Not so much a close call,

but another gun story. We were asleep late one night, in our house on N. Sheridan, when we were awakened by gunshots, CLOSE. My first thought was that someone was poaching cattle, who were in the field across the street from us, and it p*ss*d me off. I looked out to see a dark colored Trans-Am, and the guy driving it, look right toward me as he did a U-turn under the streetlight in front of our house. Since I was awake, I decided to go out and see if they had shot a cow. I had just gotten into the weedy ditch when I heard a moan, and, expecting to find a wounded cow, my flashlight revealed an 18 year-old kid, the clerk from the local convenience store, with blood running out of his head. I yelled for Carol to call the police and was with him as he died. Found out later, that Michael Bell, an escaped murderer, had tried to hold up the store, and the kid had followed him. Was questioned by the police and the next day interviewed by Rocky Mntn News reporter Tillie Fong, who wrote that Steve Olson, of so and so address had gotten a look at the killer. After Bell killed 6 more people in the next few days, including guys at a shooting range, where he pretended to be a police officer, then shot them in the back of the head and stole their rifles, I decided to buy a pistol and go on vacation for awhile. He was later captured in a shootout in north Boulder and I testified at his trial. The pistol did come in handy, though, cause not long after, we were awakened by a stranger in our house, taking a dump in our toilet. I held him there, with his pants around his ankles til the police showed up. He started to get up, and I told him the only question in my mind was whether to shoot to kill or wound him, and reminded him of Colorado's "Make my day" law. The cops finally showed up, including one I played softball with, and started laughing, as they saw the situation. Joey Mac Tipton was his name, and I never figured out how/why he chose my bathroom to do his business. And that reminds me of another time I was subpoenaed to testify in Boulder court....