Florida Sheriff Says Home Invaders 'Should Expect To Be Shot'

2 days ago 9

Home invaders "should expect to be shot," a Florida sheriff has said, after a homeowner opened fire on two suspected intruders on Thursday night, one of whom later died.

"The bottom line is, this is the state of Florida," Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells told reporters during a press conference on Friday. "You want to break into someone's home, you should expect to be shot."

Why It Matters

In 2005, Florida passed the "Stand Your Ground" law, which removed the duty to retreat from an intruder when acting in purported self-defense in the home if the home-dweller reasonably believed that they were in danger.

The Stand Your Ground law is widely associated with the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old killed in Florida by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain who claimed he was acting in self-defense, according to ProPublica. He was charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter, but was acquitted by a jury.

What To Know

Sheriff Wells said on Friday that local authorities received a call about shots being fired at roughly 9 p.m. on Thursday night in the Lakewood Ranch area, south of Tampa.

The homeowner, who has not been named, told deputies on the scene that two masked men had attempted to break into the property, and that he had shot one of the intruders, Wells said. The injured intruder was still in the property when authorities arrived, while the other had fled the scene, the sheriff said.

The homeowner was alerted by cameras outside the house, and told his wife to find a safe space while grabbing his firearm, Wells said.

The homeowner fired at least three shots at the suspect, while the other suspect climbed halfway through a window before retreating, the sheriff said. The latter was later found four blocks from the scene, Wells said.

The suspect who was shot later died at 7 a.m. on Friday morning after being admitted to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, authorities said.

In a later written statement, Manatee County Sheriff's Office said the surviving suspect had been identified as 39-year-old Michel Soto-Mella, who had arrived in the U.S. from Chile.

Wells said during the press conference, before authorities named Soto-Mella, that the surviving suspect arrived in California from Chile "a few months ago" and outstayed a 90-day visa.

The surviving suspect was "somewhat cooperative," Wells said, but added he was "not telling us everything."

Soto-Mella has been charged with armed burglary, with additional charges pending, the sheriff's office said.

Wells said authorities had no information on why the house was targeted, nor the motive behind the home invasion.

The deceased suspect was named as 27-year-old Jorge Nestevan Flores-Toledo, also known by the name Anibal Miller-Valencia.

Flores-Toledo, from Mexico, was born in 2001, the sheriff's office said.

He had been arrested in Oak Brook, Illinois, back in 2023, and had served four months in jail for residential burglary, authorities said. Flores-Toledo was released last month, the sheriff's office said, adding there was an active warrant out for parole violation and Flores-Toledo was considered armed and dangerous.