‘Stand your ground’: Charges against officer who killed black man carrying air rifle dropped

By Cleve R. Wootson Jr. July 27 at 2:29 PM

A judge dismissed charges against a Florida sheriff’s deputy who shot a 33-year-old black man carrying an unloaded air rifle in Broward County in 2013, saying the law enforcement officer was protected under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” self-defense law.

Peter Peraza, 37, testified during a hearing that Jermaine McBean initially refused commands from him and other deputies to drop the authentic-looking weapon and then turned and pointed it toward the deputies, the Associated Press reported. Peraza fired three shots, killing McBean. The deputy was the first Florida law enforcement officer criminally charged for an on-duty killing in more than three decades.

Peraza had faced a potential 30-year prison sentence.

Prosecutors told the AP that they intend to appeal Circuit Judge Michael Usan’s dismissal.

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