Two Brevard County men are being questioned after one of them shot and killed two other men whom the shooter said forced their way into their Palm Bay home early Wednesday morning.
Palm Bay police said the shooter, 23-year-old Stephen Wright, claims he shot Sean Pino, 26, and Dylan Kane, 21, in self-defense after the two broke in and became extremely aggressive.
Wright and another man were inside the home, on the 600 block of Thuringer Street Northwest, when Wright said Pino, Kane and an unidentified woman broke in around 1 a.m. Wednesday.
Police said the four men knew each other through a mutual friend, but investigators would not immediately say what led to the confrontation and deadly shooting.
Around 10 a.m., some nine hours after Wright called 911 to report the shooting, investigators finally served a search warrant and entered the home.
"The homeowners were a little concerned and subsequently defended themselves, and what we're being told is they shot those individuals," said Palm Bay Police Chief Doug Muldoon.
Norvell Hill, who lives at a neighboring home, heard all the commotion early Wednesday.
"I stood here and watched. They first started bringing the first people coming out, and then the girl was crying, 'Why aren't there any ambulances coming? They're dying,'" said Hill.
Police said Wright claimed Pino and Kane had some kind of weapon. Wright, along with the other man inside the home, said they felt threatened.
"They're good kids, so I really believe they were just defending themselves," said Hill.
Police said detectives were working with crime scene technicians to investigate the shooting. They did not immediately say whether Wright would be charged.