A man fatally shot one of three intruders who allegedly broke into his Sunrise, Florida, home in a dramatic moment all caught on the homeowner’s call to 911.
Sunrise police received the 911 call Monday from the homeowner, Warren Darlow, who told the police he saw a car pull into his driveway. According to arrest affidavits obtained by ABC News, Darlow then told police he saw men he didn’t know get out of the car and walk toward his home.
“Fearing the suspects were going to break into his house, Darlow armed himself with a shotgun,” the affidavits say. Darlow told police he loaded the gun and called 911, according to the affidavits. As he was on the phone with 911, the suspects shattered a glass door and broke in, he told police, the affidavits say.
“They’re in my house right now,” the victim whispers to the 911 dispatcher in the call, which was obtained by ABC News.
Darlow later told police he was worried that if the suspects weren’t already armed, they would arm themselves with one of Darlow’s guns that he keeps in plain view on nightstands, according to the affidavits.
Darlow told police “several times that he feared for his life,” according to the affidavits.
Darlow then fired his gun three times, according to the affidavits. Though the first shot did not hit anyone, the second shot did, the affidavits say. Darlow told police that after that second shot, he saw the injured individual appear to “reach toward something,” so Darlow fired again, the affidavits say.
On the 911 call, the homeowner tells the dispatcher, “I killed one, I think.”
The dispatcher asks about the other men and he says, “I don’t know.”
The homeowner then asks the dispatcher to tell the cops to hurry.
The injured suspect was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to the affidavits.
Officers later stopped two men who matched descriptions given by Darlow; the suspects were both positively identified by Darlow as the men allegedly involved in the home invasion, and they were taken into custody. The men were later identified by police as Jose Coleman and Curtis Jefferies.
Jefferies, 26, and Coleman, 23, were arrested for homicide-willful kill-murder while engaged in certain felony and burglary-dwelling structure or conveyance armed. According to the affidavits, Coleman admitted to committing the burglary, but Jefferies maintained he just drove Coleman and the victim to the house, and said he was not involved in the break-in. It is not clear whether either man has obtained a lawyer. In Florida, anyone committing a felony can face a murder-related charge if a death occurs during the crime.
Broward County Court officials say both suspects were in front of the magistrate on the Nov. 28; no court dates have been set.
The Sunrise Police Department said Darlow will face no charges for killing the intruder.
Darlow declined to comment to ABC News today about the incident.
