Armed Ohio citizens fight crime, shoot back

by Chad D. Baus

Law-abiding Ohio citizens continue to exercise their Ohio constitutional "right to bear arms for their defense and security" in incidents around the state.

In Toledo, a clerk and a robbery suspect were both shot in what police call a "robbery gone bad" at a local Stop & Go convenience store. One might be prompted to ask the police - is there ever "a robbery gone good?"

From the article:

It all started around 9:20 p.m. on Saturday. Police say a male suspect tried to hold up a female clerk, both exchanged gunfire, both were struck.

Toledo police say the suspect is dead and the clerk is in serious condition at a local hospital.

"He went in with the intent to rob the place," says Sgt. Bill Wauford with the Toledo Police Department. "Apparently she was able at some point to get a gun, he fired at her, shots exchanged between the two and both of them were struck."

The suspect was transported to a hospital where he died a short time later.

This is the third robbery within a month at this location.

We at Buckeye Firearms Association will be praying for the clerk's quick recovery.

Also in Toledo recently, a homeowner shot an intruder who was breaking into his house.

From the article:

McComb police say they responded to a call of a burglary at a home in the 300 Block of North Todd Street overnight.

When police arrived, the homeowner said someone broke in and he shot at the intruder.

Police say the suspect took off.

Officers spotted someone matching that description.

The person was taken to the hospital for a gunshot wound.

Meanwhile, in Youngstown, a woman shot a man who broke into her house.

From the article:

Police were called to the home about 2:15 a.m. for a burglary in progress, where dispatchers told them they heard a woman scream, a man yell "don't do it, don't do it," and the line then went dead.

First officers at the home said a back window was broken out, and a trash can was propped underneath the window for someone to get in. The 39-year-old woman who lives in the home let police in and said she shot a man who was upstairs. She handed one of the officers a .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun and told the officer it was the gun she had used.

Officers found Calvin Moore Jr., 41, in a hallway with gunshot wounds to his leg and stomach next to a door he had tried to kick in, reports said. There were two .40-caliber shell casings next to him, and in another room, officers found a .40-caliber Glock semiautomatic handgun in a clothes basket.

There also was a car in the back of the home that had a rear window shot out, reports said.

Moore was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center, where he was listed in stable condition.

Under Ohio's Castle Doctrine law, which took effect in 2008, if someone unlawfully enters or attempts to enter the owner's occupied home or temporary habitation, or occupied car, citizens have an initial presumption that they may act in self defense.

Further south, in southern Ohio's Coal Grove, a homeowner reported that a man was breaking into his storage building.

From the article:

"This has been going on a while," said David Connelly, a lifelong resident. "A lot of people anymore carry conceal carry permits. They're tired of people breaking into people's houses."

Kathy Hapney owns an apartment building and barber shop just down the street and she agrees.

"'There comes a point where a homeowner has to protect your property and yourself," Hapney said. "The next time somebody in the neighborhood decides they're going to go into a home or break into someone's garage, maybe they should think twice, because it may cost them their life."

Brandon Danner, 18, of Coal Grove, was shot four times early Wednesday morning in the 600 block of Washington Street.
He was listed in critical condition at Cabell Huntington Hospital.

Lawrence County Sheriff Jeff Lawless says the homeowner felt threatened and is claiming self defense.

"The homeowner claims he tried to hold the suspect there, when the suspect then told the homeowner he had a knife and then lunged towards him," Lawless said.

The homeowner has not been charged.

And finally, in Cincinnati, the victim of a home invasion robbery in Kennedy Heights used a gun in defense against his tattoo-faced intruder, according to emergency dispatchers.

If gun ban extremists had their way, of course, only the criminals mentioned in these incidents would have been armed, and the outcomes would have been far different.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chairman.