A Florida homeowner will “absolutely not” face charges after firing an “AK-47-style gun” at suspected home intruders, a local sheriff said.
In a video address posted to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office’s official Facebook page, Sheriff Chip Simmons spoke of the recent shooting saying the homeowner “started shooting for his own protection, to get them out of his house and to protect himself.”
Simmons said three suspected home invaders, including one armed with a gun, broke into a home in Escambia County just ahead of midnight on July 7. The homeowner was present when the three men entered the house and pulled out a handgun from his waistband, but dropped the firearm.
The homeowner was able to run and retrieve another weapon, an “AK-47-style gun,” while one of the suspects picked up the victim’s handgun. The homeowner then began firing at the suspects before they fled the home.
Authorities were able to identify two of the suspects, while they discovered a third man soon after with a non-fatal gunshot wound to the head.
“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,” Simmons said, while not identifying the man.
Authorities identified the two other suspects as Antonio DeWayne Dean Jr., 18, and Da’Torrance Leanders Hackworth, 20. The sheriff’s office posted an update on July 8 that Hackworth had been arrested.
Dean has a bevy of active warrants, Simmons said, including carjacking, aggravated assaults with a firearm, robbery with a firearm and domestic violence battery.
Simmons capped off his address by saying the homeowner would “absolutely not” face charges for shooting at the suspects.
“The homeowner’s protecting himself. And in Florida, in Escambia County, you can protect yourself,” he said.
