Defensive Gun Uses (DGUs) happen a lot more frequently than we realize because most of them don’t involve a single shot being fired, so they don’t make the news. The ones that do make the news are quite serious, as this story from Wednesday reported by Fox 13 Tampa Bay.

Florida man wanted for shooting deputy killed after breaking into home, exchanging gunfire with owner: sheriff

The suspect who was wanted for shooting and critically injuring a north Florida deputy — setting off a statewide Blue Alert — was killed in a shootout with a homeowner after he broke into the man’s house.

The Dixie County Sheriff’s Office said 33-year-old Gregory Miedema was shot and killed around 7 a.m. Wednesday at a home near Tennille, Florida. The homeowner told deputies he exchanged gunfire with Miedema, who was armed, after he entered his house. Miedema was dead when deputies arrived at the home.

The sheriff’s office said they located Miedema’s vehicle at the scene, along with several firearms that were strategically placed in what appeared to be an “ambush setup.” 

It looks like a dangerous man on the run after allegedly shooting a cop, with a plan to ambush cops if they caught him, was thankfully stopped by an armed homeowner.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement had issued the Blue Alert for Miedema around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, after he shot a Taylor County sheriff’s deputy in Perry.

The Dixie County Sheriff’s Office responded to assist Taylor deputies after the shooting, and said the deputy had been shot while conducting a traffic stop.

According to WCTV, the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office identified the wounded deputy as Troy Andersen, who was part of the K9 unit. He was airlifted to a nearby hospital, and is in stable condition. 

Being a cop is not an easy job as this traffic stop gone south shows. Officers are dealing with a lot of unknowns when pulling someone over, and that’s something those of us who don’t have close familiarity with law enforcement will never understand.

Miedema is a registered sex offender in the state. His last known address, according to state records, was in Fort Myers. He was found guilty in 2011 of sex offenses while serving in the U.S. Army. 

He once resided in Sarasota, back in 2019, on Lorraine Road. According to the sheriff’s office, he was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison.

Looking at the suspect’s history here as a registered sex offender and the length of his sentence, the odds are high that he was a prohibited person deprived of his rights after the due process of law. That the suspect still had “several firearms” shows the futility of gun control.

“If you shoot at a law enforcement officer, an armed law enforcement officer, or you’re trying to kill them, no one is safe,” Judd said.

The extent of what the homeowner did beyond stopping a dangerous felon can never be fully known. If Miedema had been successful in his home invasion, the homeowner’s family’s lives could have been taken. If he had then been able to set up an ambush, the lives of more police officers could have been in jeopardy too. This may well have been a horrific mass casualty event averted. To borrow a line from Frederic Bastiat, there is that which is obviously seen, and there’s that which can never be seen. 

“When you break into a house of a stranger and you’re shot, shot and killed, that’s on you. The homeowner did exactly what he should have done, and that’s protect himself, his family, and his home” Judd said.

This DGU story illustrates the futility of gun control, and also the importance of the natural right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms. I wish Deputy Troy Andersen a full and speedy recovery. Kudos to the homeowner for his actions, and I hope he recovers quickly from the traumatic experience of what he went through.