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Fla. Man Shoots, Kills Teen Over Loud Music

By Deanne Katz, Esq. on November 28, 2012 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

A Florida teenager was shot and killed over his loud music when he refused to turn it down on Friday, police said.

Michael Dunn, 45, approached Jordan Davis, 17, at a gas-station convenience store in Jacksonville, Fla., where they had both stopped. Dunn asked Davis to turn down the music in his car. When Davis refused, Dunn got into an argument with Davis and his friends.

To resolve the matter, Dunn brandished a gun and fired at least eight times. Now he's claiming his actions were in self-defense.

Jordan Davis was shot twice and later died from his injuries. Dunn and his girlfriend fled the scene of the shooting, reports the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.

Dunn was arrested the next day and has pleaded not guilty to killing Davis. He claims he acted in self-defense and may seek protection under Florida's Stand Your Ground law, made famous after the shooting death of another 17-year-old, Trayvon Martin, in February.

Dunn claims one of the men in Davis' car pulled out a gun, at which point Dunn went to his car, got out his own gun, and opened fire. He felt threatened by the young men, according to his criminal defense attorney.

But police didn't find any guns or drugs in Davis' SUV when they arrived at the scene. So far there's no evidence the teenagers were armed.

In general, a defendant can try to argue his actions were in self-defense and therefore any injuries or deaths were not criminal. To prove that claim, there must be evidence that the defendant felt an immediate threat to his personal safety and responded proportionately to that threat.

Deadly force can be met with deadly force. But that doesn't entirely explain why Dunn allegedly fired eight shots Davis and his friends. Dunn's reason for firing that many shots will have to be examined at trial.

Dunn is still behind bars after he was denied bond, reports the New York Daily News. He pleaded not guilty to the charges on Monday.

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