A local Florida Sheriff claims a homeowner will ‘absolutely not’ face charges after firing an AK-47 style gun at suspected home invaders.
“He started shooting for his own protection, to get them out of his house and to protect himself,” said Escambia County police Sheriff Chip Simmons in a video address posted to the office’s official Facebook page.
Three men, including one wielding a firearm, stormed a house in Escambia County just around midnight on July 7th, said Simmons. The homeowner was present when the three men entered his house. He quickly pulled out a weapon from his waistband but dropped the gun. The homeowner then had to retrieve his AK-47-style rifle, while one of the three men picked up the handgun, according to Fox News.
The homeowner began firing at the suspects before they fled the house. Authorities were able to quickly identify two of the men, said Fox News, before later discovering a third man with what was reported to be a non-fatal gunshot wound to the head.
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“We get a report of a third individual that had a wound to the head not long after [the home invasion]. The stories he’s giving us as to how he got shot in the head are inconsistent at best. In short, we don’t believe him. So what we’re looking at is to determine whether this is the third person that was involved,” said Simmons, however, not yet identifying the man.
Authorities in Escambia identified the two men to be DeWayne Dean Jr, 18, and Da’Torrance Leanders Hackworth, 20. On July 8th, the sheriff’s office posted an update that Hackworth had been arrested. Simmons described Dean’s numerous warrants, which included carjacking, aggravated assault with a firearm, robbery, and domestic violence.
Simmons’s last remarks described the victims’ use of self-defense, describing that the homeowner will “absolutely not” face charges and remarked that “The homeowner’s protecting himself. And in Florida, in Escambia County, you can protect yourself.”
The defense the victim used has been an advised tactic by other local police jurisdictions throughout the state of Florida. Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson made a remark after a series of burglaries and intruders advocating that Florida residents revert to self-defense and preparedness with gun ownership.
“If someone’s breaking into your house, you’re more than welcome to shoot them in Santa Rosa County. We prefer that you do, actually. So, whoever that was, you’re not in trouble, come see us. We have a gun safety class we put on every other Saturday.”
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