Intruders gun down unarmed dad trying to protect daughter

A Miami father was fatally shot early Wednesday morning after two armed men forced their way into his home in an robbery attempt.

Maurice Harris, 34, was unarmed and was killed trying to protect his 11-year-old daughter. The gun of one of the intruders went off after Mr. Harris challenged them to a fistfight.

Mr. Harris‘ mother-in-law, Annie Streeter, told police the intruders first came into Mr. Harris and his wife’s bedroom. When the wife walked in, one of them put a gun to her head and told Mr. Harris to get down on the floor.

Things took a deadly turn when the gunman tried to go into the room where the couple’s daughter was sleeping, CBS Miami reports.

“When the guys tried to go to the daughter’s room, [Mr. Harris] got up to, you know, fight, and I guess they were fighting together and the gun went off and killed him,” Ms. Streeter said.

The father, who suffered from lupus, was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he died, according to CBS.

“We call these two men beasts,” police spokeswoman Kenia Reyes said. “These men are beasts. They storm into a house where a little girl was asleep when she’s surprised by the gunfire because her father was trying to protect her.”

“I know he loved his family, and this is just like him, to give his life for his family,” Ms. Streeter added.

The two suspects are still at large.

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