Texas lawmaker fights to change 'Stand Your Ground' law

(KYTX) -- A Texas lawmaker is fighting to change the state's 'Stand Your Ground Law,' arguing it encourages people to act upon fear and prejudice.

A bill introduced this week by Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, would only allow deadly force if a person is in danger and can't safely retreat.

You may remember in January when Freddy Neal shot and killed a man outside a Tyler Walgreens, telling police he was in fear for his life. Neal hasn't been charged with anything, but if the proposed bill passes, it could make cases like that one a little less cut and dry.

"People now think they are the police, they're the court and they have a right to kill someone who wasn't using deadly force against them," Coleman said.

The proposed law wouldn't change the right to use deadly force to protect yourself in your own home, but anywhere else, you would have to be faced with a "reasonable" perceived threat.

"You can imagine a 100-pound woman having a completely different thought go through her mind than a 200-pound man if someone is coming at them with force," said State Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler. "And what is reasonable? That's really the question."

The investigation into the deadly Walgreens shooting could raise similar concerns.

Michael Caldwell, 31, was shot to death by Freddy Neal, 65, after an argument outside the building. But under Coleman's proposed bill, Neal may have been charged.

Texas is one of nearly two dozen states that doesn't have a so-called "duty to retreat" before someone opts to use deadly force.

Coleman argues current 'Stand Your Ground' laws unfairly target minorities, specifically black males.

Continued here:
Texas lawmaker fights to change 'Stand Your Ground' law

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