same house.

Columbus police said Grudisher, 52, was hit by a shotgun blast fired by his stepson around 9:45 p.m. Saturday night. He was accused of burglarizing the stepson’s home and then trying to run him down with his truck when he was shot.

Two weeks earlier, police say Grudisher was at the house. An arrest report from Dec. 7 states Grudisher, who lived less than 150 feet from his stepson’s home, fired several shots at the home and then fled in his vehicle.

The stepson saw Grudisher fire at his home, police said. Grudisher was arrested at 6:30 p.m. that day outside Grace Baptist Church. He appeared in Columbus Recorders Court the next day and was given a $10,000 bond.

Grudisher was out on a property bond at the time of his death, court records show.

Police have not filed any charges in the Saturday case, though it will be forwarded to the district attorney’s office.

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Gainesville, Missouri

From December 8, 2008 Springfield, Missouri channel 3:

GAINESVILLE, Mo. — The Ozark County prosecuting attorney says the shooting death of a man from Dora was a case of justifiable homicide. He dropped murder charges against Floyd Russell, 24, who was charged with killing his uncle, Terry Russell, in October.

A coroner’s jury found the death was the result of an ongoing family feud that turned violent with another relative.

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Nashville, Tennessee

From the December 1, 2008 Nashville Tennessean:

A 22-year-old uniformed security guard who was buying gasoline at a Murfreesboro Pike station on Sunday shot and killed a robbery suspect carrying an air gun.

Metro detectives are ruling the death of Jamie L. Sullivan, 37, a justifiable homicide.

Wearing a mask and carrying what appeared to be a pistol, Sullivan entered the Mapco market at 2101 Murfreesboro Pike at 1:45 a.m.

Eric Gordon, 22, was also in the market. Sullivan pointed his pistol at Gordon’s head and threatened to kill him. Sullivan told Gordon to surrender his holstered gun and a struggle ensued. Gordon drew his 9-millimeter weapon and shot Sullivan once in the face. Sullivan died at the scene.

Shortly after, detectives discovered that Sullivan’s gun was a BB pistol that looked like a real gun.

Metro police had charged Sullivan with 146 offenses since June 1989. His last arrest was for trespassing Nov. 20.

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Lincoln County, Nebraska

From December 19, 2008 KSBI channel 52:

Lincoln County, Okla. — A man who was shot is in jail himself. The incident happened Thursday night in Lincoln County.

Sheriff’s deputies say it stems from an incident that happened last week.

Officials say Joshua Starkey broke into the man’s house last week. The homeowner spotted him Thursday night while driving and followed him.

Starkey eventually stopped, got out of the car and started to run. That’s when the homeowner fired the shot at Starkey’s vehicle. Starkey was hit in the shoulder by a fragment. Starkey was arrested shortly after.

The homeowner was not arrested.

Officials say Starkey is responsible for other burglaries in the area and he also had $3,600 in warrants out against him.

A second suspect, Jason Cornett, was arrested last week for allegedly breaking into the home along with Starkey.

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