A homeowner stood his ground, shooting and injuring the suspect in a home invasion, Jefferson County Sheriff Mac McNeill said in a June 30 news release.
Earlier that day, just before 5 a.m., dispatchers received a call from a residence near the Leon County line. The caller said someone had attempted to break in but was shot. When deputies arrived, they found someone with a gunshot wound on the ground near the front of the house.
An investigation found that the homeowner, along with his wife and child, were asleep when they were woken by the suspect trying to break in through the front door. He got his gun, the release said.
After telling him several times to leave, the suspect broke a window in the front door. That’s when the homeowner fired one round through the front door, striking the suspect. He fell to the ground and the homeowner got a first-aid kit while his wife called 911.
The homeowner performed life saving measures until deputies and EMS arrived. The suspect – who was not immediately identified – was taken to a hospital, where he was reported to be in stable condition. The investigation is ongoing, according to the release.
Florida’s Stand Your Ground law allows people to use deadly force if they believe it’s necessary to prevent harm, with no duty to retreat. The law especially protects homeowners under the “castle doctrine,” a legal principle that allows people to use up to deadly force to defend themselves against an intruder in their home.
The victims’ identities also were not released; Florida’s Marsy’s Law, passed by voters in 2018, grants crime victims a right to privacy.
Arianna Otero is the trending and breaking news reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com and follow her on X: @ari_v_otero.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Resident shoots intruder in home invasion, Jefferson County sheriff says
Reporting by Arianna Otero, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
