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Oh yes you can... Perhaps not in all states but in Florida and Texas at least, you certainly can.. In fact you don't even have to be swung at, at all...
It has to be reasonable. You can't just have a person look at you the wrong way, and you shoot them to death. Even in Florida and Texas.
A person has to be in reasonable fear for his or her life or threat of serious bodily harm. A punch to the nose is not serious bodily harm, nor is being knocked to the ground, otherwise we would have deaths in schoolyards every day.
Yes, you don't have to be swung at, at all, if the person is brandishing a knife at you, or threatening to kill you. But you need to have some pretty good evidence that that was the case. No one is just going to take your word for it. It would depend on the circumstances.
Let's say an armed man follows you, you run, and the person continues to look for you, and then follows you down a dark alleyway like Zimmerman followed Trayvon---you are unarmed. He comes up behind you. You would have a stronger case for the police that you were in fear for your life, or serious bodily harm. And you would legally have a right to defend yourself as Trayvon tried to.
But if you are simply on the street, that is going to be a lot harder to prove. Otherwise people would be getting away with cold-blooded murder every day.
You are armed, stalking an unarmed boy in your car contrary to the directions of the police. How long before you're entitled to get out of your car and kill him?
You are armed. Someone punches you, knocks you down and starts swinging at you. How long, legally, should you have to wait before shooting your attacker?
You are armed. Someone punches you, knocks you down and starts swinging at you. How long, legally, should you have to wait before shooting your attacker?
To the moment where you reasonably believe you are in fear of your life. Since many people are killed by such physical attacks both intentionally and unintentionally, it is reasonable to assume that such an action reasonably warrants the use of lethal force to protect from serious injury or loss of life.
There is an old saying "Don't start fights you aren't willing to finish".
It has to be reasonable. You can't just have a person look at you the wrong way, and you shoot them to death. Even in Florida and Texas.
A person has to be in reasonable fear for his or her life or threat of serious bodily harm. A punch to the nose is not serious bodily harm, nor is being knocked to the ground, otherwise we would have deaths in schoolyards every day.
Yes, you don't have to be swung at, at all, if the person is brandishing a knife at you, or threatening to kill you. But you need to have some pretty good evidence that that was the case. No one is just going to take your word for it. It would depend on the circumstances.
Let's say an armed man follows you, you run, and the person continues to look for you, and then follows you down a dark alleyway like Zimmerman followed Trayvon---you are unarmed. He comes up behind you. You would have a stronger case for the police that you were in fear for your life, or serious bodily harm. And you would legally have a right to defend yourself as Trayvon tried to.
But if you are simply on the street, that is going to be a lot harder to prove. Otherwise people would be getting away with cold-blooded murder every day.
Once again you are making assumptions as to the occurances of that night based on rhetoric rather than on the evidence that has been presented.. I know what the laws are in the state of Texas and I'm pretty familiar with the laws in the state of Florida.. Kids are killed on the playgrounds of our country every day.. They are called accidents most of the time, but it only takes one blow to the head to kill someone.... It's typically called involuntary manslaughter and seldom makes the papers, but it happens every day in this country... Just from a single punch to the head.. Even a single punch to the chest is capable of resulting in the same outcome. Street fights, bar fights, people die every single day from this kind of nonsense...
And pleeeze correct your spelling before you click Submit Reply.
This topic is clearly about the Zimmerman case, and it is obviously why the Op posted it. And even if it weren't, the Zimmerman case is relevant to the OP's question.
There is no "one answer fits all" with this topic. A 20+ may be well better off fighting off an attack. A 70 year old maybe not. All of that would be taken into consideration by the gestapo.
As a 70 yr old, you don't get much slack from me. That said I won't be smart mouthing anyone else soon either.
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