In the early morning hours of Sunday, Feb. 21, two female roommates were asleep in their North Philadelphia home when they were suddenly awakened by a crashing sound. The two ran out of their rooms to check on each other, when they suddenly realized that there was an unknown man standing in the hallway. The women screamed at the man to leave, but he approached them, hitting one woman and knocking her to the ground. The injured woman was able to retrieve her legally owned firearm from her room and shoot the suspect in the leg. The roommates held the intruder there until police arrived. The suspect was taken to a nearby hospital for his injuries, where he underwent surgery and was listed in critical condition. No charges were expected to be filed against the women. (nbcphiladelphia.com; philadelphia.cbslocal.com, and 6abc.com, Philadelphia, Pa., 2/21/21)
A 34-year-old Florida man had to discover the hard way why bringing knives to a gunfight isn’t advisable. The man reportedly got into an argument with his neighbors early in the day on Feb. 18 and made threats, but then quickly left. However, he later returned, bringing two large knives—a kitchen knife and a meat cleaver—back to the neighbors’ property, intent on causing harm. The suspect was unfortunately able to stab two people before one of the victims was able to fire his gun, striking the man in the stomach. Investigators said the shooting was in self-defense, and multiple charges have been brought against the knife-wielding attacker. (concealednation.org, and wcjb.com, Williston, Fla., 2/18/21)
A 46-year-old man started a shooting spree in an Oak Creek, Colo., neighborhood on Feb. 3, where, according to the Routt County Sheriff’s Office, one person was shot before the alleged shooter drove a few blocks away, continuing the rampage in his new location. This time, the man fired shots toward an apartment unit before going inside the dwelling. Once inside, his firearm briefly malfunctioned, giving one of the tenants a chance to intervene and tackle the armed intruder. Unfortunately, the attacker was able to clear the firearm malfunction and shoot the tenant, killing him and wounding a second tenant. During this confrontation, another man who was inside the dwelling retrieved his own handgun, shooting the assailant and killing him. The injured tenant was taken to a nearby hospital and is expected to survive. (denver.cbslocal.com, Oak Creek, Colo., 2/4/21)
On Feb. 16, a day-labor office in Orlando, Fla., became the scene of a machete attack that ended with the attacker being shot by one of the employees. At around 6:30 in the morning, a 31-year-old man came into the staffing business looking for work, but was told all the positions had been filled. The man left, but reportedly returned about two hours later, went behind the employees’ partition, and began yelling and waving a machete at them. He allegedly slashed at a female employee, hitting her in the head and arm before she was able to run for safety to another office. The machete-wielding man then turned his attention to a male employee. Luckily, this employee had a concealed handgun and fired two shots, hitting the man in the arm, forcing him to drop the machete. Police officers found the injured attacker a short distance away outside, with a shirt tied around the gunshot wound, and took him into custody after a chase. The suspect faces charges of attempted felony homicide, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, burglary and resisting an officer. (clickorlando.com, and wci360.com, Orlando, Fla., 2/16/21)
During the early morning hours of Feb. 12, a San Antonio, Texas, resident was forced to defend himself against an alleged intruder wielding a pickax. According to police, a 22-year-old man tried to force his way inside the home through a side window. The 24-year-old resident was able to get to his firearm and shoot at the intruder, striking him multiple times. The injured man was nonetheless able to walk to a nearby fire station, where authorities were notified. He was transported to a medical center with life-threatening injuries and will face charges. (ksat.com, San Antonio, Texas, 2/12/21)
Just before midnight on Mar. 1, a man entered a gas station in Phoenix, Ariz., threatening to cause harm to the customers inside. This is when the store clerk attempted to intervene; however, the alleged attacker was armed with a baton, with which he attacked the clerk. Luckily, the clerk was able to get to their firearm and defend themself by shooting the suspect. The 35-year-old suspect was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition, where he was later pronounced dead. (fox10phoenix.com, Phoenix, Ariz., 3/1/21)
