Florida man charged with murder in death of gay man at dog park

A man has been arrested and charged with murder in connection to a shooting at a Tampa dog park last month that led to the death of a 52-year-old gay man, Florida prosecutors said Friday. Gerald Declan Radford, 65, was charged with second-degree murder for the deadly shooting of John Walter Lay, which Radford initially alleged was in self-defense, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

advocates welcomed the charges, but criticized state law that protects individuals from facing prosecution for a homicide if they claim they killed someone in order to defend themselves, also known as a “stand your ground” law.

advocacy group Equality Florida said in a statement. “The absence of a duty to retreat to safety is too often exploited to justify murder without consequence.” Lopez’s office noted in a news release Friday the frustration some felt regarding the length of time it took for the charges to be brought, roughly a month. “It is important to note how difficult it can be to refute a Stand Your Ground claim in some cases because the only other witness to the incident is deceased,” the release said.

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