Welcome to Aftermath, a portion of our First Line email newsletter where Attorney Anthony L. DeWitt walks you through a real-life self-defense incident and shares his key takeaways.
A woman in Indiana told a man who had come to her home that she was not interested in his sexual advances. She fled to another room, but he followed and initiated a sexual assault. The woman broke free, retrieved her handgun and shot the man one time.
She met police outside the home without her weapon. Police took the man to the hospital, where he died. They confirmed she had injuries consistent with sexual assault, and the woman was released from custody.
What signs can let you know an unwanted advance may escalate into a violent assault? What did the defender do right, and what would you have done differently?
@USCCA The woman in this incident is very lucky. Signs of a possible unwanted advance could be intoxication, aggressive, mannerisms, tone of voice or absolutely none. Not enough history between the two to wonder why he was even in her house.
The things I would have done differently is kept my weapon with me after defending myself and then unarmed myself as police instructed after they arrived. Plus, I would have called the number on my USCCA card ASAP regardless of being released.
When a person decides to engage in violence, they will stop looking you in the eye.
If he began to look at her chin instead of her eyes as he spoke, IMO that would have been enough of an indication that he was dangerous for her to dial 911.
Sadly, the way the events unfolded, it possibly happened too quickly that there’s no time to call 911. Unlike previous First Line email updates, this one didn’t add any significant new information.
Only advice I can give, male or female, is the vampire rule: don’t let them in.
The biggest thing she did right was live in a state that does not suppress the right to defend yourself!
Had that weapon been locked up, she could be dead!
FAFO grand prize!
That’s the democrats dream! Dead innocent citizens!
Great shoot, is there video
I’m a proud democrat and support the right to lawful self defense. Wrong assumption. My question is, she shot him after the sexual assault. If he continued to pose a threat and she feared another attack, she could use deadly force. In some states, if she could have escaped using her weapon as a means of retreat, she may be charged with killing the man as punishment or maybe not. Florida does not have a duty to retreat. I assume the man continued to pose a threat of another assault. This is not mentioned. How much of a size difference was there between the man and woman. I assume he was unarmed.
A woman in Indiana told a man who had come to her home that she was not interested in his sexual advances. She fled to another room, but he followed and initiated a sexual assault. The woman broke free, retrieved her handgun and shot the man one time.
