As the country begins to move past the media frenzy that
followed the killing (or murder, depending on where you stand) of Trayvon
Martin, a new incident has occurred that seems prime to dominate headlines. Around 1:00 am on November 2, 2013, Renisha
McBride drove her vehicle into a parked car in suburban Detroit. Tests would show that McBride had a blood
alcohol content of 0.218%, well above the legal limit in Michigan. A few hours later, a “bloodied and
disoriented” McBride approached the porch of Dearborn Heights resident Theodore
Wafer. Sources report that McBride began
to knock on Wafer’s door, prompting Wafer to come downstairs with his shotgun. Wafer, standing in his home, discharged his
weapon through a closed screen door, striking and killing the twenty-four year
old McBride. Wafer then called 911 to
report the shooting. Wafer told
investigators that he brought down the shotgun because he believed McBride was
attempting to break into his house (though there were no signs of forced entry).
He also claims that the weapon
accidentally discharged while he was investigating the situation. McBride died shortly after and Wafer has been charged with second degree murder.
There is no doubt that the story will garner attention
because of its societal implications. McBride was young, black, unarmed, and
presumed to be committing a crime by a fifty-four year old white man. Further, while there are not many witnesses,
it is far more likely that McBride was seeking medical aid than trying to rob a
house. The case has already drawn
comparisons to the Martin case, with reporters and bloggers putting extra
emphasis on the issues of racial profiling and gun control.
While the lack of a post-racial society and the potential
cry for stricter gun laws are more likely to pull readers in, the criminal law
elements of the story are also fascinating. Like Florida, Michigan has a “stand your
ground law,” a statute that permits individuals to use lethal force rather than
flee when they are threatened. Section
780.972 of the Michigan Code states:
(1) An individual who has not or is
not engaged in the commission of a crime at the time he or she uses deadly
force may use deadly force against another individual anywhere he or she has
the legal right to be with no duty to retreat if either of the following
applies:
(a) The individual honestly and
reasonably believes that the use of deadly force is necessary to prevent the
imminent death of or imminent great bodily harm to himself or herself or to
another individual.
(b) The individual honestly and
reasonably believes that the use of deadly force is necessary to prevent the
imminent sexual assault of himself or herself or of another individual.
(2) An individual who has not or is
not engaged in the commission of a crime at the time he or she uses force other
than deadly force may use force other than deadly force against another
individual anywhere he or she has the legal right to be with no duty to retreat
if he or she honestly and reasonably believes that the use of that force is
necessary to defend himself or herself or another individual from the imminent
unlawful use of force by another individual.[1]
More importantly, section 768.21C of
the Michigan Code states that an individual does not have a duty to retreat
before using deadly force if the individual is in his or her own dwelling or
within the curtilage of that dwelling.[2]
Like most self-defense statutes, the
individual must have a reasonable belief “that he is in imminent danger of either losing his life or suffering great bodily harm, and that the use of deadly force is necessary to prevent that harm.” The reasonable belief standard is that
of an objective reasonable person.
The case will likely come down to two
questions: (1) would an objective reasonable person in Theodore Wafer’s
position believe that he was in imminent danger of losing his life or suffering
great bodily harm to the extent that the use of deadly force would be necessary
to prevent that harm, and (2) did Wafer accidentally discharge his weapon or
did he purposely shoot at Renisha McBride? While the legal scholar in all of us would
love to ignore the societal and policy implications of the case, they are
intrinsically linked to these questions. To the first question, race clearly plays a
role. An objective, reasonable, person
would not presume an individual is breaking into their house simply because of
the color of their skin. Other factors
are also at play (though it was four am and McBride was covered in blood, albeit
her own, there were no signs of attempted forced entry). If he testifies, Wafer will have to answer
questions regarding why he thought McBride was trying to break in. If that answer insists it was because she was
black, then it is likely a jury would find that an objective, reasonable person
would not have believed they were in danger.
The second question plays more to the
role of guns in society. Arguably the
most vocal argument regarding guns is their use for protecting individuals in their
homes. A handgun or shotgun in the
dwelling seems to be the backbone of the second amendment, for it insists upon
one’s right to protect themselves in their most sacred place (not to mention
the notion of keeping the government out of one’s home). Yet the Renisha
McBride killing brings light to the issue of responsible gun ownership, even
within the home. How do we as a society
justify the shooting of an injured twenty-four year old woman? Defending one’s castle? The facts of this case will no doubt bring
light to the age old debate of whether guns make society safer or more
dangerous. This will also broaden the debate on self-defense laws in the United
States. On both sides of the argument,
supporters and detractors of “stand your ground” or “defend your castle” laws
will be keeping an eye on this case, as will Congress who has reviewed stand
your ground policies in the wake of the Trayvon Martin case.
Renisha McBride’s death is a tragedy.
As Huffington Post and Fox News start
preparing their editorials, the criminal law scholars will certainly have a lot
to consider. The case presents
interesting legal issues that are directly tied to national policy concerns. Like the Trayvon Martin case, the Nation will
certainly have questions: How do we become a post-racial society? Are we too
quick to label something as racial profiling? How can we protect ourselves from guns? How do we protect ourselves from tightening
gun laws? Hopefully a courtroom in
Michigan will provide criminal law practitioners some answers to these
complicated ideas.
Considering the subject matter and the Zimmerman antics that seem to keep on giving the media more stories, this was a balanced, well-thought article. I'm wondering if Wafer can even use Section 780.972 because Wafer claims it was an accident. 1(a) requires the formation of the belief of imminent death or great bodily harm. Did he tell that to the police or was his concern primarily a robbery. If it was a 'break-in' he was primarily worried about when the gun was fired and the statutory "belief" was not formed, the statute is inapplicable. If he shot through a "screen" door he may have opened an interior door, or so it would seem. Does that display sufficient belief? If he had formed the b belief he was in imminent danger why not address the person through a more secure door? Second, why not make a 911 call? Not making one might demonstrate a perception that he was not in imminent danger. Section 780.972 appears to be a justifiable defense statute but the article doesn't define the homicide statutes. If, indeed, the defining statute includes something like depraved indifference it will be a difficult case for the defense to prevail. If there is a criminally negligent homicide statute, it may be the jury would default to it as a lesser charge. In any case, if race has probative value, it will be in the case If it's not, then let the admissible evidence acquit or convict. Certainly, Ms. McBride didn't deserve her fate but trials should be based on evidence not emotion. Whatever we know so far, isn't necessarily the full story.
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