SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — A 29-year-old man is dead after deputies say he tried to break into a house in Sarasota late Tuesday night and was shot by the homeowner.
According to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to a home on 47th Street just after 11 p.m. to help the fire department with a medical call involving 29-year-old Aaron Pischer.
Deputies say the man’s family told them he had been experiencing mental health issues and appeared disoriented on Tuesday. The family called 911 and, according to the sheriff’s office, Pischer left the home just before deputies arrived.
Around 10 minutes later, as deputies were searching for the man, the sheriff’s office says a call came in about a reported shooting at a home less than half a mile away.
Kaitlyn Perez with the sheriff’s office says the homeowner told authorities he had shot Pischer in self-defense after the 29-year-old tried to break into his house. The homeowner called 911 after the shooting.
8 On Your Side obtained the 911 call from the panicked victim Wednesday afternoon. The caller told the 911 operator he was locked in his father’s closer and he used his father’s gun to shoot the intruder. The caller’s identity is being withheld due to Marsy’s Law.
Caller: Somebody just tried to break into my house. I just shot them. Dispatch: You shot him?
Caller: Yes sir, I shot him. He started to charge me. He picked up one of my dad’s plants on the front lawn and started charging me.
“At this time, it does not appear the suspect and homeowner are known to one another,” Perez said in a statement released Wednesday morning.
“This is a tragic situation for both families involved,” said Megan Krahe with SCSO.
According to the sheriff’s office, Pischer has a prior arrest in Sarasota County for theft in 2018.