Fort Bend County Sheriff explains controversial comments

RICHMOND, Texas (FOX 26) - The Fort Bend County Sheriff makes a bold statement after a man who tried to rob a homeowner is killed on Wednesday night. On Thursday, Sheriff Troy Nehls stands by what he said, even though it's something you don't often hear from a law enforcement leader.

"If we find that this individual did come from Harris County, my warning would be, don't come into Fort Bend County and start waving guns around because you could leave in a bag," said Nehls on Wednesday,"

The sheriff was on the scene on Mossy Creek Lane in Richmond where a homeowner was approached by an armed man while he was still in his garage. The man demanded money but the homeowner retrieved a gun he had in his car and fired two shots. The unidentified man was pronounced dead at the scene.

In making his comments on Wednesday, Sheriff Nehls was sticking up for the more than 700,000 residents of his county, though he says they don't care where the criminals come from.

Asked if this scene made him think, "Score one for the good guy," like many on social media have written, Sheriff Nehls says no. He feels it's sad when any young person dies this way. No one knows what drove him to criminal activity, but he has a mother and father who are now without their son.

Sheriff Nehls knows it's hard on the homeowner too. Deputies did recover a weapon in the would-be robber's possession, but the incident will still have to be reviewed by a grand jury.