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Man, 72, Shoots Two Of Three Home Invasion Robbery Suspects
January 31, 2011
A 72-year old Escambia County man fought back and shot two of three teens in a home invasion over the weekend.
The incident happened about 8:45 Saturday night in the 3300 block of Raines Street in the Ferry Pass community. Police say three armed males wearing masks forced their way into the home of the 72-year old man and his 70-year old sister.
Once inside, the male victim was struck multiple times over the head with a baseball bat. During the altercation, the male victim fired several defensive shots from a handgun he had been holding when he answered the door, according to police.
Two of the suspects — Nathaniel Nichols, 17 and Curtis Crenshaw, 18 — suffered gunshot wounds. Crenshaw was treated and released, while Nichols remained hospitalized. A third suspect, Earl Benard, 15, was identified during the police investigation and later arrested.
All three suspects were charged with two counts of aggravated battery on a person 65 years of age or older and one count of home invasion robbery.
The 72-year old man was treated and released from a Pensacola hospital.
Editor’s note: The incident occurred on Raines Street in Ferry Pass, not to be confused with Raines Road near Century.
Pictured: Home invasion robbery suspect Curtis Crenshaw, 18.
Comments
57 Responses to “Man, 72, Shoots Two Of Three Home Invasion Robbery Suspects”
These boys are old enough to know right from wrong. They made a decision..period.
Good shooting,too bad the third scum bucket didn’t get a taste of lead. They will either learn a lesson or end up dead.
Tenhet, you are so right…
Think about those 5 long seconds; the 72 yr old man opens the door, the “teenager” is ready and swings the bat , getting in a few hits and it is at that point that we enter two different ways this could have ended up: this old guy and his sister brutalized by these three thugs, possibly killed, with the added insult of being robbed OR the old guy pulling out his guy and firing away in self defense, which he was able to do, defending his home.
Where are we at in this country when we thing that there is something inherently wrong about self-defense? About defending our life and property? I’m disappointed that the three were not killed outright: this is what they deserved for their intent to kill.
Don’t give me the whining story about mis-guided “teenagers and society has gone wrong and they need to be helped”: the three men were intent on some serious carnage to to these gentle people. They need to be thinned from the herd.
Anyone who believes bad guys only come from “bad” homes shouldn’t be operating a computer unsupervised. There are many reasons a kid from a good family goes bad, and many reasons why those who come from a “bad” family turn out to be good guys. Mostly it comes from within ourselves.
Nichols has a record as well -
There’s a good chance these days that drugs were involved. You get high and think you’re immortal (that on top of the NORMAL immortal feeling of teen testosterone poisoning). And drug habits are expensive. You end up doing dumb things like this to support the habit. It’s a mess. Think, and grow up wise and intact, young folks..
I’ve got five dogs in my house. If I showed any sign of fear or distrust of someone coming inside, they’d tear into them. They’d lose a lot more blood than just being shot and I’d have to clean it up. Maybe I ought to buy a gun. Pepper spray might work…or that Wasp Killer spray someone mentioned before. Aim for the eyes.
Well FED I guess that makes your coments look pretty stupid.
I have a very close friend that raised her family just as I have, and many others I know, just to watch her son get involved in gang activity at school and before they could get a grip on the situation he was so involved he wouldn’t listen to a word she said. So, after many sleepless nights and much turmoil in the home he ended his criminal career in state prison (7 years worth) and is now working and supporting his own family with much love and success. There is hope for these kids but I think they need 1. A good strong foundation in the Lord 2. A strong family structure with lots of support and 3. The desire to improve themselves.
Maybe these kids can get it together…lets pray for them
Ya done good, Mr Crawford! Now, keep that little .22 for practice and move up to something bigger, like hollow points in a 44Special or 45Auto. They make big holes and and a big mess in the dirtbag they hit, they won’t bust yer ear drums like a magnum will if you shoot one inside your house AND no medical bills and no prison costs that the citizens would have to pay!!!
Its not about “controlling” your children, or “knowing” where they are. This is precisely why we have children doing these things.
Its about EDUCATING them to make the right choices. Teaching them the skills to function in society. Its about being able to trust them because they know right from wrong.
TO FED UP: No….you still are not totally right. I know of a wonderful church going family, good, decent, parents who went to bed one night and their children were also already in bed. Their son sneaked out of a window & went for a joy ride with friends and was killed in an auto accident. When the police came they said no, my son is in bed. This is an example of even when you think you know where they are (in this case in their own home) you sometimes don’t.
I know of parents who dropped their kids off at school and as soon as they were around the corner the kid got in a vehicle and left the school, skipping classes. You can’t tie them to a bed post or a school chair, then you would go to jail for being a bad parent.
I’m not condoning parents who don’t care, but sometimes even when a person does their best the kid ends up doing something stupid.
And yes, at 15, they flat out ought to know better.
Jobs instead of robbery. What jobs? Oh politicians manage to keep any industry away from here, we’re not growing. Why? Planning for our childrens future…… If we don’t then we get ones like these three….Parents ARE responsible, if they aren’t responsible for their children who is?
Too many animals in a cage will kill each other.
No we sure wouldn’t want to say this is these boys’ parents fault. We wouldn’t
want to say ONE OF THEM should have KNOWN where THEIR sociopath 15 year
old was or who he was hanging with, after all teens never get in trouble even when you drag them to church EVERY SUNDAY – DO THEY.
We sure wouldn’t want to blame any of the other sociopaths parents either for
not knowing by now who their children are and gettIng them help before they
DECIDED TO TRY TO KILL AN EASY TARGET LIKE A 72 YEAR OLD AND
HIS LITTLE SISTA!
RIGHT!
praying for the victims and the 3 teens, i pray the victims get over this and are both ok and i pray these kids learn a lesson that may save their lives one day, Lord knows he spared them for something !
Oops, Thanks for the reminder David.
Now that you’ve made me aware of this, I’m surprised they didn’t moderate my post out.
Shssssssss Quiet
Maybe we should change Job to a four letter word so it be a more avoidable word for these guys?
“Jobb” Yeah, I love it!!!!!
There is no telling what these idiots would have done to this gentleman had he not been armed.. This day and time, it is wise for any good citizen to learn to use a handgun safely..
WPNOD…in making my initial comment, i did not say that the parents are the cause or guilty of what their minor children have allegedly done… whether they are responsible parents and, or, gave their sons a proper upbringing is not the issue….. why wouldnt the parents (or possibly, their insurance company) be FINANCIALLY responsible for the repercussions of the actions of their “minor children”?….i have no clue as to whether the parents raised their kids properly, or not..that would be unfairly presumptuous, on my (or anyones) part.
REGARDING:
“Oh well, I know it’s almost unthinkable, but, maybe they should consider hunting a job.”
Please keep the guidelines in mind about obscenity and profanity.
(4) Keep it clean. Nothing vulgar, obscene or sexually related. No profanity or obvious substitutions. Period.
David shuddering at use of word “job”
ding dong….”avon calling”…Moe Larry and Curly no doubt are making house calls these days… Movie titles “3 men and a bat” …” Guns are a mans best friend”…or it could be “BULLETS N BATS “…sorry for the families affected in this…YES all of them
So how does it feel,….. you punks,……to have a 72 year old snap-it-off in ya????? Ha! Ha! We need more folks answering the door this way!!!!!! GOTCHA!!!!!!!
I’m happy that this gentleman is okay. We all need to take a lesson from this man and always be prepared when opening our door to strangers. Times are hard now and some people would rather rob others than get a real job. I am truly thankful to God that this man fought back. I am also happy that he was a real man and didn’t shoot the third suspect in the back. Now, the people can face our judicial system. I hope that this story gets around and some other want-to-be-robbers will stop and think before they try to do something because this man and his sister are lucky to be alive. Thank God he was prepared when he answered his door.
“it’s getting to where you can’t even rob old folks safely”
Rare humor, David! I Iike it.
“i wonder if the parents of the two minor sociopaths can be held legally responsible for the physical damage done to these two elderly people.”
The answer to your question is NO. The parents aren’t guilty of this crime, the perps are. For all you know they were loving and caring parents and these little rats just got bad attitudes and hung with the wrong crowd. It happens that way, too you know.
It’s a shame he didn’t blow all three of their heads off.
I will never answer the door without my weapon again…just can’t imagine what would have happened to these people if he hadn’t been armed and I don’t think anything other than a gun would have saved them from these guys.
Good point David, I guess their gonna resort to robbing 3 and 4 year old kids now.
They’ll just have to rob a lot more of them.
They’ll have to sell a lot of Tinker toys and Building Blocks to get enough money to support their bad habits.
This probably won’t work either, they’ll likely end up with a passifier jamed down their wind pipe and choke to death.
Oh well, I know it’s almost unthinkable, but, maybe they should consider hunting a job.
I’m so glad the gentleman was able to defend himself and his sister and that they are alright. It probably would have been a good thing if he had 3 for 3. I also agree that citizens are going to have to start doing more of what this gentleman did and start standing up and defending ourselves.
I would like to say however, that I know of very good, honest Mom’s & Dad’s who raised their kids right & the son/daughter still ended up in prison. So to always assume that it’s a parent’s fault or “where were the parents”, is not totally fair in every case.
These guys are old enough to know better no matter what kind of parent’s they have. They would have had to be living under a rock to not know a little something about right and wrong at their ages.
it’s getting to where you can’t even rob old folks safely
Oak Grove Bud said in part “Too bad the victim wasn’t three for three.”
The gentleman said he could have gotten the 3rd one but would have had to shoot him in the back.
Kudos to you Sir. It’s about time that we,the common citizen,take back our streets and neighborhoods and protect with deadly force our lives and the lives of our loved ones. Good Job!
AWSOME!!! CHEERS FOR THE OLD GUY!!
i wonder if the parents of the two minor sociopaths can be held legally responsible for the physical damage done to these two elderly people.. BEFORE they pay for a fancy lawyer to get these deliquents off, they should be paying restitution to these folks for any hospital bills that theyve incurred, along with any future counseling (or medical care) that is needed related to this traumatic event..(it was an elderly man and his sister, according to this article)..im assuming that crenshaw was “treated and released” into the custody of the police…the article didnt mention whether or not these idiots were afforded bail ..i hope not!.they are clearly a danger to society!
“Thugs” are going to do this more and more in these times, so I give the older guy Kudos. And this should happen more also. If someone breaks in, shoot them. Sooner or later common sense will enter back into the picture and people will start acting better. If ya gonna be dumb, ya better be tough. And a life lesson is the best lesson. Hope these three are smart enough to learn. But I do agree, two out of three at bad on the shooting, and I am glad to hear the guy is alright. Hope his sister is also.
Good for you, Pops! Prayers for you and your wife, and for redemption for the thug-wannabes.
Home invaders should be aware that there is a higher justice than the Court. One would be the homeowner that shoots to kill and does, the other more serious one is the final judgement they will face for their crimes and sins in this life.
These young men are lucky to be alive. I hope they face swift and firm justice, are tried as adults, and have an opportunity to turn their lives to a more righteous path. Lord, help them.
It’s good to know they will be tried as adults, but there is probably a limit to the time in Jail they will get for this crime.
I think there should be a law that states there is no limit to the Jail time given for the physical abuse of a person over the age of 65.
This is a disgrace to American society and total disrespect for human life.
They wouldn’t have had any remorse if they had killed this elderly man as long as they got a few dollars.
Grandpa needs to be sentenced to the range———–to learn to double tap. On the other hand,two out of three ain”t bad.
It’s a sorry world when we in AMERICA want to kill children.
I TOO AM SORRY IN AMERICA. Sorry this happened to a 71 year old man, and
sorry they didn’t KILL THE LITTLE MONSTERS.
These kids will have learned NOTHING. Prison will teach them NOTHING.
At some date down the way you mark my words SOMEONE WILL HAVE TO TAKE
THEM OUT.
Good For him….I also just heard they WILL be charged as adults!!
No sympathy, no quarter, no mercy.
Home invasion should carry a mandatory 25 to life.
I agree with the poster who regretted that the 15 YO didn’t get a touch of lead.
Crenshaw has been in trouble for years!! He was in and out of trouble when he was in middle school!!
PS: I am not glad this had to happen to the elderly gentleman and his wife…I am glad the elderly gentleman shot these punks! (just wanted to clarify my above statement)
This is a sad state of affairs. Our judicial system will release these misfits back into society, and the next house they invade they will be carrying firearms instead of bats. That, I’m afraid, is the only lesson they will have learned. A mandatory life sentence for home invasion should be put on the books.
I am glad this happened because these guys are old enough to know right from wrong and got what they deserved. That is precisely why my husband (age 71) and I (age 67)) place our old .38 revolver on our nightstand every night. We also have two “very alert” dogs. I think home invasions should be punishable by at least a 50 year prison term with no chance of parole. It would set an example to those punks with the intent of inflicting seriously bodily injury or kiling innocent people just for a few lousy dollars.
I guess we have to start answersing the door with a 15 shot assault rifle just to be on the safe side.
My only regret is that the gentleman did not have a larger caliber firearm. Now, our court system and state prison system will have to spend money on these clowns over the next few years. May I recommend a Taurus .45 caliber? Mine is small, easy to conceal, and really packs a nice punch. Good day.
NOW, if WE ALL start fighting the little emps like Granpaw did, then we can start feeling safe again!
Thank God he was prepared, and I hope they know thier names are DIRT now!!!
Way to go! Sorry the gentleman had to go through this and glad he is OK. Too bad he didn’t shoot all three of them. Maybe they will think about this before they invade the next home? What kind of monster breaks into a 72 year old mans house and beats him with a bat? They are most likely beyond rehabilitaion but they will get out soon because of their younge ages and be able to do it again or worse.
It’s a shame the poor guy got hit with a baseball bat.
It’s also a shame he couldn’t manage to get a bullet in the 15 year old to.
This may seem a little cruel, but the harder lessons are learned the better the are remembered.
I f these young men had gotten a belt on the romp when they were growing up, they wouldn’t have to be dealing with a bullet now instead.
Which would you prefer?
Glad he got them. Too bad he didn’t kill all three.
I am very concerned about the level of violence committed in this crime by 3 very young males. I am afraid they did not learn their lesson.
Wonder what kind of video games they play….
Good work for a man who isn’t afraid.
I hate this happen because they are children but they knew better. Its the ol devil drug thing. Where were their parents while they were (growing up?) We need more of you and more of the man that did what you did here in Escambia County Alabama a few months back. This guy wasn’t so lucky as these three punks. We’ll wait now for the ACLU to start squaling and a NO COUNT JUDGE to turn his head and do his political thing so he/her can be re-elected. Its pitiful.
We all need to do what you did. Instead of ACLU more than likel start blastering you, they need to pin a metal on you, just like they should have pinned a metal on Lt. William Calley the 1st Lt. in Vietnam that took out punk VC’S, instead they locked him up for killing punks. The way to fight and win a war is to kill everything that moves. I’m a VN Veteran and I don’t feel sorry for punks. They are every where ,even here in Flomaton.
“WHERE IS THE REAL LAW AND THE REAL JUDGES?
Mickey Powell
Flomaton
Too bad the victim wasn’t three for three. Hope he and his sister are O.K.
It’s about time. Loss of life is never good, but, if fate (the will of GOD) would have found them shot and killed then in my opinion they would have gotten what they deserved. People, no matter what age, will learn, one way or the other, it just don’t pay.
Thank goodness the man wasn’t hurt badly.. and I’m so glad he was prepared to fight back! You never know who will be knocking on your doors these days!!