A stabbing Sunday morning in Florida is being considered a “Stand Your Ground” case, and the person claiming self-defense fled the scene.
It happened at Mugs & Jugs, north of Pensacola, Florida. The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. last Sunday. When the police arrived, the person claiming self-defense was gone, and they took the man to the hospital with a minor stab wound.
It looks to be a self-defense case as the guy who got stabbed was the aggressor, according to the sheriff’s office, which told WEAR News on Monday that the second person involved has been located.
ECSO spokesperson Morgan Lewis told the News Journal, “A person had a minor stab wound to the thigh and left forearm and was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
It’s interesting to note that the authorities didn’t file charges against either person.
In an unrelated incident on Thursday, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office reported that 25-year-old Tierra Binion was fatally shot after a brawl inside the bar escalated outside the building. The sheriff advised business owners to look into additional protection.
Sheriff Simmons said, “My suggestion to anyone that has an establishment would be to concern yourself with security. Whether you hire an off-duty deputy, whether you hire an off-duty police officer, or whether you hire security guards of some sort, I would suggest you do that. If you’re expecting large crowds, large crowds sometimes can unfortunately lead to arguments, and it’s always good to be on the safe side.”
What is a “Stand Your Grund Law”
A person who is lawfully present in a certain area and feels threatened need not retreat before using deadly force to defend himself. Depending on the jurisdiction, different nuances apply.
“Duty to retreat” is the opposite of “standing your ground.” In jurisdictions that requires you to try to get away, even someone who is assaulted (or protecting a third party who is being attacked) may not use deadly force if it is possible to avoid the threat completely safely by retreating.
As quickly as these things escalate, you are typically going to be left to defend yourself.