re: McKnight shooter released from custody...Cliffnotes of Normand press conf inside

Remember Merritt Landry?

A 14-year-old New Orleans boy was shot in the head early Friday morning after a homeowner said the unarmed teen was trying to break into his house.

Homeowner Merritt Landry, 33, who lives in Marigny, allegedly shot Marshall Coulter after fearing for his safety, and told friends and family he thought the teen had a gun.

Louisiana's Castle statutes — which carry subtle differences from the now-notorious Stand Your Ground laws — allow the state's residents to use force, "deadly or otherwise, to protect oneself on his or her property."

Despite invoking the law, Landry was charged with second-degree murder.


DA Drops charges

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All they have to do is try to open the door or reach in the car

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No. That would eliminate pulling a gun on someone or threatening them with a deadly weapon from outside of the vehicle.

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They have to come into your vehicle in some way

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false.

Based on the statue listed a few pages back there are a few justifiable reasons. The main 2 that would pertain here:

1. When committed by a person lawfully inside a dwelling, a place of business, or a motor vehicle as defined in R.S. 32:1(40) when the conflict began, against a person who is attempting to make an unlawful entry into the dwelling, place of business, or motor vehicle, or who has made an unlawful entry into the dwelling, place of business, or motor vehicle, and the person committing the homicide reasonably believes that the use of deadly force is necessary to prevent the entry or to compel the intruder to leave the dwelling, place of business, or motor vehicle.
2. When committed in self-defense by one who reasonably believes that he is in imminent danger of losing his life or receiving great bodily harm and that the killing is necessary to save himself from that danger.


There is far more in the statute in reference to keeping someone from entering your dwelling (motor vehicle in this case) than there is about imminent danger.

NOTE: Louisiana law also states that you do not have to attempt to retreat prior to defending yourself. So, he had no lawful obligation to escape prior to 1. defending himself from imminent danger, or 2. keeping someone from entering his vehicle.

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Matthew Hinton ?@MattHintonPhoto
JPSO deputies writing tickets for vehicles parked under West Bank Expressway after protest over Joe McKnight Jr. @theadvocateno @wwltv

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You can shoot him, but it is going to bring a murder charge with it.

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Maybe

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They have to come into your vehicle in some way.

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Well that's not true

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I'm not familiar with that intersection, but is the Audi in an actual lane? It doesn't appear to be.

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Looks like a turn lane.

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I'm actually quite smart. You're the one running your mouth saying he should be working even though he got zero charges.

Criminal cases are were you need $$ for defense. A civil case would be over with the quickness considering no criminal charges were rendered. But carry on.

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If you're quite smart and was in this situation, you yourself would already be in contact with a lawyer.

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We really need PSAs about self-defense and use of force.

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I'm just thinking out loud...like what would someone have to do for me to fear my life from the other side of the car. They would be having to show me a weapon or telling me they were going to kill me.

All of this is assuming my car is locked and window is up.

If he's coming into the car then yeah, I'd see why he would shoot.