Florida homeowner shoots, kills armed robbers; surviving suspect faces murder charges
WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. - A homeowner in Wesley Chapel shot and killed two of three suspected armed robbers who tried to break into his home early Friday morning, according to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office. A third suspect is in the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
According to Sheriff Chris Nocco, the homeowner was playing video games alone when he heard glass shatter in the back of his house.
Deputies said the homeowner grabbed a gun and saw the first suspect down a long hallway wearing a dark ski mask and dark clothing and pointing a gun at him.
The homeowner fired and the suspect went down, according to PCSO.
That’s when the victim saw a second suspect down the same hallway pointing a gun at him, so he fired again. At some point, a suspect fired his gun, Nocco said. When the second suspect went down, the victim saw a third suspect down the hallway, so he fired again and the suspect fell.
The victim’s gun jammed at this point, so he went to grab another gun. When he returned to the hallway, he noticed that the third suspect was gone. That’s when he got a phone call from a neighbor who said he was holding the third suspect outside at gunpoint to keep him from getting away.
Deputies arrived shortly before 1 a.m. and said two suspects died at the scene and the third suspect was taken to the hospital where he is expected to survive.
According to Nocco, the homeowner and the suspects had some type of connection and the home invasion was a targeted, isolated incident.
Nocco said the two dead suspects, 21-year-old Luis Casado and 21-year-old Khyle Durham, had violent criminal histories.
He added that the surviving suspect, Jeremiah Trammel, 19, will face second-degree murder charges because he was committing a felony in which two people died. Nocco said Trammel will also face a charge of home invasion robbery.
Nocco said the State Attorney’s Office is investigating.