Drunk Ohio father fires gun in home and holds his children hostage

A 39-year old drunk man was having an argument with his wife at home in Akron, Ohio, when he fired a shot from his gun, apparently threatening her.  She called the police, and a four-hour standoff ensued until he surrendered. 

His four children, ages 10, 15, 16, and 18 were held by him that entire time.  Luckily, no one was injured. 

From an article:

Vincente Castellano Jr., 39, of North Firestone Boulevard, was arrested on charges of domestic violence, aggravated menacing and using a weapon while intoxicated.

Police were first called to the home in the 300 block of North Firestone Boulevard at about 8 p.m. when a woman contended Castellano was intoxicated and had fired a gun into the bedroom floor during an argument.

The woman talked to officers outside of the house and said four children, ages 10, 15, 16 and 18, were still inside the house with Castellano.

SWAT officers surrounded the house and during the next four hours communicated with the teens using a cell phone and their Facebook accounts. The children eventually walked outside and Castellano subsequently surrendered at the urging of police negotiators, police said.

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13 year old New Jersey boy killed, and family held hostage by deranged man in New Jersey

38-year old Gerald "Skip" Murphy went nuts, shot a 13-year old boy to death, and then held his family hostage in his Trenton, New Jersey home, threatening to shoot them to death and saying he had explosives.  

He had also killed a woman in the house, Murphy's girlfriend, 44-year-old Carmelita Stevens.

Held hostage in the home were Stevens' three children, an 18-year-old woman, a 16-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy, as well as a man who was locked in the basement.

A SWAT Team raided the home after a 37-hour long standoff and shot Murphy, who later died.

From an article:

Police officers went to the South Trenton home Friday afternoon after reports that some of the children hadn't been to school in 12 days, authorities said Sunday at a news conference. Officers entered the home through a rear door and smelled an odor consistent with that of a decomposing body, Trenton Police Director Ralph Rivera Jr. said. 

They found 38-year-old Gerald "Skip" Murphy in an upstairs bedroom, and he told them he was armed with a gun and explosives and had three children with him, Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph L. Bocchini Jr. said. Officers retreated from the second floor and rescued a 19-year-old man from the basement, who said he hadn't seen his mother or siblings since about April 24. 

A SWAT team was called in, and an arson bomb unit also appeared on the scene. Police said Murphy could be seen from a window holding a black handgun. 

Police remained in contact with Murphy throughout the 37-hour-long standoff and passed food into the home through an upstairs window, state police Col. Rick Fuentes said. Murphy kept the captives with him inside the roughly 10-foot-by-11-foot bedroom throughout the standoff, authorities said. 

Officers stormed the home at around 3:45 a.m. Sunday after noting Murphy's "deteriorating state of mind" and deciding it was necessary to enter to help ensure the captives survived, Fuentes said. An officer shot Murphy because he was threatening one of the children, he said. 

Murphy was taken to a hospital and later died of his injuries. No law enforcement personnel were injured during the standoff or the confrontation with Murphy. 

"This was a very complex matter, considering the space (where the hostages were) and that three children were involved," Fuentes said when asked about the standoff and its resolution. "Our mission over those 37 hours was to save innocent lives." 

Authorities found the bodies of 44-year-old Carmelita Stevens and her teenage son in separate bedrooms. The woman's body was in an advanced state of decomposition, and police said she appeared to have died two weeks ago. 

Three of her children — an 18-year-old woman, a 16-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy — were rescued and taken to a medical center for evaluation and treatment. Murphy had abused and assaulted the captives, Bocchini said.   .... 

Murphy had a long criminal history including convictions for aggravated assault and criminal conspiracy, Bocchini said. He had previously been arrested for robbery and weapons offenses and child endangerment. He also had an arrest warrant in Pennsylvania for failing to register as a sex offender.

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13-year old New Mexico boy held hostage and shot in shoulder; mistaken for car thief

The13-year old Albuquerque shooting victim.

A 13-year old boy had sneaked out of his friend's house in Albuquerque, New Mexico and was playing a game with his friend by hiding under a truck.

Unfortunately, that truck had recently been stolen and returned.  The homeowner came out with a handgun and caught the boy, forced him to the ground, zip-tied him and pulled him into the home, and shot him in the shoulder.

Luckily, the boy is recovering.

No charges have been filed.

From an article:

A 13-year-old Albuquerque, New Mexico boy is recovering after being shot by a neighbor in a case that is reminding many of the Trayvon Martin killing. 

The boy in this case is an 8th grade basketball player who also plays first chair viola at school.
His mom says he’s a good kid, who snuck out of a friend’s house early Saturday morning but wasn’t up to trouble. 

“I was at my friend’s home and I was walking to my friend’s home,” said the boy in an exclusive interview with NBC affiliate KOB Eyewitness News 4. 

“And on the way there we were just running around just playing and just hiding from each other and I hid under a truck.” 

The moments that followed could have cost the boy his life. 

A criminal complaint states the homeowner, Michael Zamora, heard noises and went outside with a gun thinking someone was stealing his truck. 

It had recently been stolen and recovered. 

“He told me to get the f’ on the ground so I put my hands up and I got on my knees. And then he grabbed me by the back of my shirt,” said the boy. 

The 42-year-old claims the boy punched him in the face. 

The boy told police Zamora dragged him into his garage and zip-tied his wrists. 

“My heart just dropped and I didn’t know what was going to happen,” said the boy. 

Zamora then took the 5’2″, 90 lbs. boy inside his house until police arrived, according to court documents. 

When police found the boy they realized he had been shot in the shoulder. 

When police asked Zamora about it, he first told them that he had the gun it fell and went off.
He then clarified his story to police saying he had the gun in his hand the whole time and then it went off by accident. 

When asked if he meant to shoot the boy, Zamora replied, “no, I didn’t!  It was 3 o’clock in the morning. There’s a kid messing around with my truck, what do you expect? You know?”
“I’ve never been so scared in my life,” said the boy’s mother, Alysha Colbert. “I could’ve lost my son,” she said. “If he would have turned around and took off running would he have shot him in the back, because he was black?” 

Zamora allegedly told police, “I saw the guy right there, it was dark, he was black, I didn’t know what to expect.” 

“Trayvon Martin. That’s the first thing that popped into my mind was Trayvon Martin,” said Colbert. 

To that, Zamora responded: “That’s ridiculous. I was just protecting my property and my family you know. That’s all I can do. I think any other red-blooded American would have done the same thing.” 

The boy is now in a sling recovering from the gunshot wound. 

His mom says she’s going to fight for justice. 

The boy was staying at a friend’s house and snuck out to walk two girlfriends home.
The boy’s mother had no knowledge of this because she was at her house. 

“I don’t care what time of night he was out, he didn’t deserve this. No kid deserves anything like this,” she said. 

After police heard from both Zamora and the boy, the decided Zamora was in the wrong. 

He’s now charged with false imprisonment and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. 

“I regret everything,” said Zamora. “I wish it had not happened but it did. It’s unfortunate.”
The boy’s mom says he’s not charged with anything. 

“I think that he should be in jail right now,” said the boy. “I don’t see how he thought I was a man because I’m not really that big.”

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Infant girl held during standoff with SWAT in Georgia

A man became upset about the quality of his water and threatened the office personnel at his apartment complex with a gun, in Sandy Springs, Georgia.  He then went back to his apartment, and a SWAT standoff ensued.  Inside the apartment was the man's 7-month old daughter, held hostage.  The standoff eventually ended without any shots fired, and the baby is safe.


From the article:

The hostage situation began around 9:45 a.m. at the One Sovereign Place apartment complex. Zgonc said the "individual walked into the leasing office, making some claims that something was wrong with his water, claiming that somebody was messing with his water.” 

“He had a gun, waved it around [and] pointed it at a couple of people in the leasing office,” Zgonc said. “He left the leasing office [and] walked back to the apartment.” 

Roswell Road in Sandy Springs was shut down after Bailey locked himself and the 7-month-old girl inside an apartment. 

The standoff ended when police negotiators talked Bailey out of the house, Zgonc said.

....
Police found three handguns and ammunition inside the apartment, he said. 

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Children briefly held hostage by irate, armed grandfather in Oregon

Police arrived at the scene of a domestic disturbance in Coquille, Oregon, between a son and his father.  The 29-year old son , who was a felon and was armed, attacked the police before being captured, and the 59-year old father barricaded himself in his home with his ex-wife and his grandchildren and threatened to shoot the officers.  The grandchildren were eventually released, allowing police to storm the home.

From the article:

Upon arrival, Cortland M. Smith III, 29, of Coos Bay got aggressive toward one of the police vehicles and had to be taken into custody by force, the Coos County Sheriff's Office said.

His father, 59-year-old Cortland M. Smith Jr., of Coquille barricaded himself inside the house with his ex-wife and two grandchildren, the sheriff's office said. He threated to shoot law enforcement if they didn't leave, the sheriff's office said.

The children were released from the residence, allowing police to enter the home and take the elder Smith into custody.

Deputies lodged Smith Jr. at Coos County jail on charges of interfering with a police officer, resisting arrest and menacing.

Smith III was lodged at Coos County jail on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, interfering with a police officer, domestic harassment and criminal mischief III.

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Two children held hostage at gunpoint by father in car chase

A male and his two sons were driving on Interstate 15 in Utah when an officer tried to pull him over for a traffic infraction. What happened next was hours of police chase and hostage situation, where the man held his two sons, one aged 6 or 7, the other a high schooler, hostage at gunpoint, sometimes pointing the gun at his own head.

From the articles HERE and HERE:

This incident began just before 11 a.m. Monday when a La Verkin police officer attempted to stop a car for a traffic infraction. Corporal Todd Johnson of the Utah Highway Patrol said that when the vehicle refused to yield, a chase ensued....

In essence, from what is streaming live on County Dispatch, the suspect is apparently known to have emotional issues, may be paranoid that his ex-wife is going to take his children away from him, but is said to be very attached to his children.

“The two children [were released] and then he surrendered and the three were taken into custody.”

Abbot said that the offender maintained contact with [the] negotiations team and they were able to talk him into peacefully surrendering himself around 8:30 p.m.

The children did not appear to be physically harmed and were taken into the custody of Child Protective Services. “Everything seems to be okay that way,” said Abbott.

The offender was arrested and transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility for booking. Abbott said that he would be charged on the traffic violation and evading arrest, with La Verkin Police Department as the arresting agency since they were involved in the incident’s inception.

No determination has been made as to the offender’s mental condition or other factors triggering the day’s episode. Abbot said of investigators developing the case, “they’ll work through all that.”

Luckily, no one was injured.

Boy assaulted by armed gunmen during robbery

Masked gunmen stormed a pawn shop in White Center, Washington, threatening patrons and knocking a young boy to the ground (video and article). They smashed and grabbed jewelry and money. Luckily, no one was seriously injured.

17-year old boy shot at by enraged former NY prosecutor for ringing her doorbell

Nolan LeBlanc, age 17

17-year old Nolan LeBlanc apparently rang the doorbell of the wrong Long Island house after walking home from a friend's house, where he had watched a football game and drank beer.

That's when the home owner and mother of two children (ages 9 and 11), former Bronx prosecutor Bernadette Greenwald, answered the door, captured the boy, and fired her pink 9mm pistol in the air, then held the boy hostage along with her husband until police arrived. She had believed that LeBlanc had been repeatedly ringing the doorbell and running away. She then apparently lied to police about what had inspired her actions.

From the article:

“I shot that gun yesterday for the first time. I felt like I had balls,” former Bronx prosecutor Bernadette Greenwald, 47, boasted to cops not long after the childish game of “ding-dong ditch” caused her to snap.

She initially told cops that the neighborhood teen rang the bell twice, and on the third time threatened to rape her and kill her children.

But cops said the teen had nothing to do with the prank — he wasn’t charged — and the young man’s mother insisted he was walking home from a friend’s house after watching the Giants game and drinking beer.

Greenwald’s statements to cops later changed.

“It was just kid s--t,” she said, adding that she pulled the trigger only to scare the boy. 

“He thought it was a Barbie gun. I wanted to show him that it was loaded,” Greenwald told police, referring to Nolan LeBlanc, 17, a South Side HS football star who lives across the street.

She has a permit for the Taurus revolver and admitted to cops that she takes Xanax. 

“He was scared s--tless. That kid laughed because it’s a pink gun. He didn’t laugh after I fired it,” she said, according to police reports.

You wouldn't think ringing the doorbell, or even playing such a prank, would be an offense worth being shot at.