Little v. State

111 So. 3d 214, 2013 WL 1442150, 2013 Fla. App. LEXIS 5670
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedApril 10, 2013
DocketNo. 2D11-5098
StatusPublished
Cited by44 cases

This text of 111 So. 3d 214 (Little v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Little v. State, 111 So. 3d 214, 2013 WL 1442150, 2013 Fla. App. LEXIS 5670 (Fla. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinions

SILBERMAN, Chief Judge.

Aaron A. Little seeks certiorari review of the circuit court’s order denying his motion to dismiss the criminal charge of second-degree murder with a firearm. Little argued that he shot the victim in self-defense and was entitled to immunity from criminal prosecution under section 776.032(1), Florida Statutes (2009), which is part of what is commonly known as the “Stand Your Ground” law. Because this issue involves a determination of whether the circuit court has continuing jurisdiction over Little, see Tsavaris v. Scruggs, 360 So.2d 745, 747 (Fla.1977), we treat the petition for writ of certiorari as a petition for writ of prohibition.1 We agree with Little that his use of deadly force was justified under the circumstances. We also reject the State’s alternative argument that Little was not entitled to immunity under the Stand Your Ground law because he was engaged in an unlawful activity at the time he used the deadly force. We therefore grant Little’s petition for writ of prohibition.

I. Facts

The incident in question occurred when Little was walking to his girlfriend’s house with his friend, Rashad Matthews. The two men happened upon Matthews’ friend, Terry Lester, who was standing in the driveway of his mother’s home. Lester was leaning into the driver’s door of a vehicle parked in the driveway when Matthews approached and engaged Lester in conversation. Little, who was a stranger to Lester, initially waited for Matthews by the street.

After a few minutes, Little started walking toward the two men. When Little reached the driver’s side of the car, De-mond Brooks jumped out of the back seat. Little knew Brooks, but the two were not friends. Without warning, Brooks pulled two handguns from his waistband, pointed them at Little, and yelled that he was “going to make it rain.” Little believed Brooks was threatening to shoot him, so he ran behind Lester and asked Lester to intervene, or to “get” Brooks. Lester tried to calm Brooks down to no avail.

Lester’s mother, Janet Speed, heard the commotion from inside the house and came to the open front door for a moment. Little used the distraction as an opportunity to obtain shelter and ran into the house. Brooks followed Little but stopped on the second of the three front porch steps. From there, Brooks held his guns down by his sides and yelled through the open door for Little to come outside. Little pressed his back up against the wall, pulled a handgun out of his pants pocket, and held it down by his side. He called to Ms. Speed to “get” Brooks.

[217]*217Ms. Speed had not seen Little arm himself. Ms. Speed was alerted to the gun by her daughter-in-law, Kimberly, who was also in the room. Little, who was visibly afraid, tried to explain that he was holding the gun because Brooks was threatening to shoot him from outside. Ms. Speed did not want a gun in her house and responded by telling Little to leave. But Brooks was still on the porch step yelling for Little to come outside. Little told Ms. Speed, “I ain’t going out there,” and said something about both men having their “fire.” Ms. Speed called for her son Lester.

Lester then came into the house and ordered Little out. Little begged for Lester to stop Brooks, but Lester offered no help. In fact, Lester appeared to think the situation was funny, because he had been laughing with Brooks as he passed him on his way inside the house.

Seeing no backdoor exit, Little reluctantly exited the house through the front door. Brooks backed up to let Little pass, but Brooks still had his guns down by his sides. Little proceeded cautiously, turning sideways to stay facing Brooks and keeping his gun hidden behind his back. When Little reached the yard, Brooks walked toward him and said something like, “[D]o you know what he did to me?” Little told Brooks to calm down and backed away. Brooks did not take action until Little backed into the car parked in the driveway. Then Brooks raised his guns and pointed them at Little. Little brought his gun around, closed his eyes, and pulled the trigger several times. Brooks dropped to the ground and eventually succumbed to his gunshot wounds. Little fled to his girlfriend’s house.

II. Circuit Court Proceedings

In support of his motion to dismiss, Little argued that he shot Brooks in self-defense and was therefore entitled to immunity under the Stand Your Ground law. The State raised two arguments against the motion: (1) Little was not acting in self-defense because he reengaged Brooks after removing himself from the initial threat, and (2) Little was not entitled to immunity under the Stand Your Ground law because he was engaged in an unlawful activity as a felon in possession of a firearm. The circuit court denied the motion to dismiss, ruling as follows:

The Defendant removed himself from the zone of uncertainty when he entered the home of Janet Speed. The Defendant then chose to arm himself and reengage the decedent, Demond Brooks. The Court at this time has not considered, the issue of whether Defendant’s activity of arming himself was lawful or unlawful and need not address that issue for purposes of making a legal ruling on the matter before the Court.

III. Analysis

A. Standard of Review

In reviewing a petition for writ of prohibition, this court must consider the merits of Little’s motion to dismiss in the same manner as if it were on direct appeal. See Sutton v. State, 975 So.2d 1073, 1077-78 (Fla.2008); Hair v. State, 17 So.3d 804, 805 (Fla. 1st DCA 2009), review denied, 60 So.3d 1055 (Fla.2011). Thus, we review the court’s legal findings de novo and we review the court’s factual findings for competent, substantial evidence. Hair, 17 So.3d at 805.

B. Propriety of the Denial of the Motion to Dismiss on the Merits

The Stand Your Ground law is codified in chapter 776, Florida Statutes (2009). Section 776.032(1) grants criminal immunity to persons using force as permit[218]*218ted in sections 776.012, 776.013, or 776.031. In this case, Little argued he was entitled to immunity under section 776.032(1) because his use of force was permitted in section 776.012(1). Section 776.012(1) authorizes the use of deadly force when a defendant “reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself.” A defendant must establish entitlement to immunity under the Stand Your Ground law by a preponderance of the evidence. Horn v. State, 17 So.3d 836, 839 (Fla. 2d DCA 2009).

In determining that Little was not entitled to immunity under the Stand Your Ground law, the circuit court concluded that Little removed himself from the imminent threat of death or great bodily harm by going into Ms. Speed’s house but “chose to arm himself and re-engage” Brooks. Thus, the court determined that Little was not “in the zone of uncertainty.” See Montanez v. State, 24 So.3d 799, 801-03 (Fla. 2d DCA 2010) (holding that circuit court properly denied criminal immunity to a defendant who shot the victim after the victim had driven his car at the defendant and his employee because “the zone of uncertainty” had already passed when the defendant and the employee had gotten out of the vehicle’s path and there was therefore no threat of imminent death or great bodily harm).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

MEAGAN CORBETT vs STATE OF FLORIDA
District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2022
MAX GARCIA v. STATE OF FLORIDA
District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2019
ELTON BOLDUC v. STATE OF FLORIDA
District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2019
Edward Lamont Hicks v. State of Florida
District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2019
Corry Mency v. State of Florida
District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2019
TREVOR DOOLEY v. STATE OF FLORIDA
268 So. 3d 880 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2019)
James Waters v. State of Florida
267 So. 3d 538 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2019)
WILLIE JEFFERSON v. STATE OF FLORIDA
264 So. 3d 1019 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2018)
Bruce Fuller v. State
257 So. 3d 521 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2018)
DANIEL MEDINA v. STATE OF FLORIDA
254 So. 3d 1148 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2018)
CALVIN W. LEWIS v. STATE OF FLORIDA
251 So. 3d 310 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2018)
TYMOTHY RAY MARTIN v. STATE OF FLORIDA
District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2018
Widdison v. State
410 P.3d 1205 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 2018)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
111 So. 3d 214, 2013 WL 1442150, 2013 Fla. App. LEXIS 5670, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/little-v-state-fladistctapp-2013.