Abuse of Stand Your Ground Law in Columbus Ohio

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A fatal shooting of a Black teenager by a white man in Columbus, Ohio, who claimed self-defense was officially ruled a homicide in an autopsy report.

According to a police complaint in October, a witness to the shooting saw Krieg Butler, 36, shoot and kill 13-year-old Sinzae Reed outside of an apartment complex on Oct. 12. The witness said Butler exited his truck, fired shots at Sinzae and drove off, the complaint said.

Butler was arrested days after the shooting and charged with murder, but those charges were dropped pending completion of the investigation after prosecutors said Butler claimed self-defense in the shooting during his arraignment in October, according to a statement from the Columbus Police Department.

The Franklin County autopsy report released Tuesday said the teen was shot twice, once in the hand and once in the chest, concluding the manner of death was a homicide.

The county prosecutor's office told ABC News on Wednesday, "The matter is under internal review and as such no statements will be made at this time."

The Columbus Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday on the autopsy results.

"In Ohio, the self-defense law changed and the legal part of that is the burden changed," Channa Lloyd, criminal attorney and managing partner of The Cochran Firm, has said. "Previously, if a shooter said 'I shot someone in self-defense,' they had to prove it was self-defense. Now that the law has changed, it changes that burden and shifts it to the prosecution."

According to Lloyd, the self-defense rule is a byproduct of the Stand Your Ground laws and is controversial because it protects the shooter as opposed to the victim.

Here's a picture of the child who was murdered



https://abcnews.go.com/US/shooting-deat ... d=96507150

The stand your ground law was used by those defending Kyle Rittenhouse and his acquittal means that murderers in states like Ohio can claim "self-defense: and have their bond revoked and be released back into the community.

"The witness said Butler exited his truck, fired shots at Sinzae and drove off, the complaint said."

Yeah thats not self defense. True self defense would be just driving off.

Butler's lawyer advised him to use this line of defense and it worked for him. it's not too disimilar to how Kyle Rittenhouse escaped prosecution.