WINTER PARK, Fla. \u2013 A Winter Park Pines homeowner says a string of incidents involving three young boys over Father\u2019s Day weekend has him on edge \u2014 so much so that he asked not to be identified out of fear of retaliation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not normally someone to say, \u2018Oh, I don\u2019t think I should really leave the house today. I don\u2019t know what\u2019s gonna happen,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The homeowner said it started Saturday night when he heard a loud bang on his door around 8 p.m.<\/p>\n
At the time, he said he was inside getting ready to give his dog an insulin shot.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was ready to give my dog a shot of insulin and I had the syringe in my hand and I thought someone was coming thru the door,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He says surveillance video shows a young boy banged on the door, rode away on a bicycle and met up with two other boys.<\/p>\n
The homeowner says earlier that same day, a neighbor saw the boy on the bike doing wheelies near the home and later brought him to the homeowner\u2019s door to apologize.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did talk to this boy and he said he was sorry but then he just turned right around and came back,\u201d the homeowner said.<\/p>\n
The homeowner says the three boys returned Father\u2019s Day around 5 p.m. This time, he says surveillance video shows a second boy throwing a car bumper into the driveway, along with a traffic cone.<\/p>\n
The homeowner says he contacted the Orange County Sheriff\u2019s Office, and so did News 6.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the sheriff\u2019s office said, in part: \u201cAt this time, it was determined not to be a criminal matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
For those who chalk it up to kids just being kids, the homeowner pushed back.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an outdated expression. Things are very different today than they were years ago,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He also expressed concern about what could happen if the boys go to the wrong house.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they go to the wrong house where somebody\u2019s got a gun and they think they\u2019re breaking in, somebody\u2019s gonna shoot and kill one of \u2019em \u2026 because it\u2019s prank,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
News 6\u2019s Ashley Garrett asked the station\u2019s legal analyst, Steven Kramer whether a Florida homeowner would be within their rights to shoot in self-defense in a situation like this.<\/p>\n
\u201cVandalism and trespass is not enough to shoot a kid,\u201d the analyst said. \u201cYou\u2019ve gotta be in fear of getting killed, bodily harm or seriously injured or a forcible felony. This situation changes instantly if you\u2019ve got the kids breaking and entering or burglarizing the home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even if a prank seems harmless, the homeowner, legal experts and authorities say parents should talk to their kids \u2014 because the person on the other side of the door may not know it\u2019s a joke, and the situation<\/p>\n
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