Florida homeowner shoots and kills one intruder, injures another: sheriff’s office
A Florida man opened fire on two home intruders, killing one of them, on Thursday night, authorities said.
The Lakewood Ranch area homeowner saw two masked men on his motion-activated home surveillance cameras and told his wife to hide, Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells said at a press conference Friday.
The homeowner then grabbed his gun and went to confront the two men who then broke into his home.
Jorge Nestevan Flores-Toldeo, 27, from Mexico, was shot multiple times at the home and later died from his wounds.
Flores-Toledo had an active warrant for a parole violation and was considered by authorities to be armed and dangerous, Fox 13 reported.
Back in 2023, he served four months in jail for residential burglary and was released on parole just last month.
“This is the state of Florida. If you want to break into someone’s home, you should expect to be shot,” Sheriff Wells warned, according to the outlet.
The sheriff then lauded the fast-thinking of the homeowner.
“He knew something bad was about to happen, and he didn’t stall. He grabbed his firearm, tod his wife to get into a safe spot.”
Michael Soto-Mella, 39, was arrested a few blocks from the house after being tracked down by a K9 unit.
Soto-Mella is in the country illegally — overstaying a visa from Chile that expired in September, according to Fox 13.
He is charged with armed burglary and additional charges are pending.
