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The mother of West Side rapper "The Saint," who was fatally shot by police two weeks ago, filed a lawsuit Friday-- the third suit filed by the rapper’s family members in three days. Juanita Wilson, mother of the deceased rapper, is suing for the wrongful death of her son, Freddie Latrice Wilson, according to a suit filed in Cook County Circuit Court Friday. Juanita Wilson is suing the City of Chicago after Freddie Wilson was stopped by police officers on the 100 block of North Lorel Avenue in the Austin neighborhood on Nov. 13. The suit claims four unknown officers...

What started out as a night of fun for teenagers at a summer party on Long Island turned into a confrontation and ended in death when a father shot one of five threatening youths who followed his son home, the police said yesterday. The dispute began at a gathering Wednesday night in Sound Beach, near Long Island Sound in Suffolk County, when a girl complained that she had been insulted by something vulgar that another partygoer, Aaron White, 19, had written about her in an Internet chat room, the police said. Mr. White was told to leave the party and...

EFFERSON CITY — The Missouri House gave preliminary approval Wednesday to legislation that would give legal protections to people who use deadly force against intruders into their homes or vehicles. Supporters praised the bill for bolstering victims’ rights, giving homeowners protection against malicious lawsuits and providing drivers greater authority to fight back against carjackers. Rep. Curt Dougherty, an Independence Democrat, spoke for many supporters when he praised the bill for eliminating a provision in current law that requires a person to try to retreat from a confrontation inside a dwelling or vehicle before using deadly force. Such a requirement, he...

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama House and Senate are now in position to approve legislation that would expand the instances where a person can kill someone to protect a home, business or vehicle. On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 7-3 to approve a deadly force bill that passed the House last month. The bill now goes to the Senate. A nearly identical bill passed the Senate earlier in the session and has cleared a House committee. Rep. Albert Hall, D-Gurley, tried to pass that bill in the House on Wednesday, but he had to delay action on it...

People would be allowed to use deadly force if attacked or defending their homes, under a bill that cleared the South Dakota House. The measure revises existing state laws on self defense. It now goes to the Senate. Representative Alan Hanks of Rapid City says his bill allows the use force or violence to repel attackers and protect property. But he says deadly force, without a requirement to retreat, may be used only if people are in places where they may legally be. Opponents argued that the measure is not necessary, and they worry that people could use it as...

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — In the "Cowboy State," where guns are present in more than half of all homes, an unlikely battleground is forming in the fight over the appropriate use of firearms. Flush with victory in its push for state laws allowing concealed handguns, the National Rifle Association is lobbying lawmakers here and in 11 other states, including Arizona, to make it easier for people to defend themselves with deadly force. The NRA, backed by a growing membership of about 4 million, wants legislation specifying that people have no duty to retreat from an attacker before using deadly force. About...

JACKSON, Miss. - The Mississippi Senate on Tuesday approved a bill that would change the state standards for civilians' use of deadly force. The House had approved its own, similar bill this past Friday. The two chambers eventually must reconcile the differences to send one bill to the governor. Supporters say the bills - promoted by the National Rifle Association - would give crime victims more legal protection by presuming that people who use defensive force are acting prudently. People would not need to retreat before using deadly force. Some critics say the bills would not substantially change the state's...

A Clackamas County grand jury Monday voted not to indict a sheriff's deputy and a Sandy police officer who fatally shot a 27-year-old Gresham man last month. Fouad Kaady died Sept. 8 of gunshot wounds on a rural highway north of Sandy after a bizarre chain of events. Fouad Kaady, who was suspected in at least three hit-and-run crashes in the hours before he died, was bloody, naked and combative, sheriff's officials said. He was unfazed by 50,000 volts from a stun gun and refused to respond to commands. Both officers testified that Kaady jumped from the ground to the...

Two recent stories concerning the war on terror demonstrate flip sides of a coin regarding how we can move forward against a savage enemy. In London, there was the swift use of deadly force by British police, eliminating an extremely suspicious and potential threat to the subway system and public at large. In Washington, there is a story circulating that the White House is moving away from describing the war on terror as "The War on Terror," preferring instead a new term: the Global Struggle Against Violent Extremism. So, the question is, do we have the "cajones" and war-time mentality...

TALLAHASSEE, April 5 -- People in Florida will be allowed to kill in self-defense on the street without trying to flee under a new measure passed Tuesday that critics say will bring a Wild West mentality and innocent deaths. The Florida House, citing the need to allow people to "stand their ground," voted 94 to 20 to codify and expand court rulings that allow people to use deadly force to protect themselves in their homes without first trying to escape. The new bill goes further by allowing citizens to use deadly force in a public place if they have a...

A man's home is his castle. And, if the Florida Legislature has its way, the sidewalk or the grocery store could be his castle, too, if he shoots someone he thinks might seriously harm him. The proposal, preliminarily approved Thursday by the full House of Representatives, was written by the National Rifle Association and is aimed at expanding and clarifying the centuries-old "Castle Doctrine." Currently, the doctrine presumes that a person can use deadly force when someone unlawfully invades his home because the resident is presumed to have his back "against a wall." If not at home, a person generally...

A burglary suspect was shot twice on Monday by the owner of a home he was allegedly trying to break into in north Baton Rouge. Baton Rouge Police said the teenager got away, but an off-duty officer noticed the injured suspect not long after at a Family Dollar on Airline Highway. No charges have been filed against the homeowner, as police call the act self defense. According to Louisiana law, a homicide is now justified when committed by a person lawfully inside a dwelling, place of business or a vehicle against a person who is attempting to make unlawful entry....

STEELTON, Pa. -- Police shot and wounded a man in Steelton Wednesday night. Two police officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave, pending an investigation by the District Attorney's Office to determine if the use of deadly force was justified, as is procedure. Traces of blood stain the walls and carpets in the basement of a house in Steelton where police shot Driss Alami (pictured, left), 32, Wednesday night. Family members said Alami came home and was acting crazy, and when police came to calm him down, his rage intensified. "One officer shot him with a...

This kind of gun control averts tragedy - Friday, April 9 SUMMARY: From this week's headlines comes a good example of why the right to bear arms is so important. In the news this week is the Cascade-area man who shot and killed an escaped convict who broke into his home and threatened his wife and him. What an awful, terrifying experience. Thank goodness Robert Nylund had a weapon available, the ability to quickly access it and the skill needed to use it under trying circumstances when the stakes couldn't be higher. That's what we call gun control. We in...

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Air Force Base Authorizes 'deadly Force' Against Trespassing Protesters VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) - Security forces at Vandenberg Air Force Base are allowed to use "deadly force" in some cases if any anti-war demonstrators infiltrate the military complex, officials said. Some anti-war activists have announced plans to trespass in hopes of disturbing Vandenberg's mission and to vandalize sensitive equipment they believe helps the war effort. Vandenberg officials revealed Friday that military security police have always been allowed to shoot to kill, if necessary, to protect base residents and equipment. It is more critical now that people understand the...

<p>One man was hitting himself over the head with a tire jack when police came upon him. He was shot after he later charged at officers and grabbed for their guns.</p> <p>Another was standing in the street, pretending with his cane to shoot passing cars. He was shot after he later raised a BB rifle that officers thought was a real gun.</p>

<p>LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- In a ruling that could add new dimensions to the abortion debate, a Michigan court said a pregnant woman can use deadly force to protect a fetus from attack even if her own life is not in danger.</p>