A man called deputies for help. He opened his door and was shot
By Greg Fox
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ORANGE COUNTY, Florida (WESH) — UPDATE: Bodycam of the incident was released a day after WESH 2’s story.
The Westwood neighborhood off Silver Star Road in Orange County is known by people WESH 2 spoke with to be quiet and safe. Not crime-free, but non-violent.
That changed at a home on Sheringham Road on Aug. 23 when just after 3 p.m., some would-be home invaders broke in through a bathroom window at the rear of the house.
WESH 2 reached the man by phone who rents the home. He did not want his name revealed.
He told WESH 2, “The guys who broke in, I thought there were three of them, but learned later there were four. I shot at them. I have an AR-15. They ran out the back.”
He said after firing his rifle, the home invaders headed in the direction of Silver Star Road, which would have made it easy to get away quickly. The victim does not know if any of his bullets struck any of the people who broke in.
The home invasion victim then called 911 for help, but he says the response by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office nearly cost him his life.
“I told them on the phone (dispatch) that the home invaders were gone. So I went to the front door when the deputies were there,” he said. “I opened the door and everything happened so fast. There were about five deputies there and one of them shot me in the thigh.”
The man told WESH 2 he was treated by paramedics at the home and rushed to a hospital where he was treated and released.
So far, the sheriff’s office is not commenting on the break-in, the search for suspects, or the accidental shooting of the victim. They did tell WESH 2 the deputy accidently fired his weapon.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the incidents, and the deputy is on temporary paid administrative leave.
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