Jax's Florida Self-Defense Log

[JaxChris]

I'm making this thread as a place to chronical self-defense cases within Florida that involved firearms.

My point for this thread is for people like my girlfriend, and the wives/girlfriends/loved ones of others, to see how having a weapon can save your life. And for people to see that those who carry or own firearms are everyday people that were smart enough to have the means to protect themselves instead of allowing themself to just be another victim. They're not vigillante's, wacko's, or disturbed just because they believe in lawful firearm ownership.

There has been plenty of stories in the past, but I will only post stories from this week and onward. Anything in the past I will leave in the past, or else I would be adding to this thread for a year.

If you find a story in Florida you'd like added, send me a PM to the TV/newspaper story and I'll add it.

Be safe,
-Jax

[JaxChris]

Date: 10/12/09

Link: Click Here (http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local/story/Polk-man-shoots-shotgun-wielding-robber/Z-7OcNbsSU6mhcyxpu8WKA.cspx)

Story: Polk man shoots shotgun-wielding robber

The Polk County Sheriff's Office says the victim of a would-be armed robbery shot one of his attackers on Sunday.

Johnny Preston told deputies he was in the front yard of his Lakeland home preparing his cargo van for work around 6 p.m. He spotted two men in a red 4-door Mazda driving by slowly, staring at him.

Preston became suspicious and retrieved his .38 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver from inside the van and wrote down the Mazda's vehicle tag number.

He went back to preparing his van. Moments later, he looked up and was staring down the barrel of a shotgun. The two men, who were wearing t-shirts over their faces, demanded his wallet.

Preston said he pushed the barrel of the shotgun away with one hand and fired his handgun with the other, hitting the armed suspect in the torso.

The suspect, identified as Michael Darnell Richardson of Lakeland, drove himself to Plant City Hospital where he was treated and arrested.

The other other suspect, identified as Mario Ford of Plant City, fled on foot, and was found hiding under a parked car.

Preston was not injured.

[JaxChris]

Date: 10/13/09

Link: Click Here (http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/oct/12/bear-shot-after-it-tries-break-lee-county-home/)

Story: Bear shot at after it tries to break into Lee County home

A bear was shot at by a Buckingham man Sunday night after the critter tried to get inside his house three times, state wildlife authorities said.

The bear tried first to go in a back door and left. It then tried the garage, left the area and came back again at the front door, said Gary Morse, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman. Each time, the family called 911 during the events that took place between 9 and 9:30 p.m.

Fish and Wildlife Lt. Michael Frantz filed a report stating that the man, who lives in the 6100 block of Higgins Boulevard, fired three rounds at the bear, which fled into the woods.

No trace of the bear has been found. Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies and wildlife officials could not find a blood trail and do not believe the bear was shot. The man does not face criminal charges for firing at the bear, Morse said.

The bear, estimated to be about 6 feet and weighing roughly 200 pounds, may be the same bear seen trying to get into a Fort Myers Shores house and Dumpster diving in the area. And it could be the same bear that was spotted eating pet food near a farm in North Fort Myers recently.

“The problem is going to get worse unless the community at-large secures garbage,” Morse said.

Some ways to reduce human-bear encounters is to use bungee cords to secure trash can lids, or keep garbage cans inside a shed or fenced-in area. Wildlife officials say pet food should never be kept outside and that bird feeders need to be placed in an area where bears cannot reach. Bear-resistant containers also are available.

If anyone sees a bear Dumpster diving, getting into trash or showing aggressive behavior, call the wildlife alert hotline at 800-404-FWCC

[JaxChris]

Date: 10/14/09

Link: Click Here (http://www.wftv.com/news/21291262/detail.html)

Story: Homeowner shoots two burglars, killing one

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- An Orange County man caught two burglars breaking into his house, so he pulled out his gun and shot them both Tuesday night. One of the burglars was killed and the other is in critical condition.

The deceased burglar was identified as 17-year-old Brandon Martinez. Deputies say the owner of the house on Rubens Court won't be arrested. They say he did nothing wrong.

The homeowner, along with his brother and son, had just gotten home from work when he confronted the burglars Tuesday night. They had already ransacked his house and even tried to get into a safe. Anthony Julien, 50, insists he had no choice but to take action.

“The way I look at it is like they invade my privacy and I was scared when I come in, so I defended, you know, my property,” he said.

Julien took Eyewitness News step-by-step on what happened when he confronted the two burglars in his house.“I come in. I look to my left, one this way, one here. I had my gun like this and he was there, so I come in like that. When I come in, he run this way and he point his gun at me, then I go down and I 'pow,'" Julien described. “I keep on walking to him, walking to him, walking to him, he get up and I 'pow’ and I leave him."

Julien then focused on a second man in another bedroom.

“He run up from here, coming out to me, when come out, ’Pow!’ He fell to the ground there,” Julien said.

When Julien went outside to call 911, somehow one of the suspects was able to run away, but he didn't get far. Jonathan Rodriguez, 25, collapsed in the driveway of a home one street behind Julien's house.

Rodriguez was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center and was treated for at least one gunshot wound. It doesn't appear that Martinez or Rodriguez had serious criminal records.

Anthony Julien drives an ice cream truck for a living and says he's always keeps a gun with him for protection.

[JaxChris]

Date: 10/24/09

Link: Click Here (http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2009/10/24/what_led_to_shooting_that_killed_1_hurt_3.html?cid =rss)

Story: Resident kills intruder

GOLDENROD -- A home invasion ended with one of the suspects dead and several others injured early Saturday morning.

Seminole County deputies said two men returned to a home on Fernbrook Way, when witnesses said the two were confronted by armed suspects who forced their way inside and opened fire.

That, deputies said, was when one of the victims grabbed a gun and started shooting back.

When deputies arrived, they found Maurice Thomas collapsed in the street. He was rushed to Orlando Regional Medical Center, but he did not survive.

Three other people were shot, but officials said they were expected to be OK.

A second suspect was found in a nearby wooded area, and faces charges.

Officials said, Mack Brooks, one of the victims found in the home, was also shot during a previous home invasion in Orange County.

[JaxChris]

Date: 10/27/09

Link: Click Here (http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20091027/ARTICLE/910271041)

Story: Botched home invasion, intruder shot

PORT CHARLOTTE - Two men, armed with a knife and a tire iron, reportedly forced their way inside a Port Charlotte home Saturday night, only to find the occupants had guns.

The botched home invasion robbery ended quickly when one of the suspects sustained a nonfatal gunshot wound to the stomach, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities have arrested one man and intend to charge the other upon his release from a Fort Myers-area hospital in connection to the attempted robbery at the 21000 block of Beaverton Avenue.

The incident occurred around 10 p.m. at the home of Peter L. Gilmore, 69, and his 25-year-old son, James S. McGlone.

Two men, later identified as Keith Sowers, 32, of Punta Gorda, and Port Charlotte resident Joshua Eugene Becerril, 29, wearing stockings over their faces, kicked open the front door, deputies said.

Becerril reportedly held Gilmore at knifepoint. McGlone ran into his father's bedroom, where Gilmore kept several guns, and was chased by Sowers, toting a tire iron.

Sowers allegedly hit McGlone over the head with the tire iron before being shot in the stomach.

[JaxChris]

Date: 10/28/09

Link: Click Here (http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/criminal/stand-your-ground-law-clears-pasco-man-who-shot-neighbor/1047435)

Story: "Stand Your Ground" stands up in court

NEW PORT RICHEY — Under Florida's "stand your ground" law, a jury this week acquitted a Hudson man who shot his neighbor.

Anthony Boglino of 18252 Thomas Blvd. was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and faced 25 years to life in prison if convicted, said his defense attorney, Chris Frey.

Authorities said Boglino, 64, fired one shot at his neighbor, Haigh Frank Kopoain, late on May 13, 2008. Both men were in the yard of another neighbor when they got into an argument.

Boglino testified that he felt threatened when Kopoain, then 36, became angry, charged at him and yelled at him to leave the property, Frey said. Boglino has arthritis in his hands and couldn't defend himself.

Boglino pulled a 22-caliber revolver from his pocket to protect himself, Frey said. When Kopoain charged again, Boglino fired at his abdomen.

[JaxChris]

Date: 11/04/09

Link: Click Here (http://www.wftv.com/news/21505651/detail.html)

Story: Robber shot at with own gun

The hotel's security camera caught the clerk in action, facing down an armed robber.

Just before midnight, a man with a black t-shirt over his face pulled a pistol and demanded cash. But less than 20 seconds into the holdup, the clerk grabbed the bandit's gun and shot at him. He missed and the suspect got away with the money, but police say he left behind plenty of evidence.