A Florida sheriff praised an armed citizen this week for shooting at a home intruder and suggested that the homeowner should take a gun safety class to “save the taxpayers money.”
The homeowner did not hit the intruder, who was arrested later that day.
“I guess they think they did something wrong, which they did not. If someone’s breaking into your house, you’re more than welcome to shoot them in Santa Rosa County. We prefer that you do, actually. So, whoever that was, you’re not in trouble, come see us. We have a gun safety class we put on every other Saturday,” said Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson during a press conference.
“If you take that, you’ll shoot a lot better, and hopefully you’ll save the taxpayers money,” Johnson concluded.
SEE ALSO: Ohio Homeowner, 74, Shoots 16-Year-Old Burglary Suspect
Brandon J. Harris, 32, was arrested after allegedly breaking into multiple homes in Pace, Florida, Johnson said. About 20 deputies were chasing him through a neighborhood, but when he entered one of the homes, the homeowner fired at him. He continued to run until deputies cornered him in a bedroom in a different house and arrested him.
Harris had been a “frequent flyer,” Johnson said. Harris was first encountered by law enforcement when he was 13 years old, and he spent over six years in prison for home invasion after being arrested 17 times.
He was charged in this latest incident with one count of attempted burglary with assault, one count of resisting arrest without violence, two counts of burglary to an occupied dwelling, one count of criminal mischief, one count of attempted larceny, and one count of burglary to an unoccupied dwelling.
“Some people don’t learn,” Johnson said of Harris. “For us, this is job security. We deal with him all the time. Hopefully this time he’ll go, and he won’t get out.”
SEE ALSO: Repeat Offender Becomes Dead Offender: Brick-Throwing Suspect Killed By Philly Homeowner
Johnson explained that during this incident, Harris chased a woman into her house while her kids were inside. She closed the door and locked it just before he reached it and started trying to get inside.
“He doesn’t care about anybody but himself,” Johnson explained. “Hopefully he goes to prison for the rest of his life this time.”
The sheriff’s department could not identify the homeowner who fired the shots. Johnson believes the homeowner used a handgun, and he knows multiple shots were fired, but he couldn’t offer any additional details.
“If somebody’s breaking into your house, you’ve got all the right in the world to defend yourself,” Johnson said. “Of course, [Harris] didn’t get hit, and now we have to pay for him.”
IF WE REALLY WANTED TO SOLVE THE CRIME PROBLEM IN AMERICA WE WOULD USE REAL DETERRENCES. ABORTING SERIAL CRIMINALS INSTEAD OF UNBORN CHILDREN WOULD GO A LONG WAYS!
I might suggest, forget about the head shots. Shoot for center mass.
Mexican meth and cocaine will make you this stupid!! Now he can brag about being shot at to his prison buddy’s!! I agree with the Sheriff practice with your firearm learn it inside and out and to the shooters credit it’s hard to hit a meth head running full speed from the cops!! Dude was probably a blur they run like gazelles you know!?
Mr. Harris sounds & looks very much like a “career man “.
Sending him back to the “ criminal finishing school “ will obviously
do the state of FLA. a lot of good .
The good Sheriff has a point . The Homeowner should take advantage of
his free instruction classes , learning to “ double-tap “ that Ten Ring .
I’m sorry this happened here in Florida, but common sense says the sheriff is right. It also needs to be argued that the “system” is flawed when somebody is 32 years old, has had 17 arrests, and still lives a life of crime.
The failure belongs to the revolving door justice system that makes us have to defend our lives in our homes.
I can usually understand a judge “going light” on a juvenile first-time offender, but not a second time.
By the time somebody has a lengthy arrest record, they should be facing very heavy prison time after a conviction for a home invasion.
Yes, be my guest and dispose of home invaders, but also insist the State’s Attorney gets maximum sentences for repeat offenders and keep them off the street.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. A third time? Fuggedaboutit.
The sooner criminals are removed from the gene pool, the better.
Florida is a great state BUT if the locust continue to leave their ruined state and bring their same life attitudes it will destroy Florida next. Then where will they go? Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia? Texas is already being destroyed by the California locust. Think about what led to California’s bankruptcy and crime. As is said by many mental counselors which Locust seem to put to much faith in… start by looking within.
Became a criminal at 13; arrested 17 times; six years in prison; now 32 years old and Still doing crimes.
In my world, Harris, and others like him, would be turned into fertilizer Before they could get along in their criminal careers.
But, as we all know, the corrupt Legal system coddles criminals, especially in Liberal bastions.
Thank god for florida. The wife & I escaped ny state a little over 4 years ago. She wanted to be closer to her sister & I wanted to be farther away from Cuomo & his corrupt bunch, as well as the weather and state income tax. Best move ever
Other than Broward County, most Florida sheriffs are common-sense non-woke-BS type of folks
Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, along with Broward, are Leftist. In Broward, Progressive-Socialists outnumber Republicans 2-to-1. Does Sheriff Scott Israel ring a bell?