A Miami man is facing attempted murder charges after he chased down and shot and unarmed burglar while he allegedly pleaded for his life, the Miami Herald reported.
Cathoris Jenkins was in his room playing video games when the suspected burglar, Xavier West, entered Jenkins’ apartment, according to the Miami Herald. Instead of calling the police, Jenkins allegedly picked up an assault rifle and chased West down the street, the Herald reported.
“He begins to what appears to be to beg for his life,” Miami-Dade Detective Iry Watson told a judge Wednesday. “But the defendant takes the assault rifle and shoots him multiple times.”
Miami man charged with attempted murder after shooting burglar https://t.co/HHQ9v8iFi3 pic.twitter.com/2QR3mDrTYW
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West was taken to the Ryder Trauma Center after the incident Tuesday afternoon.
Jenkins claimed, according to a police report obtained by the Herald, that he “blacked out.” But in a court hearing Wednesday, Jenkins told the judge he didn’t shoot West “while he was on the ground.” Jenkins also said he was the victim, the Herald reported.
“You’re the victim of a potential burglary, but you can’t just go around shooting people,” Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer told West. (RELATED: Georgia Dem Senate Candidate Raphael Warnock Criticized Second Amendment Multiple Times In His Sermons)
Prosecutors argued that video shows Jenkins actions were premeditated, and the judge agreed, according to the Herald.
“He had time for reflection as he’s pointing the gun as he’s begging on his knees. That’s premeditation,” Glazer said.
Jenkins’ case could be another legal challenge of Florida’s Stand Your Ground law made famous by the 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman, of second degree murder and manslaughter in the death of Trayvon Martin an unarmed 17-year-old, the Herald reported. Zimmerman said he shot Martin in self-defense.
Jenkins is facing a charge of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm, the Herald reported.