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Who was Antonio Beltran Flores Perez? Man fatally shot after trying to break into Virginia home

Perez emerged from the woods, walked onto the home’s deck, and began kicking the door in an apparent attempt to get inside

YORK COUNTY, VIRGINIA: A man was fatally shot and killed by a homeowner on Monday, July 25, in York County, according to The York Poquoson sheriff's office.

On Tuesday, July 26, the sheriff’s office identified the man as 20-year-old Antonio Beltran Flores Perez, who jumped a gate and tried to forcefully enter the home.

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The sheriff's office received a call for shooting after 5 pm in the 300 block of Corvette Drive. The neighborhood is situated near Queens Lake Middle School. York Poquoson Sheriff’s Major Ron Montgomery said, “This is very abnormal for this neighborhood.” He said, "It’s a quiet neighborhood."
 
According to Major Ron Montgomery: “The family had spotted the individual coming out of the woods behind the home and the family had gone inside the home and this person came onto the deck and began kicking the door.”  The owner of the house said he and his family were sitting out on their deck. The family went inside their house and locked the door when Antonio started kicking down the door. That is when Antonio was shot by the homeowner.

Major Montgomery said that Antonio was unarmed when the incident occurred, but tried several times to get inside. Antonio’s body was found on the back deck.

Major Montgomery says the homeowner was trying to protect his family. He said, “The door had been locked and when he started kicking the door to make entry into the house, that’s when the homeowner shot the individual.”

'Not immune to such crimes' says Sheriff

York County has a low crime rate, but that doesn’t mean people living there are not prone to such crimes, as per Montgomery. 

The sheriff said: “If you have someone who’s trespassing on your property that you’re concerned about, I would encourage you to dial 911 immediately.” He added, “Nationally, we are seeing a lot more handgun violence and a lot more of these situations where burglaries or larcenies are occurring, so I think nationally that is a trend and what we’ve learned here in York County, although we have a very low crime rate, that doesn’t mean we are going to be immune from these types of crimes.”

A neighbor told Daily Press that he was glad the homeowner had a gun to protect his family. The neighbor said, “I don’t wish anybody bad but in that circumstance, I’m glad he had a gun and I’m glad he did what he did.” He also added, “You know, he protected his family and that’s what guns are for, to protect you if you feel defenseless, you know? You got to protect yourself, whatever means necessary.”

The sheriff’s office is asking anyone to report if they saw anything suspicious between 4:30 pm – 5 pm on July 25 to call 757-890-4999.

York County’s last homicide, a fatal shooting, occurred in July 2021.