A Leesburg, Florida homeowner fatally shot a woman who attempted to force her way into his home shortly before 5 a.m. on Crest Avenue. He warned her multiple times that he was armed, fired once through the door when she persisted, then fired again after she reached through the broken window.
Police are working with prosecutors to determine whether the shooting is protected under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law. Legal commentary accompanying the report cautions that firing through a closed door carries significant risks, as the shooter cannot confirm the threat or identify bystanders in the line of fire.
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LEESBURG, FL — A homeowner shot and killed a woman who tried to force her way into his house shortly before 5 a.m., firing a first round through the door and a second when she reached through the shattered window to open it from the inside, according to the Leesburg Police Department.
The shooting happened on Crest Avenue, just south of South Street, as reported by FOX 35. The homeowner told police he repeatedly told the woman to leave his property and warned her that he was armed. When she kept trying to get inside, he fired his handgun through the door. The bullet shattered a window.
The woman then reached through the broken window and tried to open the door from the inside, police said. The homeowner fired a second time, striking her. She died at the scene.
More from USA Carry:
I generally do not recommend shooting through a door. I have covered incidents where a defender did exactly that and it was ultimately ruled justified, so I am not saying it can never be defensible. But you cannot see what is on the other side. You cannot see the hands, you cannot see a weapon, and you cannot see who else is standing in the line of fire. Every round that goes through a door keeps going, into a yard, a street, or the house next door. You are betting on a threat you have not actually identified.
Deadly force is justified only against an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm. That is the same standard armed citizens across the country carry under every day, and it is the standard the State Attorney’s Office will measure this shooting against. Police said they are working with prosecutors to determine whether charges are possible or whether the shooting falls under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law. No charging decision has been announced, and prosecutors, not police, make that final call.
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