Utah: Judge tosses wrongful-death suit against sheriff's deputy: "A federal judge has dismissed a wrongful death suit that claimed a Salt Lake County sheriff's deputy was "wholy unjustified" in shooting an armed Riverton man who was cornered by a police dog and being bitten by the animal.... "Officers need not acquiesce to an armed and threatening suspect's demands when they are attempting to apprehend him," Stewart wrote in his ruling. The confrontation was sparked by two 911 calls the night of April 18, 2004, reporting that Thomson was suicidal and was threatening family members in his home with a loaded gun. Court documents say that as deputies were arriving, Thomson, a 32-year-old Utah National Guardsman, left the home. After searching several yards, Morrical released a police dog to help locate the suspect. As he was hiding from officers, Thomson called his father on a cell phone and said he was in trouble. He also spoke on his phone to a sheriff's lieutenant who was in Thomson's home and said he wanted the searchers to back off, according to court documents. By then, the dog had cornered Thomson, who began yelling at deputies to call off the dog and threatening to shoot. The officers surrounded him, drew their weapons and twice ordered him to put down his gun. Morrical says that he saw Thomson place the barrel of the gun into his mouth briefly then take it out and point it at him. The deputy then fired one shot, striking Thomson in the head."


NC: Light sentence for shots in the back: "A Dunn woman pleaded guilty this week in Lillington to the October 2005 shooting death of her husband. Her attorney said she was an abused wife and was shooting in self defense. The prosecutor said there was no need to shoot the man seven times, six of those shots in the back. Under the plea agreement, the charge against Shonta Jones, 28, of 303 E. Duke St., was reduced from first-degree murder to voluntary manslaughter for killing Channing Leopold Strickland, 31, of 1025 E. Edgerton St., in the bathroom of her parents' home. Ms. Jones lived at the Duke Street residence with her parents, Lenzo and Evelyn Monk, and Ms. Jones' three young children. Superior Court Judge Stafford Bullock sentenced Ms. Jones to an active sentence of 24 to 38 months, with credit for time served and work release."