Leesburg police say a homeowner shot and killed a woman early Tuesday morning after she allegedly tried to break into his house on Crest Avenue, then reached through a shattered window to unlock the door from inside. Officers responded to the 1600 block of Crest Avenue at approximately 4:43 a.m. after receiving reports of a woman attempting to force her way into the home. She died at the scene.
According to FOX 35 Orlando, the homeowner told the woman to leave his property and warned her that he was armed with a gun before firing a handgun through the door. That first shot shattered a window, and when the woman reached through the broken glass to try to open the door from inside, the homeowner fired a second time, striking and killing her. Leesburg police have not released her name or age, nor the homeowner's identity, and officials have not said whether the two knew each other.
Investigation Now in Prosecutors' Hands
The Leesburg Police Department issued a news release on the shooting investigation Tuesday and says it is working with the State Attorney's Office to determine whether criminal charges are possible and whether the shooting falls under Florida's Stand Your Ground law. That review falls to the 5th Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office, which oversees criminal prosecutions across Lake, Marion, Citrus, Hernando and Sumter counties under elected State Attorney William “Bill” Gladson. The Leesburg Police Department itself is led by Chief of Police Joseph “Joe” Iozzi, a nearly 30-year department veteran appointed to the role in May 2024.
Florida's Castle Doctrine, codified at Florida Statute § 776.013, holds that a person inside their own home has no duty to retreat and is legally presumed to hold a reasonable fear of imminent death or great bodily harm when someone forcibly enters or attempts to enter, according to the statute published on Online Sunshine. A companion law, Florida Statute § 776.032, grants full immunity from criminal prosecution and civil liability to people who use justifiable defensive force, and it explicitly bars police from arresting unless there is probable cause the force was unlawful — which explains why no arrest has been announced in this case.
A High Bar for Prosecutors
If the case ever reaches a pretrial immunity hearing, the legal burden would shift dramatically. Under Florida Statute § 776.032(4), once a defendant raises a prima facie claim of self-defense, prosecutors must prove by clear and convincing evidence that the force used was not justified, per FindLaw. That steep standard means investigators and prosecutors will likely scrutinize any prior relationship, injunction, or evidence undercutting forcible intent before deciding whether the statutory immunity even applies.
This is the second fatal home-entry shooting by a Leesburg homeowner in barely two weeks. On August 8, a resident on Highland Drive shot and killed an unannounced visitor who was attempting to force entry into a residence, as Hoodline previously reported. The Crest Avenue shooting also lands amid a broader run of violent police responses across the city this month, including an August 16 investigation into street gunfire and an August 21 officer-involved shooting during a domestic battery call on Morningside Drive.
Tips Sought as Case Remains Open
FOX 35 Orlando reports that its crews were headed to the scene Tuesday to gather more information as the investigation continued. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Leesburg Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division at 352-787-2121 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-8477. Crime victims and witnesses in Lake County can also access advocacy and support services through the State Attorney's Office Victim/Witness Services division based in Tavares.
Key questions remain unanswered for now, including the identity and age of both the woman and the homeowner, and whether any relationship existed between them. Police and the State Attorney's Office have given no timeline for when they expect to complete their review of whether the shooting was legally justified.
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