A Florida homeowner used an AR-15-platform rifle to protect himself from four alleged home invaders who reportedly broke into his house intending to rob him.
An hour before the invasion, one of the men apparently knocked on the door and attempted to lure the homeowner outside by claiming to need help with his vehicle.
The owner refused, explaining that he was disabled. The man returned later with three others and broke into the home, entering both at the front and rear of the residence.
One, wearing a “Jason” mask and gloves on both hands, used a semi-automatic pistol, while the other was a 22-year-old armed with a shotgun. In the ensuing exchange gunfire, one robber was killed at the scene. The other died from his injuries in a hospital.
The homeowner was wounded during the invasion, and subsequently hospitalized, but was reported to be in stable condition.
Police tracked the alleged accomplices to a nearby wooded area using a sheriff’s K-9 unit, and they were arrested and charged with multiple offenses. The homeowner told police he thought he recognized one of the alleged assailants from a prior online sales transaction.