Davie, Florida

From July 13, 2005 NBC channel 6:

DAVIE, Fla. -- An 18-year-old was shot to death early Wednesday morning after apparently breaking into a home in western Davie.

The shooting happened at about 1:45 a.m. in the Chelsea at Ivanhoe community on Southwest 51st Street.

Davie police said a man and young woman -- possibly father and daughter, according to neighbors -- were sleeping inside the home when an intruder came in and startled them. The man took protective action and shot the intruder twice, striking him once in the face.

When police arrived, they found the intruder dead in the front doorway of the home.

"At some point while this young man between the age of 18 and 20 was inside the home, several gunshots rang out," Lt. Bill Bamford said. "The young man was struck twice and he fell dead in the front foyer area of the home. We don't know if there's any relationship between this young man and the residents of the home or if this was just a random act -- that he was trying to break into a home."

The victim was identified as 18-year-old Richard Rojas, of Miami.

A July 13, 2005 news story from channel 10 casts some doubt on whether this was self-defense or not:

DAVIE, Fla. -- The family of a young man shot and killed in a Davie home early Wednesday morning say the 18-year-old was murdered.

A Rojas family member tells Local 10 reporter Yvonne Nava that the teen was murdered.
The homeowners, however, are telling a different story. They said Richard Rojas, 18, of Miami, was breaking into their home and they were afraid, and shot in self defense.

"They got up, fearing for their safety, and to protect their home, this young man was shot," said Bill Bamford of the Davie Police Department.

The shooting happened just before 2 a.m. at 15025 S.W. 51st St. The home is inside a gated community called Chelsea at Ivanhoe.

Rojas was shot twice at point blank range. One bullet hit him in the face. He died outside of the front foyer of the home on a patio.

Police said that there was no sign of forced entry at the home.

Rojas' relatives said the shooter knew Rojas and that he didn't like him.

"It wasn't a home invasion. He was murdered. That's all you need to know," said one family member. "He was murdered."