The Armed Citizen® July 22, 2024

Armed Citizen® Today

Two suspects are in custody, with one suffering minor injuries, after attempting a burglary in Surprise, Ariz., which was thwarted by an armed homeowner.

Police responded to reports of a break-in early in the morning on Monday, April 22. A follow-up 911 call noted that the homeowner had fired shots at the alleged intruders, and then a third call came in separately about a person who was found with a gunshot wound a short distance from the house.

The suspects told officers that they knew the homeowner and had come for a visit, but an investigation revealed evidence that the teenagers were trying to burglarize the home. The 19-year-old suspect wounded by the homeowner's gunfire was booked on charges of first-degree burglary, theft and misconduct involving weapons. The second unidentified suspect was booked on one count of second-degree burglary.

Court documents revealed that, later, both suspects admitted that they attempted to steal $30,000 in cash from the victim's safe. (Arizona's Family; Surprise, Ariz.; 4/24/24)

From the Armed Citizen® Archives – October 1977

When a convicted murderer who had escaped from a South Carolina prison entered his Fayetteville, N.C., store and demanded money, M.T. Westerfield pulled a .38-cal. revolver instead. The store owner and armed robber shot it out, and the felon was killed. (The State; Columbia, S.C.)