Jan 24, 2006 9:00 pm US/Pacific

One Killed In Bakersfield Botched Home Invasion



(AP) BAKERSFIELD, Calif. A botched home invasion robbery Tuesday in
Bakersfield left one suspect dead and two others under arrest.

Bakersfield police say three men tried to break into the home of
Norman Laxson, 71, and his wife Ramona, 69.

That turned out to be a grave error. When the dust settled, one of the
suspects was dead, and another was in front of the Laxson home
suffering from gunshot wounds. A third suspect was caught a short time
later.

Laxson suffered some cuts but his wife was unharmed.

http://www.1bakersfield.com/news/read/2/62873

On monday at 9:49 P.M. officers of the Bakersfield Police Department
responded to the 9900 block of Kearney Hills Drive regarding a report
of shots fired. While enroute, the call was updated to a call of an
armed home invasion robbery in progress.



Officers arrived on scene and learned that 3 suspects at least one of
which was armed with a handgun attempted to rob an elderly husband and
wife couple inside their residence. The male victim fired several
rounds from a handgun at the suspects during the robbery striking two
of the suspects. The male victim sustained moderate injuries as a
result of being assaulted by the suspects during the incident.



Officers located one of the suspects deceased from gunshot wounds in
the front yard of the victim’s residence. A second suspect was also
still at the scene suffering from gunshot wounds. The third suspect
initially fled on foot but was captured near the neighborhood by
responding officers shortly after the incident unfolded.



The second suspect and the victim were transported to local hospitals
for treatment for their injuries. A handgun was located near the
deceased suspect. The identities of the involved parties are not being
released at this time. Detectives responded to the scene and are
currently investigating the incident.

Elderly man shoots robbery suspects to protect his wife

http://www.bakersfield.com/updates/s...-5869512c.html

By STEVE E. SWENSON, Californian staff writer
e-mail:

Posted: Tuesday January 24th, 2006, 12:33 PM
Last Updated: Tuesday January 24th, 2006, 3:55 PM

A 71-year-old Bakersfield man responded to his wife’s plea for help by
shooting at three home invasion robbery suspects, killing one and
wounding a second, Bakersfield police reported today.

Norman Laxson, who has sold guns online, rushed to the aid of his
69-year-old wife, Ramona, as she was confronted Monday night at her
front door by the suspects, according to police and an Internet
search.

Police responded to the 9:48 p.m. incident and found Laxson bleeding
from multiple cuts as he was seated just outside his front door, the
department reported.

Next to him was Jose Covarrubias, 18, who was on the ground with
multiple gunshot wounds, police said.

Nearby, was Jermaine Dabbs, 24, who was dead from a fatal gunshot,
police said. A loaded handgun was located next to him, police said.

Laxson was injured in a struggle with the third suspect, a 17-year-old
boy who attacked Lawson after his buddies were shot, police said. The
boy wrestled Laxson’s gun away from him, police said.

(the firearm was empty..revolver)

The youth ran away but was arrested a short distance from Laxson’s
house in the 9900 block of Kearney Hills Drive, police said. That’s in
Rosedale near Brimhall Road and Calloway Drive.

Covarrubias was in stable condition at a local hospital, police said.

He and the youth were arrested on charges of robbery, conspiracy,
assault with a deadly weapon and murder, police said.

The murder charge stems from the state’s felony murder rule in which
murder charges can be filed against suspects in a felony during which
someone was killed, even if the suspects didn’t actually fire a
weapon.

Laxson was also treated at Kern Medical Center for his injuries and he
was in fair condition Tuesday morning, a nurse said.

His wife was not hurt, police said.

Dabbs has a long criminal record from 2000 to 2004, including theft of
a firearm, battery, trespassing, several thefts and disrupting a
school, according to records in Kern County Superior Court.

He recently got out of prison from a 2-year term he receive in the gun
theft conviction, records indicate. Covarrubias has no record as an
adult in Kern County Superior Court.



http://bakersfield.typepad.com/talk_...ng_suspec.html

Local comments in an opinion poll about the shooting. We tend to have
a hard assed population around here......
"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire.
Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us)
off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give
them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the **** out of you
for torturing the cat." Gunner