Clearwater, Fla., police Chief Dan Slaughter said the state’s “stand your ground” law needs “significant improvements” after a fatal shooting last week riled his community, reports the Tampa Bay Times. “My hope is that we learn from the Parkland students,” Slaughter said, referring to the outspoken survivors of the Feb. 14 mass shooting in south Florida, “and that our community is able to use this incident to get some attention from the Legislature to give this law another look and make sure it is exactly what the people want.” Markeis McGlockton was shot and killed by Michael Drejka just outside of Clearwater during a confrontation over a parking space. Drejka used a licensed concealed pistol in the shooting, and the Pinellas County sheriff said he could not be arrested under the controversial state law, although state prosecutors will make a final decision on charges.
Slaughter said he took issue with some aspects of the “stand your ground.” For example, the law holds the arresting agency civilly liable if an arrest is made in a case later deemed to fall within the criteria of the law, meaning the agency would have to pay back attorney’s fees, lost wages and other expenses. Eliminating that clause would allow more cases to go before a jury, Slaughter said. “No time should there be a provision where you have to win the trial or pay damages. It doesn’t make any sense,” he said. The chief added, “I can think of no other law that has the provisions included to make an arrest so complicated.”