87 year-old captures home intruder

[KenpoTex]

Home defense incident in Macomb, Illinois

Resident captures intruder
By Stacey Creasy/Editor

MACOMB - Leonard Gamage is sore today, which is understandable since he spent more than 45 minutes fighting off an intruder late Friday.

Gamage, 87, suffered some bumps and bruises in a pair of fights with the intruder, who is an unidentified 20-year man. Leonard told the Journal he does feel good about still having the ability to defend his home.

"I'm an old soldier," Gamage said. "I was in quite a few scuffles in the Army. I feel like I can still go if I have to."

Gamage said the ordeal started just after 9 p.m. He was watching television at his home, located at 1200th Road, near Macomb, when someone came to his front door. Gamage said he went to the back door since both doors face the patio.

Gamage did not recognize the young man. When he went to open the door, he said the man grabbed the screen door and forced himself inside the house.

"I asked him what he wanted and told him to get out," Gamage said.

The intruder allegedly refused to leave. That is when Gamage and the young man got into their first altercation.

"We started to scuffle right there in the kitchen," Gamage recalled. "I was able to get him outside the house and told him again to get out."

Gamage said he remembered having a pair of rifles in a gun rack inside the house. As he started in that direction, he and the man began to fight again at the back door, in the kitchen/patio area.

"I was finally able to get my hands on one of the guns and hit him in the back with the gun stock," Gamage said. "That's when he looked at me and said 'I'm going to get you."

Gamage said he was thinking that he would hate to kill the young man, but would if he were left with no choice. Gamage then fired a pair of warning shots, one at each foot, but that did not deter the intruder, according to Gamage, who was feeling weak by this point. Gamage was at the hospital a day earlier being treated for a nose bleed.

"I lost a lot of blood the day before and I was weak," Gamage added. "When he said he was still going to get me, I realized this was serious. I shot him in the left foot. It hit him in the arch and he screamed and started jumping around like a chicken with his head cut off."

Gamage said he pointed the rifle at the suspect's stomach and ordered him to freeze while Gamage made a telephone call. Instead of calling 911, Gamage called a neighbor, Tom Friday, and told him he had been attacked.

When he went back the intruder was gone. Gamage said he did not feel comfortable knowing the suspect was out there, so he went into the dark, looking for the young man.

Gamage said he spotted the suspect near the garage, next to the barn. Gamage crept up behind the man and ordered him not to move or he would kill him.

"About that time Tom pulled up," Gamage said. "I think he was shocked because I was holding the intruder at gunpoint."

Seconds later Gamage said multiple police cars, an ambulance and fire rescue units all converged on his home.

The ordeal was finally over. It was about 10:45 p.m.

"The intruder would not tell the police nothing but his name," Gamage said. "I told them what happened, but I think they want to come out again Monday for a detailed interview."

McDonough County Sheriff Mike Johnson, who responded to the scene at the Gamage residence, said the suspect was taken to McDonough District Hospital and treated for his gunshot wound.

The defendant's name is being withheld.

His condition is unknown. Johnson said the incident remains under investigation and charges are pending against the man, who is said to be a WIU student.

Gamage was trying to take it easy Saturday, in-between interviews with the media about what took place.

Ironically, Gamage lost the very rifle that may have saved his life.

"I do not have a gun permit so they had to take my rifles," Gamage said. "The sheriff told me if I get my permit, he would see what he could do to help me get them back.

I never use them, but they have been in the family a long time."

Gamage said the sheriff and other officers told him he "did a hell of a job," defending his property.

"If nothing else I hope this prevents other intruders from breaking into someone's home," Gamage said.

http://www.macombjournal.com/articl.../news/news2.txt

"I do not have a gun permit so they had to take my rifles," Gamage said. "The sheriff told me if I get my permit, he would see what he could do to help me get them back."
This is absolutely disgusting! Here we have an army vet (who based on his age, probably served in WWII) who has his guns confiscated because he was faced with the unfortunate little problem of having to fight for his life. :angry:

 

[michaeledward]

Or, perhaps the guns were confiscated because he was violating the rules of the community concerning those weapons.

I especially like his first use of the weapon. One that I can completely agree with.

"I was finally able to get my hands on one of the guns and hit him in the back with the gun stock," Gamage said.

Mike

 

[INDYFIGHTER]

He wouldn't have been able to fight this guy off much longer and it's a good thing he was able to get to the rifle. It's obvious that this guy intended on harming the man. The intruders just lucky that this man didn't want to kill anyone because he'd have been in the right to do so.

 

[michaeledward]

A different version of the events.

http://www.pjstar.com/stories/120604/REG_B4U804KP.045.shtml

Man feared intruder had a knife

Student was shot in foot by Macomb homeowner after heated struggle

By Jodi Pospeschil of the Journal Star

MACOMB - Involved in what he believed was a life-and-death struggle, Leonard Gamage was able to fight off a man more than 60 years his junior before shooting him in the foot.


Gamage, who admits he's in his 80s but doesn't like to say his exact age, fought with and shot a 20-year-old Western Illinois University student who tried to force his way into his rural Macomb house late Friday. Police have not yet released the identity of the student.

As he told the story Sunday, Gamage thought a neighbor was trying to scare him as he watched television about 9:15 p.m. Friday by pounding on one of the two doors on his front porch.

"So I went to the other door and flipped on the light," he said.

As Gamage pulled open the door, a man shoved his way into the house, forcing Gamage back into his kitchen table.

"I was shocked," he said. "I asked him, 'Who the hell are you and what do you want?'"

Gamage noticed the man's eyes were glazed. He said the intruder never told him why he was there or why he wanted inside the house.

The two wrestled in the kitchen as Gamage struggled to get a gun he keeps hidden.

"I was trying to kick at him and still get a hand on the rifle," he said. "I haven't had my hands on that rifle for five or six years. I didn't even know if it was loaded."

Eventually Gamage was able to grab the weapon and another fight began after he hit the intruder in the back with the stock.

"We were both fighting for the gun," he said. "I was afraid he might have a knife. I pointed the gun at him and told him that I would kill him if he didn't get out. I knew he would kill me if he had the gun."

Gamage then shoved the intruder out onto the porch, but the man tried to get back into the house. Gamage said he fired two warning shots through his screen door at the man to scare him.

"He said, 'I'm going to get you,'" Gamage said. "It didn't scare him at all."



In that short time, the intruder had left the front porch. Gamage took his gun outside to look around some outbuildings for him.

Gamage found the man hiding near his garage and said he almost shot him there.

"I snuck up on him and said, 'Don't move an inch or I'll kill you,'" Gamage said. "Then he started begging me not to kill him. My finger was shaking on the trigger, but he was convinced."

Gamage forced the man at gunpoint to sit on a rock wall near the house. About the same time, Friday arrived and summoned help.

"Tom asked me if I'd called the police," he said. "I told him that I'd been too busy to call."

On Wednesday, Gamage suffered a serious nosebleed and his local doctor told him to go home and not to exert himself for several days. He said that his muscles are very sore after the fights.

Since the ordeal, Gamage said people have been shaking his hand everywhere he goes and telling him that he did the right thing.

On Sunday, McDonough County Sheriff Michael Johnson said that the intruder is facing possible charges. He was hospitalized briefly for a broken foot.

Gamage lives alone in his house, which is at the end of a long lane on 1200th Road. He said he was born in the home and is now retired after serving as a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force.

On Sunday, Gamage said he changed the door locks and he is considering installing a peephole in the door.

 

[Erik]

Stupid reporters cannot even agree on the color of poop.

Kudos to the guy, however! He should have just gotten permits for the weapons and let it be.

 

[MJS]

A few things to take into consideration here.

1- NEWS papers want to do one thing, and that is to sell papers!! Who wants to read a boring paper?? That being said, the reporters are going to take the info. from the incident, and modify it to make that paper sell. However, in the process of doing that, important things can and at times are left out.

2- We have 2 different stories here regarding the same matter. Obviously they differ. Again, how can an accurate report be obtained from the info. that we have?

3- What are the laws of the state that he lives in regarding guns? Did he have to have a permit for those guns? If he did and he did not have one, then it makes no difference at all if he was a WW 2 vet or whatever, the fact of the matter is, it doesnt give him the right to do something against the law.

Hats off to the guy though for fighting back. You hear all the time to just do what the bad guy says, give him the money, the keys to the car, etc. your life can't be replaced but the money and car can. True, but whats to say that the guy won't kill you anyway? I just heard on the NEWS today of an armed robbery that happened in CT. The guy took the money and still shot the clerk.

Mike

 

[KenpoTex]

Or, perhaps the guns were confiscated because he was violating the rules of the community concerning those weapons.

3- What are the laws of the state that he lives in regarding guns? Did he have to have a permit for those guns? If he did and he did not have one, then it makes no difference at all if he was a WW 2 vet or whatever, the fact of the matter is, it doesnt give him the right to do something against the law.

My point was that it is pathetic that there are places that require peaceful, law-abiding citizens to obtain a permit to exercise their rights to protect themselves by means of a firearm. In other words, I was not saying that since he was an old soldier or b/c he was justified in his actions that he was not breaking the law; but rather that the law shouldn't exist in the first place.

 

[TigerWoman]

I guess the moral of the story is to forget martial arts at age 87, we will all have to not only get guns but register them. (and some of us will actually have to learn how to use them.) TW

 

[MJS]

My point was that it is pathetic that there are places that require peaceful, law-abiding citizens to obtain a permit to exercise their rights to protect themselves by means of a firearm. In other words, I was not saying that since he was an old soldier or b/c he was justified in his actions that he was not breaking the law; but rather that the law shouldn't exist in the first place.

Well, I can't speak for years past, but having a permit today seems like its the norm. I would tend to think that all guns would need to be registered in some way. How can someone take anothers word that they are a law abiding citizen?

I would think that if this person had the proper paperwork, chances are, he still would have those guns today.

I don't know the laws of every state, but I'm sure that every state has some sort of gun law in place.

Mike

 

[michaeledward]

Forget about the permit ...


the guy has guns that are either a) hidden or b) on a gun rack, ...
that he hasn't held in years ...
and he doesn't know if they are loaded or not.


And you want to congratulate him for protecting himself ?

With that amount of respect shown toward his firearms, I think, perhaps, they should be taken away.

Mike

 

[KenpoTex]

Well, I can't speak for years past, but having a permit today seems like its the norm. I would tend to think that all guns would need to be registered in some way. How can someone take anothers word that they are a law abiding citizen?

Actually, most places don't require a permit/registration to own a firearm which is the way it should be because: 1)Registration is the precursor of confiscation.
and
2)Permits and registration serve to imply that ownership is a privilege as opposed to a right.

I don't know the laws of every state, but I'm sure that every state has some sort of gun law in place.
Mike

Like I said most states and/or cities don't require permits/registration. Some of the more restrictive (with regard to concealed carry and purchace requirements and restrictions) states/areas include D.C., Hawaii, Illinois, Mass., MD, and NY

 

[MJS]

Actually, most places don't require a permit/registration to own a firearm which is the way it should be because: 1)Registration is the precursor of confiscation.
and
2)Permits and registration serve to imply that ownership is a privilege as opposed to a right.

Like I said most states and/or cities don't require permits/registration. Some of the more restrictive (with regard to concealed carry and purchace requirements and restrictions) states/areas include D.C., Hawaii, Illinois, Mass., MD, and NY

Personally, I find that a little had to believe. If thats the case, how can you keep track of the guns??

Can you provide some links to those claims??

Mike

 

[michaeledward]

Mike,

These question go to the 2nd Amendment.

Many take the position that the Constitution gives residents (citizens?) the right to bear arms; which they interpret as meaning there can be no paperwork associated the exercise of that right (e.g. registration, permit, et al).

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1998/schools/gun.control/

I don't know if kenpotex's assertion that "most places" don't require registration or permit would hold up to scrutiny or not. However, it is interesting to look at the laws in various states.

Incidentally, Connecticut does not require any permit or registration of rifles or shotguns ... comforting, isn't it?

Mike

P.S. In Illinois, where the incident described in this thread occurred, the local municipality can write the rules concerning registration. Presumably, the citizens voted for this rule, including Mr. Gamage.

 

[michaeledward]

Related Update

MACOMB - A 20-year-old Geneva man who allegedly attempted to force his way into a rural Macomb residence Friday turned himself into police Monday.

The Macomb Journal Article
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
By Stacey Creasy/Editor

James VanderVeen of Geneva, was charged with felony trespass to a residence. He turned himself into the McDonough County Sheriff's Department. He was booked on the charge and released from the McDonough County Jail after posting a $25,000 bond.

The charge stems from an incident that took place at the Leonard Gamage residence. Gamage told the Journal the young man came to his door just after 9 p.m. Friday. When Gamage, who is an 87-year-old World War II veteran, answered the door, VanderVeen allegedly grabbed the screen door and stepped inside the home.

During the next 30 minutes Gamage and VanderVeen scuffled twice. The second fight ended when Gamage managed to get a rifle from his gun rack.

Gamage said he fired a couple of warning g shots, but when the suspect appeared to be determined to enter the house, Gamage shot the intruder in the left foot.

Gamage said VanderVeen attempted to flee when Gamage made a telephone call to a neighbor for help. Gamage found the suspect moments later and held him at gunpoint until the police arrived.

VanderVeen was taken to McDonough District Hospital, but had to go to Galesburg to have a broken bone in his left foot set. McDonough County State's Attorney James Hoyle said VanderVeen would be charged once he returned from Galesburg.

If the suspect would have been arrested on Friday, the county could have been responsible for his medical expenses.

Gamage said he was sore on Saturday but did not suffer any serious injuries in the altercations.

 

[MJS]

OK....before this discussion gets too far off the path here, lets try to get back to the topic at hand, and that being the NEWS paper article!

Regardless of what the gun laws are in any of the other 49 states, we're talking about the State of Illinois. We need to focus on the laws of that town. We also need to look at the SD laws of that state/city/town.

I think that its important to know, because again, we're basing all of our replies on a few articles. Do we know all the facts? Do we know exactly what happened in that house? Was using a gun the right thing to do in this situation?

Mike

 

[Cryozombie]

As an Illinios gun Owner Let me clear up the issue of the Law.

To Purchase or Own a Firearm or Ammunition in the State of Illinois you need a Valid FOID Card (Firearm Owners Identification Card) issued by the state police. The card costs approximatley 8 dollars, and Expires every 5 years.

Also, you do NOT register your firearms in Illinois. I can go LEGALY purcahse a firearm and the government would have no knowlage of my ownership of that weapon, only that I am a gun owner.

http://http://www.isp.state.il.us/docs/ptfire.pdf

That is a PDF document put out by the Illinois state police on gun laws in the state. Enjoy.

 

[michaeledward]

Technopunk ... I couldn't open that PDF.

Anyhow, I would assume that all would agree that Mr. Gamage was not a 'law-abiding gun owner', as he did not have the appropriate paperwork for possessing a weapon.

 

[Cryozombie]

Anyhow, I would assume that all would agree that Mr. Gamage was not a 'law-abiding gun owner', as he did not have the appropriate paperwork for possessing a weapon.

That is correct. If he had no FOID, or if his FOID was expired, he was in violation of the Law.

 

[Cryozombie]

Oh yeah

Extra HTTP in that link, sorry

http://www.isp.state.il.us/docs/ptfire.pdf

 

[Tgace]

A permit for a long gun?? Even here in the Republik of New York you only need a "permit" for a handgun. Long guns only require the background check at the time of purchase. Sounds like a state moneymaker more than anything else....

Of course here in NY we have tax after tax for that....