Sheriff Urges Floridians to Shoot Looters in Wake of Hurricane Ian

A spray painted door reads 'you loot, we shoot' in Fort Myers, Fla., on Oct. 7, 2022. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The message that hurricane-ravaged Florida is an inhospitable place for looters was driven home by an outspoken Polk County sheriff, who in a media appearance on Friday urged Floridians to shoot looters breaking into their homes so they look “like grated cheese.”

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd issued the warning during an Oct. 7 appearance on “Fox & Friends,” while commenting on the problem of looters preying on vulnerable households in the wake of Hurricane Ian’s devastation.