Category: Uncategorized

If the gun prohibitionists cannot get the draconian restrictions they want from the government, they will try to get them from private companies.
Rifle stocks and AR-15 bolt release levers are the new boogeymen now.
Of course they will want to outlaw knives, pepper spray, sticks, and martial arts that actually work as soon as they get guns outlawed (except for themselves of course! They think that they are more important than you and I…)
From http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/13/amazon-gun-accessories_n_4442154.html
See what I mean?
Amazon Asked Why It’s Still Selling Gun Accessories
Reuters  |  By Ross KerberPosted: 12/13/2013 4:57 pm EST
By Ross KerberBOSTON (Reuters) – Activist investors have asked Amazon.com Inc to review its sales of firearms accessories, concerned that the online retailer offers products that could be used to convert semi-automatic rifles into weapons that fire too rapidly to be legal.
The shareholder scrutiny of the world’s largest online retailer comes a day before the anniversary of the school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, where a gunman killed 26 people. The incident led to extensive debate over U.S. gun-control laws and pressure on gunmakers and traditional retailers.
The activists include the managers of funds that promote themselves as socially responsible investors, and a deputy of New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who manages the state’s retirement fund. They sent Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos a letter on November 25 and showed it to Reuters on Thursday.
The group of investors, which said it had not heard back from Amazon, asked for details like whether the company restricts sales of dangerous products and what percentage of revenue it generates from firearms accessories.
The activists said in the letter that they were not suggesting the company is violating U.S. laws. “Nevertheless, we are deeply concerned that these product offerings allow your customers to increase the lethality of their weapons and to effectively convert semi-automatic weapons into machine guns, which are illegal under U.S. law,” states the letter.
An Amazon representative said the company does not sell guns or ammunition and cited its policies in response to other questions. The company’s website notes that some jurisdictions might restrict the sale of some products. It also says it prohibits third parties from selling on Amazon “converters that can give a gun automatic capability” and “parts or accessories related to assault weapons.”
The activists’ letter was signed by Adam Kanzer, general counsel of Domini Social Investments of New York and sent on behalf of 33 other investors that collectively have more than $490 billion under management and include Amazon shareholders. They noted the case of Newtown where gunman Adam Lanza used weapons including an AR-15 type rifle, a popular weapon that can be converted to fire more rapidly.
The activists cited products offered for sale on Amazon.com such as a gun stock that “allows shooter to shoot as quickly as desired” and a lever for the AR-15 that “allows you to lock the bolt back and release the bolt with just a slight movement of your trigger finger which significantly improves the speed and efficiency of reloads,” according to both the site and the text of the letter.
Similar levers were also available on the online sites of other retailers including Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Cabela’s Inc. Cabela’s also sold a similar gun stock.
Kanzer said his firm did not contact either of the other retailers on the issue because Domini does not own their shares.
A Cabela’s spokesman declined to comment.
A Wal-Mart spokesman, Kory Lundberg, said the store avoids selling accessories that could be used to illegally modify a firearm. Among other restrictions, he said, it also does not sell handguns except at a few stores in Alaska, and does not sell guns online.
(Editing by Matthew Lewis)

After reading through the Connecticut State Police‘s report on the Sandy Hook Elementary School attack, I am very much convinced that the mother of the killer, Nancy Lanza was woefully negligent in how she dealt with her son, Adam Lanza and in how she stored the firearms that she owned.
Adam Lanza’s Room. It has the feel of a prison cell.
“Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.”
-Proverbs 13:24
Nancy Lanza lost all control over her son and ignored the fact that his condition was getting worse over time. Assuming his medical diagnoses were accurate, the fact that Adam Lanza refused to participate in any sort of cognitive behavioral therapy that could have lessened the impact of the Asperger’s Syndrome and his co-morbid conditions he was diagnosed with. (Note: Asperger’s Syndrome is often co-morbid with one or more mental health conditions. Some Asperger’s cases do very well on their own with the right training, knowledge, skills, and attitude, some not so much.)
The reports indicate that Nancy Lanza tried to use the shared mutual interest in firearms as a way to bond with her son, Adam Lanza and had made assumptions that Adam Lanza could be trusted with unsupervised access to a firearm.
The need for immediate access to the firearm in the event of an emergency is something that should be balanced with how much you trust the people living with you under the same roof. Generally the firearm used for immediate defensive use should be a quick access safe or on your person. Nowhere else.
The gun that was used to kill Nancy Lanza.
“If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck…”
Reports indicate that Nancy Lanza had e-mailed a friend of hers saying that she was concerned with a photograph of a dead body that she had found in the house that belonged to Adam Lanza. Much like how a security clearance can be revoked when a cleared party does something that indicates they can no longer be trusted, Adam Lanza’s access to any firearms in the house should have been “revoked”. Fingerprint based gun safes were designed for this very reason.
Whose Fault Was it?
Responsibility for the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre ultimately lies with Adam Lanza, but Nancy Lanza’s inaction unwittingly enabled Adam Lanza to carry out his crimes, including her own murder.
Lessons
If someone is living with you, honestly ask yourself if you would trust them with unsupervised access to and unsupervised control over any of the following:
An open flame
Matches
Gasoline
A buzzsaw or bandsaw
A sharp knife
If your answer is “NO” or “maybe” on any of the above, then the person in question should not have unsupervised access to your firearms.
Maintain as much real-time intelligence as possible on what your kid is doing.
There is no shortage of software or hardware for monitoring computer usage.
Consider matters of civil liability as well.
Even if a judge/jury were to find that Nancy Lanza’s estate is not liable for the actions of Adam Lanza, it still would not stop any of the victim’s families from filing suit against her estate and against Adam Lanza’s father.
Such suits often end in a civil settlement to avoid the cost of fighting the suit and the risk of losing in court.
The families of the Columbine murderers settled with the victims’ families.
See http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=93525
Columbine Families Settle Suits With Parents
Victims’ Families Settle Negligence Claims Against Gunmen’s Parents
April 19
 
Most of the families of the victims in the Columbine massacre two years ago today settled their lawsuits against the parents of the gunmen.
Thirty of the 36 families whose relatives were either killed or injured by Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris in the April 20, 1999, school shooting agreed to participate in a settlement for a total of $1.56 million, according to Stephen Wahlberg, who led the families’ attorneys in the case. A judge will determine how the money is distributed.
Six of the families whose children were killed in the shootings opted not to settle. They are still pursuing suits against the Klebolds and Harrises, lawyers said.
Wahlberg said all 36 suits against Mark Manes and Phi Duran, who helped provide Klebold and Harris with guns while they were still minors, have been settled for $720,000 and $250,000, respectively.
Attorneys hope to reach a settlement with Robyn Anderson, a teenager who dated Klebold and bought weapons for him, for between $200,000 and $300,000.
Harris and Klebold killed 12 students and one teacher before committing suicide during the rampage at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. About two dozen others were injured in the attack.
Lawsuits Against School and Sheriffs Continue
In the negligence lawsuits, the families claimed the parents of the shooters knew, or at least should have known, about the possibility that their sons would carry out the attack. Investigators found bomb-making materials and weapons in the bedrooms of the gunmen and uncovered a diary that revealed they had planned the rampage for at least a year. Investigators also found that Harris had maintained a hate Web site up until his death.
Today’s settlements will not affect the lawsuits filed against the school and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department.
Those lawsuits contend that officials at the high school and the sheriff’s department knew that Klebold and Harris were troubled and had made previous threats against students, yet chose to ignore the complaints.
School officials and the sheriff’s department, the lawsuits claim, could have prevented the attack. The victims’ families have also accused the sheriff’s department of covering up information suggesting officials mishandled the Columbine shooting from the beginning.
ABCNEWS’ Law and Justice Unit contributed to this report.
As cynical as it may sound, whenever there is a tragedy, deepest pockets will always get hit by a lawyer or two.
Ignoring a problem does not make it go away, it just makes it worse.

Lessons here:
Don’t carry a lot of cash on you as a matter of routine if you do not have to.
If your job or circumstances force you to carry a large amount of cash, then you should travel with a buddy or two on your way to make a bank deposit.
Major cash deposits should be done in daylight and while escorted by friends.
If you are in a fixed location on a fixed routine then it is relatively easy to plan an ambush against you. Plan accordingly!
If you are in a job in which you have to walk around with cash then you should approach each daily route as if you are anticipating getting hit that very night.
Don’t slack off because nothing’s happened on the last 99 routes….
If you work a job like a  pizza delivery route, then you should be carrying.
The most likely points of criminal assault are getting into your car and getting out of your car.
Setup your home exterior lighting to minimize hiding spots at night.
If you remember the movie Chronicles of Riddick: Pitch Black with Vin Diesel, then the same rules apply.
Light is your friend!
If something seems weird as you are pulling into your driveway, turn on the high beams to flood the area with light.
Elderly woman killed in shootout by armed robbers over gambling money: sheriff
Dorothy Hendrix, 76, was gunned down after returning home from her job managing an illegal gaming hall, authorities say. The senior citizen from Anderson S.C., wounded one of the three suspects.
BY DOYLE MURPHY / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2013, 5:00 PM
ANDERSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Steven Benard Hagood, 33, of Anderson, S.C., was wounded in a shootout with 76-year-old Dorothy Hendrix, authorities say.
A 76-year-old South Carolina woman who managed an illegal gambling hall died in a shootout with armed robbers, authorities said.
Three thieves ambushed Dorothy “Dot” Hendrix as she pulled up to her house, Anderson County Sheriff’s Lt. Sheila Cole told the Daily News.
“It looks like they were waiting for her,” Cole said.
ANDERSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Sheriff’s deputies in South Carolina searched an unmarked storefront following the fatal shooting of Dorothy Hendrix, 76, and found about 15 video gambling machines.
Hendrix ran an off-the-books gaming center, and investigators suspect the attackers thought she’d be carrying a lot of cash from the business.
“This was not a random act,” Sheriff John Skipper said in a statement. “The robbery was planned and she was specifically targeted. The trio had knowledge that Hendrix carried large sums of money home with her at night.”
Neighbors reported the sound of a firefight about 1 a.m. on Nov. 23 in the rural cul-de-sac. Sheriff’s deputies arrived to find Hendrix shot to death near her carport and one of the suspects lying across the road — gutshot but still alive.
ANDERSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Hendrix managed an illegal gambling parlor before she was gunned down by robbers who thought she was carrying cash from the business, authorities say.
They discovered a handgun and Hendrix’s purse next to him, Cole said.
Deputies learned about the gambling hall during the homicide investigation and served a search warrant at the unmarked storefront, Cole said. Behind the barred windows, they found about 15 gambling machines, including video poker, Keno and Pot O Gold.
Investigators were eventually able to talk to the wounded suspect, 33-year-old Steven Benard Hagood, at the hospital, and they also spoke to witnesses who reported seeing two others running away from the scene.
ANDERSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Bradacious Terrell Galloway, 23, of Anderson, S.C., faces a murder charge in the death of 76-year-old Dorothy Hendrix.
That led to the arrests of two others in the case. Tereba Racquel Geer, 26, and Bradacious Terrell Galloway, 23, were charged with murder. Hagood was charged with murder and possession of a firearm.
Hendrix had apparently armed herself following an earlier robbery. Thugs stole about $1,000 from her during an October 2011 attack, Cole said.
Relatives and neighbors told Fox Carolina Hendrix learned to shoot following the robbery.
ANDERSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Tereba Racquel Geer, 26, of Anderson, S.C., faces a murder charge in the death of 76-year-old Dorothy Hendrix.
“Been robbed right outside of her home,” brother Ronnie Lollis told the station. “That’s what made her get her gun.”
No one was ever charged in the case, and sheriff’s investigators were still looking to see if there is any link to the homicide.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/s-woman-76-killed-shootout-gambling-cash-sheriff-article-1.1534233#ixzz2mIMn3GpC

A Stun Gun making an electrical arc between its two electrodes (Photo credit: Wikiped
TASERs are great for law enforcement use as an intermediate force option to subdue a suspect to reduce the possibility of a Rodney King type incident.
TASERs must be carried in a manner that is different from how a handgun is carried.
Officer Johannes Mesehrle learned this the hard way when he went to prison for manslaughter for unintentionally shooting and killing Oscar Grant.
TASERs are the only electroshock weapon that I recommend at this time simply because of the ability it has to shoot a projectile and its proven effectiveness.
It’s better than nothing!
I personally carry a can of pepper gas as a less lethal weapon that complements the handgun.
Pepper gas is less bulky than a TASER
TASER cartridges are not cheap and are not conducive to dry practice.
Places that handguns are generally illegal to own or carry are often the same places where TASERs are illegal to own or carry.
Think of Washington DC and New York City…
Pepper gas is legally allowed in places where TASERs are not legally allowed.
Off body carry of a TASER has the same problems that off body carry of a handgun or pepper spray has.
TASERs require a concealment holster that allows for the TASER to be readily accessed under stress.
TASERs give you one shot at fifteen feet and then it becomes a contact weapon, which makes it suboptimal against multiple assailants.
English: Police issue X26 TASER (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
TASERs can also be a fire hazard in certain circumstances.
Think about what happened to Michael Jackson when he filmed that Pepsi commercial back in the 1980s.
Vulnerable to thick clothing on the assailant(s)
Prods may have difficult penetrating thick clothing during the winter months.
After the first shot, the TASER relies on extended contact with the assailant
The point of a less than lethal weapon is to create pain to escape.
Most of the stun guns you see at gun shows, gun shops, and elsewhere are cheap junk that are more noisemakers or torture devices than anything else.
Electric weapon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Don’t go out looking for trouble, because you will often end up with more than you were looking for.”
Lessons Learned:
Avoid task fixation.
Minimize texting and walking
“Check your 6″ when passing a rowdy group.
Know your rules of engagement.
Research and get yourself up to speed on local self-defense laws
Keep a less than lethal means of defense with you as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuzIX8v2edY
Gas or TASER are good options to have that each have their own advantages and disadvantages.
English: Police issue X26 TASER (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Get up to speed on your unarmed combatives
Jim Grover’s Combatives Series is the best way to get started
This ideally means you create pain to create space to escape.

 
Apparently gun safety violations can be funny. PROTIP: Do the opposite of what Sterling Archer does!

More and more this case looks like a tragedy that did not need to happen. The homeowner,
Some preliminary lessons:
Mentally run through likely scenarios and incorporate “No-Shoot” and “Shoot outcomes”
Mentally preparing yourself will make you less “jumpy”
There is no such thing as an “accidental discharge” only a negligent discharge.
It sounds like Theodore Wafer may have had his finger on the shotgun trigger when he was not ready to fire.
If someone if frantically pounding on your front door, hold your fire and assess the situation.
It looks like Theodore Wafer may have acted rashly on limited information about the situation as well.
Assess the situation and see who it is at the door.
Prepare your home in advance to maximize your advantage
Having night vision enabled front door and back door surveillance cameras tied into your smartphone or tablet can really help you get a clear picture of what is going on outside your house.
If an unknown contact  is knocking on your door and asking to come into your house to use your phone, offer to dial the number for them and call whoever they need to call.
Be polite yet firm about this.
Someone with good intentions will understand your refusal to let them inside, a “land shark” will change their story or scurry away.
http://www.freep.com/article/20131111/NEWS02/311110088/Renisha-McBridge-autopsy 
Page 1 of 2 Nov 12, 2013 12:21:52AM MST
New details emerge on Renisha McBride’s accident in hours before her
slaying
By Elisha Anderson and Gina Damron Filed Under Local News Wayne County Dearborn
Nov. 11 freep.com
It was shortly before 1 a.m. Nov. 2 and Renisha McBride was involved in an accident with a parked
vehicle in Detroit.
More than two hours later and six blocks away, she was shot in the face by a man who told police he
thought someone was breaking into his Dearborn Heights home. The 54-year-old homeowner, according
to police, said his 12-gauge shotgun discharged accidentally.
What happened during the hours between the accident and McBride’s death on the front porch of a home
in the 16800 block of West Outer Drive remains a mystery. New details surfaced in the controversial case
Monday, raising more questions about the 19-year-old’s death.
Her family has said they believe McBride, who is black, went up to the house seeking help after the
accident and was racially profiled.
Dearborn Heights police, though, said last week that there is no indication that race had anything to do
with the shooting. Their investigation into the shooting, which happened around 3:40 a.m., is continuing.
Just before 1 a.m. Nov. 2, police received a call about a no-injury accident at Bramell and Majestic on the
city’s west side. Detroit police spokesman Sgt. Michael Woody said the 911 caller said a woman had been
speeding down the street, struck a parked car, got out of the vehicle and then left.
Police initially considered the incident a low priority, so no officers were immediately dispatched, he said.
Officers responded to the scene about 40 minutes later after they got a second call saying the woman had
returned, but she was gone when police and EMS arrived.
A source familiar with the investigation said that the vehicle involved in the accident was a 2004 Ford
Taurus registered to McBride’s father. The vehicle suffered front-end damage and was towed.
An attorney representing McBride’s family told the Free Press he heard that McBride was confused after
the accident and repeatedly said she “wanted to go home.”
“I received a phone call on Friday from a woman who said that she lived in the neighborhood and had
heard the crash,” attorney Gerald Thurswell said. “It was her understanding that after the crash, Renisha
got out of the car, she was bleeding and that somebody called 911.”
Thurswell said the woman did not give her name, but told him an investigator with the Wayne County
Prosecutor’s Office was in the area on Friday talking to residents. He said he was told that McBride,
saying she wanted to go home, started walking down the street and a neighbor tried to find her but wasn’t
successful.
A spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office declined to comment on whether the office is interviewing
http://www.freep.com/article/20131111/NEWS02/311110088/Renisha-McBridge-autopsy
Page 2 of 2 Nov 12, 2013 12:21:52AM MST
witnesses.
Wayne County prosecutors said in a statement Monday that they have begun the warrant review process
and will release information when they determine if charges will be filed in the case.
“The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office is waiting for several items relating to the investigation from the
Dearborn Heights Police Department at this time,” the statement from spokeswoman Maria Miller said.
Meanwhile, civil rights leaders have called for a thorough investigation of the case.
McBride’s death was ruled a homicide by the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office, which released
her autopsy report Monday. According to the report, McBride was shot in the face, not the back of the
head as her family initially had said.
“There was an entrance shotgun wound to the face, with no evidence of close-range discharge of a
firearm noted on the skin surrounding this wound,” according to the report.
As police investigate, McBride’s loved ones are waiting for answers.
“We have to get all the facts,” Thurswell said.
Death of 19-year-old woman shot on Detroit porch ruled homicide
Joshua Lott / Reuters
A mourner holds an obituary displaying a picture of Renisha McBride during her funeral service in Detroit, Michigan on Nov. 8, 2013. McBride was shot dead on Nov. 2 at a home in a suburb of Detroit. On Monday, her death was ruled a homicide.
By Elisha Fieldstadt, NBC News
An autopsy report on a 19-year-old woman, who was shot and killed on a front porch in Detroit, determined that she was shot in the face, and a medical examiner ruled her death a homicide Monday.
Renisha McBride was shot on Nov. 2 with “no evidence of close range discharge,” according to a report released by the Wayne County Medical Examiner.
McBride’s family said that she had gotten into a car accident and was shot by a man whose house she approached in an attempt to seek help. The external portion of the autopsy report said McBride’s clothing was wet.
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The 54-year-old homeowner’s lawyer, Cheryl Carpenter, toldThe Detroit News that her client woke up in the middle of the night fearing someone was trying to break into his house.
Still, McBride’s family insists the 54-year-old’s actions were racially-charged.
“It’s hard to … believe it’s an accident when a gun is in her face and the trigger is pulled,” the family’s attorney, Gerald Thurswell, told The Detroit News.
The case has drawn attention from civil rights groups and protestors who are likening the shooting to those of Trayvon Martin and Jonathan Ferrell, the former college football player who was shot and killed by police in North Carolina as he sought help after a car accident.
McBride’s death “raises many questions about preconceptions, bias, profiling, motive and more … when no arrest has been made and no charges filed, what sort of signal are the authorities sending,” National Action Network President Rev. Al Sharpton wrote in a blog post Monday.
A Facebook page called “Justice for Renisha McBride” has garnered 3,730 “likes.”
Prosecutors told the Associated Press they’re investigating further to determine whether or not to charge the 54-year-old man.

Interesting article at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/local/dc-shot-spotter/
The map gives you a good idea of places in DC that you shouldn’t be going to late at night.
I would like to see the gunshot data broken down by year. There is also the issue of where the shot spotter sensors are located in DC.
I have a feeling the sensors are heavily concentrated in the eastern half of the city.
Locating the sound
The sound of a gunshot can travel up to two miles, more than enough distance to register on several synchronized sensors. In D.C., an average of eight or nine sensors pick up each shot.
Each sensor records the time it detects a shot. Using the times and distances between pairs of sensors, the system creates curves. The system says the shot was fired where the curves intersect.
Diagram is schematic
Replay animation
Things that can interfere with the system
Alleys
Tall buildings cause sound to bounce around so much that it loses energy and may travel only a few hundred feet. And because sound bends in an arc, a sensor on top of the nearest building may not even pick it up.
Cars
If a person fires into a car and the barrel of a gun is near or within it, the sound is contained and it qualifies as an indoor shot, something the system can’t accurately detect.
Bodies
The sound wave from a shot fired at very close range — within a foot or so — is largely absorbed by the soft tissue of a person’s body and drastically muffled.

Craigslist is a great way to sell unwanted stuff accumulating in your attic but like anything in life, there are always risks that need to be mitigated.
Read the warning on the craigslist email. Do not conduct any transactions involving checks, money orders, wire transfers, Western Union or escrow services.
If the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true
Select a meeting place that you know is going to be crowded
Drive around the meeting area twice to do a sweep of the area and look for anything out of the ordinary
If there are more people there than you were expecting to meet, then watch out.
Meet in a parking lot that is well traveled and during a busy time of the day
Don’t carry any extra cash or additional bank cards beyond what you need for the transaction.
Let someone you trust know where you will be and how long you will be there
Do a google search of the email address and phone number of the other party to the transaction. You never know what you might find.
Watch out for someone selling electronics that are still in the original wrapper for a very low price. Those two things are indicators that the item(s) may have been stolen.
By SAMANTHA TATA
NBCLosAngeles.com
updated 10/28/2013 9:16:48 PM ET
A Craigslist ad linked to several armed robberies lured a Southern California father and his son to a deadly encounter with two teenage gang members in South Los Angeles, LAPD investigators said Monday.
Ryan Roth, 17, and Markell Thomas, 18, were arrested late last week in connection with the fatal shooting of Rene Balbuena in the 9200 block of Gramercy Place near 92nd Street in South LA.
The 41-year-old father of two was in the area Oct. 19 responding to an ad for a $300 Samsung Galaxy that his son found on Craigslist.
Investigators said Balbuena texted the suspects – who are believed to have posted the ad – to let them know he was there and ready for the transaction, LAPD Detective Chris Barling said in a news conference Monday afternoon.
That’s when Thomas allegedly jumped in the backseat of Balbuena’s car and pointed a gun at the victim’s 15-year-old son, demanding property.
Balbuena stepped out the car and was shot multiple times in the torso, allegedly by Roth, who was waiting outside the car, Barling said. Balbuena’s son suffered a non-life threatening graze wound.
The pair ran and the murder weapon is still outstanding, Barling said.
Thomas was arrested Oct. 24; Roth was arrested the next day. They are both believed to be part of the same Inglewood Bloods gang.
“No one else is going to get hurt,” Sandra Balbuena, the victim’s 19-year-old daughter, said of her reaction to the arrests.
Tearfully, Sandra Balbuena expressed gratitude for the detectives who tracked down her father’s alleged killers.
Investigators said the arrests came after they linked the slaying and attempted robbery (the suspects did not get any money from the Balbuenas) to at least seven stick-ups in the Baldwin Hills area. Those heists all involved the same Craigslist ad for a Samsung Galaxy smartphone and happened between Aug. 2 and Oct. 7, Barling said.
Thomas is believed to have been involved in all seven of those robberies, Barling said.
Both suspects were charged by the LA County District Attorney’s office Monday with one count each of murder, attempted murder, robbery with special circumstances and gang allegations. The 17-year-old was charged as an adult, Barling said.
Additional charges may be filed against Thomas, pending further investigation into other alleged Craigslist crimes, he said.

I find the conduct of self-defense hypocrites like Stacey Kincaid utterly reprehensible.
Self-defense hypocrites are people who want to prohibit civilians from owning the same guns they use to protect themselves.
Fairfax County sheriff candidate Stacey Kincaid went out and bought two AR-15s and a bunch of standard capacity magazines for herself (using a law enforcement discount no less!)
This puts Stacey Kincaid in fine company with a long line of self-defense hypocrites who keep “assault weapons” for themselves while pushing to deny ordinary people the same thing.
Senator Diane Feinstein (California Concealed Carry permit holder)
Senator Charles Schumer (New York City concealed carry permit holder)
Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. of the New York Times (New York City concealed carry permit holder)
Sylvester Stallone (who has a massive gun collection and a California concealed carry permit)