A Chicago-area homeowner protected his family by shooting an intruder but was charged with violating a local ordinance banning possession of handguns.
Wilmette, Ill., Police Chief George Carpenter believes charges against Hale DeMar, 54, underscore the suburban village's serious concerns about the shooting, the Chicago Tribune reported.
"The outcome of the matter in this case was very fortunate for the homeowner," he said. "We much prefer, for the safety of the home, that a resident who finds himself in this situation immediately lock the door of the room he's in and dial 911."
DeMar also is charged with violating state law by failing to renew his Illinois Firearm Owner's Identification Card after it expired in 1988, the Tribune said.
Morio Billings, 31, is accused of entering the DeMar home twice within 24 hours. He allegedly crawled through a dog door in the garage then returned with a stolen house key.
Prosecutors say Billings crashed through the home's front window after he was shot then drove himself to the hospital in the family's SUV, which he had stolen the night before.
Billings, convicted last year of a similar home burglary in an affluent Minneapolis suburb, is now in the Cook County Jail with bail set at $3 million.
Police said DeMar shot Billings in the shoulder and calf at about 10:30 p.m. Dec. 29 in the kitchen of his home.
DeMar, a restaurant owner, faces up to a year in jail, a $2,500 fine or court supervision or probation if convicted on the charge of owning a handgun without a valid firearms card. The village's handgun ordinance carries a separate fine of up to $750.
He is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 6 to face both charges.
The Tribune said the case has prompted dozens of people from out-of-state to contact village officials with complaints about DeMar's treatment.
Chief Carpenter insists local residents have responded favorably, however.
"Wilmette residents are much safer without a handgun in their homes," he told the Tribune. "We see handguns stolen, used in domestic arguments or suicides. Those are far more likely outcomes than when you would actually need a handgun to defend yourself."
Carpenter said he regrets "the intrusion on this family's privacy."
"He strikes us as being a good man with a good heart who did something that apparently came naturally to him," he said of DeMar. 'That's why it's important the Wilmette police speak out now."
The Tribune noted the city of Chicago and a number of other municipalities in the area also ban possession of handguns.
Richard Pearson, executive director of the Illinois State Rifle Association, told the Tribune he believes handgun bans are outrageous.
"The right to self-defense is the right that all creatures on this Earth have, including Wilmette," he said. "What they do is they make the citizens in these villages and towns fair game."
How can you did this legally? Can the government prohibit the ownage of handguns? Don't the liberals tell us they're just out to "regulate" and not exactly to "ban" or "outlaw" guns...
Our system in this country is jacked up to say the least...they oughtta line up that intruder and cap a few more rounds into his body...
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Sad!!!!!!!!!! I don't understand how the possession of a firearm can be made illegal either. I would be interested in signing a petition to have all charges dropped against the man who done the right thing and defended his family. This is OUTRAGEOUS. One more example of CRIMINAL rights and how they are protected under the constitution. But oh the 2nd Amendment..................
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World net daily usually has a few more facts published.
As much as I think every person has the right to defend his or her self, this whole story sounds a little "fishy".
Quote:
Morio Billings, 31, is accused of entering the DeMar home twice within 24 hours. He allegedly crawled through a dog door in the garage then returned with a stolen house key.
Quote:
Prosecutors say Billings crashed through the home's front window after he was shot then drove himself to the hospital in the family's SUV, which he had stolen the night before.
Did this guy REALLY burgle (is that a word?) the same house twice in twenty four hours? or did he know them.
On the other hand, if the Cops quotes are accurate,,,then he is an idiot.
I'm just guessing here, but I think that maybe both parties were mis-quoted and the whole story leaves quite a bit to the imagination.
Kudos to the guy defending his family, i would of did the same. Hopefuly his charges are dropped and this opens the eyes of the lawmakers and they get the ban lifted. Who knows what would of happened had he not had the gun. I wouldnt put it past any theif to kill,rape, etc
I can't believe how full of sh** this chief is. A single criminal burglarized this victim's house twice, stole his SUV, then returned and attacked the victim so he had to use a gun to defend himself. Apparently the chief and his department have conducted their investigation since they didn't find the homeowner guilty of unlawful homicide. Instead of thanking the guy for protecting his family, the chief and his department are going to charge the guy with some pansy local ordinance violation.
And to add salt to that wound, the chief actually had the stupidity and ignorance to add that "We much prefer, for the safety of the home, that a resident who finds himself in this situation immediately lock the door of the room he's in and dial 911."
This idiot chief goes on to say:
Quote:
The Tribune said the case has prompted dozens of people from out-of-state to contact village officials with complaints about DeMar's treatment.
Chief Carpenter insists local residents have responded favorably, however.
"Wilmette residents are much safer without a handgun in their homes," he told the Tribune. "We see handguns stolen, used in domestic arguments or suicides. Those are far more likely outcomes than when you would actually need a handgun to defend yourself."
Carpenter said he regrets "the intrusion on this family's privacy."
Who is this chief kidding???? His patrol guys didn't catch or deter that criminal from burglarizing the victim (Demar) TWICE in 24 hours, stealing his car or attacking him to where he had to use lawful self defense with a gun. I would never, ever even consider victimizing this guy (with some pansy ordinance violation) for defending his family. That chief is not only anti-gun but he is plain wrong about his statistics on gun use. Each year, guns are used for self defense approximately 2 million times whereas there are 10,000 to 11,000 gun homicides each year. Bear in mind that a homicide is a killing of a human being and can be deemed legal (cop or citizen killing in self defense) or illegal (murder or manslaughter by a criminal). I hope that city council fires that idiot chief and if they don't, the good citizens of that town need to get a new city council and chief of police.[:@]
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I'm a firm believer in that police are for "after the fact."
It's up to the person to defend themselves, and up to the cops to capture the bad guys later...
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"Error never shows itself in its naked reality in order not to be discovered. On the contrary, it dresses elegantly, so that the unwary may be led to believe that it is more truthful than truth itself."
-Irenaeus of Lyon
i have to agree with the previous poster when he said something about this story is fishy.i don't think the entire story was told. there is no way the guy burlarized the same house 2 times in 24 hours. the law aloows the homeoner to protect himslef.if they knew this guy dod a burglary earlier on this house in the same day why was he not arrested?? something very fishy here. the police are not always after the fact.they are nor seers into the future and can tell what crimes will be committed before they happen.
That handgun ban is easy to get around. A Winchester/Mossberg defender sawed off shotgun is much more effective for home defense anyway. Chances are if he'd had a 12 gauge full of 00 buckshot we wouldn't have to worry about this punk anymore. It's bad enough the guy got arrested for defending his own property and family, but what's worse is that the intruder will probably sue the property owner and win. As they say, dead men tell no tales.
Homeowner charged after shooting intruder
