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Florida gun enthusiast shoots three armed intruders, killing two

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — Three armed intruders targeted the wrong home when they broke into a Florida gun enthusiast's home early Friday morning.

The homeowner fired at all three home invaders, striking two of them fatally, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office said

Sheriff Chris Nocco provides information on a home invasion robbery from early this morning in Wesley Chapel. ...

Posted by Pasco Sheriff's Office on Friday, July 10, 2020

The homeowner was awake playing video games when he heard glass shatter around 12:43 a.m., the Tampa Bay Times reported

Investigators said he grabbed a gun and walked to the back of the house where he saw a masked intruder in the hallway pointing a gun at him. The homeowner fired his gun, striking the intruder. A second intruder, also pointing a gun toward the homeowner, was behind the first one. The homeowner shot him and he fell to the floor as well. 

The homeowner saw a third invader and fired but his gun jammed. He grabbed another gun but the intruder had left. The homeowner got a phone call from a neighbor who told him he was holding the intruder, identified as Jeremiah Tramel, at gunpoint.

Deputies were called to the scene. Two invaders were pronounced dead at the scene. The names of the two intruders who died will be released after family notification. Tramel was taken to a hospital for treatment. 

Tramel, 19, was later arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree homicide and one count of home invasion robbery.

"He is accountable for the deaths because it was during the commission of a felony that he was involved in that those two people died," Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said.

Tramel has a previous arrest for battery. The other intruders had criminal histories as well, investigators said.

"These two individuals have very violent criminal histories -- extremely violent," Nocco said.

Investigators said it was an isolated incident. The homeowner believes he was targeted because he is a gun enthusiast and posts pictures of his firearms to social media, WTSP-TV reported