========================================================================== Story confirmed with Lori Basheda on June 02 at about 4:00p. Sheriff was not in office to confirm. Sender: self-defense-owner@shell.portal.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: Followup-To: self-defense-editors@shell.portal.com Date: May 31, 1995 Time: 2:00 in the afternoon Location: Corona, California, in Riverside County, USA Area Code: 909-737-1313 Lori Basheda Riverside Press-Enterprise 909-275-2438 Riverside County Sheriff Mark Lohman Where I saw it: Riverside Press-Enterprise, June 2, 1995 section B, page 4, article headline: "Man shot, killed after kicking in door of house" by Lori Basheda. What happened: "The man who was found dead Wednesday in a State Street flower planter was allegedly killed by a 'female acquaintance' after he broke into her house, police said yesterday. The woman has not been arrested. 'Circumstances indicate this is a justifiable homicide,' Riverside County Sheriff's Sgt. Tom Koehler said. 'However, the investigation is continuing.' John Gray, 30 was shot at least twice after he purportedly kicked in the door of the woman's home in the 19000 block of Dry Gulch just outside of the Corona City limits. Koehler declined to identify the woman. 'It could jeopardize her life,' he said. Gray's sister, Cheri Pierce, said the alleged shooter was her brother's estranged girlfriend." (Lame quote by sister deleted) "After he was shot at about 2pm, Gray apparently stumbled several blocks to the 2600 block of State Street, slumped into a flower planter in someone's front yard, and died." (Lame quote by sister and lame background on dead guy deleted) "Pierce said she never met her brother's girlfriend, but did not condemn the woman for allegedly firing the shots." (Lame quote deleted) "Koehler said police are still investigating Gray's alleged motive for what he called the 'home invasion.' He would not comment on whether Gray had been armed." (END STORY) ========================================================================== 8 June 1995 - Indianapolis, IN Sender: self-defense-owner@shell.portal.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: Followup-To: self-defense-editors@shell.portal.com CARJACKING FOILED - CARJACKER SHOT Daniel Esparza, 19, allegedly tried to carjack Charles Ward's Chevy Blazer, injuring him -- the Indiana News reports this to have been a gunshot wound, Marion County Sherriff's Dept. does not verify or deny the type of injury. Ward, who has a Personal Protection Permit, was lawfully carrying a gun and shot Esparza, foiling the carjacking. This occurred at Stop 11 Road and Madison Ave., in far-Southside Indianapolis, IN, at 12:05 a.m. on Thursday, 8 June 1995. Shortly after the attempt, Ward flagged down a Marion County sherriff's deputy for help. While being treated at Wilshard Hospital, Ward reported that he believed he had shot the carjacker. Investigators found Esparza's body in the 7700 block of Southfield Drive. Two other suspects in the carjacking have not yet been charged (as of 9:30 a.m. Central time). Information in this report is from the Indianapolis NEWS (afternoon, 8 June, page B8); additional info from Marion County Sherriff's Dept., Deputy Chief Hoak. Sherriff's Dept. main number is (317) 633-5181. Indianapolis News' main office is (317) 633-1240. - end - ========================================================================== BRIEF DETAILS: A man named Schalk broke into the home of a 61 year old retired Coast Guard officer named Scarratt. Schalk was armed with a knife and would not drop it when ordered to do so by Scarratt. Scarratt dialed 911 and waited for police to arrive, but before they did Schalk "jumped" at him and Scarratt shot him twice. Schalk underwent six hours of surgery. Schalk had been convicted in 1990 of first-degree manslaughter, but he was released last August after serving just four years of a 15 year sentence. He was also accused of murder in the May 1988 stabbing death of another man in Portland, and had an outstanding warrant on him for parole violation when he committed this latest crime. COMMENTS: Here's another case of letting a known criminal back on the streets. Our revolving-door justice system put this guy back into business even though they KNEW he had a history of violence. What would have happened if Scarratt had not been armed with a firearm? What if he had just dialed 911 and waited around for the police to arrive? Please be sure to call your local newspapers and TV/radio stations and ask them when they'll be running this story. Let's improve coverage of the POSITIVE effects of firearms... and the negative effects of our revolving- door justice system. Richard L. Hartman Spokane WA USA ========================================================================== Sender: self-defense-owner@shell.portal.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: Followup-To: self-defense-editors@shell.portal.com WHAT: Man defends himself with 38 revolver WHEN: Monday, 12 June 1995 WHERE: Hillsboro, Oregon APPEARED: "The Oregonian" newspaper out of Portland, Oregon CONFIRMED: By calling the newspaper at 503-221-8327; reporter was Richard Colby of The Oregonian. BRIEF DETAILS: A man named Schalk broke into the home of a 61 year old retired Coast Guard officer named Scarratt. Schalk was armed with a knife and would not drop it when ordered to do so by Scarratt. Scarratt dialed 911 and waited for police to arrive, but before they did Schalk "jumped" at him and Scarratt shot him twice. Schalk underwent six hours of surgery. Schalk had been convicted in 1990 of first-degree manslaughter, but he was released last August after serving just four years of a 15 year sentence. He was also accused of murder in the May 1988 stabbing death of another man in Portland, and had an outstanding warrant on him for parole violation when he committed this latest crime. COMMENTS: Here's another case of letting a known criminal back on the streets. Our revolving-door justice system put this guy back into business even though they KNEW he had a history of violence. What would have happened if Scarratt had not been armed with a firearm? What if he had just dialed 911 and waited around for the police to arrive? Please be sure to call your local newspapers and TV/radio stations and ask them when they'll be running this story. Richard L. Hartman Spokane WA USA ========================================================================== <<<<< CROSS-POST FREELY >>>>> Sender: self-defense-owner@shell.portal.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: Followup-To: self-defense-editors@shell.portal.com I've been researching the inner workings of the media in an attempt to understand how we can improve coverage of self-defense incidents. The example I've been using, when talking to various people in the business, is the three carjackings reported to SDN in the four day period from Friday through Monday. In two cases, the criminal was successfully fended off with a firearm by the victim. In the third case, the driver was shot in the back and killed. Guess which story got national coverage. Guess which two got NO coverage, other than on SDN. I've discussed this with ABC, CBS, NBC, and the Associated Press. I've asked them why their central editorial staffs chose to cover only the negative story. Even by random chance, they had 2:1 odds of covering one of the "good" stories - but they didn't. Why not? What's the name of the man or woman who is making these choices? Here's what I learned, and what we need to do about it. First of all, it's important to understand that the various nationwide news organizations don't keep crews in every city across the country. When we see video of a shooting in Spokane, for example, it was taken by the local network affiliate station and most likely used for their local news. The local station then has the OPTION of uplinking it for use by other network affiliates. So the story can die, right there in your home town, if your local station does not feel it is "interesting" enough. That's the first barrier to nationwide coverage. Once the info has been uplinked, it must make it through the network's syndication group. In the case of ABC (who gave me the most information), they have seven regional editors who scan that day's material for interesting stories. These seven people have a conference call mid-day to decide what each will make available for nationwide use. If enough of these editors are interested in the story, it is made available. If not, it dies. (This "regional screening level" is different for each organization. While ABC has seven regions as described above, the Associated Press has fifty - there's a separate editor in each state.) Assuming the data makes it through the regional editors, it is then available for use by any of the network's affiliates and members nationwide. However, this is not a guarantee of coverage: It is still the local station's, or newspaper's, option to use the material or not. I had hoped that polite but firm pressure on the corporate headquarters of ABC, AP, etc. would improve coverage of self-defense incidents. Unfortunately, it appears that their "decision mechanism" is spread out enough that there's no one, single spot where that pressure can be applied. Bottom line: This is a war that we must fight locally. When you receive an SDN incident report, you need to call your local newspapers and radio/TV stations and get a few friends to do the same. They may be the only ones with on-the-scene data and video... so we have to convince them it's interesting enough to put "on the wire." If we can convince our local media that *every* self-defense incident is interesting enough to put "on the wire," eventually the next layer of editors will see a trend. With that many reports coming in on a regular basis, there must be some interest, right? And they'll start passing them on to the network feed. That will make local stories available nationally. And since we will have ALREADY convinced our local media that we want coverage of self-defense, they'll start playing those stories from other communities, too. We'll have come full circle - and finally have some balance in the media. This will take some time, folks. We won't see change overnight. But it's a vital part of our right to preserve RKBA. We need to reach voters at every level, including those who don't even own firearms. We must keep working at it, and make those calls to our local media EVERY TIME we hear of a self-defense incident. Thanks for your efforts toward preserving the Second Amendment. Richard L. Hartman Spokane WA USA ========================================================================== Sender: self-defense-owner@shell.portal.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: Followup-To: self-defense-editors@shell.portal.com WHAT: Elderly Man Fends Off Fugitive WHEN: Sunday, June 11, 1995 WHERE: Fresno, California REPORTED: Fresno Bee Newspaper CONFIRMED: Mr. Royal Calkins at Fresno Bee, 209-441-6111 DETAILS: 67 year old Earl Tiller used two handguns to defend himself and his wife from one of Sacramento's most wanted, Robert Byron Rutledge, age 32. Rutledge dove through the bedroom window and began wrestling with Tiller, who retrieved a Derringer-style handgun. As Rutledge managed to wrestle the handgun away, Tiller's wife tried to escape by running down the hall. Rutledge gave chase, caught the wife, and dragged her back into the bedroom. During this time, the Tiller retreived a SECOND handgun, a .380 caliber semiautomatic. After Rutledge threw the wife on the bed, the Tiller opened fire on and hit Rutledge twice. Rutledge ran into the bathroom momentarily; upon exiting, Tiller shot him twice more as he made his escape. Rutledge was shot a total of four times, in the chest, knee, hand, and elbow. Rutledge sought medical treatment in Los Banos, and claimed to be the victim of a drive-by shooting. He was transferred to a Modesto hospital where Fresno investigators questioned and arrested him. Officials stated that Rutledge was wanted for at least 15 home invasion robberies throughout Northern Calif. His large number of crimes - and their violence - had made him the subject of a Crime Watch Alert, but police had so far been unable to find him. Sacramento authorities said his crimes included the "vicious beatings" of an 83 year old man, a 78 year old man, and a 53 year old woman during robberies earlier this year. Rutledge spent six years in prison and was parolled in December 1994. Apparently he returned immediately to his criminal career. He has been charged with robbery for this most recent break-in. COMMENTS: Yet another case where innocent citizens were protected by personal firearms against a convicted, career criminal. What if Tiller had not had a handgun? What if he had not had a SECOND handgun? Rutledge's 83 year old, 78 year old, and 53 year old victims already know the answer. And they probably have an opinion regarding early parole for convicted criminals, too. Be sure to call your local newspaper and radio/TV stations about this story! Richard L. Hartman Spokane WA USA ========================================================================== Sender: self-defense-owner@shell.portal.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: Followup-To: self-defense-editors@shell.portal.com WHAT: Woman Defends Herself with Revolver WHEN: Wednesday, 14 June 1995 WHERE: Detroit, Michigan APPEARED: Ann Arbor News, Detroit Free Press, AP Michigan State Newswire CONFIRMED: Scott at Detroit Free Press City Desk, 313-222-6600 Detroit Police Department, 313-596-2200 BRIEF DETAILS Sheila Cole, owner of a hair salon, was attacked as she was headed to the bank to deposit roughly $1000 in receipts. When the 24-year-old criminal tugged at her purse, it ripped open - and her .38 caliber revolver fell to the ground. Cole grabbed the handgun and shot the criminal twice; onlookers then "beat and kicked" him until police arrived. He was charged with robbery and is still in police custody. Cole was questioned and released without being charged. Police retained her revolver as evidence; Cole immediately purchased a replacement. "People have got to get tough with this stuff," Cole said. "All those years I've had the gun, I never, ever thought I'd shoot somebody." But, she continued, "I'd do it again. You bet I would. I'm glad I stopped him. He'll not do that again to someone else. "My advice is 'Don't be afraid to protect yourself.'" COMMENTS Another case of a woman protecting herself with a handgun. The fact that she was able to "immediately" purchase a replacement handgun indicates that she has a Michigan Concealed Weapons permit (which waives the Brady Act's waiting period). But what if she had not been prepared? What if this had been Washington DC or New York City? What if Michigan had not been "willing" to issue her a permit? In Washington DC or New York City, where handguns supposedly don't exist, this would have been just another victim injured - or worse - while the criminal roamed free to attack others. Instead, it's a Detroit success story where a private citizen used her handgun to defend herself and help the police take the criminal off the streets. ========================================================================== Sender: self-defense-owner@shell.portal.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: Followup-To: self-defense-editors@shell.portal.com WHAT: Man Uses Gun to Defend Family WHEN: Wednesday, 14 July 1995 WHERE: Elgin, Illinois APPEARED: Daily Herald, Arlington Heights, IL, 708-870-3600 CONFIRMED: Elgin Police Department, 708-931-6000 BRIEF DETAILS George Kelly, 33, successfully used a 9mm handgun to defend his pregnant wife and 7 year old daughter from a knife-wielding convicted criminal. Joe Lewis, a criminal whose record included several convictions for burglary and one for indecent liberties with a child, crept into the Kelly home and waited in the shower with a butcher knife. When Kelly found Lewis in the shower, the criminal began lunging at Kelly with the knife. Lewis slashed Kelly across the left elbow, delivering a wound that later required 16 stitches to close. Kelly fired his handgun at Lewis and struck him in the chest. The shot didn't seem to immediately affect Lewis, however, Kelly ran out the back door of his home hoping to attract Lewis away from his daughter Natalie and his wife Tricia, who is five months pregnant. Apparently, however, the criminal was more interested in the wife and daughter. When Kelly got around to the front of the house, he could see Lewis inside, leaning against a wall for support and threatening Tricia. Kelly burst through the door and tackled Lewis, then ran upstairs to gather his family. Lewis barricaded himself in the first-floor nursery, where Elgin police found him when they finally arrived. He was transported to a nearby hospital where he died from his wounds. Elgin police Lt. Scott Davis said the father, Kelly, will not be charged. Davis said it was what police classify as a justifiable homicide. COMMENTS Another convicted criminal - loose on the streets - arms himself with a butcher knife and breaks into the home of a young, pregnant mother and her 7-year-old little girl. Why was he waiting in the shower? What did he plan to do? Even more important, what would the father have done without a handgun? Sarah Brady wants to take handguns away from families like the Kellys. Imagine how this story would have been different if the father had been unarmed. As it was, he received a gash that took 16 stitches to close. What if the criminal's butcher knife had been the only weapon? With the father out of the way, what would this convicted child molester have done? What would have happened to the pregnant mother and her little girl? ========================================================================== Sender: self-defense-owner@shell.portal.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: Followup-To: self-defense-editors@shell.portal.com WHAT: Man Uses Pistol Against Armed Intruder WHEN: Wednesday, 28 June 1995 WHERE: Spokane, Washington APPEARED: Spokane Spokesman-Review, various local TV stations CONFIRMED: Lt. Wiyrick, Spokane Sheriff's Dept, 509-458-6612 BRIEF DETAILS Convinced he'd catch his wife in bed with another man, 34-year-old Sam "Skip" Elsom burst into an apartment just after midnight Wednesday with a camera, a baseball bat, and a handgun. Elsom pushed his way into Stan Parker's two-bedroom apartment, flung open a bedroom door, snapped one photograph, and raised the bat into the air. Elsom then began firing his 45 caliber pistol, hitting Parker twice in the hands and once in the leg. Parker, who collects firearms and knives as a hobby, returned fire with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun. He struck Elsom in the chest several times, causing Elsom to break off the attack and flee out of the apartment. Once outside, Elsom fell to the sidewalk and later died. Detectives reported that Elsom's wife works for a local electrical contracting firm which Parker manages. However, no evidence of romantic involvement was reported. Parker was sleeping alone in his bedroom when Elsom began his assault. Parker was listed in stable condition at a local hospital. He was not arrested and no charges have been filed against him. COMMENTS A man picks the wrong house? A crazed husband imagines a love affair that doesn't exist? How are law-abiding citizens to defend themselves against such threats? Even if the criminal had left the gun behind, and only brought the baseball bat... a sleeping man awakened at 12:30am takes a few seconds to gain his composure. And a baseball bat can be just as deadly as a gun. If the victim had not owned a handgun, the criminal would have had no reason to stop assaulting him. When asked if the victim was to be charged in the shooting, a member of the sheriff's department put it this way: "Not unless the autopsy shows something unexpected. If someone breaks into your house and threatens your life, don't ask if you have the right to use lethal force to defend yourself. YOU DO." ==========================================================================