Key Takeaways
- An Airbnb renter shot 18-year-old Dareon Pubien after two armed men broke into the rental in Fort Lauderdale.
- Pubien ran from the scene but was found by police, undergoing surgery and listed in critical but stable condition.
- Sean Thompson, 25, was arrested alongside Pubien; both face charges of attempted felony murder and home invasion.
- No charges have been reported against the renter, who was armed during the incident.
- The case highlights the importance of carrying protection while traveling, as criminals do not discriminate based on residency.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — An Airbnb renter shot an 18-year-old in the chest Thursday evening after two armed men broke into the rental and confronted him, according to the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.
Police told CBS Miami the two men broke into the Fort Lauderdale Airbnb around 6 p.m. on Sept. 24 and got into an altercation with the renter, as reported by the New York Post. The renter, who has not been identified, was armed.
He fired. Dareon Pubien, 18, took a round to the chest. Pubien ran out of the house on foot.
He did not get far. Officers followed a trail of his blood around the corner and found him there, police said. He was taken to a local hospital, where he underwent surgery and was listed in critical but stable condition.
Arthur Butler Jr., who lives across the street, heard the shots and called 911. “Maybe at least 10, and then everybody was running,” he told CBS Miami. Police have not detailed how many rounds were fired or by whom, and Butler’s count is one neighbor’s estimate from across the street.
The second man, Sean Thompson, 25, of Margate, was also arrested. Both men are charged with attempted felony murder and home invasion with a firearm. Thompson was ordered held without bond. Pubien will be arraigned once he is released from the hospital. The charges are allegations, and both men are presumed innocent unless convicted.
No charges against the renter have been reported, and police have not publicly characterized his actions beyond describing the break-in and the shooting.
The part of this story that applies to every armed traveler is simple. The renter was not at home. He was in a short-term rental, somewhere he did not own and may not have known well, and two armed men came through the door anyway. Criminals do not check whether you are a resident or a guest before they pick a house. A gun locked in a safe three states away does nothing for you at 6 p.m. on a Thursday in Fort Lauderdale.
More from USA Carry:
Mindset travels with you whether you plan for it or not. The hardware only comes along if you bring it. If you carry at home, carry when you are away, and know the law where you are headed before you get there.
Pubien is in the hospital awaiting arraignment. Thompson sits in jail without bond. The renter has not been named.
