State attorney will not prosecute homeowner who shot teen during alleged burglary attempt

No charges in Sanford shooting

State Attorney Phil Archer says a man who fatally shot a teenager during an attempted burglary will not face charges

LAKE MARY, Fla. - A Florida homeowner who fatally shot a teenager accused of an attempted burglary inside a gated property will not be prosecuted.

State Attorney Phil Archer on Tuesday announced the decision not to seek criminal charges in the death of 17-year-old Adrein Green. Green was shot in the early morning hours of May 5 after police said the homeowners woke to noises coming from the front yard of their Sanford home.

The residents called 911, before the husband, armed with a pistol, opened the front door of the home and said he found the teen trying to break into a vehicle. Feeling threatened, he fired two shots.

Prosecutors said because the incident happened inside the homeowner's gated property, he was afforded protections under Florida law relating to claims of self-defense.

“The resident, lawfully armed and lawfully permitted to investigate the criminal activity occurring on his property, believed after confronting Mr. Green that Mr. Green was moving towards him and his family,” Archer said.

Mark O’Mara, George Zimmerman's attorney in the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin, is representing Adrein’s family. Zimmerman was acquitted on a stand-your-ground, self-defense argument. O'Mara wants a grand jury to look at the case.

The homeowners are not being named by authorities due to their request for anonymity under Marsy’s Law. You can read the full statement from State Attorney Phil Archer here.