A pre-dawn shooting at a Leesburg, Florida, home left a 23-year-old woman dead after she allegedly tried to get inside, according to local reporting and police.
What police say happened
Leesburg police responded at about 4:43 a.m. on Aug. 25 to a report of a woman attempting to enter a residence, according to WESH. The homeowner told officers he warned the woman to leave and said he was armed, WESH reported. When she continued trying to enter, the homeowner fired a handgun through the door, shattering a window, per WESH. The outlet reported the woman then reached through the broken window in an apparent attempt to open the door from the inside, and the homeowner fired again. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to WESH.
Victim identified
The Leesburg Police Department identified the deceased as Ananda Conley, 23, on Aug. 26, according to WOFL. WOFL reported Conley lived two or three blocks from the home. Police said Conley did not know the residents, according to the source reporting.
Investigation and charging decision
The Leesburg Police Department is investigating and has not determined whether criminal charges are appropriate, according to WESH. The outlet reported the review could take weeks or months.
Florida self-defense law context
Florida law provides that a person in a dwelling “has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground.” It allows deadly force if someone “reasonably believes” it is necessary to prevent “imminent death or great bodily harm” or a forcible felony, and it presumes reasonable fear if the person against whom force is used “was in the process of unlawfully and forcefully entering,” according to the legal language cited in the source report.
