Crime & Safety

Judge Speaks Out About Stand Your Ground Law

Some have called a controversial deadly shooting here in Palm Harbor a "stand your ground" case while others refer to it as "road rage". Will a Hillsborough judge's comments influence the case?

While the family of a Palm Harbor man man awaits the outcome of the State Attorney's investigation into his deadly shooting, a Hillsborough county judge is saying Florida's "stand your ground" law has been misapplied across the state. 

This might be good news to Brandon Baker's father, Kevin Lindsay, who says a detective told him his son's death looked like a "stand your ground case", which

Last March, Brandon Baker, 30, was shot and killed during a roadside confrontation with another driver, Seth Browning. Browning told detectives he followed Baker because he was worried about his driving, and he shot and killed Baker when Baker allegedly approached him in an aggressive manner and would not back down

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Last week, Hillsborough Circuit Judge Gregory Holder said the controversial law has been misapplied throughout Florida by police and prosecutors who use it as a reason not to bring charges in a homicide. "It was not designed to be decided by them," Holder told the Tampa Bay Times. Holder says the law was intended for a defendent's use in arguments before a judge. He made the comment while presiding over a second-degree murder case in which the attorney used the "stand your ground" law to defend his client's actions.

Here in Palm Harbor, the Brandon Baker shooting has been a topic of intense debate on Palm Harbor Patch; with some people call it a "road rage" incident while others refer to it as "stand your ground". 

Find out what's happening in Palm Harborwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Palm Harbor Patch called State Attorney Bernie McCabe's office Monday May 7, for an updated on the case and was told it is still an active investigation.


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