Kansas teen’s death places spotlight on ‘stand your ground’ law

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – Even some Republicans who have supported the “stand your ground law” in Kansas want to revisit it following the death of a Black teenager who was restrained at a juvenile intake center in Wichita last September.

Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said this week that the law prevented him from charging the local juvenile center’s employees in the death of 17-year-old Cedric Lofton, who’d been restrained on the ground on his stomach, shackled and handcuffed for more than 30 minutes.

Legislators said they intended the law to apply to homeowners facing down burglars or people who are attacked on the streets.

The Kansas House speaker said this week that he wants to review the law.