PORT ST. LUCIE — A man who showed up at the door of a Port St. Lucie home about 3 p.m. Friday forced his way into the residence and was shot dead by the homeowner, Port St. Lucie Police Department Information Officer Tom Nichols said.

Curious neighbors peered out their windows at the collection of police and other emergency vehicles, and the fleet of television trucks that appeared on the normally quiet, two-lane suburban street. But the incident did not surprise some of them.

“It’s getting worse and worse, and I think the city is hushing a lot of it up,” said Larry Binetti, who lives up the street from the scene. “A girl was raped at a school bus stop a block from here,” said Binetti. “There are burglaries all of the time, and why not? This area is right between I-95 and the turnpike, so the thieves have an easy escape route.”

Binnetti said he and many residents feel trapped by circumstances. They can’t sell their homes because of the economic conditions and unemployment is creating a number of desperate people. “I don’t know what you can do. Locking your door doesn’t help.” READ MORE