April 2, 2012 4:02PM # Teenager Shot and Killed By [Tim Lynch](https://www.cato.org/people/tim-lynch) --- SHARE Very little media interest so far in the case of an 18-year old shot and killed by a man who claims to have [acted in self-defense](http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/03/30/elderly-detroit-man-wont-face-charges-in-shooting/). It happened a few days ago in Detroit. At about 1:30 am, Willie White claims that an intruder broke into his home and that, fearing for his life, he had to shoot. Prosecutors have concluded that White acted in self-defense so there will be no criminal case. It is too soon to tell whether White will be sued civilly for wrongful death. Relatives of the teen might hire a lawyer to argue that White had a “duty to retreat” and that he should have tried to hide in a bedroom closet instead of using deadly force. If that happens, White will need hire a lawyer to fight the lawsuit. To protect people like Willie White from that sort of thing, some states, such as Florida \[update: and Michigan!\], have [Stand Your Ground](https://www.cato.org/the-trayvon-martin-shooting-just-the-facts/) laws, that immunize persons who act in self-defense from civil liability. The recent Cato study, *[Tough Targets](https://www.cato.org/guns-and-self-defense/)*, details many cases of citizens using guns to thwart crime. ##### Related Tags [Constitutional Law](https://www.cato.org/constitutional-law), [Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies](https://www.cato.org/robert-levy-center-constitutional-studies) [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).