POLK COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- A Polk County man shot at two robbery suspects Tuesday morning when he thought they were going to run him down.
One of the suspects was hit in the head and died, and the other is still at large.
The incident happened near a citrus grove on Rifle Range Road in the Wahneta area of Winter Haven.
Property owner Jamie Jones heard a commotion outside while working inside his shed just before dawn.
Jones told detectives a man and woman were driving away in his Land Rover. He said after they saw him, they tried to run him over.
Fearing for his life, Jones pulled the trigger.
One of the bullets hit 21-year-old Nikki McCormick in the head. While she lay bleeding in the passenger seat, the male suspect fled on foot.
McCormick was rushed to the hospital where she later died.
Detectives aren't sure if the male suspect was hit. The property owner last saw him limping down a nearby street.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office searched for him by air and ground for hours but did not locate him. The sheriff's office hasn't been able to identify him.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd says Jones likely won't face charges, and he offers a warning to other would-be robbers.
"The word to the criminal is first -- quit being a criminal, quit stealing," Judd said. "But if you're breaking into someone's house, the homeowner is very likely to shoot you."
Information from Central Florida News 13's Bright House Networks affiliate Bay News 9 was used in this report.
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