PEMBROKE PINES, Fla., Oct. 4 (UPI) -- A Florida man accused of killing an off-duty federal agent plans to argue his actions were legal under the state's "Stand Your Ground" law, his lawyer said.
James Wonder, 69, of Miramar, Fla., allegedly shot and killed U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent Donald Pettit in a post office parking lot in 2008 following a road rage incident in Pembroke Pines, Fla. A grand jury rejected prosecutors' initial charge of first-degree murder, instead indicting Wonder for manslaughter, The Miami Herald reported.
Wonder's attorney said he plans to call between 30 and 40 witnesses to prove his client's actions were not criminal under the controversial state statute that says people who haven't broken a law have the right to act with lethal force in self-defense.
Both men were carrying guns. Wonder brought his with him when he left his vehicle to confront Pettit. Pettit's gun was left in his vehicle though it is unclear if Wonder knew Pettit could have been armed.
Wonder shot Pettit once in the head. Afterward, he died his hair and rented a car in what police describe as an attempt to avoid arrest, the newspaper reported.
