Tennessee is a state that does have a Stand Your Ground law. The state law allows people to use deadly force to defend themselves or others if they believe that there is a risk of bodily harm or death to either themselves or others. Like many states with this kind of law, there is no requirement for the person to retreat or to try to leave a situation to avoid using deadly force.
This law applies to the person’s home, vehicle and place of business. What that means is that people have a right to defend themselves in any place at any time.
What happens if deadly force is used against another person?
Any time deadly force is used against another person, you should expect to see an investigation take place. If you were facing an aggressor and used deadly force against them to avoid getting hurt or to stop someone else from getting hurt, the likelihood is that you’ll still be investigated for murder.
There are a range of murder charges including:
- Vehicular homicide
- Reckless homicide
- First-degree murder
- Second-degree murder
- Negligent homicide
- Voluntary manslaughter
If you are under investigation, the first thing to do is to find out which of these kinds of charges you’re facing.
What will your attorney do to help defend you against murder charges if you use deadly force?
Your attorney’s job is to look at all the information available to defend you. This includes looking at factors such as:
- Footprints or fingerprints
- DNA evidence
- Blood splatter analyses
- Reconstructions of the crime scene
- Firearm test results
- Medical records appropriate to the case
By looking at these different factors, your attorney can start putting together a case to show what actually happened and why you may have been forced to defend yourself with deadly force.
If you cannot prove that your life was at risk or that you were protecting another person, then your freedoms could be at risk. It’s important to be sure that you have a strong defense prepared in the case that your intentions and actions come into question or are scrutinized by law enforcement.
