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Article Archive
Tale of Two Cities: Detroit woman kills attacker; Akron home invasion spree
Submitted by cbaus on Wed, 04/14/2004 - 15:33.April 14, 2004
Detroit Free Press
A woman shot an armed man to death Tuesday after he attacked her as she was entering her east-side Detroit home, police said.
The woman, who owns a car dealership, was at the side door of her home in the 15200 block of Troester at 7:45 p.m. when a man ran up behind her brandishing a nickel-plated handgun, Officer Derek Jones said.
"He said, 'I got you,"' Jones said.
She tried to shut her screen door, but he pulled it open and began shoving her into the house, police said. As they struggled, she pulled a handgun from her purse and fired about five shots, Jones said.
The man fell to the ground between the door and the driveway.
Jones said the man was 42 years old and had a criminal record for breaking and entering homes. Police declined to release his name pending notification of his relatives.
Jones said the woman had a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
Meanwhile, in an area plagued by city and county officials seemingly bent on KEEPING citizens defenseless, a far different story is being told:
April 12, 2004
Akron Beacon Journal
Invasion spree frightens residents
Homes' phone lines cut in wee-hours robberies by knife-wielding man
He appears in the early hours of the morning, cutting or attempting to cut phone lines and alarm systems along the way.
He confronts residents, usually when they are sleeping, threatens them with a knife and demands money.
He only spends a few minutes in the homes -- just enough time to get what he wants.
Akron police are warning residents in the Firestone Park area to be on the alert after the knife-wielding robber hit two more homes over the weekend. There was one similar robbery last week and what police believe was one failed attempt.
Police have also beefed up patrols in the area and are handing out fliers in neighborhoods.
"Usually break-ins happen in the daytime when people aren't home because burglars don't want to confront anyone. They just want the money,'' said Akron police Lt. Sylvia Trundle. "But this is especially dangerous because people are home and they are being confronted.''
Click on the "Read More..." link below for more.
Union Hospital ER shooting...when CCW was illegal
Submitted by cbaus on Wed, 04/14/2004 - 15:11.For weeks now, the Ohio Hospital Association has been advocating a victim zone mentality on its website.
Hospital administrators have blindly followed, to the point that we have stopped attempting to list each one indiviually on the "Do Not Patronize While Armed" list.
To be sure, many hospital decision-makers are just inexperienced with this issue, and have decided just to rely on OHA advice. But then there is Union Hospital in Dover, which has decided to post signs in the face of intimate experience with just how impotent Ohio's 150 year-old concealed carry ban was at stopping criminals.
It seems no lessons were learned in the entire community on this cold December night. The City of Dover has passed a ban on city property "to the limits of the law", and Tuscawaras County Sheriff is dragging his feet on accepting applications for concealed handgun licenses.
December 19, 2003
New Philadelphia Times Reporter
ER shootout: Officer shot, gunman killed at Union Hospital
A New Philadelphia police officer shot by a gunman inside Union Hospital at Dover early Wednesday is being hailed as a hero.
“He put himself between the gunman and the hospital staff and the patients,” said Carey Gardner, the hospital’s director of community relations.
“Unbelievable.”
Capt. Joe Skinner, 36, a New Philadelphia police veteran of more than 10 years, was in satisfactory condition in Union Hospital Wednesday night.
Skinner suffered a single gunshot wound to his left arm after being hit by a bullet from a .38-caliber revolver. The bullet entered his left forearm and remains lodged in his upper arm.
Skinner returned fire and killed the gunman, 57-year-old Eugene Swonger Jr. of Dover. Swonger died at the scene.
Dover Police Chief Ronald Johnson, who was briefed on the investigation by Detective Capt. Joe Ball, held a joint news conference with New Philadelphia Police Chief Jeff Urban at Dover.
“He placed his own life at risk to stop the individual from shooting,” said Urban of Skinner’s response.
Gardner said he was awestruck by what the police officer did.
During the news conference, which attracted media representatives from throughout the state, Johnson outlined the initial sequence of events:
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Woman Reports Rape At I-77 Rest Stop
Submitted by cbaus on Wed, 04/14/2004 - 12:07.April 14, 2004
Compiled from press reports by NewsNet5.com, WKYC.com, and the Akron Beacon Journal.
BATH TOWNSHIP -- A 27-year-old woman told police that she was attacked and raped at a rest stop along I-77 early Tuesday morning.
The rest area off I-77 northbound in Bath Township near Ghent Road reopened after officials collected evidence.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol said the alleged assault happened just after midnight. The woman said she was heading home from a friend's house when she stopped to use the bathroom. She said a man walked in and assaulted her.
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Section 9 update: OFCC successful in deterring several city ordinances
Submitted by cbaus on Wed, 04/14/2004 - 11:16.Ohioans For Concealed Carry's legal representation continues to contact city law directors in each and every instance of a potential Section 9 violation we are made aware of. We are being met, in many cases, with success.
The cities of Salem, Dover and Warren, and the County of Clinton, have backed down from plans to pass new bans, after receiving notice from our attorney. Officials in Dover and Warren say they're reevaluating their options.
The cities of Chardon, Fairborn, and New Philadelphia, and the County of Summit have already passed bans, but after being advised of Section 9 by OFCC, they say they too are reevaluating the legality of the new ordinances.
The cities of Columbus, Cleveland, Newark and Loveland had existing bans in place, and have publicly acknowledged that Section 9 preempts their ability to continue to enforce the ban.
The cities of Elyria and Toledo have passed bans with full knowledge that they were violating the law, and their oaths of office to uphold it.
Ohioans For Concealed Carry was a funding co-plaintiff in the recent challenge to Ohio's concealed-carry ban, "Klein et. al vs Leis et. al", in which two Ohio courts unanimously ruled Ohio's laws prohibiting possession of a firearm by a law-abiding citizen violated numerous Constitutional and civil rights, including equal protection, due process and the right to carry a firearm for self-defense.
The Ohio Supreme Court, which ultimately decided the case, ruled that bearing arms for self-defense is a "fundamental individual right" under our Constitution.
We are prepared to vigorously defend attempts by these public entities to place restrictions on Ohio's new concealed carry law.
Join the fight to protect your right by joining Ohioans For Concealed Carry!
To review the advisory OFCC's legal counsel is sending to violators, click here.
For a complete list of Section 9 violators, click here and look under "Taxpayer-funded entities".
