Activist Challenges Georgia ‘Kill at Will’ Law in Federal Suit

Lawsuit says African Americans have disproportionate chance to be killed under kill at will laws.

By Jorge Rivas Apr 10, 2012

A federal lawsuit was filed Monday asking that Georgia’s "kill at will law" be struck down because it’s vague and could result in a disproportionate number of people of color being shot.

Civil rights activist Rev. Markel Hutchins says he filed the lawsuit in response to the death of Trayvon Martin. "Georgia has a statute comparable to the controversial Florida law at the center of the Trayvon Martin tragedy," Hutchins wrote on Facebook Tuesday.

"It is not clear what actions would create ‘reasonable belief’ that deadly force is necessary," said the suit filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. "An individual seeking to stand their ground and assert self-defense has no way of knowing if their ‘reasonable belief’ comports with the standards protected by the law and [they] want to ensure that they do not subject themselves to criminal penalties."