“Certainly, the general public is now more, well aware that that’s a valid defense. So yeah, you’ll get people asking if you, ‘Hey, if I saw this is how it happened or this is how it happened, that’s self defense right? That’s stand-your-ground?'” Garza said.
The idea behind the Florida law is that you no longer have to retreat in a situation where you feel threatened. You can “Stand your ground” and defend yourself — beyond just your personal property to anywhere.
“People think that if I can articulate that I was in fear of my life then I can get away with it,” siad Garza, “but there’s still a level of proof that needs to be associated with it.”
Attorney Daniel Garza says it’s a tough course of action, but one that is still possible.
“Essentially those children were separated from their families as they were crossing the border. So the government should know where those parents are. If they are really trying to reunite them, then they should know where those parents are,” he said.
“Things that need to be taken in account, when someone has a history of mental health issues, if they’ve made allegations that they’re a danger to themselves, that’s when law enforcement will get involved. Not only for that person, but for the community,” Garza said.
“It does make the case difficult for the state attorney if they don’t have a body. Defense attorneys often rely on ‘no body no crime.’ There’s also going to be missing evidence without that body—missing DNA evidence,” said attorney Daniel Garza.
Daniel Garza of Wilbur Smith Attorneys at Law said, “You should always hire your own lawyer because that’s a relationship that you’re going to have with that person. You want to hire somebody that you’re going to have some trust and faith in.”
“You should never threaten a student and more so, you should never carry that threat out,” said Sawyer Smith, the attorney for Joshua Sanchez.
“We said at the beginning of this case that Mr. Allen came forward so aggressively to bring about change to (the) Fort Myers Police Department and the city as a whole,” Allen’s attorney Sawyer Smith said Monday. “And we feel like today is a step in that direction.”
2200 Broadway
Fort Myers, Florida
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Fort Myers, Florida
33902