Friday morning feel good stories.

From Corinth, MS

A 2fer deal.  One DRT and the other DVS

(AP) —

His fatal shooting of another man was ruled self-defense, but Mississippi police say the man was living in the country illegally and will be reported to immigration authorities.

Corinth Police Chief Ralph Dance said Montejo Torres fatally shot Juan Guzman in self-defense Sunday and no charges will be filed against Torres.

(deported very soon)

 

From Vicksburg, MS

A Vicksburg man accused of discharging his handgun inside the city limits said he was acting in self-defense when he fired his weapon into the ground at his home.

Louis Fumbanks was arrested by police Aug. 18. His attorney David Sessums said Fumbanks is expected to appear in Municipal Court Thursday, adding he intends to request a trial on the charge. If convicted, Fumbanks would receive a mandatory fine and sentence of $500 and 30 days in jail.  Fumbanks was charged under an amended city ordinance passed in March by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen setting a mandatory $500 fine and 30 days in jail for people arrested for discharging a firearm inside the city limits.

One of the exceptions under the law is firing a weapon in self-defense.

The events leading to his arrest began about 8:40 p.m. Aug. 18, Fumbanks said. “My wife and I were sitting at home when my wife got a call from our neighbor, saying their house was being broken into,” he said. “I proceeded to the bedroom and got my pistol and I went to check on them.” Fumbanks said the neighbors gave him a description of the would-be burglar as a tall, bald-headed man wearing a white shirt and dark pants. He got his gun and walked to the front of his house, Fumbanks said, and as he was heading to the neighbor’s house, he saw the man the neighbors described.

“He was in their front yard coming toward my front yard at a high rate of speed,” Fumbanks said. “He was cussing, waving his arms, coming right to me; he was in my yard. I gave a warning shot; I shot into the ground and he stopped. He walked into the street and headed toward the end of the street, and a little bit later, the police showed up and caught him.”

Dead men tell no lies

 

From WINTER HAVEN, FL

An Uber driver in Florida claimed self-defense after he fatally shot a man who trailed his car and tried run him off the road, authorities said Wednesday.  The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death early Tuesday of 34-year-old Jason Boek of Winter Haven, Florida.

“This is a classic stand-your-ground case,” said Sheriff Grady Judd, speaking at a news conference.

The sheriff’s office said an enraged Boek, believing his estranged girlfriend was the Uber’s passenger, aggressively trailed the car of 38-year-old driver Robert Westlake.  A dash camera video posted to YouTube by the sheriff shows Boek driving erratically and attempting to run Westlake off a central Florida road.  Once both vehicles were stopped, Boek got out of a large pickup truck and threatened to shoot the driver, according to the sheriff. Unknown to Boek, the Uber driver was a concealed-weapon permit holder and a recent police academy graduate.

The sheriff said Westlake fired one shot, striking Boek. The Uber driver then called authorities and attempted to revive Boek.  Authorities said Westlake has cooperated with police. Westlake did not know Boek, nor did the passenger. According to authorities, the passenger who had been drinking was escorted into the Uber by Boek’s on-and-off-again girlfriend.

Boek apparently mistakenly believed his estranged girlfriend was in the vehicle, Judd said. Boek threatened to assault both the passenger and the driver, according to text messages released by police.  Boek had an extensive criminal history, according to a news release issued by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. He was on probation until June of 2021 for a 2016 felony battery charge. Police found a glass pipe containing methamphetamine residue inside the truck driven by Boek before the shooting.

“At the end of the day, the message is clear,” said Judd. “Don’t mess with the Uber driver.”

 

Category: Politics