Shannon Brown, a former NBA guard, was arrested after shooting a rifle at his home in a bizarre scene. Brown has a home in suburban Atlanta that he was selling, he then shot at two people who entered the house because he thought they were breaking in but it turns out they were prospective home buyers, according to authorities.
Shooting mistake
The two people who Brown shot are a couple. They entered the open front door to Brown's suburban home and he shot a rifle at them as they ran away. After four hours, they called the police, and Brown was immediately arrested on one charge of aggravated assault.
A police officer told the Associated Press that the couple stated that they heard a voice acknowledging them and once they were inside, Brown came from upstairs with a rifle and detained them. Shortly thereafter, he let them go and the couple stated that he fired his rifle towards them as they were running out of the house.
The couple said that Brown shot at them five or six times and the police found one shell casing at Brown's home when they went to investigate. The 34-year-old former NBA player played for eight teams from 2006 to 2015. He won two titles with the Lakers and he played 19 games with the Knicks near the end of his career.
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Brown was arrested in Georgia, the same state where two district attorneys initially declined to arrest the killers of Ahmaud Arbery. At least one district attorney cited the state's "stand your ground" self-defense law.
The two white men who killed Ahmaud Arbery were eventually charged with murder after the viral video of the shooting leaked online.
On May 4, the former NBA player posted a bond and he is now free.
Georgia's "stand your ground" law
The right to defend one's self against death or injury is one of the most basic legal protections that Americans have. The self-defense laws of every state in the United States allow citizens the right to use force to protect their lives, the lives of others, and their property without the fear of being punished for an act that is usually considered criminal. Even though society generally supports this kind of law, there are still controversies surrounding it.
One of the states that have "stand your ground" laws in Georgia. The idea behind these laws is that a person who is being threatened by another person's use of force does not have a duty to retreat or back down before he or she can legally use force against the attacker.
There are laws in some states that only allow this behavior in restricted areas such as your car or your home, but in Georgia, this law makes no distinction regarding locations. As long as the person believes that the force used is needed to defend himself or herself or another person, then the use of force is justified. This contributes to the confusion of how these laws are applied in certain situations.
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