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Francis Alex Degioanni Former Canadian model who was shot eight times with .38 calibre pistols in Patong Beach

Former Canadian model who was shot eight times with .38 calibre pistols in Patong Beach on the tourist island of Phuket in Thailand on Thursday had become increasingly nervous during the phone calls he made to his parents twice a week. Canadian real estate developer died on his birthday yesterday after he was riddled with bullets by two men on a motorcycle.At the time of the attack, Francis Alex Degioanni was sitting in his black Toyota outside his seven-story Panorama Condominium block, located in a hillside area off Nanai Rd in South Patong.Kathu Police officers were alerted to the incident at around 8.30 pm. They hurried to the scene along with doctors from Patong Hospital and rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation.Medical examination showed Mr Degioanni had seven .38 caliber bullet wounds in his body, four in his arms, one in the head, one in the neck and one in the chest.
Mr Degioanni’s girlfriend, Nanthawadee Phenjaroenwatthana, said that before the incident the two of them were in the condo building waiting to go out to celebrate his birthday. Mr Degioanni received a telephone call and told her he had to go out for a short while to take care of some business, she said.When Mr Degioanni got into his car, two men pulled up on a motorbike and opened fire. They then fled, Ms Nanthawadee said.Kathu Police Superintendent Grissak Songmoonark said that Mr Degioanni had been doing business in Phuket for five years, selling condominiums in Patong to foreign tourists.The attack may have been the result of a business dispute, but police were also investigating other motives including romantic jealously, he said.At the time of his death, Mr Degioanni was involved in a court case, having allegedly being cheated out of 20 million baht in a real estate scam, Col Grissak added.When contacted by the Gazette today, an official at the Canadian Embassy cited legal reasons in declining to give any information about the case. Francis Degioanni had just left the apartment he shared with his wife and three-year-old daughter and was heading to his black Toyota when he was approached by two men. The pair, described in news reports as having short, military-style haircuts, shot him, hitting him the head, neck, chest and arm. It was the property developer's 34th birthday. "There had been problems with a former partner, the disappearance of about $750,000," said his father, Mario Degioanni, in a telephone interview from his home in Val des Monts, Que., yesterday. Mr. Degioanni said his son had lived in Thailand for nine years and, after travelling much of the world working as a professional model, had decided to go into construction.

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Paulino Toscano, 32, faces a murder charge in the shooting death of Kelvin Jerwylon Sims of Dallas

Paulino Toscano, 32, faces a murder charge in the shooting death of Kelvin Jerwylon Sims of Dallas, police said. Sims was killed on the night of Dec. 14, 2002, in the 1500 block of Kingsley Drive, north of East Ledbetter Drive, police said. Police believe Toscano shot Sims in a dispute over a prior drug deal. Despite having numerous witnesses, investigators were unable to identify the suspect, and the case eventually went cold. But last year, a fresh tip revived the investigation and the recently re-formed Dallas police homicide cold case squad took over. Six years after the killing, investigators say they are confident they finally have the trigger man.

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26-year-old Sidney Wakefield of Long Branch was shot some five times as he lay on the street

26-year-old Sidney Wakefield of Long Branch was shot some five times as he lay on the street after trying to escape the gunman who confronted him and a friend on Locust Avenue at about 1:35a.
Killed inside Wakefield's white 1998 Lexus was Wakefield's longtime friend, 23-year-old Joseph Fann, of Red Bank. A "primary motive," said Valentin: to rob one or both victims of an unspecified amount of cocaine.Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis Valentin, at podium, describes the shooting as Red Bank police Captain Steve McCarthy, far left, and Chief Mark Fitzgerald, center, listen.Both men were "obviously deceased" when Red Bank Ptl. James DePonte, responding to "numerous" 911 calls about the incident, arrived on the scene, Valentin said at a news conference in Freehold this afternoon.It all began when Fann and Wakefield had an "encounter" at a local filling station late Monday with three men in a black Audi with whom they were acquainted, Valentin said. He declined to describe the encounter or say exactly where it happened.About two hours later, as his alleged accomplices waited nearby, Antonio Domingo Suarez-Perez, who goes by the nickname 'Mingo,' "had a confrontation" with Fann and Wakefield on Locust Avenue near Leighton Place, Valentin said.
Suarez-Perez "brandished a handgun" and started shooting, he said. As Wakefield fled the car, the suspect shot him, and continued shooting, he said.Wakefield was shot "five times, at close range, while he lay on the ground," Valentin said.Suarez-Perez, 21, then fled on foot to where his accomplices were waiting in the Audi, Valentin said.Ptl. DePonte, arriving on the scene, noted the Audi departing, according to Valentin. After backup officers arrived, DePonte went in search of the vehicle, and "within minutes," spotted it northbound on Route 35 in Middletown, near Twin Brooks Avenue.With the assistance of Middletown police, the car was stopped and its occupants were arrested and taken to the Red Bank Police Department. No details about the stop were immediately available.In addition to Suarez-Perez, of Red Bank, the suspects are Eric Joel 'Pun' Figueras, 25, also of Red Bank, and Samson Theodore 'Freedom' Hearn, 26, of Fair Haven.While the investigation was underway, several unidentified citizens spotted a handgun near the intersection where the Audi had been stopped, and police recovered it.Last night, Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Joseph Quinn set all-cash bail amounts of $3.37 million for Suarez-Perez and $1.88 million for Figueras and Hearn. They were to make an appearance in court this afternoon.Each defendant is charged with two counts of first degree murder, as well as armed robbery and other counts.Valentin said the use of nicknames by the suspects is not necessarily an indicator of gang affiliation, and that a preliminary investigation indicates that the killings were "not gang related."The victims don't appear to have been armed, he said.Asked by redbankgreen if the second encounter was planned, Valentin said Suarez-Perez "certainly knew where the victims were at the time of the shooting.""This appears to be an isolated incident," Valentin added. "However, it is not random."He noted that the last homicide in Red Bank occurred in 2001."This is a safe community of many good, hardworking individuals," he said.
DePonte is a two-year member of the Red Bank force."Excellent police work in conjunction with cooperation from members of the public has resulted in the expeditious arrest of three individuals for the brutal murders of two young men," Valentin said. "Arrests such as this stand as a testament to law enforcement's commitment to protect the public from the horrific consequences of gun violence."Autopsies on the bodies of the victims were expected to be completed today, Valentin said.

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Club Enigma man shot in the neck.

Dallas police are investigating a shooting that left two people wounded early this morning outside a Dallas night club. Neither of the victims called police from Club Enigma, which is on the south side of the LBJ Freeway just west of Preston Road, said Cpl. Gerry Monreal of the Dallas Police Department. Instead, they left in separate vehicles, police said. Around 2 a.m., police got the first of two calls related to the violence at Club Enigma. A man called police to say he'd been shot in the neck. He was found at a convenience store in the 9800 block of Walnut Street, near Audelia Road, north of the LBJ. Three hours later, a man called from Fuel City gas station on south Industrial Boulevard to say he'd been shot in the ankle at Club Enigma. Neither had injuries believed to be life-threatening. Police were trying to determine why neither man immediately reported being shot. Investigators have no description of the shooter or shooters, Monreal said. Officials at Club Enigma could not be reached for comment this morning. Nearly 40 police reports have been filed at the club address over the last 13 months, most involving thefts or burglaries.
No other shootings have been reported during that time.

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One man is dead and two others were injured after a Modesto shooting

One man is dead and two others were injured after a Modesto shooting early Sunday.
Police said they responded to a shooting in the 1500 block of Modoc Avenue at about 1 a.m.Upon arriving they said they found a Hispanic man in his late teens dead and two injured women who were transported to local hospitals.One of the victims is paralyzed and other is in stable condition.Detectives said the victims were sitting in a parked car on Modoc Avenue when a white SUV passed the victims, firing shots in the victims' vehicle.The SUV then fled in an unknown direction.

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Jim D. Adkisson,out-of-work truck driver smiled Monday as he pleaded guilty to killing two people and wounding six others at a Tennessee church

"Yes, ma'am, I am guilty as charged," Jim D. Adkisson, 58, told Criminal Court Judge Mary Beth Leibowitz before she sentenced him to life in prison without parole.out-of-work truck driver smiled Monday as he pleaded guilty to killing two people and wounding six others at a Tennessee church last summer because he hated its liberal politics.Adkisson was scheduled to stand trial next month in the July 2008 rampage at the Tennessee Valley United Unitarian Church in Knoxville, but decided to enter a plea deal that virtually guarantees he will never leave prison alive.Public defender Mark Stephens said a mental health expert determined Adkisson was competent to make the plea, though Stephens was prepared to argue at trial that his client was insane at the time of the crime. Adkisson believed entering the plea was "the honorable thing to do," Stephens said.Assistant District Attorney Leslie Nassios said Adkisson gave a statement to police and left a suicide note. They showed he planned the attack on the church, where his ex-wife was once a member, because he hated the church's liberal politics and Democrats, whom he believed "were responsible for his woes."The Unitarian Universalist church promotes progressive social work, including advocacy of women and gay rights.Evidence would show Adkisson bought the shotgun a month before the attack, sawed off the barrel at his home and carried the weapon into the church in a guitar case that he bought two days before the shooting. He had more than 70 shotgun shells with him and planned to keep firing until officers killed him, police have said. But church members intervened and wrestled him to the ground.Victims and church members wept as the prosecutor described the wounds that killed longtime church member Greg McKendry, 60, who blocked the shots from hitting others, and retired English professor, Linda Kraeger, who had come to see the play. The church honored them during a 60th anniversary celebration on Sunday.Two survivors each lost vision in one eye, one was left in a coma for several days after the shooting and another has endured several follow-up surgeries since."I think I am going to move on," said victim Tammy Sommers, 38, who suffered a traumatic brain injury and only recently returned to work. "But he is in prison ... and I want him to stay in prison."Several church members felt Adkisson showed no remorse.
"When he came into the courtroom, he had a look of sheer evil on his face. He really did. Evil as well as arrogance," said Vicki Masters, who directed the children's play.The judge gave Adkisson a chance to talk to the congregation before sentencing him."No, ma'am," he snapped. "I have nothing to say.""He is in the right place, and I am very satisfied," said Brian Griffin, who directs the Sunday school program. "This is justice. He is gone."John Bohstedt, one of the church members who tackled Adkisson, said he didn't believe Adkisson was insane, but was manipulated by rhetoric aimed at liberals."Unbalanced, yes. Bitter, yes. Evil, yes. Insane, not in our ordinary use of the word," Bohstedt said."There are a lot of people who hate liberals, and if we stir that around in the pot and on the airwaves, eventually there will be people (like Adkisson) ... who get infected by the violent rhetoric and put it into violent action," he said.Bohstedt said he was worried about future violence: "Do you think there are other Jim Adkissons out there listening to hate speech? I do."

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Albuquerque police said officers shot and killed a man after he threatened them

Albuquerque police said officers shot and killed a man after he threatened them following a chase through a northwest Albuquerque neighborhood.Authorities said Sunday they are on the hunt for another person who ran from the scene.Police chased a car through the neighborhood near 51st and Rincon streets at about 3 a.m. Sunday.
Neighbors said the activity startled them."I thought, 'My God,' all these officers, what happened?" said neighbor Mary Clark.Police said they were chasing the vehicle when the driver stopped and two men got out of the car and fled."I was very scared. I didn't know if they were trying to come into the house or what. My dogs were all barking," Clark said.Police said they were chasing the men when the problems began to escalate. They said one man was acting aggressive toward officers, so they fired shots.The man was dead by the time emergency responders arrived."I heard something like a firecracker ... something like that," Clark said.Authorities said they lost track of the other man so they set up a large perimeter in the area to search for any signs of him. He is considered dangerous."We need to talk to him. We need to find out what his thoughts were. What was his purpose out here? Why did he run from police?" said Nadine Hamby, with the Albuquerque Police Department.Neighbors said the situation has made them concerned for their safety."It kind of scared me because I was alone and I didn't want to go outside," Clark said.Police said they are not releasing the name of the man who was shot.The officers involved in the shooting were not hurt.The shooting is still under investigation.

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One man is dead and another is clinging to life after a double shooting in Cumberland County.

One man is dead and another is clinging to life after a double shooting in Cumberland County.Police say they have the suspect in custody.Neighbors and relatives tell us they can't believe this happened.What neighbors say is usually a quiet homestead on the Cumberland Plateau, turned into a gruesome crime scene Friday.
A couple in their sixties shot in the head.Family members stand outside praying and mourning.William Rayder, the victim's nephew says, "Her being my aunt and me living across the street it's rough. We went over there every Thanksgiving every Christmas."
Police responded to 3142 Millstone Mountain Road about one o'clock for a custody dispute and found the victims.Officials later caught the female suspect when she crashed after a short police pursuit on Interstate 40.Chief Investigator Gary Howard says, "We do have one person in custody at this time.Steve Williams was at home next-door to the victims when the shooting happened.Neighbor Steve Williams says, "It just blew me away you don't expect something like that to happen especially with family."He didn't hear anything, but is shocked that his neighbor is gone.
Steve Williams says, "He seemed like a really good guy, but now he's gone just don't seem real."Now investigators are gathering evidence to put together a case against the female suspect.

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Shreveport police are investigating a shooting that sent LaRodrick Butler, to the hospital with gunshot wounds to the arms, legs and buttocks.

Shreveport police are investigating a shooting that sent one person to the hospital with gunshot wounds to the arms, legs and buttocks.It happened just after 5 a.m. this morning at a residence in the 3500 block of West 70th Street, near Amie Street.
Police say the gunman approached the victim's bedroom window from the outside and fired shots through the window.LaRodrick Butler, 19, suffered non-life threatening injuries.

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Calgary police continue to probe a drive by shooting in the southwest community of Glengarry.

Calgary police continue to probe a drive by shooting in the southwest community of Glengarry.Just after 9 p.m. police got a number of calls about gunshots being fired.
Shortly after officers arrived in the 2600 block of 25A Street S.W.They found a Dodge Stratus vehicle with it's motor running and headlights on, but nobody was inside.The passenger door was open with a number of bullet holes in the driver's side of the vehicle.Within minutes the HAWC helicopter, K9 units and the Tac team were in the area looking for a person witnesses claim they saw running from the scene.So far police have not located anybody and have not heard from local hospitals about anybody coming in seeking medical attention for gunshot wounds.Anybody with information is asked to call police.

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Kevin Ballard was found sitting in a car, shot multiple times. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

26-year-old man was found dead in a car after what police called a drive-by shooting early Friday evening.The shooting happened outside 2645 Burton Ave. on Indianapolis' northwest side just after 5 p.m., said Sgt. Paul Thompson.Kevin Ballard was found sitting in a car, shot multiple times. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses told police that they saw a gray Chevrolet Impala, possibly a 2004 model year, pull up along the side of Ballard's vehicle and that someone inside opened fire. The vehicle sped away north on Burton Avenue, witnesses said.Police did not release any information about a possible search for suspects.

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Off-duty Los Angeles police officer was wounded in a shooting

Off-duty Los Angeles police officer was wounded in a shooting in unincorporated City Terrace early Saturday. Officer Anthony Razo, 49, who is assigned to the Hollenbeck Division's Gang Detail, was leaving a house in the 800 block of North Gage Avenue about 5 a.m. to play a round of golf, when he was confronted by two men. A struggle took place, and the officer was shot in the shoulder once with his own gun, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Sheriff's deputies responded, along with uniformed Los Angeles police officers, who were visibly upset, according to witnesses. Razo is currently in serious condition at County-USC Medical Center, and his family and Los Angeles police command staff are with him. A section of Cesar Chavez Avenue was closed for several blocks near where the shooting occurred. The incident is under investigation, and no one has been detained nor arrested. Los Angeles police describe the two suspects as two male Hispanics.

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David Greig, who left Wales and moved to South Africa in 1967, died exactly where his 72-year-old mother Hannah was shot by robbers in 1996.

David Greig, who left Wales and moved to South Africa in 1967, died exactly where his 72-year-old mother Hannah was shot by robbers in 1996.Cattle and pig farmer Mr Greig, 65, who lived in Riverside, Cardiff, and went to Ninian Park School before emigrating to South Africa 40 years ago, and his wife, Jeanette, were woken by a man in their bedroom.Mrs Greig, 64, said she woke up when her husband rubbed her shoulder and told her not to be scared.“The armed man at the foot of our bed demanded that I unlock the kitchen door for his two companions,” said Mrs Greig, who lived with her husband at their farmhouse in the Vaal Triangle on the outskirts of Johannesburg.She went to the kitchen while the men outside held up her husband with another firearm through the bedroom window.“David must have got away, because suddenly he was there with us. Several shots rang out, from inside and outside the house, during a struggle for the gun,” she said.Her husband was shot once in the head and twice in the chest.Mrs Greig said the murderer watched coldly as her husband sank to the ground, before shooting him yet again in cold blood.“They threatened to kill me after David had closed his eyes for the last time,” she said. “I no longer cared, because they had taken my loving, funny and generous partner from me.”She was assaulted and stabbed with a blunt knife after the other men also entered the house during the attack last Friday.A hard knock against the head burst her eardrum and has caused permanent hearing loss.“I knew David was dead, but I wasn’t allowed to go to him,” she said.Forty-five minutes later the men fled with a small amount of cash and Mrs Greig raised the alarm.Lifelong friend John Bond, 65, left Cardiff for South Africa a year after Mr Greig and stayed with him for a while in the late 1960s.Mr Bond, who runs a family stationery business about 40km from the Greig’s farmhouse, told Wales on Sunday last night: “It is so sad. I hadn’t seen him for a while but we had been friends for many years.”Mr Bond, who was at Mr Greig’s funeral on Friday, added: “David was also attacked in his farmhouse four or five years ago.”Mr Greig’s son, also called David, said: “My father would not have wanted to be regarded as just another murdered farmer.“I think it would be his wish that his cruel death should spur on the farming community to actively join the police in fighting this crime.”“Despite my grandmother’s murder and the high crime rate, he never spoke of leaving South Africa. He believed in this country.”
In January last year, Welsh businessman Fred Picton-Turbervill, originally from Bridgend, was murdered in front of his wife and four youngest children during an armed robbery at his South African home.Mr Picton-Turbervill, 45, a descendant of a notable South Wales family, was with wife Ursula, and children Samantha, 10, Bryony, nine, Natasha, six, and Gregory, three, when two robbers broke in and shot him in the eye.South Africa has one of the five highest murder rates in the world, according to United Nations figures.Between April 2007 and March last year, more than 18,000 people were killed and there were a similar number of attempted murders.
During that time, there were more than 100,000 aggravated robberies and more than 14,000 car-jackings.The official figure for the number of rapes every day is 150, although the true figure is thought to be much higher.Meanwhile, more than 100 police officers are killed in the line of duty every year, according to statistics.

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Christopher Augur French scientist who was shot in the head during a robbery near Mexico City's airport died

French scientist who was shot in the head during a robbery near Mexico City's airport died on Saturday.Christopher Augur died at a Mexico City hospital four days after his assault, the fourth such incident near the airport involving foreigners in a year, the Mexico City prosecutor's office said.Augur was a member of France's Institute of Research for Development, or IRD, and had been working with Mexico's Metropolitan Autonomous University's biotechnology department for several months, according to a statement from French Ambassador Daniel Parfait.He helped to train French and Mexican researchers, and Parfait said he had a great love for Mexico. The embassy did not confirm Augur's age."Mr. Augur was respected and esteemed as much in scientific circles as by the numerous friends that he made during his trips, which took him often to Mexico," Parfait said.Mexican police on Friday said they'd arrested two suspects, aged 19 and 29.A string of at least 17 airport robberies, including the four involving foreigners, could be the work of two or more crime gangs, or one organization with several cells, city prosecutor Luis Vasquez said. Victims in all the attacks appear to have been followed after changing money at the airport and then robbed outside the terminal.Thieves apparently have lookouts posted near airport money exchange counters and use radios or cell phones to alert accomplices to potential targets, Vasquez said.The other foreign victims include an English man, two Ecuadoreans and a man from Guinea. The rest were Mexican citizens.Augur was assaulted after exchanging money and leaving the airport, as he and a driver traveled along a major boulevard. Prosecutors believe seven assailants were involved in the attack, in which three vehicles surrounded Augur's car and forced it to stop, Vasquez said.The driver later identified one of the suspects as the man who broke the car's window, grabbed a bag containing money and shot Augur.Both suspects may have been involved in a similar robbery in 2008, police said.

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Double shooting left Lord Howard Worthington dead and his partner in hospital.

Double shooting left a millionaire businessman dead and his partner in hospital.Residents in the leafy Staffordshire village of Brewood, near Cannock, named the couple as former steel firm owner Lord Howard Worthington and 47-year-old Julie Rees.Ms Rees, who sustained two gunshot wounds, was taken to hospital from a property in Hyde Mill Lane at around 7.10pm yesterday.An hour later, police discovered the body of Mr Worthington in a field bordering the house.He is believed to have bought his title before moving to Brewood two years ago.A Staffordshire Police spokesman confirmed a firearm was recovered from the scene and that detectives were not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.Police said forensic examinations at the beautiful country mansion in the village were expected to have been concluded last night, whilst house-to-house inquiries continued.Formal identification of the dead man could take a “number of days”, police added.Ms Rees was today recovering in University Hospital North Staffordshire from gunshot wounds which were described as “not life threatening”.
Supt Adrian Bloor, from Staffordshire Polcie’s Chase Division, said: “Neighbourhood police officers and police community support officers will be in the village of Brewood during the weekend to address any concerns of local residents who must be shocked by this incident.”Wendy Mann, who rents the field where Howard Worthington’s body was found, spoke of her shock at the tragedy.
Mrs Mann said: “His wife’s daughter was at the same school as my daughter so I got to know Julie from that. She seemed a lovely lady but they kept themselves to themselves.“They had a lovely party when they first moved in but I think they’ve moved in different circles. I just used to wave to them when they were in the kitchen as I walked past with my dogs. They seemed just like a normal happy couple. They were very friendly actually.“I’ve not seen them for a long time recently.“We’d have a chat down the pub and pass the time of day, we really quite liked them. I feel totally shocked at what has happened and just hope Julie survives in hospital.”Mr Worthington, 52, made his fortune when he sold Wolverhampton-based EWS Manufacturing, which produces aluminium and steel tubing in a multi-million, pound deal in the mid 1990s.

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Juan Pablo Gutierrez was a “prolific” purchaser among a group of 23 arms traffickers who bought at least 339 firearms for Mexican organized crime

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said Juan Pablo Gutierrez was a “prolific” purchaser among a group of 23 arms traffickers who bought at least 339 firearms for Mexican organized crime syndicates in 2006 and 2007. At least 40 of the guns were later recovered at crime scenes in Mexico and Guatemala as gangsters wage a protracted war against one another and the Mexican government, the bureau said.The Houston man has admitted to illegally purchasing military style weapons as federal agents continue their probe into an underground pipeline that gets Houston-bought guns into the hands of Mexican drug cartels.Gutierrez, 24, is to be sentenced in March after pleading guilty in early January to eight charges he lied to Carter’s Country gun store employees about whom the guns were for.According to an affidavit prepared by ATF agent Carla Mayfield, during a 2-month period Gutierrez spent $17,801 — believed to be all in cash — on 20 guns.A judge ordered 28 weapons, including 10 Bushmasters, which are civilian versions of the M-16, be forfeited to the government.The ATF contends Houston is the No. 1 origin for weapons later recovered in Mexico.Taking down Gutierrez stands to be significant, as federal agents have a rare chance to go after higher-ups in the smuggling organization, should they persuade Gutierrez to cooperate.His attorney could not be reached for comment Friday, and a woman who answered the phone at Gutierrez’s residence said he would have nothing to say.In December, John Hernandez, 25, also of Houston, pleaded guilty as part of the same investigation.Hernandez was accused of buying nearly two dozen guns, including one used in an attack that left four police officers and three government secretaries dead in Acapulco, Mexico.The ATF has been tight-lipped about its probe, but court documents offer a glimpse of the investigation.After a routine inspection of Carter’s Country records in 2007, “numerous people were identified who had made suspicious purchase of firearms in that each purchased a large number of military firearms,” ATF agent Mayfield stated in the affidavit.The organizations are known to get their weapons by employing U.S. citizens with no felony convictions so they can pass federal background checks.
The weapons are illegal in Mexico. Still, there were as many as 5,400 gangland murders in Mexico last year. Much of the mayhem has been unleashed along the U.S.-Mexican border. The Mexican government has repeatedly asked the U.S. government to do more to stop the flow of guns. Arturo Sarukhan, Mexico’s ambassador to the United States, said Washington should better enforce gun laws and shut down weapons traffickers.The National Rifle Association objects to any attempt to link Mexico’s problems to U.S. gun laws.
“The root cause is Mexico tolerates a level of lawlessness that most civil societies won’t,” NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said.

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Pascua Yaqui man Raymond Marti is fighting extradition to Tucson on charges of first- degree murder in the attempted robbery of a neighborhood market

Pascua Yaqui man is fighting extradition to Tucson on charges of first- degree murder in the attempted robbery of a neighborhood market Monday that ended in gunfire. Police said the man, whose name is not being released until he is formally charged, and 18-year-old Raymond Martinez were trying to rob the Grand Market, 6250 S. Sixth Ave., when gunfire erupted. Martinez fired at least one shot at a market employee and wounded him before the employee returned fire, fatally wounding Martinez, police said. The employee, who is not being identified because he is a crime victim, was taken to a hospital and treated for a non-life-threatening wound.
Police said the robbery was gang related. The 22-year-old is being held by Pascua Yaqui police on an unrelated warrant, said Sgt. Mark Robinson, a Tucson police spokesman. A hearing will be held early next week to determine if the man will be extradited to Tucson, where he would face a first-degree murder charge under the felony murder law, Robinson said.

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Man was shot in the buttocks while walking along Monash Road in Loganlea

Police are investigating a drive-by shooting south of Brisbane.They say a man was shot in the buttocks while walking along Monash Road in Loganlea at around 7:00pm AEST. He was taken to hospital in a stable condition. Police say it is possible the shooter and victim knew each other.Witnesses have told police they saw a car leave the area after the incident.

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Sonic restaurant shooting

Police are looking for the gunman involved in a drive-by shooting at a Sonic restaurant in northwest Houston. It happened on Gessner at Tiger Trail last night.
Police say that the victim was sitting at a table outside when a blue car drove up, and someone inside fired one shot before driving away. The victim was taken to Ben Taub Hospital. Police are looking for the suspect and a motive in the case.

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Friends of a man who shot himself in the head Saturday night left the scene instead of attending to him and went to a movie

Friends of a man who shot himself in the head Saturday night left the scene instead of attending to him and went to a movie because they needed to "calm down," they told Denton police.The victim, who has not been identified by police, remained in intensive care Monday at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. No charges have been filed, but the investigation is continuing, said Officer Ryan Grelle, a spokesman for the department.Officers responded to a report of a gunshot wound about 7:45 p.m. in the 1600 block of Boyd Street, which is south of Mingo Road and east of Texas Woman's University. Police found the man with a gunshot wound to the head. Police said two people who had been asleep in a back room came to the man's aid after his friends left.Grelle said the friends returned about 45 minutes after police arrived. They said the victim took the bullets out of a .38-caliber revolver and set them on the coffee table. He then placed the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. The witnesses told officers they heard a click. They said the victim then loaded one bullet in the gun, placed it to his head and pulled the trigger. The gun fired. The witnesses said they were upset and went to a movie to calm down, Grelle said.Police have not determined what was happening when the gun fired and do not know whether the shooting was intentional or accidental.

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Tyrone Hartsfield's girlfriend told the judge Hartsfield was with her the night a gunman opened fire on Collier and that detectives have the wrong man

Tyrone Hartsfield's girlfriend told the judge Hartsfield was with her the night a gunman opened fire on Collier and that detectives have the wrong man.
Collier lost his leg and is paralyzed from the waist down as a result of the shooting, but has made a miraculous recovery. He recently made an emotional return to the football field as an honorary captain at the final Jaguars home game.
Several weeks after the shooting, police arrested Hartsfield. Now, he wants to get out of jail on bond.Hartsfield's girlfriend said he left with her from Martini Mondays at Square One on the night Collier was shot. Also, Hartsfield's mother told the judge her son was not out for revenge on Collier."Bottom line is that Tyrone Hartsfield was not obsessed with Richard Collier in any way, shape, form or fashion," said defense attorney Ann Finnell.However, prosecutors said they have new documents and a tape recording of Hartsfield talking about what happened the night of the shooting.Prosecutors and police said Hartsfield filed a police report in April saying that Collier hit him in a bar and they said they have Hartsfield on a tape talking about the shooting because his friend, who drove the car during the shooting, wore a wire.According to court documents, Hartsfield told his friend, "We've got to get our story right," and "Please don't tell them nothing about me, about me being down there … If they ain't got you they ain't got me."
When his friend mentioned that he didn't pull the trigger, Hartsfield could be heard on tape telling him he was still an accessory.Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda said they have a solid case and that Hartsfield should in no way be freed on bond.
"Because of his prior record he's got numerous felony convictions he is a threat; and he almost killed an innocent victim," de la Rionda said.The judge did not decide on Wednesday weather to give Hartsfield bond.

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Johannes Mehserle is being charged with murder over the BART Shooting that killed Oscar Grant.

Johannes Mehserle is being charged with murder over the BART Shooting that killed Oscar Grant. District Attorney Tom Orloff made the following statement "At this point, what I feel the evidence indicates, is an unlawful killing done by an intentional act and from the evidence we have there's nothing that would mitigate that to something lower than a murder,"What - Johannes Mehserle the former BART officer who shot and killed Oscar Grant on an Oakland train platform on New Year's Day has been arrested on charges relating to the shooting. The BART shooting set off a number of protests and demonstrations including a riot in Oakland. Johannes Mehserle resigned from the BART before BART authorities could question his actions. On New Years Eve BART officers had a number of people detained as they were investigating a fight on the subway. Oscar Grant was lying on his stomach when Johannes Mehserle pulled out his gun and shot Grant in his back. The actual charges against Mehserle are expected to be announced at a press confrence to be held on January 14.

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Champ's Sports Bar gunfight outside a bar victims have life-threatening injuries.

Champ's Sports Bar gunfight outside a bar have victims life-threatening injuries.
One of the three is being held for investigation of assault in the shooting as well as arrest warrants from California.A sheriff's deputy was nearby and heard the shots just before 1 a.m. Thursday at Champ's Sports Bar in the Skyway neighborhood between Seattle and Renton.There was a fight in the parking lot and at least two people pulled guns and started shooting.Deputies found one wounded man in a car, another at a Renton hospital and a third at a residence.

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Two teenagers who were slain east of Colorado Springs on Thursday were trying to break up a fight when they were shot by a gunman wielding an SKS

Two teenagers who were slain east of Colorado Springs on Thursday were trying to break up a fight when they were shot by a gunman wielding an SKS rifle, their friends and relatives said, disputing an account from the El Paso County Sherirff's Office that described them as gang members."They were best friends, and they were always together and they left together," Alonso Burciaga said of the victims, his 17-year-old brother Luis Burciaga and 18-year-old Uriel Rascon.A witness told family members that Rascon was intervening in a fight near Cimarron Eastridge Park when he was shot. Luis Burciaga was targeted as he grabbed his wounded friend, Alonso Burciaga said.More than 200 people gathered Saturday night for a candlelight vigil held where the pair were gunned down, a vacant lot near the park in the Cimarron Hills area. The group tearfully recited prayers and sang in Spanish as sheriff's deputies kept watch from unmarked vans nearby and patrolled the streets bordering the park.Lt. Lari Sevene, a sheriff's spokeswoman, said the two were shot by a rival gang member, 19-year-old Juan Vasquez, during a brawl that involved as many as 20 people and stemmed from the theft of an iPod music player.Vasquez is being held at the El Paso County jail on an immigration hold.Relatives of Buciaga's said that the two friends were not involved in a gang and that they went to the park to protect a friend.Rascon, a senior at Sierra High School, was described as a good student and a caring friend."He was really caring, really responsible. He was like the best guy friend you could have," said Carla Vasquez, 18.Burciaga -- known to friends as "Guero" -- attended an atlernative school called The New Horizons School. He was a budding rapper who planned to join the Army or go to college, friends said. "He was a good boy. He wasn't involved in gangs. He had a lot of dreams," Burciaga's mother, Guadalupe, said in Spanish. Her son translated. Mourners on Saturday night stood in a large circle around framed photographs of Rascon and Burciaga and listened quietly as speakers called on them to let the deaths pass without retaliation."They told us not to resort to violence," said Burciaga's cousin, 14-year-old Gabriela Sanchez.Two car washes will be held today to raise money for the funerals. The fundraisers will begin at 9 a.m. at two El Ranchito locations, at 1714 Monterey Road and 3970 Airport Road.

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14-year-old boy died after being wounded Saturday in a North Hollywood drive-by shooting

Baudelio Guadalupe Jara of North Hollywood was shot while walking Saturday afternoon in the 7200 block of Vineland Avenue and was taken to a hospital, where he died several hours later. Two suspects were driving in a compact gray vehicle in the area when the passenger fired several rounds from an unknown type of weapon at Jara and drove away.14-year-old boy died after being wounded Saturday in a North Hollywood drive-by shooting, Los Angeles police said.

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Robber’s pistol jammed during a robbery at Komtar

Lucky break: Teoh (standing, left) and his wife Ong relating their ordeal to police officers investigating the robbery in Penang Monday.
65-year-old jewellery shop owner cheated death when a robber’s pistol jammed during a robbery at Komtar.To Teoh Kim Beng’s relief, nothing happened except that he heard only a click when the robber aimed the pistol at his forehead and pulled the trigger at point blank range.His wife Ong Bee Choo, also 65, said the pistol must have jammed or the robber forgot to load the firearm.“Two robbers, who looked like Vietnamese, entered the shop posing as customers at 12.55pm. They suddenly whipped out a pistol each while talking and ordered us to unlock the glass displays.“We then squatted down but my husband tried to get up as his legs had become numb. One of the robbers then lost his temper and pulled the trigger but the pistol failed to fire,” she said when met at the scene.Ong said they then scooped up five trays of jewellery worth more than RM200,000 before speeding off in a motorcycle parked nearby.
He said that the two robbers were in the shop a few days earlier to check out the premises.Security guard Azmi Rejab said the robbers pointed their pistols at him when he approached them while walking past the shop, adding that he then ran for his life.State CID chief Senior Asst Comm (II) Wan Abdullah Tuanku Said said the investigating officer would scrutinise the footage from several closed-circuit television cameras around Komtar with the hope of identifying the robbers.

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Damonshay Pitt faces an 18-month prison term for the accidental shooting of a friend as they tried to rob a drug dealer of marijuana

Former athlete at Racine Park High School faces an 18-month prison term for the accidental shooting of a friend as they tried to rob a drug dealer of marijuana.
Nineteen-year-old Damonshay Pitt, who apologized at his sentencing Monday, pleaded guilty to first-degree recklessly endangering safety and being party to armed robbery. He was also ordered to serve four years on extended supervision once he gets out of prison for the shooting, and three years probation for violating conditions of his bond. Authorities said Pitt, who was in football and track at Park, was with a group of friends who wanted to rob a man of two pounds of marijuana on Oct. 4, 2007.

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Goce Stojanovski,tried to go through a screening checkpoint with a handgun in his bag

Goce Stojanovski, of the 1100 block of West Driftwood Trail in Crown Point, was stopped by Transportation Security Administration screeners about 3:40 p.m. Tuesday when he tried to go through a screening checkpoint with a handgun in his bag, police said. Stojanovski is scheduled to appear in bond court today.TSA screeners found the gun and took him into custody, police said. He was arrested and charged with trying to board an aircraft with a weapon, a Class 4 felony, according to police. If convicted, he could serve 1 to 3 years in prison.

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Fort Wayne police say one man is dead following a police action shooting.

The department said in a statement that an adult male was fatally shot by police early Wednesday. No details of the circumstances of the shooting or other details were released. Police Chief Rusty York scheduled an afternoon news conference to discuss the shooting.

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