An Airbnb renter had two unwelcome visitors when a teenager and a man allegedly tried to break into the Florida home he was staying at, and the run-in resulted in the renter shooting the teenager robber.
The Fort Lauderdale Police Department said that officers responded to the home on Thursday, September 24, around 6 p.m. when they received reports of an attempted robbery. Upon their arrival, the officers found a man who had been shot in the upper torso.
The police department said that two armed men allegedly broke into an Airbnb and they got into an altercation with the renter. The renter then shot one of the suspects, who has since been identified as Dareon Pubien, in the chest.
Pubien, 18, then fled the scene on foot, and police later found him near his home. He was rushed to Broward Health Medical Center to treat his injuries, and he remains there in critical but stable condition after he underwent surgery.
Second suspect Sean Thompson was also arrested, and he was seemingly not injured during the altercation. Both Thompson, 25, and Pubien have been charged with attempted murder and home invasion with a firearm.
Thompson was ordered to be held in jail without bond when he appeared in court on Friday, September 25, according to CBS Miami.
The Fort Lauderdale Police Department said that the shooting is currently being investigated as a self-defense case, and the identity of the renter has not yet been publicly revealed.
It is not currently clear if either Pubien or Thompson have entered pleas or retained legal counsel following their arrests. The Fort Lauderdale Police Department did not immediately respond to Us’ request for comment regarding updates in the case.
The incident has left local residents in shock, while some even heard it happening in real time. Arthur Butler Jr. told CBS Miami that he heard “at least 10” gunshots coming from the house when the robbery was taking place.
“It started off shooting inside the house, then it came out … everybody was running,” he said.
Butler also spoke to NBC 6 South Florida about the incident, explaining that the robbers “were trying to get over the gate, then they couldn’t get in the gate, then they went around the side and got in.”
“I didn’t know what was going on,” he continued. “They walked up, I don’t know where they came from … I didn’t see anything … I just heard the shots.”
