FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEV EN T HC IRC U IT JAN 12, 2007 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H] I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 06- 12017 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D . C . D o c k e tN o . 0 5 - 0 0 2 4 4 - C R - WS U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A , P la in tif f - A p p e lle e , v ersu s R U S S E L L D O U G L A S H A R M O N , D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lla n t.

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e So u th e rn D i s tr i c to f A l ab a ma

_________________________ ( Jan u ar y 12, 2007) B efo re B L A C K , C A RN E S an d M A R C U S , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: O n J u ly 9 , 2 0 0 5 , R u s s e ll D o u g la s H a rm o n , a c o n v ic te d f e lo n , r e c e iv e d a c a llThis i s H arm on ’svers ion of thee ventsof

July 9, 20 05 , a s p ro ff

ere d tothedis tric t c ourt , 1 which wetake to be tr

ue for the purposes of

this appeal. We note, however, that the g overnment presented evidenc e at Ha

rmon’s trial that Ha

rmon had be en in possession of the samegun used t o s h o o tP i ck eri n g o nnum er o u s o cc as i o n s i nth e m o nth s b ef o re th e s h o o ti n g. 2 w hi l e a thi s f

ri end’ s hou se fr om V i ncentP i cker i ng . P i cker i ng threa t ened t o h urt H a r mo n . H a r mo n a n d h i s f r i e n d th e n l e f

tth e h o u s e a n d w e n tt o me e tu p w i th s o me others , i ncl ud i ng P i cker i ng . O nce there , P i cker i ng ca m e up t o the ca r H arm on w as i n, s w ung a m a c he t e i n H a r m on’ s di r e c t i on, a nd thr e a t e ne d t o ki l l H a rm on. H arm on and h i s f

ri end then l ef

tfor H arm on ’ s s i st er ’ s hou se . W hi l e there , P i c ke r i ng c a l l e d H a r m on a nd a ga i n thr e a t e ne d t o ki l l hi m . H a rm on the n gota gun f r om hi s s i s t e r ’ s hous e a nd l e f tf ora ne a rby tr a i l e rpa rk. P i c ke r i ng a rr i ve d a tthe tr a i l e rpa r k s oon a f

t e ra nd c a m e a tH a rm on w i th a gun. H a rm on the n s hota nd ki l l e d P i c ke r i ng. 1 H arm on w as i nd i ct ed for one coun tof po ss es si ng a f i re arm w hi l e a c onvi c t e d f

e l on, i n vi ol a t i on of

18 U . S . C . § 922( g) ( 1) . P r i ort o hi s tr i a l , the gove rnm e ntf

i l e d a m ot i on i n l i m i ne s e e ki ng t o e xc l ude a l l r e f e r e nc e s t o the P i c ke r i ng s hoot i ng. H a r m on r e s ponde d tha tthi s w a s i nappr opr i a t e be c a us e he i nt ended t o p rove thathe w as j ust i fi ed i n p osse ss i ng the fi re arm i n o rdert o p rot ec t hi m s e l f f r om P i c ke r i ng. T he di s tr i c tc our tgr a nt e d the gove rnm e nt ’ s m ot i on, not i ng tha tthe onl y r e a s on t o i ntr oduc e e vi de nc e of the s hoot i ng w a s t o pr ove j us t i f i c a t i on, a nd H a r m on ha d notm e thi s bur de n t o s how by a pr e ponde r a nc e of3

the evi dence thathe w as ent i t l ed t o the j ust i fi ca t i on defe nse. T he c a s e the n pr oc e e di ng t o a j ury tr i a l . H a rm on w a s c onvi c t e d a nd the di stri ctcourtse nt ence d h i m t o 1 20 m on ths i n p ri son and three ye arof supervi se d r e le a s e . T h is is H a r m o n ’s ap p e a l o f h is c o n v ic tio n . H is s o le c o n te n tio n o n ap p e a l is th atth e d i stri ctco u rterred i n ex cl u d i n g ev i d en ce o f th e P i ck eri n g sh o o t i n g b ecau se i tpr e ve nt e d hi m f

r om pr e s e nt i ng hi s j us t i f i c a t i on de f

e ns e . T he gove rnm e nt r e s ponds tha tH a r m on’ s e vi de nt i a ry pr of f e rof hi s e nt i t l e m e ntt o the j us t i f i c a t i on de f e ns e , e ve n i f

true , di d note s t abl i s h by a pr e ponde r a nc e of the e vi de nc e tha the w a s e n title d to th e d e f

e n s e . I f H a r m on’ s pr of

f e re s t abl i s he d tha the w a s e nt i t l e d t o the j us t i f i c a t i on de f e ns e , the di s tr i c tc our te rr e d i n gr a nt i ng the gove rnm e nt ’ s m ot i on t o e xc l ude r e f e r e n c e s to th e P ic k e r in g s h o o tin g a t tr ia l, b e c a u s e it d e p r iv e d H a rm o n o f a v iab le de f e ns e . W e r e vi e w de novo the di s tr i c tc our t ’ s de c i s i on t o gr a nta n i n l i m i ne m o t i o n b ased o n th e d efen d an t ’ s fai l u re t o est ab l i sh th atan affi rm at i v e d efen se appl i e s t o the f

a c t s of hi s c a s e . S e e U ni t e d S t a t e s v. T hom ps on, 25 F . 3d 1558, 15 63 (11th C i r. 19 94 ). In o rd er fo r a d efen d an tt o av ai l h i m sel f o f th e j u st i fi cat i o n d efen se, h e m u st pr ove by a pr e ponde r a nc e of the e vi de nc e : ( 1) tha the w a s f a c e d w i th a n unl a w f

ul4

a nd pr e s e nt , i m m i ne nt , a nd i m pe ndi ng thr e a tof de a th ors e r i ous bodi l y i nj ury ; ( 2) he di d notne gl i ge nt l y orr e c kl e s s l y pl a c e hi m s e l f i n a s i tua t i on w he r e he w oul d be f o r c e d to e n g a g e in c r im in a l c o n d u c t; ( 3 ) h e h a d n o r e a s o n ab le le g a l a lte rn a tiv e to vi ol a t i ng the l a w ; a nd ( 4) the r e w a s a di r e c tc a us a l r e l a t i ons hi p be tw e e n the c r i m i na l a c t i on a nd the a voi da nc e of the thr e a t e ne d ha rm . U ni t e d S t a t e s v. D e le v e a u x , 2 0 5 F .3 d 1 2 9 2 , 1 2 9 7

– 9 9 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 0 ) . T he i m m i nency prong “ re qu i re s nothi ng l es s than an i m m edi at e e m er gency. ” U ni t e d S t a t e s v. B e l l , 214 F . 3d 1299, 1300 ( 11th C i r . 2000) . I n U ni t e d S t a t e s v. R ic e , 2 1 4 F .3 d 1 2 9 5 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 0 ) , f o re x a m p le , w e h e ld th a t th e d e f e n d a n t in tha tc a s e di d notf

a c e a n i m m e di a t e e m e r ge nc y be c a us e a f t e rhe w a s thr e a t e ne d by a lo c a l g a n g ( w ith w h o m h e h a d a h is to ry o f ru n - in s ) , h e w a s ab le to le a v e , g e t h is g u n , a n d r e tu rn to s a m e s p o t w h e r e h e h a d b e e n th r e a te n e d . I d . a t 1 2 9 7

– 9 9 .

“ Indeed, atthe t i m e of hi s a rr es t , ” w e s ai d, “ the [gang] w as no w here t o b e s ee n. ” I d. a t1299. L i ke w i s e , P i c ke r i ng w a s now he r e t o be s e e n w he n H a rm on gotthe gun f r om h is s is te r ’s h o u s e . P ic k e r in g h a d n o t c h a s e dH a rm o n a f te rth e m a c h e te in c id e n t, e v e n th o u g h h e k n e w w h e r e H a r m o n w a s , a s e v id e n c e d b y h is p h o n e c a ll to H a r m o n ’s s is te r ’s h o u s e . H a r m o n n e v e rc a lle d th e p o lic e to r e p o r t th e m a c h e te in cid en t. In stea d , h is re sp o n se w as to g et th e g u n , l ea v e th e s af ety o f h is sister ’s5

hous e a nd dr i ve t o the tr a i l e rpa r k w he r e the f a t a l e nc ount e roc c urr e d. A c c o r d in g ly , u n d e rH a r m o n ’s p r o f f e rh e c o u ld n o t e s tab lis h th a t h e w a s in i m m i nentharm w hen h e t oo k p osse ss i on of the gu n athi s s i st er ’ s hou se , and that fa i l i ng i s f

at al t o the defense un der D el eveaux . H arm on w as there fore no tent i t l ed t o p ursue the j ust i fi ca t i on defe nse a thi s tri al , and con se qu ent l y, the di stri ctcourt di d note rri n e xc l udi ng a l l r e f e r e nc e s t o the P i c ke r i ng s hoot i ng. AF F I R ME D.