How do you feel about this? I am torn. Morally, I don' think I would use force in this situation, but that is how I determine things and it might not be fair. I am not this kid and I am not a victim of bullying. I can say that this exact thing happened to my kid and is the reason I pulled him from public schools. A kid got off at his stop to beat him up, the majority of the rest of the bus got off as well and the driver did nothing. My son was hit so hard he lost consciousness and all the skin on one side of his face from hitting the road. I hate to think of him being in the position to make this kind of choice.



The teenager who stabbed another student to death at a Collier County bus stop will not face any charges because of the Stand Your Ground law. In the decision, the judge cited multiple witnesses who said Jorge Saavedra took multiple steps to avoid a fight with 15-year-old Dylan Nuno.

The fatal stabbing death of 15-year-old Dylan Nuno happened last January and it was a question of self defense.

Saavedra's attorneys argued he was using Stand Your Ground against the other teen. In Florida law, that means you can defend yourself in any means necessary if you feel threatened. That includes using lethal force.

According to testimony and court documents, Nuno initiated the fight against Saavedra - even getting off at the wrong bus stop to follow Saavedra the day of the fight.

Those documents also indicate that he threw the first punch.

The judge found that Saavedra, who was 14 at the time and a year behind Nuno in school, was consistently picked on by Nuno and his friends and had "more than enough reason to believe he was in danger of death or great bodily harm" and that he was "legally entitled to meet force with force, even deadly force."

So far, our attempts to reach Dylan Nuno's family have not been successful.

However, Saavedra's family has issued this statement through his attorney Donald Day:

"There were no winners today and the Saavedra family is devastated over the tragedy. The family's hope is that the schools take a more active role in stopping the escalating bullying violence that is occurring across the country."

http://www.nbc-2.com/stor...ace-manslaughter-charges

I agree that he should not be charged.
I don't know if the assault was sufficiently severe to warrant "deadly force" as I wasn't there but the evidence presented was deemed adequate.

I don't think he should be charged, but this law opens up a lot of possibilities.

There was a case a few days ago where a 14 year old boy shot an intruder in his home. I disagreed with his actions as well. I think force should be a last resort and this kid sought out the intruder instead of barricading himself. Morally, he was wrong, in my opinion. He is not being charged because of the castle doctrine and also, he is 14 and had no ill intent, he was just put in a really bad situation.

I'm not sure I agree with the "stand  your ground" being applied to cases involving minors. Children/teens are, in general, more volitile and could use that as an evasion of prosecution when they just want to settle a dispute.

For instance, a 16 yr old girl is angry that another girl stole her boyfriend. She provokes an argument and/or physical confrontation with the other girl, stabs or shoots her and claims "stand your ground". We live in much different and more violent time, particularly with children.

jmo