A Black man in Georgia was sentenced to 10 years for fatally shooting a 17-year-old after he says he was almost run off the road by white teens in a truck yelling racial slurs.
Marc Wilson, 23, claimed self-defense under “stand your ground” laws but was given the maximum sentence.
At least 28 states have “stand your ground” laws, which justify the use of deadly force as self-defense.
They are used unequally:
- White shooters 12x more likely rule justified for killing Black people than the reverse
- White shooters are 281% more likely rule justified if the victim is Black
Researchers say “stand your ground” laws are rooted in racism and used to justify white violence against Black people.
Such laws got national attention after George Zimmerman claimed self-defense after killing Trayvon Martin, and were used to defend Ahmaud Arbery’s murderers.
