Florida stand your ground law cases

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Location details: On a public street in the Westgate neighborhood in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, on Oct. 08, 2006

What happened: Norman Borden said he was walking his dogs when three men in a Jeep shouted threats at him and warned they had bats as weapons. Borden went into his home and came back out armed. He told his friends to leave the area. The Jeep returned, and Borden said they tried to run him down. He pulled a gun and shot five times through the windshield, then nine more times after the Jeep hit a fence post and stopped. His shots killed two men. Prosecutors conceded the first five shots were in self-defense but said Borden should not have moved around to the side of the car and fired more rounds. Borden knew at least one of the men and said he had heard him boast about owning two guns and about holding a gun to a woman's head. Police said one of the men was a member of a violent street gang. Authorities were concerned about violence during the trial, and officers ringed the courtroom to protect Borden, whose house was set on fire two days after the shooting. Police found a baseball bat in the victims' Jeep but no guns.

The outcome: A "stand your ground" hearing was held, but judge denied the motion. A jury acquitted Borden on first-degree murder and other related charges from the incident.

Investigating agency: Palm Beach County Sheriff

Case decision made by: Jury

Trayvon Martin’s death became controversial because circumstances leading up to the shooting cast doubt on who was to blame. The Tampa Bay Times reviewed other “stand your ground” cases for similar circumstances. The Times relied on available information, some of which may not tell the whole story. When the situation was unclear, that was noted.

	Yes	No	Unclear/ disputed
Did the victim initiate the confrontation?
Was the victim armed?
Was the victim committing a crime that led to the confrontation?
Did the defendant pursue the victim?
Could the defendant have retreated to avoid the conflict?
Was the defendant on his or her property?
Did someone witness the attack?
Was there physical evidence?

Source: Palm Beach Post, June 26, 2007.

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Case last updated: July 3, 2012