A Florida homeowner will not face criminal charges after opening fire with an AK-47-style rifle during an armed home invasion around midnight July 7, police said July 8.
Three suspects broke into the man’s residence where one pulled a handgun from his waistband and the two others shoved the victim, Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said. The victim attempted to reach for his handgun, but one of the suspects retrieved it after it slipped and fell to the floor.
The victim escaped to the backroom, picked up his AK-47-style rifle and opened fire on the suspects, leading the three to flee the household, Simmons said. (RELATED: Pregnant Woman Uses AR-15 To Protect Husband, Daughter From Home Invasion)
“He started shooting, for his own protection, to get them out of his house and to protect himself,” the sheriff said. “They fled, as they do, and we were able to identify two of the three individuals.”
Police have issued warrants against two of the three suspects, who have been identified as 18-year-old Antonio Dewayne Dean Jr. and 20-year-old Da’Torrence Leanders Hackworth. A third suspect reportedly suffered a gunshot wound to the head, but police say his account of how he became wounded are inconsistent with the background information of the case.
Dean Jr. is charged with assault and battery, domestic violence, failure to appear, robbery, carjacking with a firearm, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and robbery with a firearm in possession of a weapon. The charges are from four separate incidents, and police are unsure why he is out of jail. Hackworth is charged with robbery and home invasion, Simmons said.
“Those of you who may ask a question, is the homeowner going to be charged for shooting at these people? Absolutely not,” Simmons said. “The homeowner’s protecting himself, and in Florida, in Escambia County, you can protect yourself.”