In 2 separate crimes hours apart, would-be car thieves shot by victims in Chicago
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Twice in a span of less than three hours early Thursday, crime victims fought back and shot someone trying to break into or outright steal their car, and that fighting back is starting to become a trend.
The first victim was a retired Chicago police officer, whose neighbor alerted him that someone was trying to break into his car early Thursday in the Austin neighborhood.
That's when the 73-year-old retired officer came out of his home in the 300 block of North Mayfield Avenue, and confronted the 53-year-old man trying to break into his vehicle around 2:15 a.m.
The retired officer approached the man and warned him to leave, but he told CBS News Chicago that the suspect lunged at him and attempted to take his gun. That's when the retired officer opened fire, shooting the man in the shoulder.
"You know, he handled himself very well with the situation. He did it very professional," neighbor Terrell Jackson said. "We not saying go out and be vigilantes, but you definitely want the community to stick together for things like this."
Less than three hours later, in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood, police said a 47-year-old man was sitting inside his vehicle in the 1600 block of West 82nd Street, when he was approached by four men who tried to carjack him.
When they sprayed some sort of chemical on the victim, the man – who is a valid FOID card and concealed carry license holder – shot at the group. A 16-year-old boy was shot in the left leg and suffered a graze wound to his left arm. The other carjackers took off in the victim's Toyota Camry.
While both shootings remained under investigation Thursday afternoon, under Illinois state law, the victims' use of force in these cases – for now – appear to be justified, according to legal analyst Irv Miller.
"If you are in fear of your life, if you're in a situation where somebody is committing a felony against you, and you suspect that you could really be hurt, if you have a concealed carry license, you have the right to shoot that person, even if you kill the person, because the law allows you to use a firearm to defend yourself if you're being attacked," Miller said.
Miller said every case is different.
"You have to look at two statutes. Concealed carry; are you in compliance with that? And self-defense law; are you in compliance with that? If you are in compliance with both, you won't get charged with a crime," he said.
The victims in both cases were left unharmed. The suspects in both cases were taken to hospitals in good or fair condition.
Charges were pending against the man who tried to break into the retired officer's car and the teen would-be carjacker.