CLEARWATER, FL – Earlier in June, a legally-armed woman fatally shot a 26-year-old male intruder who attacked her inside of her bedroom.

Clearwater Police stated that the incident occurred on June 21st at approximately 8:49 a.m. at a residence located off of Flagler Drive. The victim, has not been publicly identified by police, woke up to find a male intruder inside of her bedroom. The intruder was later identified as 26-year-old Justin William Wright.

Clearwater Police Chief Daniel Slaughter stated that the victim “was able to reach out and call 911 during this attack, but the attack persisted,…at which time, she was able to retrieve a gun that she had lawfully.”

Despite being attacked by Wright, the victim was able to shoot the aggressor in self-defense. Chief Slaughter further pointed out that the victim “was asleep in the residence, she was attacked, she does have injuries that are consistent with that attack.”

While the preliminary evidence suggests that the incident was a clear-cut case of self-defense, Chief Slaughter wanted to stress that the investigation is still ongoing.

“We certainly don’t just chalk it up to self-defense and move on. There is an awful lot of work that has to occur. The crime scene is going to be investigated just like any other death or murder or homicide or as in this particular case, potentially a justified homicide.”

Authorities didn’t convey whether the decedent and the victim were extensively familiar with each other prior to the incident aside from sharing that the two were neighbors, nor have investigators determined a possible motive in the break-in and subsequent attack.

However, investigators did share that the victim hadn’t been living in the residence that long and the deceased suspect appears to have been unarmed during the attack. It’s also still unclear how Wright was able to gain entry into the victim’s house.

The case in Florida rings reminiscent of an incident out of Des Moines, Iowa, that Red Voice Media reported on earlier in June where a legally armed woman non-fatally shot an unprovoked attacker inside of a grocery store.

In the Des Moines incident, a 30-year-old woman identified as Kapri Lashawn Francis reportedly launched an attack against another shopper inside of the Hy-Vee located off of 2540 E. Euclid Avenue at approximately 10:00 a.m. on June 19th.

During the attack, the victim was able to get ahold of her lawfully-owned and carried handgun, letting off a single shot that hit Francis in her leg. Des Moines Police Sgt. Paul Parizek described the attack allegedly carried out by Francis as one stemming from a “spontaneous dispute,” adding that evidence and witness accounts suggest “the shooter in this incident acted in self-defense after being violently assaulted.”

After receiving medical treatment, Francis was booked under charges of assault causing bodily injury.

This piece was written by Gregory Hoyt on June 22, 2022. It originally appeared in RedVoiceMedia.com and is used by permission.

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