A Florida man who defended his home by shooting at three suspected home invaders will not be charged, authorities said.
Three men invaded a home in Escambia County, Florida, around 11:42 p.m. on July 7, when there was a single person inside. One of the intruders pulled out a handgun and the other two were shoving the victim in his house, according to Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons.
The victim had a handgun that slipped out and fell to the ground. One of the three felons picked up the handgun, so two of the three now had handguns on the victim, Simmons said.
The victim ran to the backroom and retrieved an “AK-47-style gun,” and “he started shooting for his own protection to get them out of his house and to protect himself,” Simmons said. All three felons fled the scene.
Authorities were able to identify two of the three individuals as Da’Torrance Leanders Hackworth, 18, and Antonio DeWayne Dean Jr., 20. Dean had multiple warrants before this incident, which included carjacking, aggravated assaults with a firearm, robbery with a firearm, and domestic violence battery, Simmons said.
On July 8, the sheriff’s office posted an update confirming Hackworth’s arrest. A suspect for the third individual has been found with a non-fatal head wound and investigators are still trying to determine his identity.
“We get a report of a third individual that had a wound to the head not long after. 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.
Simmons said, “Those of you who might ask a question: is the homeowner going to be charged for shooting at these people? Absolutely not. The homeowner is protecting himself, and in Florida, in Escambia County, you can protect yourself.”
