Good Guys 2, Bad Guys 0

The instant you are confronted by a violent criminal, the police will not be there. Target of Sarasota robbery shoots his assailant

[Elliott Firby] realized something was wrong, when a truck started following him.

The truck was still behind him when Firby pulled into his driveway on Rilma Avenue and got out to open a gate. A guy jumped out of the truck with a shotgun — politely telling Firby that he was being robbed.

“Give it up, sir,” he said.

Mr. Firby shot him with a .380 semi-automatic.

Brandon Ellis, 16, showed up at a local hospital a few hours later with a gunshot wound to the stomach.

Detectives plan to charge him with attempted robbery when he is released from the hospital.

Surveillance photos from the hospital lead to Cadareus Ray, 18, Ellis' half-brother. Ray was arrested for armed robbery. Ellis will be arrested when he gets out of the hospital.

Mr. Firby has been cleared in the shooting.

Detectives have cleared Firby of any wrongdoing in the shooting. Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law — which allows people to use deadly force when they face bodily harm — was a factor in the decision not to charge him.

“He was looking at dying,” said Sarasota Police Capt. Bill Spitler. “And he has every right to defend himself.”

Self-defense is a human right, and in Florida, it is your legal right.