Two families linked by the May 2011 shooting death of Reynaldo Munoz, 20, were once again in court Thursday, this time as part of a civil case.
The family of Munoz filed a civil suit against the family of 14-year-old Jack Davis, who pulled the trigger on the gun which killed Munoz. Davis, came out of his home with his mother, Jasmine Davis, to find Munoz trying to steal the family’s WaveRunner.
The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office declined to press charges over the shooting, saying it was justified under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law. The SAO said the Munoz couldn’t hear the demands from the Davis’ to leave because he was deaf and mute.
At some point, the Davis’ said they thought Munoz was reaching for a weapon and Jasmine told her son to shoot.
“He didn’t react at all and that’s what was so scary,” Jasmine Davis said Thursday.
The Munoz family said the Davis’ were negligent in allowing their son to handle and fire the weapon. The Davis’ said they had been robbed at gunpoint before and when Munoz didn’t hear their warnings, they thought he had a weapon. Davis said she thought the weapon was in a compartment in the personal watercraft.
Before the judge in the case makes a decision on whether the case will move forward, he said he wanted to hear directly from Jack Davis who is currently away at college. If the family can invoke the Stand Your Ground immunity, the Munoz family lawsuit will be over.
