Defensive Gun Use weekly roundup

Six new stories, plus one acquittal in a murder trial from a 2024 incident.

There may be many other links to these stories, and some of that information may have been used to write the narrative. Also, everyone is innocent until proved guilty.

Alabama

Birmingham

Acquittal

On a Saturday afternoon in July 2024, a dispute broke out inside a Murphy USA gas station convenience store between clerk Quajae Ware and customer Richard Judkins. It turned physical — and then Ware drew a gun and fired at Judkins. Other customers were present, but no one else was hurt.

Ware didn’t wait for police to find him. He walked to the East Precinct and told a sergeant he’d just shot someone — arriving one minute before 911 calls started coming in.

Judkins, 54, was found unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene. Ware, 25, was charged with murder, but after a week-long trial and two days of deliberation, a Jefferson County jury just acquitted him on self-defense grounds.

When you look at this mug shot, remember it’s of an innocent man as he started a two-year period where the weight of a murder charge hung over his head.

Birmingham man found not guilty of 2024 gas station murder — ABC 33/40

Foley

On the evening of July 23, a domestic dispute at a home in Foley, Alabama, turned fatal. A 60-year-old father shot and killed his 35-year-old son while other family members were present.

Officers arrived around 5 PM to find the son dead. Police said they believe the father acted in defense of himself and the other family members, and that no charges are being pursued, and all parties are cooperating with detectives. The case will go to a grand jury.

60-Year-Old Foley Father Fatally Shoots His 35-Year-Old Son During Domestic Dispute, Police Say He Was Defending Himself and Family — USA Carry

Idaho

Twin Falls

Around 2:30 PM on Saturday, August 1, 2026, a man in black carrying an AR-style rifle emerged from the drive-thru lane of a Twin Falls In-N-Out Burger and began firing into the parking lot. Witnesses said he shot at random, firing into vehicles and emptying magazines as he moved through the lot. Three people died and seven were injured. A female employee was shot through the chest; a coworker dragged her across the lot.

Lane Koehn, 34, stopped at a nearby light, watched an armed man, later identified as Jordan Salinas, step out of his vehicle, draw a handgun, and open fire on the shooter. An off-duty state trooper also engaged. Caught between them, the gunman took cover behind the In-N-Out sign and returned fire.

The gunman was found dead nearby shortly after — a self-inflicted wound.

Police identified the shooter as 24-year-old Chad Williams and credited the armed citizen and off-duty trooper with driving him away and preventing further casualties. No motive has yet been established.

There are an incredible number of links to this one. I’m including my own 24-hour-post-incident write-up, another article, and the Good Morning America interview with Salinas.

Police confirm 3 deaths, 7 injuries after shooting at Idaho In-N-Out — ABC7 Los Angeles

Indiana

Hancock