A county sheriff said Thursday said homeowners should use lethal force during break-ins to “save taxpayers money."
The sheriff’s remarks came after a man from Milton, Florida was arrested last week following a burglary spree in Pace, Florida, according to local outlet WKRG.
Brandon Harris, age 32, allegedly broke into multiple homes as he ran away from Santa Rosa County deputies last Wednesday. County sheriff Bob Johnson said Harris broke into at least four homes and has active warrants for violation of probation, aggravated assault, and more.
Johnson told WKRG that one homeowner shot at Harris during his break-in spree, but missed.
“We don’t know what homeowner — which homeowner — shot at him. I guess they think they did something wrong, which they did not,” Johnson reportedly said.
“If somebody’s breaking into your house, you’re more than welcome to shoot them in Santa Rosa County, and we prefer that you do actually. Whoever that was, you’re not in trouble. Come see us. We have a gun safety class we put on every other Saturday. If you take that, you’ll shoot a lot better, and hopefully, you’ll save taxpayers money.”
One homeowner, Philip Marschke, was at work Wednesday evening in Pensacola when his wife called and said Harris was in their backyard. Their daughter was playing in the yard and ran inside just in time as Harris charged toward the door. Harris reportedly pulled on the door and stared inside the home.
Harris is being held in the Santa Rosa County jail without bond on his warrants. His bond is set at more than $150,000.
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