A sheriff in Florida's panhandle is encouraging homeowners to shoot and kill anyone who breaks into their home, saying it would "save taxpayers money."
Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson made the comments Thursday during a press conference announcing the arrest of 32-year-old Brandon Harris, who was wanted in a rash of home invasions.
"If someone is breaking into your house, you're more than welcome to shoot them in Santa Rosa County. We prefer that you do, actually," he said.
Harris was taken into custody following a string of burglaries in Pace, about 20 minutes north of Pensacola. During one break-in, a homeowner fired shots at Harris but missed.
Although Harris was eventually arrested, after he jumped through a window no less, Johnson expressed disappointment that the armed homeowner didn't have better aim.
"Of course, [Harris] didn't get hit and now we have to pay for him," he said.
The sheriff's department is now trying to identify that homeowner -- not because they did something wrong but because police would like to train them to become a more accurate shooter.
"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 you'll save taxpayers money," Johnson said.
The sheriff went on to describe Harris as a "frequent flier" who has racked up quite a rap sheet over the past two decades.
"For us, he's job security. I mean, we deal with him all the time," Johnson said. "Our first interaction with this individual was when he was 13-years-old. Since then he's had, like, 17 arrests. He got out of prison -- we sent him to prison for six-and-a-half years for home invasion -- and he just can't seem to get the picture of crime does not pay."
Harris is facing several charges including burglary, attempted burglary with assault, resisting arrest and criminal mischief.
Under Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law, a person is justified in using or threatening to use deadly force if he or she reasonably believes that using or threatening to use such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony. A person who uses or threatens to use deadly force in accordance with this subsection does not have a duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground if the person using or threatening to use the deadly force is not engaged in a criminal activity and is in a place where he or she has a right to be.
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