Two residents used an AR-15 and a 9mm handgun to take down seven suspects in a Florida home invasion turned deadly last Sunday.
Florida Home Invasion
The Baker County Sheriff’s Office says four men were asleep at their home in Glen St. Mary at around 4 a.m. when they were suddenly awakened by loud noises and yelling. Outside the home were seven individuals. Some of them were armed. All of them were masked to conceal their identities.
News4Jax says one of the suspects outside yelled, “Sheriff’s Office!” before kicking open the front door. Multiple suspects then made their way into the home; reports don’t say if all seven entered.
Realizing they were in danger, two of the residents armed themselves—one with an AR-15 and one with a 9mm handgun—and exited their respective bedrooms. A confrontation ensued. One of the suspects fired off a round before the residents started shooting. A resident later said he fired 30 rounds from his AR-15 during the gunfight.
Three suspects were shot by the residents. The remaining four managed to take off in a vehicle. The residents—who were uninjured—then “retreated to another part of the home” and dialed 911, News4Jax reports.
Arrests and Charges
Responding Baker County Sheriff’s deputies managed to intercept the getaway vehicle as it fled the scene. They also found dried blood on the front steps of the home, a bloodstained mask with a bullet hole through it, and a .380 ACP pistol nearby. In addition, they recovered the AR-15 and 9mm handgun used by the residents.
One of the suspects shot has been identified as 18-year-old Cory Lauramore. He died of gunshot wounds to his head. A second suspect, 24-year-old William Lauramore, was treated and released into police custody. The third wounded suspect, an unidentified 16-year-old juvenile, is still being treated at a local hospital.
Police have charged William Lauramore, Joseph Albino, 24; Zachary Bell, 20; Christian Watkins, 19; and a 15-year-old suspect; with home invasion. Additional charges could be added at a later date.
The Baker County Sheriff’s Office said the home invasion was a result of an “ongoing feud between the suspects” and residents. The feud “was fueled by derogatory and threatening rhetoric between the two groups on social media platforms and eventually escalated to this shooting.”
No charges have been brought against the residents—who said they acted in self defense—at this time.
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