Originally posted by UncleDooly
You notice the wording in there. Florida usually has the same use of force authority (deadly force) for sworn police and non-sworn civilians. A police officer can shoot a convicted felon to stop their flight as they're legally "escaping jail." Someone who is not convicted, they have to follow 776 just like the rest of us. If someone just murdered some schoolkids, and is getting away, and you have no phone, you can most likely shoot them in the back.
Flight itself is not the felony, this only works with forcible felonies. You can use deadly force to terminate the forcible felony, or to stop the flight of a forcible felon if no other method exists.
Notice that 'no other method exists.' You better be damned well able to articulate why no other method existed.

I do remember a rape case that a friend worked. He discovered a rape in progress, and took protective action against the rapist. While jamming the barrel of his .357 against the bad guy's ear, he cut the bad guy. The bad guy's attorney tried to get damages, and the court found that the security officer was justified in using any force, including lethal, to terminate the rape, as its a forcible felony.
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