Prosecutors Reject Charges in FL Shooting Citing Stand Your Ground

Talk Left ^ | September 24, 2012 | Jeralyn Merritt

[Uncle Chip]

The States Attorney's office in Pinellas County, FL today announced an off-duty security guard who followed someone he believed was driving erratically which led to a confrontation and the guard fatally shooting the man he followed will not face charges because the shooting was justified under the state's stand your ground law.

The shooting occurred a week after Trayvon Martin was shot in a different county. The case generated a lot of local attention with calls for an arrest but no national attention. Race was not an issue, as both the shooter and victim were white. The victim's family says this was not a case of Stand Your Ground.

The shooter, 23 year old off-duty security guard Seth Browning, did not call 911 to report the erratic driving. He just followed the driver, Brandon Baker, intending to get his license plate. Baker pulled over and Browning pulled up behind him. Baker got out of his car and approached Browning's car, to ask why Browning was following him. Browning says Baker punched him. He pepper-sprayed Baker and then shot him. Baker's brother, in another car, followed when he saw he the two cars pull over. He got out of his car when he saw his brother fall, and Browning turned the gun on him but didn't shoot.

>snip<

Bottom line:

1. Off-duty security guard with concealed weapons permit and gun in vehicle decides to follow a driver based on suspicion he is driving erratically and wants to get his license tag to tell police.

2. The man he suspected of erratic driving approaches the off-duty guard and punches him.

3. Believing the the man he suspects of erratic driving will keep hitting him, causing him severe bodily injury, the off-duty guard shoots and kills him.

[Uncle Chip]

The state's attorney decides the killing is justifiable homicide under Stand Your Ground and declines to bring charges.

In the same state, with the same law, and similar although not identical facts, George Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Picture of Brandon Baker

< /s>

[Uncle Chip]

Picture of Brandon Baker

LOL -- and so it begins.

[snowstorm12]

Why did he pull over for this man? dumb move. He has no authority.

[NEMDF]

I don’t think he “pulled him over”. He was following him, and the other driver got out and approached the shooter, who was inside of his own car.

[Bringbackthedraft]

NO JUSTICE for Brandon Baker! (Repeat ad nauseum.)

Where are all the white race baiters and pimps? Chirp, chirp, chirp.

[SeminoleCounty]

The real travesty is that in my county...George Zimmerman is being tried in a more legitimate Stand Your Ground case....all because we have a GOP Governor and GOP Atty General who wimped out to the Black Ku Klux Klan....heck the same GOP Gov and AG still have not went after the Black KKK (New Black Panthers) for handing out wanted posters, trying to lynch George Zimmerman

Pinellas is also quite a liberal county...and did not prosecute this Stand Your Ground case.

[Uncle Chip]

I do have to question why the guy after getting his license number that he said he pulled over for didn't just drive away or keep his window rolled up. Did he think that a guy driving erratically and probably drunk was coming over to exchange pleasantries???

And after pepper spraying him why didn't he roll up his window and drive away.

I'm not buying the guy's story. I think he just wanted to use his gun and taunted the guy into giving him the opportunity.

[Uncle Chip]

<>The real travesty is that in my county...George Zimmerman is being tried in a more legitimate Stand Your Ground case.<>

Have you seen this SYG case developing in Texas???

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2934768/posts?page=1

[Vendome]

I am Zimmerman...

[Uncle Chip]

I am Zimmerman...