Scared residents in New York City demanded local officials enact ‘Stand Your Ground Laws’ as violent felonies surge across the five boroughs.
A would-be robber died over the weekend when two men thwarted his attack. The incident raised legal questions that could place the victims in jeopardy.
“A preliminary investigation determined that the [robbery suspect] approached two males, both 29 years old, displayed a firearm to them and demanded money,” the NYPD said in a statement. “A physical confrontation ensued, and the two males physically restrained the armed male in an attempt to gain control of the firearm. During the struggle, the armed male became unconscious.”
“They resist, they fight back, and in the struggle the gunman dies,” Sliwa, a former Republican mayoral candidate, told Fox News Digital. “The two obviously are able to live another day. Nobody cries for the thug … and yet these two men shouldn’t have been put in that position.”
“New York has a ‘duty to retreat’ — if you’re faced with a threat, you have a duty to retreat unless you feel that you can’t and your life is in danger,” Ralph Cilento, a retired NYPD lieutenant commander of detectives explained. “Then you can use physical force to stop physical force against you or another.”
Read the full report here.