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Omaha Steve

(103,776 posts)
Sat Dec 7, 2024, 02:24 PM Dec 7

Florida man accused of hate crime in deadly shooting of gay man claims self-defense

Source: AP

Updated 12:13 PM CST, December 7, 2024

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man accused of a hate crime for killing a gay man is asking a judge to dismiss the charges, saying he acted in self-defense.

Gerald Radford testified on Friday that he feared for his own life when he shot John “Walt” Lay at a Tampa dog park on Feb. 2.

Local news outlets report Radford testified that Lay repeatedly hit him in the face just before the shooting.

“I don’t know if I told him to stop or not, but he wasn’t stopping,” Radford testified in a hearing before Hillsborough Circuit Judge Samantha Ward.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/florida-tampa-dog-park-shooting-gay-hate-f87b898ace55291e894f26feb0346071

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Florida man accused of hate crime in deadly shooting of gay man claims self-defense (Original Post) Omaha Steve Dec 7 OP
Hell, Z got away with murder using that bogus law. HOWEVER..... groundloop Dec 7 #1
Couldn't shooting an insurance CEO be considered self defence? doc03 Dec 7 #2
Send him to old Sparky. GreenWave Dec 7 #3
Sounds like a retooled version of the "Gay Panic Defense". Behind the Aegis Dec 7 #4
Here is the homophobic homicidal miscreant. C0RI0LANUS Dec 7 #5
After reading the linked article, Prof. Toru Tanaka Dec 7 #6
He will probably be offered a job with the newly formed 'Dept. of Purity and Patriotism'... OldBaldy1701E Dec 7 #7
The only thing "pure" about Radford Prof. Toru Tanaka Dec 7 #8

groundloop

(12,386 posts)
1. Hell, Z got away with murder using that bogus law. HOWEVER.....
Sat Dec 7, 2024, 04:04 PM
Dec 7

near the bottom of the article we're told that prosecutors are saying that ballistics evidence disproves the self defense claim. Hopefully common sense will prevail and justice will be done.

Behind the Aegis

(54,926 posts)
4. Sounds like a retooled version of the "Gay Panic Defense".
Sat Dec 7, 2024, 04:45 PM
Dec 7

This is common among bigots, any minority who stands up to them is a threat, therefore any action the bigot takes is justified in their pathetic, diseased little minds.

C0RI0LANUS

(1,861 posts)
5. Here is the homophobic homicidal miscreant.
Sat Dec 7, 2024, 04:56 PM
Dec 7



Gerald Declan Radford (L); harmless victim John Walter Lay (R) (Photo: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Facebook)

In an average year, 3,038 people die and 6,358 are wounded by guns in Florida. The Sunshine State has the 23rd-highest rate of gun violence in the US.




Source:

https://everystat.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Gun-Violence-in-Florida-2024-05.pdf

Prof. Toru Tanaka

(2,363 posts)
6. After reading the linked article,
Sat Dec 7, 2024, 05:18 PM
Dec 7

it appears that Gerald Radford clearly went out of his way to harass, intimidate and bully John Lay. I hope he is convicted and imprisoned.

Prof. Toru Tanaka

(2,363 posts)
8. The only thing "pure" about Radford
Sat Dec 7, 2024, 08:00 PM
Dec 7

is his hatred for groups he doesn’t like or agree with. He probably would fit right in with the fascists. I hope he doesn’t walk like Zimmerman did.

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