A Florida sheriff has encouraged homeowners to shoot intruders, saying officials actually ‘prefer’ that they do.
Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson held a press conference last week to speak about burglary suspect Brandon Harris, during which he also urged people to attend a gun safety class to improve their skills and ‘hopefully save taxpayers’ money’.
Harris was arrested for breaking into a number of homes in Pace last Wednesday (20 April), having been shot by one of the homeowners, whose identity is not known as they have not yet come forward.
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Addressing reporters, Johnson said Harris faces seven charges after being arrested, having also been arrested a total of 17 times by his department in the past.
Explaining how police were unsure which homeowner shot at Harris, he went on to remind people that Floridians are allowed to use force to protect their home and to defend their property, and that whoever was responsible was not in trouble.
Harris said: “I guess they think they did something wrong, which they did not. If somebody’s breaking into your house, you’re more than welcome to shoot them in Santa Rosa County – we prefer that you do, actually.
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“Whoever that was, you’re not in trouble. Come see us. We have a gun safety class we put on every other Saturday, and if you take that, you’ll shoot a lot better and hopefully save taxpayers’ money.”
In Florida, there is a ‘Stand Your Ground’ law that gives people the right to self-defence in a dwelling, residence or vehicle.
The state’s statute says: “A person who is in a dwelling or residence in which the person has a right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and use or threaten to use."
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Johnson said deputies set up a perimeter around the neighbourhood when multiple people called police about a suspicious person. Around 40 minutes after the first call, a homeowner then shot at Harris, but he continued to run away before eventually being caught by officers when he jumped out of a window of a property's bedroom.
Johnson later reiterated his point when responding to questions from the press, saying: “If somebody’s breaking into your house, you’ve got all the right in the world to defend yourself.
“Of course, he didn’t get hit, and now we have to pay for him.”
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Topics: US News
Jess Hardiman