“It was long fought,” said attorney Letitia Quinones. “It’s a perfect stand your ground case.”She said witnesses saw Ables try to open Scott’s car door.Police did not initially charge Scott with any crime after Ables was fatally shot after a traffic crash in northwest Houston on Sept. 17, 2012.A Harris County grand jury later indicted Scott on charges of murder. Members of Ables’ family disputed Scott’s version of events, saying he had his hands up and was backing away from her car.
Source: Charges dropped in 2013 deadly road rage incident – Houston Chronicle
This was an interesting case that hadn’t seen much public attention. One could indeed argue it was a classic example of why “stand your ground” laws exist. But what is really odd is that initially, Ms. Scott was not charged. Six months and a new district attorney later, things changed.
We kept waiting to see this case go to trial but, all that was publicly known were conflicting witness statements. Many “witnesses” didn’t hear or see anything until shots were fired. Others claimed they saw Ables backing up with his hands in the air (sound familiar?). Unfortunately, none of us who weren’t there will ever really know what happened unless it happens to be on video.
It seems in this case, a motion was made to dismiss and the motion granted. That is not a declaration or proof of innocence but, our system is supposed to be presume innocence. Nothing that might have come from this case would have brought Ables back but, it should be noted that both drivers are alleged to have engaged in aggressive behavior that led to a collision and the subsequent shooting. Folks, if nothing else, take the lesson that your behavior prior to a use of force incident may undermine your claim of innocence and you may be in for an expensive and rough ride with the justice system.
-GM
