Memphis: Sixth home shooting bloodies thief

Sixth home shooting bloodies thief N. Memphis woman gives $200, then 2 shots from .32

A woman gave a home invasion robber $200 before dawn Friday, then pulled a gun from her china cabinet and shot at him twice when the robber demanded even more money.

Police found a trail of blood inside and outside the house at 906 Meagher in North Memphis and were looking for a suspect at local hospitals Friday.

The shooting is at least the sixth incident since June in which a Memphis homeowner or resident has shot or shot at attackers. Like the other incidents, it will be reviewed by state prosecutors.

The robber took a screen off a back room window of the house, raised the window and crawled inside. He confronted the homeowner, Estella Schaefer, 65, and demanded money. He apparently was not armed.

It took Schaefer 15-20 minutes to look for money as he waited and she then gave him $200 in cash.

The robber told Schaefer, "'I know you've got more money than that. Someone told me,'" the police report says.

That's when Schaefer reached into her china cabinet and pulled a .32-caliber black revolver, shooting twice at the robber as he ran toward her to take the gun away from her.

He failed to get the gun, but Schaefer was cut on her left knuckle during the struggle. She declined medical assistance.

Police found a trail of blood going out of the house and for about half a block on a sidewalk on Meagher. They believe the robber was wounded.

Schaefer, who could not be reached by The Commercial Appeal for comment, told police that she didn't know if she hit the robber with either shot and had never seen him before.

Police described him as a black man in his mid- to late 20s, standing 5-foot-7 and weighing about 200 pounds.

A wave of shootings involving confrontations at people's homes began June 13 when David Ronald Washington, 44, was shot to death after breaking into a home at 3980 Wildwind Cove. He was the man police have identified as the East Memphis "cat burglar."

That same day, Kevin Martrell Humphrey, 19, was shot to death and a second suspect was injured when they tried to force their way into a home at 2959 Lark.

On July 9, William Ronnie Payne, 45, was shot and killed after trying to force his way into a home at 4212 Warbonnet.

Ricky Ricardo Wilborn, 21, was killed and Ali R. Ford, 24, was critically wounded July 11 when a man police say they robbed at an East Memphis ATM shot them as they took him by force back to his house at 4555 Dunn to get more money.

All of those shootings were ruled justified after a case-by-case review by the District Attorney General's Office.

However, police on Tuesday charged Joseph Jones Jr., 22, with two counts of reckless endangerment after he fired six blasts from a 12-gauge shotgun at a man he caught breaking into his shed at 1427 Leflore Place.

Jones didn't hit the burglar, but one of the shotgun blasts shattered a bedroom window at the house next door, narrowly missing two children who had been asleep in the room.

Jones claimed the burglar was armed and that the burglar shot at him as he fled.

I'm a little amused and confused by your post, here.

Are you aware that most women spend their entire LIVES understanding that we are prey? That we don't get into our cars in a parking lot if there is a van parked next to it? That we get very nervous when a man gets too close to us in a fairly secluded place, and we don't know who he is? That we know that 7 out of 10 of us are raped by the time we hit our 30s? Do you really think that there is no possibility that our assailants are hopped up on something or on a mean drunk? Of course we give consideration to the prospect!

Do I fear being *hacked* to pieces? Hm. I spent an undetermined amount of time in a small, dark room with two men who had grabbed me from behind and dragged me in there, then proceeded to rape me repeatedly and then insert a knife into me, lacerating my cervix as their reminder for me to not "tell." I know that you don't intend to be condescending, but for a man to post, telling me what women fear, is just that.

No, a .25 or .32 is not really adequate. Why? Because you never know, do you, whether your assailant is just a nasty little freak or a real unpleasant character. A .22, .25, .32, or .380 is backup, but it is not adequate at all as a primary firearm. Btw, this mother kept a .357 and a 12 gauge for the amount of protection she wanted for her family. Her daughter, though, keeps a .45 and a 16 gauge. Her mother keeps a .22 and a 20 gauge, but that's because her arthritis is so bad.

By the way ... I DID tell. And, some years later, I had a firearm and was a rape ATTEMPT survivor.

I'm a little amused

laughter is the best medicine:-)

and confused by your post, here.

I'll try and clarify.

Are you aware that most women spend their entire LIVES understanding that we are prey? Yes I am.

That we don't get into our cars in a parking lot if there is a van parked next to it?

I am very much aware of that. Too bad more men don't have the situational awareness women have.

That we get very nervous when a man gets too close to us in a fairly secluded place, and we don't know who he is?

That I also knew.

That we know that 7 out of 10 of us are raped by the time we hit our 30s?

That statistic is "negotiable" but I understand where you're coming from.

Do you really think that there is no possibility that our assailants are hopped up on something or on a mean drunk?

No and I'm sorry if I made you think that. My point was that women have a different range of considerations than men. I think I'm safe in saying the the majority of men never give consideration to defense against homosexual rape when selecting a personal defense weapon.

Do I fear being *hacked* to pieces? Hm. I spent an undetermined amount of time in a small, dark room with two men who had grabbed me from behind and dragged me in there, then proceeded to rape me repeatedly and then insert a knife into me, lacerating my cervix as their reminder for me to not "tell."

I'm shocked and am at a loss for words. This evening, nothing I've written seems adequate. I'm going to try though. Please be patient with me.

When you were grabbed from behind, was it a surprise or was it a situation where had you been armed, you could have defended yourself?

Going back to my original post about "women fearing being raped and hacked to pieces". The bastards didn't hold a gun to your head and threaten to kill you if you told, rather they used a knife. My point from the original post being that one of womens considerations is defense against a knife wielding assailant. Men making gun buying decisions tend not to give much thought to the prospect of defense against a knife.

I know that you don't intend to be condescending, but for a man to post, telling me what women fear, is just that.

I'm sorry you took it that way.

No, a .25 or .32 is not really adequate. Why? Because you never know, do you, whether your assailant is just a nasty little freak or a real unpleasant character.

My point was that since countless women rely on small .25 and .32 caliber handguns, they would be much better off with a compact .22mag revolver. The .22mag packs a whole lot more punch than the .25 or .32.

None of the small guns are intended to have single shot stopping power but empty the cylinder of any of the guns into an assailant at close quarters and you have the effect of hitting him with 12 ga. #00 buck. No one will argue against the stopping power of #00 buck. A single round from a .32 being roughly equivalent to a single #00 buck pellet.

A .22, .25, .32, or .380 is backup, but it is not adequate at all as a primary firearm. That depends on what a person perceives their general threat level to be. A preban Beretta .380 carried 13 rounds in it's magazine. At close quarters, thats like having the total energy of a double barreled 12 ga shotgun in your pocket.

Btw, this mother kept a .357 and a 12 gauge for the amount of protection she wanted for her family. Her daughter, though, keeps a .45 and a 16 gauge. Her mother keeps a .22 and a 20 gauge, but that's because her arthritis is so bad. Good for all of you!

By the way ... I DID tell. And, some years later, I had a firearm and was a rape ATTEMPT survivor.

Am glad you survived, did your assailant?

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