Suspect shot & killed after homeowner opens fire during home invasion: 'You should expect to be shot'
BRADENTON, Fla. - A man opened fire on two home invaders on Thursday night, shooting one who later died as the other ran from the scene, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
It happened around 9 p.m. in the 6700 block of Hickory Hammock Cir. in the Lakewood Ranch area, MCSO said.
At a news conference on Friday, Sheriff Rick Wells said the homeowner's surveillance camera detected motion on the side of the home. He then spotted two masked men, told his wife to find a safe place and grabbed his gun, Wells said.
One suspect was shot multiple times and rushed to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, where he died Friday morning, according to Wells.
A Manatee County man opened fire on two would-be home invaders on Thursday night, shooting one as the other ran from the scene, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
"This is the state of Florida. If you want to break into someone's home, you should expect to be shot," Wells said.
MCSO said the other suspect, later identified as Michel Soto-Mella, 39, was tracked down by K9 dogs and arrested a few blocks from the house.
Wells said Soto-Mella was in the country illegally from Chile after his 90-day visa expired in September. No further details on the man who died have been released.
"We're trying to get everything that we can from the [surviving] suspect," Wells said. "He's being somewhat cooperative, but he's not telling us everything."
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