Derrick Brown is a knight in a Hawaiian shirt coming to the defense of a pregnant woman.
A teenager’s driving lesson led to an armed confrontation in the parking lot of a Leesburg Wal-Mart— a video of which is going viral on social media.
The incident happened shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday at the Wal-Mart on Citrus Boulevard, according to a police report. Felicia Russell, 36, said she was teaching her 15-year-old daughter how to drive. They were backing out of a parking spot when Russell heard several honks.
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The video starts with the pair arguing near Russell’s car. She’s pointing toward the car and saying, “She’s 15, you dummy.” The man walks closer to Russell, confronting her face-to-face. That’s when 60-year-old Derrick Brown approaches to ask what’s happening.
“Why are you walking up on this lady like that?” Brown says before telling the man he needs to back up.
“I need to what?” he says. He takes a step toward Brown, who again tells him to step back. The man says something to Brown that’s not heard clearly in the video.
Brown said the aggressor threatened him, so he pulled out a handgun. For the next minute, they continued arguing, with the man telling Brown to put the gun away.
“You’re not a man,” he tells Brown in the video.
Viral video: Armed man intervenes in argument involving pregnant woman at Leesburg Wal-Mart
Why do I say that planets aligned? Number one: Because if this had happened some years ago, Mr. Brown right now would be in jail awaiting a bail bondsman. Remember the cries of doom from the Liberals and assorted Gun Controllers when Florida approved the badly named “Warning Shot” Law?
776.012 Use or threatened use of force in defense of person.—
(1) A person is justified in using or threatening to use force, except deadly force, against another when and to the extent that the person reasonably believes that such conduct is necessary to defend himself or herself or another against the other’s imminent use of unlawful force. A person who uses or threatens to use force in accordance with this subsection does not have a duty to retreat before using or threatening to use such force.
(2) A person is justified in using or threatening to use deadly force if he or she reasonably believes that using or threatening to use such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony. A person who uses or threatens to use deadly force in accordance with this subsection does not have a duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground if the person using or threatening to use the deadly force is not engaged in a criminal activity and is in a place where he or she has a right to be.
The statue before read ‘Use of deadly force’ only. If you drew your weapon without the intent to shoot somebody during a forcible felony, you were on your way to jail. It was dumb that if you drew your weapon and had the fight de-escalate without having to shoot anybody, you would become a felon.
Second: Video evidence. Although we live now in a world that has a video camera everywhere and with everybody, the fact that somebody was shooting what happened before Mr. Brown arrived was a godsend. It gives us a background to how the vents unfolded.
Third: Orlando PD or the local Prosecutor did not feel that they needed to make an example of Mr. Brown. We have seen how even when the evidence is there, some less-than appreciative members of the executive will push their power because they can.
My only criticism? I would not have used such a confrontational/foul language with the asshole. It is my personal belief that it will help you down the road if the evidence shows you seemed to be in control of your emotions and whatever you did was not out of spite or anger but you were forced to take action. Maybe I am just of a delicate nature, who knows?
At the end, a gun was used in a defensive manner, lives were spared, nobody got injured, a baby is safe and a good law gets its vindication while poking the eye of Michael Bloomberg.
“I would not have used such a confrontational/foul language with the asshole… Maybe I am just of a delicate nature”
I am in agreement. If you’re trying to deescalate, such language is at best not helpful in that goal.
The word “motherfucker” has no place in deescalation
I think that this case is one of those that Andrew Branca talks about as events where the only reason he wasn’t prosecuted is the prosecutor decided against it.
This is a case where pepper spray would have done better.
1. Excuse me, Sir, please back away from this woman.
2. Ma’am, please get into the car and close the door.
3. Sir, I asked you to step away.
4. Sir, back away now!
5. Yes, officer, I sprayed him because I didn’t think it was a deadly force encounter, so shooting him wasn’t appropriate. You can see the whole thing on the video filmed by that lady over there.
And admittedly it would have been a political time bomb.
Black man defending a pregnant black woman from aggressive White guy gets arrested?
Nope.
And in Liberal Orange County?
Nopestan.
“And in Liberal Orange County?”
From the looks of the story, that took place in conservative Lake County, at the Walmart between Leesburg and Fruitland Park.
Your area, you know the players 🙂
Yup. This definitely was at the Leesburg/Fruitland Walmart
Burro-sphincter: “HE HIT ME!!!”
Filmer: “You hit him first…”
B-S: “I did WHAT??!?!?!” (incredulous look)
You’re lucky the guy you hit THAT HAD A GUN ALREADY IN HIS HAND didn’t just shoot your ass right then and there!
A new world record for the number of times the f word is used in a Walmart parking lot. To many stupid things done by each party. Teach your kid to drive in a busy parking lot in front of the building, not a good idea, getting out of your car to yell at someone not smart, pull out a gun not smart
Got to love my hometown.
I’m confused. The law you quoted says “except deadly force”. That seems to say you can use a nerf bat, or (probably) pepper spray or a Taser, but not a gun for this defensive purpose.
Damn it, I did not paste the whole thing. I made the correction and provided the link to the statute.
Thanks for catching that one!