A 69-year-old woman shot and killed a home invader who entered her residence near Orlando, Fla., on Sunday.
According to WKMG, Virginia Morrison, 69, witnessed 38-year-old Ezequiel Rosario-Torres enter her home in the 6500 block of Brentwood Street around 12:30 in the afternoon. Morrison said she repeatedly warned the intruder to leave. She also asked who he was and what he wanted, but he never said a word.
“Something wasn’t right with the man,” she said, noting that she had never seen the man before. “He had a blank look on his face.”
“I said, ‘I’m getting my damn gun.’ So I went to my bedroom and got my gun and I went out the back door and I came to the fence and he sees me and he starts toward me,” Morrison continued. “I fired a shot above him, then said, ‘Back off, dude. I’ll shoot you.’ And he kept coming toward me, so I shot him.”
When the Orange County Sheriff’s Office arrived on the scene, deputies said they found the man who had been shot. He was transported to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
“I feel sorry for his family, but I had to do what I had to do,” Morrison asserted.
The elderly woman said it was the first time she has ever shot her gun.
“Keep your doors locked. Anybody can walk into your house now,” she said. “I killed a man. I didn’t intend to do that. I’m trying to protect me and (my fiance).”
Officials said the incident is under investigation. No charges have been filed.
“I have feelings. I have God in my life,” said Morrison, according to WSVN. “That’s my main thing, wondering if God is going to forgive me for taking a life. It bothers me.”
Last month, a Florida sheriff said his department wants residents of Santa Rosa County to shoot at home invaders after an unidentified homeowner opened fire when a suspect broke into his house.
Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson encouraged all residents to take a gun safety course offered by the department, noting that those who do will get “a lot better” at handling a firearm. “If you take that, you’ll shoot a lot better, and hopefully you’ll save the taxpayers money,” Johnson said.
“If somebody is breaking into your house, you’re more than welcome to shoot at them in Santa Rosa County. We prefer that you do actually. So, whoever that was, you’re not in trouble, come see us,” Johnson added.
