Florida Sheriff Tells Criminals “Expect to be Shot”

On December 27, 2024 WFIN in Florida quoted Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells about a recent home invasion and shooting. The Sheriff said:

“This is the state of Florida, if you want to break into someone’s home, you should expect to be shot.”

The incident happened on December 26, 2024 about 9 p.m. From wfin.com:

“He knew something bad was about to happen and he didn’t stall,” MCSO Sheriff Rick Wells said during a press conference Friday. “He grabbed his firearm [and] told his wife to get into a safe spot.”

The homeowner fired multiple rounds, hitting Flores-Toledo “several times,” while Soto-Mella fled the scene, according to the sheriff’s office.

“I sat down next to the lanai, the door was open,” John Nuceder, who was visiting a family member in the neighborhood, told Fox 13. “I vividly heard three gunshots.”

Authorities said Flores-Toledo was initially reported to be in critical condition before being transported to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, where he died Friday morning.

“This is the state of Florida,” Wells said. “If you want to break into someone’s home, you should expect to be shot.”

Deputies tracked down Soto-Mella, who was in the country illegally after his 90-day visa expired in September, using K9 units and arrested him a few blocks away, according to the sheriff’s office. The scene was secured and everyone involved was accounted for, posing no threat to the community.

The man who was killed, Flores-Toledo, was from Mexico. His immigration status was not mentioned. The man with him is from Chile and was in the country illegally.

Situational awareness is key. The homeowner noticed the two suspects before they broke in. This gave him time to access his firearm, gain tactical advantage, and advise his wife to seek shelter. It seems likely the couple had a plan for such a situation because they acted quickly. Too often, people see danger forming and refuse to accept what is happening. This leads to dangerous delays in an effective response. The United States is one of the very few jurisdictions that protect the inherent right of people to use firearms to defend themselves and, to varying degrees, their property.

Neither Mexico nor Chile has anywhere near the concentration of firearms in private hands that exists in the United States. A homeowner in the United States who shoots and kills a home invader is not particularly uncommon. A sheriff who openly celebrates homeowners defending themselves against criminals by exercising their Second Amendment rights is becoming more common.  There have been several instances over the last few years.

For 150 years, Americans’ ability and willingness to defend their homes with deadly force were applauded. From about 1965 on, there was a growing trend to denigrate American citizens’ use of firearms to defend themselves, to denigrate the Second Amendment, and to slowly disarm Americans. That trend is dead. While not fully restored, the Second Amendment is being restored in legislatures and by the courts.

Kudos to Sheriff Rick Wells. He is an American politician/lawman who is stating the obvious. I expect him to be re-elected. He has been in office for almost eight years. He is married to Lupita Wells and has three sons.

About Dean Weingarten:

Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.