Are we shocked that they hate self-defense? FBI agent that shot man on a Red Line Metrorail train found not guilty of attempted murder - Washington Times
Mr. Valdivia, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, got into a verbal altercation with fellow passenger Steven Slaughter on Dec. 15, 2020, as Mr. Valdivia headed home from work on a Red Line train, near the Medical Center station at the time of the shooting.
Mr. Slaughter, a panhandler, exchanged words with Mr. Valdivia, which fueled the confrontation. Mr. Valdivia shot Mr. Slaughter twice, once in the arm and once in the abdomen. Mr. Slaughter survived the shooting.
The DA was upset because the miscreant didn't physically assault the FBI agent before the shooting. Of course that isn't a requirement for self-defense in most parts of the country, but we are talking about a blue city, so they charged the FBI agent with attempted murder. Of course if he really wanted to kill the guy accosting him, he had 13 more bullets in his sidearm.
The prosecution tried to paint him as a panhandler, but he is a violent person well known to law enforcement.
A Metro Transit Police officer told the jury that the man was well known to police and had a propensity for violence.
I can't find any report of how long it took the jury to deliberate, but the prosecution made its closing arguments on Friday, morning, and the verdict was sometime on Friday before 3:35 PM.
Mr. Valdivia was suspended without pay after the December, 2020 incident. It isn't clear if he will be reinstated. (The process is the punishment.)
Self-defense is a human-right, and it may be your legal right in Maryland, though not if the prosecuting attorneys have their way.
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