Man Chases 21-Year-Old Man in Hoodie, Kills Him

[catcul]

Here we go again, Florida. An insane man sees another man leave his yard. He gets his gun, chases the other man, and shoots him dead. Now he's trying to invoke the "Stand Your Ground" law. First, that's not standing your ground by any logical means. Second, this law seems to make it open season on humans in Florida. This law needs to be repealed immediately.

Florida Man Claims Self-Defense After Hopping A Fence To Shoot, Kill 21-Year-Old In A Hoodie

[Kheldarson]

Y'know, there's a lot of talk about states wanting to secede (supposedly...my FB feed seems to think so at least), but can we force a state out? I don't wanna claim Florida anymore...

[Greenday]

This law needs to be repealed immediately.

I see no reason why it should.

Stand Your Ground won't be applied to this case. It's one thing to shoot someone who is on your property who appears to be a danger. It's a whole different thing to chase someone down just to shoot them.

[siead_lietrathua]

i think SYG does need to be wiped out. replace it with a better-worded, less hyped-name law like "Self Defence additive #32" or something.

why? because at this point people ARE thinking they are covered by it if they go all vigilante. it's a case of idiots not understanding the laws. they just see the name "stand your ground" and assume it means they can literally go about shooting people as long as they're defending something, even if it's something that was in no way endangered.

[mikoyan29]

You know who told someone to stand his ground at Stalingrad,...Look how well that went...

There is something to be said for a tactical retreat on occasion.

[s_stabeler]

actually, I have a simple way to sort the mess out: 1) repeal Stand Your Ground laws
2) modify self-defense laws to make it clear that there is no duty to retreat if you are in your own home.

That actually covers what SYG laws are SUPPOSED to be about, while preventing them being abused for crap like this.

[Andara Bledin]

We'd be a lot better off as a society if we merely required our news services to perform even the slightest due diligence prior to publishing.

Right now, we've got news agencies so intent on being the first ones with a story out there that they've thrown any hint of serving the public out the window.

Now we have stories where every case is self defense, and every case of self defense is an SYG issue (even when nobody involved ever uses the term except for the media). Every gun is an assault weapon. Every shooting at $location is a $location shooting.

Whatever is aired first is accepted as truth and reality, actual truth and reality be damned.

It's shit like this that causes people to simultaneously be against Obamacare but all for the ACA. >_<

[cindybubbles]

I don't know if the Stand Your Ground law is strict or not. If not, it should be strict and follow these questions:

1. Was the person you shot armed and dangerous, with a visible weapon in his or her hand?
2. Have you gone through the necessary background checks to see if you are fit to wield a gun?
3. Did it take place in your home or in public?
4. Did you use up all other alternatives, such as calling 911?
5. Did the person whom you shot attack you or someone you love, or hold you or that person hostage, just seconds or minutes before the shot?

If the shooter said "no" to questions 1, 2, 4 or 5, or "public" to question 3, then perhaps Stand Your Ground should not apply.

[Andara Bledin]

Number 4 is in direct opposition to what SYG is supposed to represent.

[Signmaker]

Now we have stories where every case is self defense, and every case of self defense is an SYG issue (even when nobody involved ever uses the term except for the media).

This is truth. They use it for hype and to induce conflict where there is none. Even the other Florida shooting involving a hoodie had endless debate over SYG...when it wasnt even used in the defense. This case, also, had absolutley nothing to do with SYG, other than SYG can be applied to guns, and this guy used a gun.

Most people that beleive SYG should be repealed based on cases like these need to actually read what SYG covers. It is a very common sense law in reality.

[Gravekeeper]

So digging into this further. He followed the guy, hopped a fence, confronted him with gun drawn and ordered him to come with him back to his house so he could call the cops. The guy refused and tried to walk away. So dipshit grabbed him by the hood and tried to drag him back to his house.

At that point the shooter claims the victim punched him and tried to grab his gun. So he shot him. The initial autopsy however shows the victim was shot several times from behind in the back and neck.

It is worth noting that the victim did have a handgun on him too. However, that does not change the fact this moron decided he could act like a police officer by chasing someone down then physically trying to drag them back to his house at gun point. If you're on the receiving end of that, that's the behaviour of a fucking lunatic. The fact the victim was armed as well makes this even more stupid seeing as this could have turned into a shoot out.

However that would seem to indicate that the guy he shot has more restraint with a firearm than he does.

2) modify self-defense laws to make it clear that there is no duty to retreat if you are in your own home.

The Castle Doctrine already grants no duty to retreat within your own home and is law in 46 states. Stand Your Ground on the other hand states you have no duty to retreat from any location you are legally permitted to be in.

The problem is morons seem to think this grants them the right to act like cops.

[Greenday]

Hm, seems like an open and shut case of Second Degree Murder.

[s_stabeler]

The Castle Doctrine already grants no duty to retreat within your own home and is law in 46 states. Stand Your Ground on the other hand states you have no duty to retreat from any location you are legally permitted to be in.

The problem is morons seem to think this grants them the right to act like cops.

then scrap SYG, and keep the Castle Doctrine. Because rule 1 of self-defense? you are looking to escape. NOT to "defeat" your attacker. SYG, where it applies outside your home, makes no sense. (I would, however, extent the Castle Doctrine to place of work, since running out on the job will generally get you disciplined) I can understand allowing someone to protect their home. But outside? You MUST flee if you can.

edit- and Greenday, I'm not sure it is second-degree murder. sounds more like felony murder to me, since he was technically in the middle of kidnapping when he shot the guy. That's FIRST- Degree murder.

[Sarah Valentine]

Maybe it's just me thinking this but maybe he wanted the victim to come back to his house on his property to shoot him then, so SYG could stick as a defense since (correct me if I'm wrong) SYG only applies if you're on your own property. You don't hop a fence chase someone down and then try to drag the person back to your house and try to claim self defense, if anything the other person, the victim could've shot the other guy and claimed self defense.

[Andara Bledin]

SYG applies, in the states that have it, to any place that the carrier has legal access to.

The reason it exists is so that people who need to be places, or even just want to be places, do not have to quit those places when threatened.

However, there are laws on the books that make it so that if you are a CCW and you are threatened enough that you feel your gun is required to make a difference, you essentially have to threaten that you have it, but not pull it out, or you have to pull it out and shoot the other person. Just pulling your gun out as a warning that you can and will shoot if they don't back off can get you charged with brandishing.