Florida Woman Shoots, Kills Teen Intruder

Now his family wants to know why he had to die
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 15, 2016 6:25 PM CDT
Florida Woman Shoots, Kills Teen Intruder
Travon Johnson   (Miami-Dade Police Department)

The family of a 17-year-old who was fatally shot by a homeowner while allegedly breaking into her Miami home doesn't believe she was justified in killing him, CBS Miami reports. According to the Washington Post, the state will likely see it differently. Gwendolyn Jenrette rushed home last Thursday after her security system alerted her to an intruder. There, she shot and killed Travon Johnson as he was fleeing. There are no signs Johnson was armed, and officers arrived just seconds after he was shot. While homeowners who've shot intruders in recent years have been charged with manslaughter and murder, the Post believes Jenrette is unlikely to face charges, as Florida laws strongly protect homeowners in confrontations with intruders.

That leaves Johnson's family angry and without any easy answers. “What’s wrong with her,” Johnson’s sister asks CBS. “She did not have to shoot him.” Johnson's cousin, Nautika Harris, echoed that sentiment: “If she called the police already, why would she shoot him?” A police spokesperson attempted to answer those questions. "You have to remember, she's 54 years of age, OK?" WSVN quotes Det. Dan Farrin. "She's a person that obviously is a little distraught because this is her home that someone obviously was in." The Florida attorney's office will decide whether or not to press charges against Jenrette. Johnson lived and went to a technical college within blocks of Jenrette's home. “He was not supposed to die like this. He had a future ahead of him," Harris tells CBS. "He was a funny guy, very big on education, loved learning.” (More home intruder stories.)

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