A Florida woman shot dead a man who tried to break into her house and kill her following an argument. The woman got sacred, pulled out her gun and fired at the man leaving him dead instantly. However, police said that it was "perfectly legal" for the woman to do so as it was in "self defense".
According to police, the suspect was known to the woman but posed a threat to her and another woman, who is believed to be his girlfriend, as he used dangerous weapons to break the door and windows of the house in order to enter it. Police haven't released the names of people involved in the shooting.
In Self Defense
According to police, the incident took place in an unincorporated area of Auburndale in Polk County on Sunday morning, when a woman shot at a man in "self defense" anticipating that he would have killed her. The woman reportedly knew the man but feared for her life when he tried to break into her home after a bout of argument a couple of hours earlier. Given the circumstances, the police are defending the woman although investigation is still on.
Sheriff Grady Judd said it appeared the "shooter was perfectly legal to defend her home from a burglar." "You have a right to protect yourself in your home and be free from home invaders, armed burglars, and certainly he was armed with a tire iron and making an attempt to come in through the window," Judd said.
The woman, according to the authorities, had gone out the night before to a pool hall in Lakeland with another man and a woman. The other woman was reportedly the victim's girlfriend. The four partied at night and returned to the woman's home around 4 am after stopping at a liquor store to buy a bottle of whisky.
What Went Wrong?
Although the exact reason is still unknown, the man and his girlfriend got into a "heated argument" around 6 am, following which he left the house with the other man, while the two women stayed at home. However, after driving to the end of the street, the suspect decided to return to take his girlfriend back with him.
The drama started after that. The suspect started kicking and banging on the door demanding to see his girlfriend and threatened to kill both the women. The other man tried to push the man to leave but he took a tire iron and started smashing the window. He continued with his threats and after entering the house tried to charge at the women.
The woman, who owned the home, got a handgun and fired one round and the man immediately died at the scene. The medical examiner's office will determine whether the suspect was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Although it looks like a simple incident of self defense, it once again brings to fore the growing incidents of shootings in the United States. Besides, New York City and Chicago, Florida has also seen a spike in the number of shooting and homicides in recent times.
