A man living in Cleveland lawfully caried a concealed weapon. Two young punks accosted him while he was walking up to his home. One of the douchebags, a 15 year-old street gang member, pulled out a gun and attempted to rob the guy. The homeowner pulled out his .40 caliber and killed the gun-weilding shit head. Now the homeowner is under seige by neighborhood asshats, and was forced to leave his home.
Cleveland man caught up in gun debate
Posted by Damian G. Guevara and Patrick O?Donnell April 23, 2007 19:56PM
Damon Wells is the man gun supporters imagined when they fought for the right to carry concealed weapons.
He had a permit to carry his gun, and he had the gun on him when a pair of teenage thieves approached him Saturday night on his front porch.
When one of the youths pulled a gun, Wells whipped out his and shot one of the boys multiple times in the chest, police said.
Arthur Buford, 15, died after stumbling away and collapsing on a sidewalk near East 134th Street and Kinsman Road.
City prosecutors decided Monday that Wells, 25, was justified and would not be charged for what appears to be the first time a concealed-carry permit holder has shot and killed an attacker.
Nonetheless, the shooting reignited the debate that roared three years ago when Ohio's concealed-carry law took effect.
Gun supporters said the weapon saved Wells' life. Opponents said it took Buford's - that the 15-year-old might be alive if a citizen had not been armed.
An angry throng of about 30 youths gathered Monday and set up a memorial at the intersection where Buford, a freshman at John F. Kennedy High School, died.
His cousin, Tameka Foster, 21, questioned why police refused to punish Buford's shooter. "They let that man run out freely," Foster said. "My cousin is dead."
Buford's accomplice disappeared after the shooting and had not been caught Monday night. Police found a .38-caliber handgun in the mail chute of a nearby house. They believe it belonged to Buford or the other suspect, Lt. Thomas Stacho said.
Police took a .40-caliber Smith and Wesson firearm from Wells, the police report shows.
Both sides of the gun debate said it was sad that a teenager died.
"It's tragic," said Jim Irvine, chairman of the Buckeye Firearm Association. "Anytime somebody dies it's tragic, but it's hard to have any sympathy when he chose to have a gun and go threaten somebody's life."
Irvine said it was "great that a potential victim is able to continue his life instead of having a criminal take it."
Toby Hoover, of the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence, said she had not heard of any other fatal shooting involving a concealed-carry permit holder.
"This is one of the few where they actually used it to stop a crime," Hoover said.
But, she said, "there's still a dead kid here."
A man who answered phone a number for Wells refused to comment and hung up. No one answered the door at Wells' home.
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2007/04/cleveland_man_caught_in_gun_co.htmlMore here: No sympathy for thug culture
Wednesday, April 25, 2007Regina BrettPlain Dealer Columnist
There's a sheet of tributes taped to a red brick wall.
There's a utility pole covered in glittery balloons.
There's a pile of teddy bears resting not far from where 15-year-old Arthur Buford died on the sidewalk.
But there's no debate over concealed-carry laws.
A debate would be as unnecessary as the tributes posted to honor a teen who went looking for trouble and found it.
Damon Wells, 25, was sitting on his own porch Saturday night. It's a long, narrow gray porch with a wicker chair at the end. The house sits near Kinsman Road and East 134th Street in Cleveland.
He was minding his own when two teens tried to rob him. The plan backfired. When Wells saw one kid pull a gun, he drew his own Smith & Wesson and blasted away.
It's sad that a delinquent died on the sidewalk.
It would have been sadder if a law-abiding homeowner had died on his porch.
Wells had no criminal record.
Buford, a freshman at John F. Kennedy High School, was still on probation. Last year he committed an aggravated robbery.
Three years ago, Ohio made it legal to carry a concealed weapon. Wells had a permit to carry the gun. Back when Second Amendment advocates argued for that right, they warned people: Don't carry a gun unless you plan to use it if your life is threatened.
The Smith & Wesson could be credited for saving Wells' life, but it didn't protect his home.
After the shooting, someone smashed in his front windows. The house looks deserted now, with sheets of plywood nailed over the windows and front door.
Ever since the shooting, people have stopped at the nearby memorial to scrawl messages honoring Buford.
"God gave me a new angel man . . . Why Da Good Die Young . . . I'll see you in eternity . . . You are with the Lord and we happy for that."
One woman walked by with her toddler. She set a teddy bear in the pile of stuffed animals and scrawled a message on the sign. Her little boy pointed and squealed at the balloons dancing in the wind until she pulled him away.
Others drove by and stopped to tie more heart-shaped balloons to the pole.
Buford's cousin had grumbled to one reporter about the shooter being allowed to run free.
Wells killed the teen Saturday. City prosecutors cleared Wells on Monday, calling the shooting justified. Which leads me to wonder: Why does it take so long to clear police officers when they fire in self-defense?
At least no one can cry race this time. Both the shooter and dead teen are black.
I can't bring myself to call Buford the victim of a shooting. He was the instigator of one.
His family should be ashamed of his actions and apologize to the man he tried to rob.
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What's the over/under for Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson to fly to Cleveland to side with the shooter?
"[T]hat the 15-year-old might be alive if a citizen had not been armed." Hey here's an idea: the 15-year-old might be alive if he didn't try to stick a gun in someone's face!
In the eyes of certain people, the perpetrator is never at fault when he gets what's coming to him. Certain people are really fucking stupid.
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