Early in September, a young man in Florida was, fortunately, able to save his sister from her rampaging ex-boyfriend, who had broken down her door and begun assaulting her when her armed brother arrived and ended his horrific abuse of her for good.
News on that came from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, which sent deputies to respond to the shooting and found the gunshot victim, then pieced together what happened from the testimony of the victim and her protective younger brother.
Describing the incident on Facebook, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said, “On September 5th, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the 7300th block of Pine Forest Road in reference to a shooting. A 26-year-old male was located in the residence, deceased from a gunshot wound.“
Continuing, the sheriff’s office described what precipitated the shooting, writing, “During the investigation, deputies determined that the 26-year-old male went to his 24-year-old former girlfriend’s residence. He broke the door down and forced his way into the trailer. Once inside, he hit the female several times, She texted her family for help, and her 23-year-old brother along with others responded to her house to help.“
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office then added that no charges had been filed for the brother and that the gunfire he sent the abusive ex-boyfriend’s way was deadly. It wrote, “During the argument, the 26-year-old male pulled a gun, cocked it, and aimed it at the female’s 23-year-old brother. According to reports, her brother then shot the 26-year-old male twice. The 26-year-old died from his wounds. At this point, no charges will be filed, but deputies continue to investigate.”
Assistant State Attorney John Molchan, describing how Florida law has expanded to make Floridians better able to defend themselves, said, “‘Stand Your Ground’ has expanded the area of the castle. We used to have the ‘Castle Doctrine,’ which said that your home was your castle and that you could use deadly force to defend yourself from a murderer or a person committing a forcible felony.”
Orlando Defense, describing what is necessary for the state’s Castle Doctrine to take effect and make a valid self-defense defense in court, notes, “Florida’s Stand Your Ground statute, adopted in 2005, generally allows individuals to use deadly force if they reasonably believe that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to themselves or another, or in certain cases, while defending a dwelling, residence, or vehicle. The law also authorizes deadly force by an individual to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony.
Noting the more specific requirements, it adds, “The Stand Your Ground law imposes two presumptions in a criminal case. First, a person is presumed to have a reasonable fear that deadly force was necessary to protect themself or another if someone unlawfully entered their home or vehicle. Second, a person who unlawfully or by force enters the dwelling of another is presumed to be doing so with the intent to commit an unlawful act using violence or the threat of violence.”
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