The Gunshine State Is At It Again: Stand Your Ground, With A Twist

Florida is at it again! In the Battle over Stand Your Ground, this one has got to be in the running for the Big Boob Prize.  Why the Big Boob Prize, one might ask?  First there’s the reason for the shooting. Second is the method in which the shooting took place. Third is the rather unusual defense the assailant’s legal team is mounting.

On Monday September 2, 2013 at 12:30 a.m., William T. Woodward, 43 of Titusville, Florida, stealthily approached his neighbor’s barbecue and firing 31 times, shot three men, killing two.  Assuming Woodward’s handgun had a full clip and one in the chamber, in order for him to fire 31 times, doesn’t that mean after emptying the weapon, he had to reload?  All three of the victims were unarmed.  As reported by NBC affiliate WESH 2, in the attached video Woodward can clearly be heard shouting, “I got em all.” Woodward is charged with 2 counts of 1^st degree murder and 1 count of 1^st degree attempted murder.

William T. Woodward        Official arrest file photo

Woodward, who allegedly suffers from “post-traumatic stress disorders,” had been involved in an ongoing dispute over a stolen roll of duct tape.  The dispute was with his neighbors, Gary Hembree (39), Roger Picior (44) and Timothy Blake (49).  This dispute had gotten so bad in recent court appearances, unsuccessful “repeat violence” injunctions had been attempted by both parties.

On Labor Day, while Hembree, Picior and Blake celebrated with a barbecue, Woodward snuck-up and started shooting. According to another video from another surveillance camera, Woodward was actually caught on camera crawling on his belly towards his neighbor’s house.  According to WFTV, Woodward told police he considered himself on a “mission” and was in a “combat zone.” Hmmm.  Doesn’t being in a combat zone imply someone is shooting back?  

Woodward contends the three victims had made numerous threats and had even threatened to rape his daughter. Other neighbors alleged Hembree, Picior and Blake had been terrorizing the neighborhood and got what they deserved. Is anyone else getting images of the Hatfield and McCoy Feud?

The attorneys for Woodward, Robert Berry and Kepler Funk argued their client was in compliance with Florida’s broad “Stand Your Ground” laws as he acted to protect himself from “imminent death.”  But the attorneys did not stop there. They also cited “Bush Doctrine” as justification for their client’s execution of a “pre-emptive strike.” 

President George W. Bush used this foreign policy to justify aggressive military actions at the onset of hostilities against Afghanistan and the Taliban and Iraq and the Saddam Hussein regime. I guess if a President can get away with attacking a sovereign state under the guise of “national defense,” it should be just as effective when one redneck attacks another in Florida. 

It seems to me this whole situation reeks of stupidity.   How does a dispute, turns deadly over a $2 dollar roll of duct tape?  The assailant plans and carries out his attack; low crawling into position and ambushing the barbecue.  Why isn’t this clearly pre-meditated murder? How does the state of Florida allow an individual with anger issues and suffering from “post-traumatic stress disorders” to legally possess firearms?  And finally, is there really an attorney that believes Florida’s Stand Your Ground laws in some hybrid combination with “foreign policy” doctrine, trumps a charge of Murder in the 1^st degree?

One thing is certain; Stand Your Ground is being misused to the dismay and disadvantage of the people of Florida. It’s time for Stand Your Ground to go the way of the dinosaur.

I’m not hatin, I’m just sayin…