A federal lawsuit was filed Monday asking that Georgia's "stand your ground law" be struck down because it's vague and could result in a disproportionate number of minorities being shot.
Markel Hutchins said in his suit that Georgia's law does not specify what circumstances justify deadly force being used in cases of self defense.
"It is not clear what actions would create ‘reasonable belief' that deadly force is necessary," said the suit filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. "An individual seeking to stand their ground and assert self-defense has no way of knowing if their ‘reasonable belief' comports with the standards protected by the law and [they] want to ensure that they do not subject themselves to criminal penalties."
According to the suit, some courts have "accepted the race of a victim as evidence to establish the reasonableness of an individual’s fear in cases of justifiable homicide." Hutchins said in those circumstances the law does not equally protect him and other African Americans.
For more than a century, courts nationwide have said people have a right to "stand their ground" and use deadly force in certain circumstances.
It was only in recent years, however, that states have written those court decisions into law. The laws have received national attention in recent weeks after 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman in an Orlando, Fla. suburb.
Zimmerman had reported to police that a suspicious person was walking the streets in his gated community in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman, who continued to follow the teenager after making the 911 call, said Martin attacked him. Zimmerman claims and he shot Martin in the chest because he feared for his life.
Zimmerman, 28, was not charged in Martin's death, and for more than a month there have been national protests demanding he be arrested. A special prosecutor assigned to the case announced Monday she had decided against taking the case before a grand jury. That leaves the decision to prosecute Zimmerman up to her..
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