FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - A court hearing is set for a Florida deputy charged with manslaughter for fatally shooting a black man who was carrying an air rifle.
The hearing Thursday for suspended Broward Sheriff's Office Deputy Peter Peraza is likely to focus on his attorney's plan to use Florida's "Stand Your Ground" self-defense law.
A hearing on that part of the case is set for June. The charge would be dismissed if Peraza prevails.
The 37-year-old Peraza, who is white, faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted in the July 2013 killing of 33-year-old Jermaine McBean, who was carrying an unloaded air rifle and may have been listening to music through earbuds. Peraza has pleaded not guilty.
McBean's family has also filed a wrongful death lawsuit.
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