Man chases suspected burglar and shoots him as he begs for his life, police say

Corthoris Jenkins was playing video games in his bedroom this week when a suspected burglar burst into his North Miami-Dade efficiency. But Jenkins didn’t just call 911.

Instead, Jenkins grabbed an assault-style rifle, chased the unarmed burglar from the home and ran after him down the street, where the man fell to his knees, police say.

“He begins to what appears to be to beg for his life,” Miami-Dade Detective Iry Watson told a judge on Wednesday. “But the defendant takes the assault rifle and shoots him multiple times.”

The suspected burglar, Xavier West, remained hospitalized at Ryder Trauma Center after he was wounded Tuesday afternoon on Northwest 27th Avenue at 95th Street. Jenkins was arrested and charged with first-degree attempted murder — Jenkins initially claimed he “blacked out” and didn’t remember anything about the shooting, according to an arrest report.

But during a court hearing Wednesday, Jenkins appeared to admit to the shooting. “I didn’t shoot him while he was on the ground,” he said, adding: “I’m the victim, ma’am.”

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer shook her head. “You’re the victim of a potential burglary, but you can’t just go around shooting people,” she said.

Jenkins’ arrest is likely to be another test of Florida’s controversial Stand Your Ground self-defense law, which critics have long said encourages vigilante-style justice. The 2005 law eliminated someone’s duty to retreat before using deadly force to counter a threat. The law also made it easier for judges to grant immunity to someone they believe acted in self-defense.

Most recently, Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing an “anti-mob” bill that will allow deadly force to be used against suspected looters or anyone engaged in “criminal mischief” that disrupts a business. Critics have assailed the proposal, saying it will allow statesanctioned killings.

Perhaps the most wellknown case of so-called vigilantism was that of neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman, who in 2012 shot and killed Miami Gardens teenager Trayvon Martin. The unarmed 16-year-old was visiting in Sanford. Zimmerman claimed he thought Trayvon, who was walking home from a store, might have been a burglar. Jurors instructed on Florida’s self-defense law acquitted Zimmerman of a murder charge.

Over the years, there have been many examples in South Florida of people who attacked suspected criminals and were cleared under the Stand Your Ground law.

In 2012, a judge freed a Miami man who chased down a car-radio thief and fatally stabbed him in the heart. Another Miami judge in 2015 cleared a man who fatally shot an unarmed neighbor during an argument — because the neighbor knew karate.

In one prominent burglary case, a North Miami-Dade teen called 911 to report a burglar, then ran outside and waited for the intruder to climb back out a window. The teen shot the man dead. Prosecutors dropped a murder charge, saying the case could not be proved under Florida’s self-defense law.

Jenkins, 28, is facing a charge of attempted firstdegree murder with a firearm. Police said Jenkins’ girlfriend told officers that West had broken into the home.

In court on Wednesday, prosecutor Khalil Quinan told the judge that video showed the shooting was premeditated. Glazer agreed. “He had time for reflection as he’s pointing the gun as he’s begging on his knees. That’s premeditation,” she said.

It was unclear if Jenkins and West know each other.

West has been unable to talk to police because “he’s still intubated from his injuries,” Det. Watson said.