- Two men face life sentences for a self-defense shooting, despite claiming Stand Your Ground law.
- The judge ruled their self-defense ended when the victim retreated, despite still being armed.
- The NAACP questions whether the law is being applied fairly, regardless of race or background.
Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law is back in the spotlight, and once again, folks are asking whether justice depends on who’s standing in front of the judge. That’s a rhetorical question, we already know the answer.
According to News4JAX, the Jacksonville NAACP is throwing its support behind Jamarian Byrd and Travis Roberts Jr., two Baker County men charged with first-degree murder after a June 2025 shooting that left 19-year-old Devin Powers Jr. dead and another teen wounded. If convicted, both men could spend the rest of their lives behind bars. That reality is terrifying according to their mothers who say the situation has turned the last year into an emotional nightmare.
“You know what that carries,” Kalissa Warnick, Roberts’ mother, told News4JAX. “That’s life in prison.” When asked what it feels like knowing that possibility is on the table, Warnick’s answer was short:
“It’s heartbreaking.”
Latelsa Bowen, Byrd’s mother, described the last year as overwhelming. “All kinds of feelings — just hurt, scared, anxious, just everything,” she said.
The case stems from a chaotic attack in Macclenny, Florida where Byrd and Roberts have maintained they fired in self-defense after Powers allegedly pointed a shotgun at them and opened fire first. Their attorneys argued the pair should receive immunity under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, which protects people who use deadly force when they reasonably fear death or serious bodily harm.
But the judge ruled there was a catch.
While the court agreed the men initially had a legal right to defend themselves, that protection allegedly ended the moment Powers began retreating. The judge pointed to statements and evidence indicating the defendants continued firing as Powers ran away, with investigators alleging at least 47 rounds were fired into the neighborhood. Because of that, the court denied their Stand Your Ground immunity request, allowing the murder case to move forward.
The Jacksonville NAACP isn’t buying that conclusion. Organization president Isaiah Rumlin said the case is exactly the type of situation Stand Your Ground was designed for and questioned whether the law is being applied fairly. The civil rights group released a statement expressing “deep concern” over the ruling and called for equal application of Florida’s self-defense law regardless of race, neighborhood, or background.
In a July 1 news release, the NAACP said it is “deeply concerned” by the denial of immunity and called for “fair and equal application of Florida’s Stand Your Ground law” in the Byrd and Roberts cases. The group also pointed to what it described as evidence presented in court and said, “justice must be served fairly, consistently, and without regard to race, neighborhood, or background.”
Meanwhile, both defendants are appealing the decision, arguing the danger hadn’t actually ended because Powers was still armed. As that appeal plays out, their mothers are left watching their sons fight charges that could cost them their freedom forever.
The legal battle now boils down to one question with enormous consequences, when does self-defense officially end? Depending on who you ask, that answer could determine whether two young men walk free, or spend life in prison.