Drizzt
January 22, 2003, 06:59 PM
Intruder shooting probe continues
Derek Pivnick
@PensacolaNewsJournal.com
A Jay man was listed in fair condition at West Florida Hospital on Tuesday after being shot in the right calf and jaw when he entered a home and was shot by the homeowner.
Derek R. Stokes, 18, of the 9600 block of Chumuckla Springs Road was shot by Dana R. Pritt, 58, in his Bell Lane home just after noon Monday, according to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office.
The case continues to be investigated and will be turned over to the State Attorney's Office to determine whether charges should be filed. That could happen as soon as this afternoon, said Deputy Jerry Henderson, sheriff's spokesman.
Detective Paul Lio was conducting interviews Tuesday, but deputies released this sequence of events:
Pritt was asleep in a bedroom when he was awakened by a banging noise. He then heard the sliding glass door to his bedroom open, and he grabbed a .22-caliber handgun from the night stand. Pritt saw Stokes and said he accidentally fired the gun. Stokes lunged toward Pritt, who fired once more and hit Stokes in the jaw.
No charges have been filed against Stokes, but that could change when the investigation concludes, Henderson said. The Sheriff's Office has no criminal record on Stokes.
Stokes and Pritt were acquainted, possibly through past job opportunities, Henderson said.
Stokes' father, Ray "Buddy" Stokes, 45, said his son had been doing yard work at the Pritt home for several months to raise extra money, and that Pritt went too far by shooting his son in the face after injuring him with a shot to the leg.
"About 10 o'clock last night, I'm still picking gun powder out of his face," Ray Stokes said, adding that his son was not in the house to steal. "If my son is lying, then he's going to have to take his lumps. If he's not ... then this man needs to go to prison."
Pritt didn't return a telephone call to his home Tuesday.
Assistant State Attorney John Molchan declined to comment on the case before the Sheriff's Office completes its investigation.
Florida law allows a person to protect a home using deadly force, if necessary.
In August, Charles Harvey shot Nathaniel Baker in the chest as he mistakenly tried to enter Harvey's apartment at the Emerald Sands Inn in Milton. Baker resided in an adjacent building, but tried to enter Harvey's apartment because the doors looked alike, according to sheriff's reports.
Baker survived the shooting, and no charges were filed against Harvey.
http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/news/012203/Local/ST007.shtml
Derek Pivnick
@PensacolaNewsJournal.com
A Jay man was listed in fair condition at West Florida Hospital on Tuesday after being shot in the right calf and jaw when he entered a home and was shot by the homeowner.
Derek R. Stokes, 18, of the 9600 block of Chumuckla Springs Road was shot by Dana R. Pritt, 58, in his Bell Lane home just after noon Monday, according to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office.
The case continues to be investigated and will be turned over to the State Attorney's Office to determine whether charges should be filed. That could happen as soon as this afternoon, said Deputy Jerry Henderson, sheriff's spokesman.
Detective Paul Lio was conducting interviews Tuesday, but deputies released this sequence of events:
Pritt was asleep in a bedroom when he was awakened by a banging noise. He then heard the sliding glass door to his bedroom open, and he grabbed a .22-caliber handgun from the night stand. Pritt saw Stokes and said he accidentally fired the gun. Stokes lunged toward Pritt, who fired once more and hit Stokes in the jaw.
No charges have been filed against Stokes, but that could change when the investigation concludes, Henderson said. The Sheriff's Office has no criminal record on Stokes.
Stokes and Pritt were acquainted, possibly through past job opportunities, Henderson said.
Stokes' father, Ray "Buddy" Stokes, 45, said his son had been doing yard work at the Pritt home for several months to raise extra money, and that Pritt went too far by shooting his son in the face after injuring him with a shot to the leg.
"About 10 o'clock last night, I'm still picking gun powder out of his face," Ray Stokes said, adding that his son was not in the house to steal. "If my son is lying, then he's going to have to take his lumps. If he's not ... then this man needs to go to prison."
Pritt didn't return a telephone call to his home Tuesday.
Assistant State Attorney John Molchan declined to comment on the case before the Sheriff's Office completes its investigation.
Florida law allows a person to protect a home using deadly force, if necessary.
In August, Charles Harvey shot Nathaniel Baker in the chest as he mistakenly tried to enter Harvey's apartment at the Emerald Sands Inn in Milton. Baker resided in an adjacent building, but tried to enter Harvey's apartment because the doors looked alike, according to sheriff's reports.
Baker survived the shooting, and no charges were filed against Harvey.
http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/news/012203/Local/ST007.shtml