Was Florida man justified in killing gunman after the shooting stopped? A jury decides.

[sarisataka]

Was Florida man justified in killing gunman after the shooting stopped? A jury decides.

Attorneys pored over surveillance-camera footage in court this month, slowing it down and blowing it up day after day so jurors could scrutinize the decision Brandon Cowins said he had only moments to make when a gunman opened fire outside his home.

Egged on by his girlfriend — or to protect others in his Florida neighborhood from the bullets — Cowins reversed his car out of the driveway and raced down the street to where 20-year-old Anthony Esquivel fled after he stopped pulling the trigger.

Cowins swerved into Esquivel as he ran, striking him with his car and throwing him 40 feet. He died instantly.

Deputies charged Cowins with premeditated murder on July 24, 2021. He fought the charge at trial last week, leaving jurors to decide whether he killed Esquivel in a fit of rage or to prevent what he believed was imminent danger. The jury landed somewhere in between

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/05/19/jury-convicts-florida-man-of-murder-for-killing-gunman-after-shooting/70237642007/

[bucolic_frolic]

1. "premeditated"? not by a long shot

[Hassin Bin Sober]

2. Curious why you think it can't be premeditated?

[bucolic_frolic]

3. He didn't have enough time to think about it, it wasn't planned in advanve

before the whole incident began.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

4. Premeditated can literally be seconds. It doesn't require a set time.

But I could see a higher level manslaughter.

But this is florida. They like their extra judicial killings.

On the other hand, the defendant is black. So…

[Act_of_Reparation]

5. Premeditation is not "planning"

He decided to pursue the individual after the initial shooting had ceased. That decision may very well constitute premeditation.