Georgia police say man shot and killed armed thug trying to rob him in parking garage: 'I just had to shoot somebody'



A Georgia man told police that he thwarted an attempted armed robbery after pulling his own gun and shooting the thug who allegedly threatened him.

Hapeville police released a panicked 911 call from the victim after the shooting at the Atlantic Aerotropolis on S. Fulton Ave. on April 15 at about 9:30 a.m.

“Hey, I just had to shoot somebody in the top floor of the parking deck,” said the man on the emergency call obtained by WSB-TV.

The man said he was walking from the apartments to his car when he was confronted by the armed man.

“His car was parked next to mine. He got out of the car, said, ‘Hey bro! Don’t move!’ [and] pointed a gun at me. I pulled my gun, and I shot,” he added.

After he shot him, he noticed there was another man in the passenger seat of the suspect's car. The victim ran into his apartment and called police to tell them about the incident.

While he was worried that the second man might follow him into the apartment, police say the second suspect ran away from the scene.

Witnesses said they saw the man run toward a nearby church. Police later identified the suspect as Alton Coleman and arrested him after seeing him allegedly urinating in public at the church.

Coleman was charged with murder and aggravated assault, and records show he has a lengthy criminal history. The man who was shot and killed was identified as 39-year-old Lando Carter.

WSB was also able to confirm that Carter had been released from prison only a year prior to the robbery and his death. He had served a 15-year sentence for interference with commerce by threats or violence and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence.

The victim did not want to speak to WSB about the incident.

Hapeville is a city of about 6,500 people located in the northwest part of the state.

Here's more about the incident:

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'We're gonna make felons out of taxpayers': Illinois bans semiautomatic rifles that carry over 10 rounds



Democrats have imposed a ban on the sale, manufacture, and possession of semiautomatic weapons in Illinois. The state joins eight others plus the District of Columbia that similarly have infringed upon citizens' ability to procure such weapons.

State Senate President Don Harmon and state House Speaker Emanuel Welch suggested in a joint statement with Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) that the gun ban is one of the "strongest" in the country, "making Illinois' gun laws a model for the nation."

Shall be infringed

The state House voted for the gun ban along party lines 68-41, with the exception of outgoing Republican Minority Leader Rep. Jim Durkin, who voted in favor of the ban, intimating guns ought to have a "sporting use."

In the Senate, all but four Democrats voted in favor of the ban, while Republicans were uniformly opposed.

Pritzker signed the legislation into law on Tuesday, banning long guns and handguns with carrying capacity of over 10 and 15 rounds respectively.

Rapid-fire devices sometimes called "switches" and .50 caliber cartridges are similarly verboten. The Los Angeles Times indicated that dozens of specific brands and types are similarly targeted by the ban.

Axios reported that the law also expedites universal background checks.

Hours before signing the ban into law, Pritzker took the oath of office, in which he solemnly swore to "support the Constitution of the United States," which in turn guarantees "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms."

WLS-TV reported that law-abiding Americans presently in possession of the types of weapons now banned must report the models, calibers, and serial numbers to state police by Oct. 1.

'Come get them'

Republicans and other constitutionalists denounced the move by the state's Democrats to disarm law-abiding citizens, reported the Los Angeles Times.

Rep. Blaine Wilhour (Beecher City) suggested that the ban was evidence that Democrats "despise our Founders."

"A government willing to defy our Constitution is a government that is completely out of control. So you can sit here and dictate whatever you want today," said Wilhour. "But I can tell you that we will not comply, and you’re not going to do a darn thing about it because the law, the Constitution, and the founding principles are on our side."

Sen. Chapin Rose said, "Here we are today. We're gonna make felons out of taxpayers."

Outgoing state Sen. Darren Bailey tweeted, "I'll die on my front porch before anyone takes my guns away. My message to Springfield: If you want my guns, come get them."

"Gov. Pritzker's gun ban blatantly violates our Second Amendment rights. Illinois Democrats have fought to release dangerous criminals onto the streets, Defund The Police, and take away your Second Amendment right to defend yourself. The legal battle begins!" tweeted Rep. Mary Miller.

Other Republicans appeared certain that the ban will be utterly ineffective at stopping criminals in the state.

Rep. Patrick Windhorst said on Tuesday, "People who break the law, people who commit violent crime are not going to register their firearms, are not going to turn in their magazines. This will not stop that crime. What will happen is law-abiding gun owners will be yet again impacted by laws in this General Assembly, yet again have their Second Amendment rights restrained."

A 2019 Department of Justice report concluded that among state and federal prisoners "who possessed a gun during their offense, 90% did not obtain it from a retail source."

43% obtained a firearm illegally off the street or from an underground market. 7% found it at the scene of the crime. 6% had stolen.

The Illinois State Rifle Association wrote to Pritzker, Harmon, and Welch on Tuesday, "Challenge accepted. The Illinois State Rifle Association will see the State of Illinois in court."

Gun Owners of America said in a statement, "These commonly owned semi-automatic firearms are used countless times every year to save lives and deter crime. Banning them will only prevent law-abiding citizens from purchasing the best firearm to defend themselves. Not to mention, the requirement to register currently owned firearms is vehemently unconstitutional."

Democrats celebrate

Democrats were jubilant over the ban, cheering as the governor signed the legislation into law.

Pritzker, who alleged Illinois had previously "been held hostage by the NRA and their allies time and time again," claimed that the "law that is now in place will save lives, and it won't just save one life. It will be hundreds or potentially thousands of lives."

Democrat Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who has overseen significant bloodletting in her city — frequently committed with illegal firearms — despite similar bans on "assault weapons" called the law "significant and important progress."

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A 10-year-old boy was arrested and charged for joking about carrying out a school shooting



A fifth-grader in Florida was arrested and charged this past weekend for threatening to carry out a mass shooting over text message.

On Saturday, the Lee County sheriff’s office said that it had learned earlier that day of a “threatening text message” sent by a student at an elementary school.

The sheriff’s office said that its local school threat enforcement team was immediately notified of the message and started to investigate. The 10-year-old boy who sent the message was interviewed by the authorities and later charged with “making a written threat to conduct a mass shooting,” NBC News reported.

The police shared a video in which the 10-year-old boy can be seen being led into a police vehicle.

Noting that the mass shooting threat came just days after the massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in a statement, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said, “This student’s behavior is sickening, especially after the recent tragedy in Uvalde, Texas.”

The sheriff continued, “Right now is not the time to act like a little delinquent. It’s not funny. This child made a fake threat, and now he’s experiencing real consequences.”

Marceno said that his team “didn’t hesitate one second … not one second” to investigate the incident.

Marceno’s emphasis on his team’s rapid response to the threat comes as law enforcement officials in Uvalde are facing intense criticism over their response to the May 24 school shooting after it came to light that they waited for roughly an hour for backup instead of immediately moving to neutralize the gunman.

In response to the atrocity in Uvalde, Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives are moving to advance a series of comprehensive gun control bills.

Reportedly, congressional Democrats want to implement gun control legislation that would raise the age requirement to buy a semi-automatic rifle from 18 to 21 years old; make it a federal crime to import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess high-capacity magazines with a grandfather clause for existing magazines; require existing bump stocks to be registered under the National Firearms Act; ban new the purchase and manufacture of new bump stocks; codify into law the Biden administration’s regulations on so-called “ghost guns”; restrict straw purchases for firearms; and create new requirements for storing firearms in homes where minors and young children are present.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her leadership team reportedly have been discussing actions they might take on gun control in the wake of the Robb Elementary School and Buffalo grocery store shootings.

Constitutional carry bill advances in Georgia



The state legislature in Georgia advanced a constitutional carry bill that would remove the license requirement for residents to carry a handgun in public.

A bill offered by state Sen. Jason Anavitarte (R) would make it so that any legal gun-owner in the state could carry a handgun — either openly or concealed — without needing a license to do so.

Democratic lawmakers have criticized the measure, claiming it would make it easier for criminals to get guns and warning that violence will increase. But Republicans counter that criminals don't abide by gun laws, which they say only serve to restrict the constitutional right to bear arms.

The bill was approved by the state Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday and will next advance to a floor vote. Gov. Brian Kemp (R) has supported the bill, arguing Georgians have a constitutional right to self-defense.

According to the Associated Press, current license laws in Georgia require a background check to prevent certain people from acquiring guns, including convicted felons. Anavitarte said that background checks would still be required for gun purchases under his bill. He argued that criminals are unlikely to apply for a permit anyway, and removing the license requirement won't impact crime.

“The requirement to have a permit does not deter nor disincentive a criminal from carrying a firearm concealed,” he said. “They will do it regardless. Permitless carry gives criminals a reason to fear that any potential victim could be armed.”

Before the committee vote, state Sen. Elena Parent (D) claimed that removing the background check requirement for handgun licenses would "remove one of the very small" means by which guns are kept away from criminals.

Other Democrats asked if the bill's supporters had consulted with law enforcement and disputed that license requirements significantly curb 2nd Amendment rights, according to the AP.

Anavitarte answered that concerns about gun violence and safety can be addressed by increasing spending on law enforcement and policing.

Georgia law currently requires gun owners to obtain a license to carry a loaded handgun outside their own homes, in businesses, or in vehicles. Rifles and shotguns may be openly carried in many places without a permit, and unloaded guns can be carried in cases.

State residents that wish to obtain a handgun license must submit an application and pay a fee to do so. They are also required to have their fingerprints taken and to submit to a background check. Convicted felons, people who have been hospitalized for mental health problems, and those who have received treatment for drug or alcohol abuse in recent years before applying for a license are not eligible to obtain one.

Glenn: The left is using LIES to destroy your 2nd Amendment rights

Glenn: The left is using LIES to destroy your 2nd Amendment rights