[Janq]

The title above is a very common question...

As there is no CCW area in specific here at Gunatics and I do in my travels at ABCNews and my local paper come across stories of as much I figure I'll just create a general purpose thread to answer just such a question through the use of news reports.
This thread is not intended to be a source of dialog or debate toward the pros & cons of as much nor a means to attack persons who might be left or right handed if not centered.
I'm not going to add my own commentary to each post. There will be nothing but a statement of news exactly as reported using the exact same title assigned by the writer and I'll provide a link to the source as well, just the same as I have been doing for ages now at NASIOC/OT.

Read these and form your own judgements and with any luck they might provide those who wonder why it is some of us non law enforcement and/or non military persons just might want to keep a gun in our homes and/or on our persons while out in the world doing whate ever we might do otherwise do within the letter of the law town, state and federal too.

This is a preface toward news to come...

- Janq

 

[Janq]

"Mugged in Chicago"

The following is a first person account of a victim who was mugged last April.
Items taken were her cellphone, debit card and drivers license:

Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Mugged in Chicago
(Some photos may be disturbing.)

Well, it happened. I was mugged.

After four and a half years in Chicago, and several late night walks, bus rides, cab rides, I suppose I thought I was immune to the potential dangers of a large city. Plus I have that Pollyanna silver lining "everybody likes me" mentality that refuses to believe that someone would actually, intentionally, hurt me.

Boy, was I wrong.

Last Saturday I went to a friend's birthday party at a bar at Diversey and Ashland. Since many of my friends are in the restaurant industry it didn't start until 11pm and lasted until 2am.

I left shortly after 2am to catch a cab back home. Alone. Yes, I know, that was my first mistake. My second was that I'm impatient. I don't like standing around waiting for a cab. So instead of going back into the bar and calling for one, or waiting in front of the bar, I started walking down Diversey.

Now don't for one second think that I am blaming myself in any way, shape, or form for what happened that evening. The fact that I was a woman walking alone on a Chicago street late at night did not justify the brutality that ensued.

Much of it's a blur. I vaguely remember someone approaching me from behind. I know I was hit and kicked in the face. I scrambled frantically for my belongings; I ran into the street. I screamed "help me, help me" over and over in the rain while cars drove by and I cried and waved my arms and desperately begged for help. Finally, someone stopped and asked me if I wanted to be taken to the hospital. I told him no, the police station. He drove me there. I took a picture of myself in the lobby, but since there was blood running down my face I've been advised not to post it. The police took my statement, swabbed under my fingernails, and called an ambulance.

They took me to Illinois Masonic Hospital, where they cut off my shirt because they couldn't lift it over my head. I stayed in the emergency room for hours while they asked me what happened, performed two cat scans because I couldn't lay still during the first one, kept me isolated in a neck brace and had a detective question me. Finally I was admitted to a room.

I say finally, but anyone who's ever been in an emergency room or even watches E. R. knows that a visit is an exercise in patience. Because I was the victim of a violent crime and had been hit in the head they were extremely cautious. I had a neck brace until about 9 the following night until they could be positive I had no broken bones.

My injuries were concentrated in my face. Concentrated is putting it politely, because the only other injuries I received were a defensive wound on my left arm and a couple of scratches on my hand. But my face - both eyes were swollen, my right jawbone was swollen, my lip was bruised, and there was blood around my nose and ears. My face is unrecognizable.

The next two days I spent in various states of sleep. Friends visited; I annoyed the nurses with my frequent requests for ice bags. For 24 hours I couldn't eat or drink anything, but morphine does an excellent job of dulling the need for nourishment. (I am NOT a fan of morphine. I don't understand how anyone can do that recreationally. It seeps into your bloodstream and immediately sends you to the land of Morpheus - and you want to stay there.)

When I started packing my things up Monday night I noticed that the metal clasp on my purse was broken in half. I said "Yes" because I knew that I had fought my assailant.

That may not have been the smartest thing to do. A friend of mine asked me why in the world I fought back. Initially I joked by saying "I'm Irish, a redhead, and a Taurus." Then I explained that I had seriously thought about my response and my pride in it. I've always wondered how I would react if I were ever attacked. I'm proud that I didn't act the helpless victim. I would rather look at my bruised face in the mirror and know that I stood up for myself than meekly let some stranger abuse me and walk away. When I explained that, he said "I get it."

There's very little chance that my attacker will be caught. I didn't get a good look at him, and like I said, what happened is a blur. I was hit in the head a few times.

Incredibly, he missed the digital camera, the MP3 player, and the $20 in cash. Instead he took my cell phone (which was found on the street the next day and returned by a good samaritan), my drivers license and my debit card. The detective implied that it wasn't just a robbery since he didn't take much of value and the damage was only inflicted to my face...

The full story as told first person by the victim can be found at http://www.thelocaltourist.com/articles/muggedinchicago.htm

- Janq

 

[Janq]

'Don't Let a Random Person Into Your Building'

Be warned this is a video of a real crime being committed including a murder.
This may be disturbing for some viewers psyche as well as NWS.
http://www.nopers.com/video/519/dont_let_a_random_person_into_your_building

- Janq

 

[jamz]

Let's put this to a vote!

http://www.gunatics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7347#7347

I don't think these posts are OT at all, but rather very much on topic.

Meanwhile, Bruce, could you sticky this?

And Janq, would you want to copy n paste your other SD posts here in this thread? I'd do it but I can't merge threads.

 

[Janq]

...And Janq, would you want to copy n paste your other SD posts here in this thread? I'd do it but I can't merge threads.

I'll do it though it would take me some time to pull it off proper.

- Janq

 

[jamz]

From http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006606160325

A gunman entered Action Pawn in the heart of downtown Easley on Thursday afternoon, killed the owner and shot at his wife, police said.

Owner John Bruin, 65, of 204 Shefwood Drive was fatally wounded around 1:40 p.m. Two shots were fired at his wife, Betty Bruin, who escaped unharmed, locked herself in the shop's walk-in vault and called authorities.

"He was a wonderful man, a great husband, a loving father," said Renee Clark, Bruin's niece. "He was known by everyone as being the sweet old man."

Easley police Maj. Tim Tollison said a white male entered the store, fired shots and began putting merchandise into a black bag.

Easley police released images from the store's surveillance video and said a man in the images is a suspect in the case. Officers described him as between 24 and 28 years old, with a large tattoo of a cross on his left arm. Tollison said he was wearing a white polo-style shirt and dark pants, possibly jeans.

Police believe the same man stopped at another shop in the area, according to Tollison, before heading to Action Pawn.

"This guy is just calm, cool and collected," Tollison said. "He talked to him (John), laughed with him, and then he just pulled out a gun and shot him."

Tollison said he is armed and dangerous and may be traveling in a white four-door sedan.

Once authorities arrived on the scene, Bruin was taken to Greenville Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to Kandy Kelley, Pickens County chief deputy coroner.

An autopsy will be performed today, Kelley said. The Coroner's Office said it is releasing no other information until it gets the final autopsy results, which will take about four to six weeks.

Patti Brock, a frequent customer, said, "I just can't believe it. They're good people. This was our favorite pawnshop."

Kristi Clark, who lives near the pawnshop, said, "I'm shocked, upset, saddened. ... They were very nice people. When I first moved here and didn't have a phone, they would let me use theirs."

Donna Earle isn't used to things like this happening in her town.

"That's scary. ... That's close to my house," Earle said. "I just think that's terrible, and I'm pretty sure everybody else will, because that's just too close to home."

The Police Department is investigating the case along with the Pickens County Sheriff's Office.

then, http://www.greenvilleonline.com/app...0620/NEWS01/606200343&SearchID=73248257950932

The Easley Police Department is working with authorities in Montreal to return to South Carolina a former Wren High School student charged in the slaying of a pawnshop owner.

The Montreal Police Department's SWAT team arrested Roger Eugene Shephard, 21, on Saturday without incident, according to officer Miguel Alston.

He said several weapons, a bulletproof vest and a gas mask were found in the white Chevrolet Cobalt that Shephard was driving.

Shephard was charged in the slaying of John Bruin, 65, who was killed Thursday afternoon during an armed robbery at Action Pawn in downtown Easley. Two shots fired at Bruin's wife, Betty, missed.

"This man right now is detained in Montreal with the immigration law. We are waiting for the extradition to the United States," Alston said.

Easley police and the 13th Circuit Solicitor's Office are researching the best way to get Shephard back either through deportation or extradition.

"Since this is another country, we have to go through different channels," said Easley police Maj. Tim Tollison.

"Right now, the Solicitor's Office is going through the Department of Justice to ... bring Mr. Shephard back to South Carolina. The process is ongoing as we speak. There's no indication on how long it's going to take."

When Shephard returns to South Carolina, he will be served with warrants and go before a judge for a bond hearing, Tollison said.

Police have charged Shephard with murder, armed robbery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime and assault with intent to kill, according to warrants. Shephard's address was listed on warrants as 140 Turkey Trot Road, Williamston.

"We're not educated in this process because we've never had to do it before," Easley Police Chief Danny Traber said. "We're just feeling our way through it and speaking with the contacts that we know to get in touch with. I'm sure that we'll get him back ... the sooner the better."