Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who signed the “stand your ground” self-defense bill into law, says it should not apply to the case of a teenager killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer.
“This law does not apply to this particular circumstance,” Bush said after an education panel discussion at the University of Texas at Arlington,
The Dallas Morning News reported. “Stand your ground means stand your ground. It doesn’t mean chase after somebody who’s turned their back.”
Bush was asked about 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, who was chased by the volunteer and fatally shot walking home from a convenience store Feb. 26, in Sanford, Fla., an Orlando suburb.
“Anytime an innocent life is taken it’s a tragedy,” Bush said, according to the Morning News. “You’ve got to let the process work.”
He said "it's always good to review laws" when asked about the stand-your-ground legislation he signed into law in 2005 but said he did not think Trayvon's killer will be able to use it as a defense, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
The law, which Bush signed in 2005, allows Florida residents to use deadly force rather than retreat if they feel threatened, even if they are not at home. The law was cited in the decision not to charge George Zimmerman, the volunteer accused in the shooting.
© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.