Two Black men facing first-degree murder charges in Baker County, Florida, are asking an appeals court to overturn a judge’s ruling that denied them immunity under the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law.
Jamarian Byrd and Travis Roberts Jr. have maintained that they opened fire only after a white teenager allegedly pointed a shotgun at them and fired first during a confrontation in Macclenny in June 2025. Their attorneys argue that the men were responding to an immediate threat and should be granted immunity.
The Jacksonville NAACP has now joined the dispute, calling for the law to be applied equally in Byrd and Roberts’ case.
“We feel that this is a clear Stand Your Ground case,” Jacksonville NAACP President Isaiah Rumlin told News4JAX.
The organization said it is “deeply concerned” about the denial of immunity and called for the “fair and equal application of Florida’s Stand Your Ground law.” The group also said, “Justice must be served fairly, consistently, and without regard to race, neighborhood, or background.”
The Incident
The case began June 26, 2025, when gunfire erupted near Quail Lane in Macclenny. Nineteen-year-old Devin Powers Jr. was shot and killed, and another teenager was wounded, according to court records cited by News4JAX.
A Baker County grand jury later indicted Byrd and Roberts on first-degree premeditated murder and several other charges. The indictment accuses the men of killing Powers “from a premeditated design to effect the death … by shooting” him. They also face aggravated battery charges and allegations involving gunfire directed toward occupied homes and into public areas.
For their families, the possibility of life in prison has added another layer of anguish.
“You know what that carries,” Kalissa Warnick, Roberts’ mother, told News4JAX. “That’s life in prison.”
Asked how she felt about that possibility, Warnick responded, “It’s heartbreaking.”
Latelsa Bowen, Byrd’s mother, said the past year has brought a range of difficult emotions.
“All kinds of feelings — just hurt, scared, anxious, just everything,” Bowen said.
According to testimony and evidence described in court filings, Byrd and Roberts were outside a home at 504 Quail Lane around 7:45 p.m. when Powers and a 14-year-old companion approached them.
The two teenagers were reportedly armed. Powers, who was 19, allegedly pointed a single-shot shotgun at Byrd, who was 22 at the time, and Roberts, who was 24.
A shot was fired, and Byrd and Roberts returned fire.
Home surveillance footage reviewed in the case reportedly captured the shooting unfolding within seconds. According to Slate, Powers was struck in the neck and eventually collapsed on his porch. He died three days later. The 14-year-old was shot in the leg and survived.
The Defense’s Argument
The circumstances leading up to the confrontation are also central to the defense’s argument.
Earlier that day, Powers had reportedly gotten into an altercation with a person identified as Bud, who was acquainted with Byrd and Roberts. Witness testimony described a dispute over a gun that Powers allegedly pointed at Bud before Bud took the weapon and slapped him.
Family members stated that Powers later retrieved another firearm. They said people attempted to convince him to stay inside, but he and the younger teenager eventually left the home armed.
The pair encountered Byrd and Roberts during that second outing.
Baker County Sheriff Scotty Rhoden initially characterized the shooting as self-defense.
“At that point their lives are in fear, that is self-defense,” Rhoden said.
Eleven days later, however, authorities charged Byrd and Roberts with first-degree murder and other offenses.
The men have remained at the Baker County Detention Center without bail.
Judge’s Ruling
Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law generally allows a person to use force when they reasonably believe it is necessary to prevent imminent death or serious bodily harm.
Byrd and Roberts relied on that law when they asked the court to dismiss the charges.
Judge Denise Ferrero agreed that the men initially had a right to defend themselves. In her ruling, she wrote that they were “entitled to use deadly force” when Powers “raised a shotgun and pointed it” at them and fired.
But Ferrero determined that the legal justification changed once Powers began moving away.
The judge wrote that the defendants’ entitlement to use deadly force “dissolved the moment” Powers “began to retreat…and was no longer a deadly threat.”
Ferrero also pointed to statements from Byrd and Roberts that prosecutors argued showed the men continued shooting as Powers moved toward a residence.
The judge noted that Byrd and Roberts did not know Powers, had no previous conflict with him and outnumbered him. She also cited the amount of gunfire, writing that the men “sprayed the neighborhood with at least 47 bullets.”
Defense Responds
The defense disputes that interpretation.
In a petition filed July 1, Byrd’s attorney argued that Powers remained armed and that the threat had not necessarily ended simply because he began moving away. The filing also requested an emergency stay while the appeal is considered.
The Baker County State Attorney’s Office, which is prosecuting the case, declined to discuss details of the pending prosecution publicly when contacted by Atlanta Black Star. In a statement, the office confirmed that the case remains set for prosecution and that a case management hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29.
The office also confirmed that Byrd and Roberts face charges of “first degree murder FS782.04, aggravated battery FS784.045, and shooting or throwing a deadly missile into a dwelling, building or vessel FS790.19.” The statement said litigation will take place before the court and jury.
Florida law classifies first-degree premeditated murder as a capital felony, while aggravated battery and violations of the state’s deadly-missile statute carry felony penalties.
Fairness of Law
The Jacksonville NAACP says the case deserves scrutiny because of the way Florida’s self-defense law is being applied.
President Isaiah Rumlin said community leaders should pay attention to the case and speak publicly about the dispute.
The organization’s position is not that Byrd and Roberts should automatically escape prosecution. Rather, the NAACP is demanding what it describes as consistent treatment under the law.
The group cited evidence presented during the court proceedings and urged officials to ensure race and background do not influence how self-defense claims are evaluated.
A Tale of Two Cases
The broader dispute has also drawn attention to another Baker County shooting involving a Black man and a white man.
In 2018, 31-year-old Dominic Jerome “D.J.” Broadus was fatally shot by Gardner Fraser, his former lover.
As reported by Slate, a medical examiner determined that Broadus was shot four times. The first two bullets struck him in the face while he was standing. Two additional shots entered his neck after he had fallen.
Fraser waited 21 minutes before calling 911. He first contacted family members and later told the dispatcher that “some Black male attacked me in my yard.”
Fraser was eventually arrested, but not for Broadus’ death. He was charged with tampering with evidence after investigators determined that Broadus’ body had been moved and that Fraser had deleted messages related to their relationship.
Digital investigators recovered those communications, including messages exchanged between the two men before Broadus went to Fraser’s home.
Fraser ultimately pleaded no contest to the evidence-tampering charge and received a one-year sentence in the Baker County Jail. He served nine months.
The comparison between the two cases has become part of the debate surrounding Byrd and Roberts. Advocates argue that the circumstances surrounding both shootings warrant a closer examination of how authorities determine when deadly force qualifies as self-defense.
There have also been some differences in the investigative process in the two cases, including how evidence was collected and how witnesses were handled. In the Broadus investigation, officers reportedly treated Fraser as a person who had survived an attack. In Byrd and Roberts’ case, the two men voluntarily described what happened, believing they had nothing to conceal.
When Does Self-Defense End?
At the center of the current case is a matter that can be decided in seconds but carries consequences that can last decades: when does self-defense end?
Ferrero’s ruling found that Byrd and Roberts had the right to defend themselves when Powers raised and fired the shotgun. The dispute now centers on whether that protection continued after Powers began retreating.
For the defendants, their attorneys argue that the danger remained because Powers was still armed. Prosecutors and the judge have taken a different view, saying the men crossed the line when they continued firing.
The appeal could determine whether the men receive immunity before trial. Through a petition for a writ of prohibition, the defense is asking Florida’s First District Court of Appeal to overturn Judge Ferrero’s ruling; if the petition is denied, the murder charges will move forward to trial.
For now, Byrd and Roberts remain charged with first-degree murder, while their families wait for the appellate court to decide whether their self-defense claims will receive another hearing.
