<img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574194012476.png">The unemployment rate in Ellis County was relatively flat in October, according to information released Tuesday by the state. The jobless rate rose from 1.9 percent in September to 2.0 percent in October, reported the Kansas Department of Labor and Bureau of Labor Statistics. Statewide, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.1 percent in October was down from 3.2 percent in September and down from 3.3 percent in October 2018. “Kansans can recognize two important milestones this month. The unemployment rate fell to 3.1 percent in October, the lowest rate in 40 years. April 1979 was the last month the unemployment rate was 3.1 percent," said Secretary Delía García. "Additionally, October established a record high level in the number of Kansans working." Unemployment rates across northwest Kansas remained extremely low, with Wichita, Scott, Gove, Wallace, Osborne and Norton counties all reporting rates below 2 percent. Graham County (2.9 percent) and Rooks County (2.8 percent) posted the highest unemployment in the region. Seasonally adjusted job estimates indicate total Kansas nonfarm jobs decreased by 500 from September. Private sector jobs, a subset of total nonfarm jobs, decreased by 700 from the previous month. “Total nonfarm jobs in Kansas have increased by 1.3 percent compared to last October. The state is continuing to show growth over the year, despite job declines over the month,” said Labor Economist, Emilie Doerksen. “The largest losses were concentrated in the manufacturing industry which was impacted by national strike activity." Since October 2018, Kansas gained 18,100 seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs and 13,600 private sector jobs. <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574194034628.png">

Several NW Kan. counties report jobless rates below 2 percent

<img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574178953704.png">TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is reporting that its unemployment rate in October dipped to 3.1% and was at its lowest rate in more than 40 years. The state Department of Labor said Tuesday that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined from 3.2% in September and was below the 3.3% recorded in October 2018.Labor Secretary Delia Garcia said the last time unemployment was 3.1% was in April 1979. The rate has stayed below 4% since January 2017. The state had nearly 1.18 million people employed in private-sector, nonfarm jobs in October. That’s 13,600 more than in October 2018 for an increase of 1.2%. The most robust over-the-year growth was in administrative, support and waste management services. They added 5,600 jobs for 6.9% growth and employment of 86,900 workers.

Kansas unemployment drops to lowest in 40-plus years

<img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574119308705.png">Chemical plume over Atchison, Kansas in October 2016-photo courtesy Corie Dunn TOPEKA, KAN. – An Atchison, Kan., company today pleaded guilty to violating the federal Clean Air Act and is expected to pay a $1 million fine, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.&nbsp;MGP Products, Inc. pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor offense of negligently violating the Clean Air Act. In its plea, the company admitted that on Oct. 21, 2016, a greenish-yellow chlorine gas cloud formed when 4,000 gallons of sulfuric acid were mistakenly combined with 5,800 gallons of sodium hypochlorite. The Atchison County Department of Emergency Management ordered community members to shelter in place and to evacuate in some areas. Approximately 140 individuals including members of the public, first responders, employees of MGP Ingredients and Harcos Chemicals sought medical attention.&nbsp;&nbsp;Sentencing is set for Feb. 24. The company could be sentenced to a term of probation up to five years.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Victims can get more information on US v. Midwest Grain Products, Inc., by visiting&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ks/victim-witness" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: black;">https://www.justice.gov/usao-ks/victim-witness</a>&nbsp;and filling out a victim questionnaire, leaving a message on a designated phone line at 913-551-6543 or emailing questions to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:usaks.victim.witness@usdoj.gov" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: black;">usaks.victim.witness@usdoj.gov</a>&nbsp;.&nbsp;

Kan. company agrees to pay $1 Million for violating clean air act

<img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574123455345.jpeg">1956 – 2019 Michael or Mike, as he was known by family and friends, was born September 30, 1956, to Carl H. J. and Rita (Pianalto) Antholz. The 4th of 12 children, he grew up on a farm just west of McDonald. Growing up he participated in 4-H, high school sports:&nbsp;basketball, track and most important football. He also found FFA to be an important activity to him. Mike graduated from McDonald High School in 1973 and then attended Northwest Kansas Vo-Tech in Goodland for auto mechanics. Following school he worked a number of jobs while still living in McDonald including farming, driving school bus, working as an electrician's assistant and also working at a feedlot. On October 14, 1978, he married Margyre Sue Sanders. On August 18, 1981, he became the proud father of Bridgette Desiree, daughter and only child born to the union. In 1982, the family moved to St Francis while Mike was still working for the feedlot. In 1983, he began a 30 year career as a heavy equipment operator for the Cheyenne County Road and Bridge Department ending in 2013. During this time he also served as and EMT for the Cheyenne County EMS for over 10 years. Things Mike enjoyed included beekeeping, hunting and fishing with family and friends, refereeing basketball with his brother Eric and he was a member of the McDonald Lions Club. In more recent years he was very active in Knights of Columbus:&nbsp;he was the local Grand Knight, District Deputy, a 4th Degree Knight and member of the honor guard and in 2007 received the prestigious award of State Knight of the Year. He was also active in the Catholic Church serving on the church council, as Eucharistic Minister, greeter and more. Football was always a love of Mike's even when he was no longer able to play. He organized the St Francis Fantasy Football League or SFFFL where he served as commissioner for over 20 years and, until his recent illness, never missed an NFL game. (When Bridgette's close friend Holly had her daughter Jordyn in December of 2003, the 2 of them became very close...she called him Grandpa Mike and she was his only granddaughter. They spent many a day together when she was young...watching football together, eating out together, took her for rides in the car, birthday parties and more. He even waited to leave this earthly world until she was there with him.) Mike passed away on November 14, 2019 at age 63, at University Hospital in Aurora, Colorado, following a long battle with his health. &nbsp;He is survived by wife, Margyre; daughter, Bridgette; brother-in-law Francis (Phyllis) Sanders Jr.; sister-in-law Janice (Larry) Cyphers; sister-in-law Babs Antholz; brother Eric (Melody) Antholz; Sisters: Cecilia (Ben) Rasmussen; Kathy (Curt) Russell; Sylvia (Dave) Hubbard; Ann Parcel; Barb (Rod) Murphy; Mary (Leon) Volk; Lisa (Mark) Mertens; Joan (Phil) Grace and many nieces, nephews and dear friends. He is preceded in death by parents Carl and Rita Antholz; brother Herman; sister Susan; and brother-in-law Duane Parcel. A Memorial Mass for Mike will be held on Thursday, November 21, 2019 at 10:30 AM CT at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Bird City with Fr. Joseph Asirvatham and Fr. Carlos Ruiz officiating.&nbsp;Private family inurnment will be held in the St. Francis Cemetery, St. Francis, KS. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, November 20, 2019 from 6:00 to 7:00 PM CT with a Vigil and Rosary service to begin at 7:00 PM CT at the Church in Bird City. Memorials may be designated to the Mike Antholz Memorial Fund and may be left at the services or mailed to Koons-Russell Funeral Home, 211 N. Main Ave., Goodland, KS 67735. Online condolences for the family may be left at www.koonsrussellfuneralhome.com. Services have been entrusted to Koons-Russell Funeral Home in Goodland, KS.

Michael Charles Antholz

<a href="https://www.hayspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/6766460_fbs.jpg" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.hayspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/6766460_fbs.jpg" width="200" height="200"></a>Vallene M. Immenschuh, 77, passed away November 15, 2019 at The University of Kansas Health System Pawnee Valley Campus, Larned.﻿ She was born February 14, 1942 in Great Bend, KS, the daughter of Louis J. and Meta A. Rankin Oetken.&nbsp;A longtime area resident, except for living in California from 1961 to 1983, she was co-owner of the Pelican Press. She was a member of the Peace Lutheran Church and the ladies church group, both of Albert, KS.&nbsp;She enjoyed living in the country, gardening, reading, traveling and she especially enjoyed the wildlife. On June 3, 1961, she married Carl Dean Immenschuh in Albert, Kansas.&nbsp;He died October 22, 2011. Survivors include: two daughters, Lori (William) Rountree, Hutchinson, KS, Lani (Brian Fisher) Immenschuh, Melbourne, FL; brother, Gerald (Karen) Oetken, Larned, KS; sister, Rita Gagelman, Albert, KS; three grandchildren, Jason Hardin, Hutchinson, KS, Kelley Arter, Tacoma, WA, Zack Arter, Manhattan, KS; three great grandchildren, Jayden Hardin (Nicole Main, McKenna Hardin and Remmi Hardin. She was preceded in death by her parents and husband. Funeral will be at 1 p.m. Thursday, November 21, 2019, at Peace Lutheran Church, Albert, KS, with pastor Wayne Baldyga presiding. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, November 20, 2019, with family present from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Beckwith Mortuary, Larned, KS.&nbsp;Burial will be in the Peace Lutheran Cemetery, Albert, KS. Memorials may be given to the Peace Lutheran Church, Albert, The University of Kansas Health System Pawnee Valley Campus or Pawnee County Humane Society, both of Larned, in care of Beckwith Mortuary, P.O. Box 477 Larned, KS 67550.&nbsp;Condolences may be left at www.beckwithmortuary.com.

Vallene M. Immenschuh

<img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574087033307.jpeg"> Roland (Sammy) Maurice Froetschner, 91 passed away November 16, 2019 at Country Living of Larned, Memory Care. Born October 22, 1928 in Larned; the son of Roy William Sr. and Mary Stauffer Froetschner.&nbsp;A lifetime area resident; he was a farmer/stockman for Broken Bar F farms.He was a member of the Larned United Methodist Church, American Legion, was a Garfield COOP Board Member, Pawnee County Extension council member, ASCS board member, was a Friend of 4-H award recipient and was a very active church member.On November 26, 1960 he married Janice D. Seeman.&nbsp;She survives. Other survivors include; two sisters; Cordelia (Richard) Overfield Omaha, Nebraska and Donna (Norman) Christensen, Garden City; three sister-in-laws, Lorene Froetschner, Helen Froetschner, both of Larned and Maggie Froetschner, Salina; numerous nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by; his son, Aaron Matthew Froetschner; seven brothers, Donald, Marion, Roy Jr., Glenn, Robert, Wayne and Kyrle Froetschner; two sisters, Marvel Field and Wilma Froetschner; three sister-in-laws, Karen Froetschner, Neva Froetschner, Georgie Froetschner; and a brother-in-law, Loys Field. Funeral will be 11:00 a.m. Tuesday at the Larned United Methodist Church with Pastor Tricia North presiding.&nbsp;Visitation will be 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday at Beckwith Mortuary, Larned.&nbsp;Burial will be in the Larned Cemetery, Larned, Kansas. Memorials may be given to the Larned United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 477, Larned, KS 67550

Roland (Sammy) Maurice Froetschner

Jack Holmes, 87, of Russell, Kansas passed away on Friday, November 15, 2019 at the Russell Regional Hospital in Russell. Jack was born October 26, 1932 in Wichita, Kansas. He was the only child of Earl and Anna (Singer) Holmes. At the age of 6, Jack and his parents moved to Russell. He graduated from Russell High School 1950. Jack was united in marriage to Elaine Covington November 1, 1953 in Phillips, Texas. This union was blessed with three children; Tami, Julie and Tim. They made their home in Sterling, Colorado; Cambridge, Nebraska; Farmington, New Mexico; Pratt, Kansas; and returned to Russell in 1974. Jack was an Oil Pumper for Getty Oil for over 35 years. After Chevron Texaco purchased the company, he remained working for three more years before retiring in 1987. He was an active member of the Calvary Chapel, Assembly of God Church. Surviving family include his beloved wife of 66 years, Elaine of the home, Tami (David) Hoffman of Golden, Colorado and Son, Tim Holmes of Wichita, Kansas; four grandchildren Julie King, Denver, Colorado, Jenny (Joel) Maxwell, Arvada, Colorado, Justin (Maggie) Hoffman, Arvada, Colorado, Lauren (Alex) Lievestro, San Diego, California; five great-grandchildren Elise and Ava King, Sherman Oaks, California and Zadie, Zyla and Zaxton Maxwell, Arvada, Colorado. Jack was proceded in death by his parents Earl and Anna Holmes and their daughter Julia Elaine Holmes. A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 A.M., Tuesday, November 19, 2019 at Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary in Russell. A private burial of ashes will follow at a later date. A Memorial has been established with Hoffman Family Foundation benefiting Rays of Grace Primary School in Kirugu, Uganda Africa. Contributions and condolences may be sent to Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary, 610 N. Maple, Russell, Kansas 67665 who is facilitating these arrangements.

Jack Holmes

<img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573752531476.jpeg">A social work student participates in a counseling simulation. Courtesy photo FHSU University Relations Applications opened this fall for the new Master of Social Work program at Fort Hays State University, the latest initiative by the university to serve rural Kansas.Fort Hays State’s program will carry a specialty in clinical social work. Dr. Tim Davis, a professor in and chair of the Department of Social Work, said the FHSU Master of Social Work program takes advantage of the flexibility and outreach aspects of online education while maintaining a strong, hands-on clinical training emphasis. He said the department will accept up to 45 students this first year. “The MSW program at FHSU will provide high quality and affordable solution to the demand for clinical social workers in Kansas, and improve access to health and mental health care for residents in the underserved rural areas of the state,” said Davis.Three aspects of FHSU’s program are innovations designed to create opportunity in rural areas: • Hands-on clinical skills training will be provided near where students live, thanks to creative use of online technology, the completion of face to face clinical intensives, and partnerships with agency field instructors. • In addition to the standard requirement of 16 to 24 hours a week of clinical practicums, students will complete several short clinical rotations at health clinics, mental health clinics or other clinical sites at the start of the clinical practicum period. • After graduation, the department will provide the program’s alumni with ongoing help in finding and providing the clinical supervision and training during the two-and-a-half to three-year residency-type training required to gain licensure as independent clinical social workers. “This is particularly important for Western Kansas as FHSU is the only university located in the western half of the state,” he said. “There is an acute, unmet need for social workers at the master’s level and higher across Kansas, and particularly in the FHSU service area.” As the program continues to grow, the department will expand its long-standing partnerships with communities and agencies in order to provide students with a broad foundation of knowledge through clinical experience in health and behavioral health as well as classroom training. Davis said clinical training partnerships will extend into post-MSW partnerships to provide the credentials that MSW alumni will need to gain independent licensure. This is particularly important in the supervised clinical training required for independent licensure. Agencies in rural areas often do not have the personnel with the required credentials to supervise the post-graduate clinical training for licensure. Department faculty, who have the appropriate credentials, will use HIPAA compliant video conferencing systems to provide group supervision to the graduates at work in the clinical settings. In addition, the department will work with agencies to ensure robust ongoing training through the clinical training plan. “We understand the challenges and rewards of living and working in rural Kansas,” said Davis. “We are committed, through education, scholarship and service, to training exceptional clinical social workers as well as supporting the agencies and communities in which they serve.” The program offers two pathways to an MSW degree. The Regular MSW Program consists of academic coursework for four standard semesters, one summer term, and field practicum experiences across four regular semesters. The Advanced Standing MSW Program is only available to students with a bachelor’s degree in social work from a Council of Social Work Education accredited social work program. This program can be completed in one calendar year of academic coursework and two semesters of field practicum experience. Both degree paths will provide students the clinical training and educational requirements necessary to obtain licensure as a clinical social worker. Both began accepting applications in October. The advanced program will start in June 2020 and the regular program will start in August 2020. Similar to the FHSU Bachelors of Social Work Program, FHSU will seek and secure CSWE accreditation for the MSW Program. As is the case with all new programs, said Davis, the MSW Program will launch in candidacy status and become eligible for full CSWE accreditation after two years. Students who graduate from the program while it is in candidacy will retain a fully accredited degree upon the program’s approval of accreditation following the two-year candidacy period. The MSW Program’s candidacy status will neither delay nor prevent graduates from obtaining licensure, he said. FHSU’s Bachelor of Social Work program is CSWE accredited. As a primarily online program, all knowledge and theory components of the courses, as well as some practice skill development, will be delivered through online technology, while the hands-on clinical skills training will be completed in face-to-face clinical intensives, clinical rotations, and clinical field placements, said Davis. Clinical intensive requirements in the advanced clinical year involve attendance at one session per semester, which consists of two and a half days of hands-on clinical training. To make the program more accessible to students, these sessions will be organized around the regions where the MSW students are concentrated. Clinical rotations and clinical practicums can be set up near where individual students reside.Tuition and fee information for both programs, and comparisons with other MSW programs in the region are available on the departmental Facebook and Instagram pages and on the department’s webpage, www.fhsu.edu/socialwork. For more information, contact Dr. Tim Davis by email, todavis@fhsu.edu, or by phone, 785-628-5395.

FHSU begins taking applications for new Master of Social Work program

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The man accused of firing the first shots at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-parade-shooting-kansas-city-62e69a17b469b854afd7bcc3f548d1fc">Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally</a>&nbsp;told authorities he felt threatened, while a second man said he pulled the trigger because someone was shooting at him, according to court documents.

Experts say that even though the shooting left one bystander dead and roughly two dozen people injured, 23-year-old Lyndell Mays and 18-year-old Dominic Miller might have good cases for self-defense through the state’s “stand your ground” law.

Missouri is among more than 30 states that have adopted some version of stand your ground laws over the past two decades, said Robert Spitzer, a professor emeritus of political science at the State University of New York, Cortland, whose research focuses on gun policy and politics. While earlier laws allowed people to use force to protect themselves in their homes, stand your ground provides even broader self-defense rights regardless of the location.

Now, the mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl celebration could be a new test of those expanded protections, and comes as self-defense already is at the center of another&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ralph-yarl/">high-profile Kansas City shooting</a>&nbsp;that left Ralph Yarl wounded.

“This illustrates in a dramatic way the fundamental problem, especially when it’s a public gathering where there are thousands and thousands of people, and even a highly trained police officer often cannot avoid injuring others in a gunfire exchange in a public place,” said Spitzer, who wrote the book “Guns Across America: Reconciling Gun Rules and Rights.”

Trial attorney Daniel Ross described the stand your ground law as a “formidable defense” that he and many other Kansas City defense attorneys anticipate will be used in Mays' and Miller's cases. He said the law puts the onus on the prosecution to disprove claims that a shooting is lawful self-defense.

“Collateral damage under Missouri law is excused if you’re actually engaged in lawful self-defense and there’s other folks injured,” he said.

There are limits to the defense, however, said Eric Ruben, a law professor at the S.M.U. Dedman School of Law in Dallas who has written on stand your ground and self-defense immunity.

“Even though Missouri has robust stand-your-ground laws, that doesn’t mean you can spray bullets into a crowd in the name of defending yourself or others,” Ruben said.

The barrage of gunfire Feb. 14 outside Kansas City’s historic Union Station happened as the celebration that drew an estimated 1 million fans was concluding. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-parade-shooting-kansas-city-62e69a17b469b854afd7bcc3f548d1fc">woman died</a>&nbsp;while watching the rally with her family, and nearly two dozen others — more than half of them children — were injured and survived.

Kansas City already was grappling with the shooting of Yarl, a Black teenager, who survived a bullet wound to the head when he went to the wrong house in April 2023 to pick up his brothers. Andrew Lester, an 85-year-old white man, is planning to claim&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-wichita-topeka-legislature-gun-politics-6f61a926a56353a4b22ffecf90c46be3">self-defense</a>&nbsp;when he goes to trial in October. His attorney said the retiree was terrified by the stranger on his doorstep.

While the Super Bowl celebration shooting was a far different scenario, it raises anew questions about how far people can go to protect themselves and what happens when the innocent become victims.

Mays and Miller are each charged with second-degree murder and other counts.

Probable cause statements suggest that both men felt threatened. Mays said he picked out one person in a group at random and started shooting because they said, “I'm going to get you,” and he took that to mean, “I'm going to kill you,” the statement said.

Miller said under questioning that he fired four or five times because someone was shooting at him. His friend, Marques Harris, told&nbsp;<a href="https://fox4kc.com/news/friend-says-chiefs-parade-shooting-suspect-was-only-protecting-him/">WDAF-TV</a>&nbsp;that Miller was only trying to protect him after he was shot in the neck.

Miller’s attorney didn’t return phone and email messages seeking comment. No attorney was listed for Mays in online court records.

Two juveniles also face&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-parade-shooting-kansas-city-278e2d3e2cfece1cbe958511e54127ad">gun-related and resisting arrest</a>&nbsp;charges.

Missouri has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-parade-shooting-kansas-city-938583b1e9aa3b3a45f8a012e7b80fee">few firearm regulations</a>, and two of its cities — Kansas City and St. Louis — annually have among the nation's highest homicide rates. Missouri’s current Republican lawmakers have largely defended the state’s gun laws, instead blaming prosecutors and other local elected officials in the two cities.

And Republican Gov. Mike Parson, speaking to reporters last week, cited societal problems — not guns — as the reason for the violence. “I believe it's much more than a gun," he said.

When&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/missouri-lawmakers-loosen-gun-laws-back-voter-photo-id-c973268d37704b9b9b221e59c5b5dc7d?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">Republican lawmakers in 2016</a>&nbsp;expanded the state's already-extensive self-defense protections by enacting the current stand your ground law, Black Missouri lawmakers raised concerns. The law also allowed most adults to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/missouri-lawmakers-loosen-gun-laws-back-voter-photo-id-c973268d37704b9b9b221e59c5b5dc7d?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">carry concealed guns</a>&nbsp;without a permit.

Racial disparities are rife among those who invoke the defense, with an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/american-criminal-justice-color-blind-statistics-say-no">Urban Institute</a>&nbsp;study showing white shooters are more likely to benefit than Black defendants.

The issue was raised when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ahmaud-arbery-shootings-george-floyd-race-and-ethnicity-police-e063accd716fa3d0ee5f175163c0c5cb">Kyle Rittenhouse</a>, a white teen, was acquitted of killing two people and wounding a third during a 2020 protest against racism and police brutality in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after testifying he acted in self-defense. Rittenhouse’s actions became a flashpoint in the debate over guns, vigilantism and racial injustice in the U.S.

The shooting death of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/trayvon-martin">Trayvon Martin</a>, a Black 17-year-old, by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/george-zimmerman">George Zimmerman</a>&nbsp;also spurred concerns about stand your ground laws. Zimmerman, a self-appointed neighborhood watchman who thought Martin looked suspicious, wasn’t arrested for 44 days after the Feb. 26, 2012, shooting as police in Sanford, Florida, insisted that Florida’s stand your ground law prohibited charges.

Zimmerman was eventually arrested and charged, but his attorneys chose not to pursue a stand your ground claim, which could have resulted in the dismissal of murder changes as well as immunity from prosecution. But during the trial, the law was essentially used as part of his self-defense argument. Jurors found him not guilty.

In Georgia, which also has a stand your ground law, three white men accused of fatally shooting&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-ahmaud-arberys-killing-spurred-a-national-reckoning-on-race">Ahmaud Arbery</a>&nbsp;in 2020 claimed self-defense. Travis McMichael, his father Greg McMichael and neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan claimed they chased Arbery, who was Black, because they thought he was a burglar. All three were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/watch-live-three-men-convicted-of-the-murder-of-ahmaud-arbery-will-be-sentenced-for-the-killing">convicted of murder</a>.

In 2022, Wichita, Kansas, area district attorney Marc Bennett was critical of the state’s stand your ground law when he announced that he wouldn’t file charges over the death of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wichita-kansas-a51f619b8b196987e74b046ac399680c">Cedric Lofton</a>, a Black 17-year-old who was restrained facedown for more than 30 minutes at a juvenile detention center. Bennett said the law prevented him from bringing charges because staff members were protecting themselves.

With the Chiefs parade case unfolding, it is time to look anew at these laws, said Melba Pearson, a former homicide prosecutor who is now the director of prosecution projects at the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy at Florida International University.

“What are truly the limits in terms of stand your ground and what really falls into the category of self-defense?" she asked. "Do we need to revisit what stand your ground looks like?”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708018861457.jpeg" alt="FILE photo-Police clear the area following a shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs NFL football Super Bowl celebration in Kansas City(AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)." />
 <figcaption>FILE photo-Police clear the area following a shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs NFL football Super Bowl celebration in Kansas City(AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann).</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The man accused of firing the first shots at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-parade-shooting-kansas-city-62e69a17b469b854afd7bcc3f548d1fc">Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally</a>&nbsp;told authorities he felt threatened, while a second man said he pulled the trigger because someone was shooting at him, according to court documents.Experts say that even though the shooting left one bystander dead and roughly two dozen people injured, 23-year-old Lyndell Mays and 18-year-old Dominic Miller might have good cases for self-defense through the state’s “stand your ground” law.Missouri is among more than 30 states that have adopted some version of stand your ground laws over the past two decades, said Robert Spitzer, a professor emeritus of political science at the State University of New York, Cortland, whose research focuses on gun policy and politics. While earlier laws allowed people to use force to protect themselves in their homes, stand your ground provides even broader self-defense rights regardless of the location.Now, the mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl celebration could be a new test of those expanded protections, and comes as self-defense already is at the center of another&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ralph-yarl/">high-profile Kansas City shooting</a>&nbsp;that left Ralph Yarl wounded.“This illustrates in a dramatic way the fundamental problem, especially when it’s a public gathering where there are thousands and thousands of people, and even a highly trained police officer often cannot avoid injuring others in a gunfire exchange in a public place,” said Spitzer, who wrote the book “Guns Across America: Reconciling Gun Rules and Rights.”Trial attorney Daniel Ross described the stand your ground law as a “formidable defense” that he and many other Kansas City defense attorneys anticipate will be used in Mays' and Miller's cases. He said the law puts the onus on the prosecution to disprove claims that a shooting is lawful self-defense.“Collateral damage under Missouri law is excused if you’re actually engaged in lawful self-defense and there’s other folks injured,” he said.There are limits to the defense, however, said Eric Ruben, a law professor at the S.M.U. Dedman School of Law in Dallas who has written on stand your ground and self-defense immunity.“Even though Missouri has robust stand-your-ground laws, that doesn’t mean you can spray bullets into a crowd in the name of defending yourself or others,” Ruben said.The barrage of gunfire Feb. 14 outside Kansas City’s historic Union Station happened as the celebration that drew an estimated 1 million fans was concluding. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-parade-shooting-kansas-city-62e69a17b469b854afd7bcc3f548d1fc">woman died</a>&nbsp;while watching the rally with her family, and nearly two dozen others — more than half of them children — were injured and survived.Kansas City already was grappling with the shooting of Yarl, a Black teenager, who survived a bullet wound to the head when he went to the wrong house in April 2023 to pick up his brothers. Andrew Lester, an 85-year-old white man, is planning to claim&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-wichita-topeka-legislature-gun-politics-6f61a926a56353a4b22ffecf90c46be3">self-defense</a>&nbsp;when he goes to trial in October. His attorney said the retiree was terrified by the stranger on his doorstep.While the Super Bowl celebration shooting was a far different scenario, it raises anew questions about how far people can go to protect themselves and what happens when the innocent become victims.Mays and Miller are each charged with second-degree murder and other counts.Probable cause statements suggest that both men felt threatened. Mays said he picked out one person in a group at random and started shooting because they said, “I'm going to get you,” and he took that to mean, “I'm going to kill you,” the statement said.Miller said under questioning that he fired four or five times because someone was shooting at him. His friend, Marques Harris, told&nbsp;<a href="https://fox4kc.com/news/friend-says-chiefs-parade-shooting-suspect-was-only-protecting-him/">WDAF-TV</a>&nbsp;that Miller was only trying to protect him after he was shot in the neck.Miller’s attorney didn’t return phone and email messages seeking comment. No attorney was listed for Mays in online court records.Two juveniles also face&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-parade-shooting-kansas-city-278e2d3e2cfece1cbe958511e54127ad">gun-related and resisting arrest</a>&nbsp;charges.Missouri has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-parade-shooting-kansas-city-938583b1e9aa3b3a45f8a012e7b80fee">few firearm regulations</a>, and two of its cities — Kansas City and St. Louis — annually have among the nation's highest homicide rates. Missouri’s current Republican lawmakers have largely defended the state’s gun laws, instead blaming prosecutors and other local elected officials in the two cities.And Republican Gov. Mike Parson, speaking to reporters last week, cited societal problems — not guns — as the reason for the violence. “I believe it's much more than a gun," he said.When&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/missouri-lawmakers-loosen-gun-laws-back-voter-photo-id-c973268d37704b9b9b221e59c5b5dc7d?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">Republican lawmakers in 2016</a>&nbsp;expanded the state's already-extensive self-defense protections by enacting the current stand your ground law, Black Missouri lawmakers raised concerns. The law also allowed most adults to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/missouri-lawmakers-loosen-gun-laws-back-voter-photo-id-c973268d37704b9b9b221e59c5b5dc7d?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">carry concealed guns</a>&nbsp;without a permit.Racial disparities are rife among those who invoke the defense, with an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/american-criminal-justice-color-blind-statistics-say-no">Urban Institute</a>&nbsp;study showing white shooters are more likely to benefit than Black defendants.The issue was raised when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ahmaud-arbery-shootings-george-floyd-race-and-ethnicity-police-e063accd716fa3d0ee5f175163c0c5cb">Kyle Rittenhouse</a>, a white teen, was acquitted of killing two people and wounding a third during a 2020 protest against racism and police brutality in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after testifying he acted in self-defense. Rittenhouse’s actions became a flashpoint in the debate over guns, vigilantism and racial injustice in the U.S.The shooting death of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/trayvon-martin">Trayvon Martin</a>, a Black 17-year-old, by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/george-zimmerman">George Zimmerman</a>&nbsp;also spurred concerns about stand your ground laws. Zimmerman, a self-appointed neighborhood watchman who thought Martin looked suspicious, wasn’t arrested for 44 days after the Feb. 26, 2012, shooting as police in Sanford, Florida, insisted that Florida’s stand your ground law prohibited charges.Zimmerman was eventually arrested and charged, but his attorneys chose not to pursue a stand your ground claim, which could have resulted in the dismissal of murder changes as well as immunity from prosecution. But during the trial, the law was essentially used as part of his self-defense argument. Jurors found him not guilty.In Georgia, which also has a stand your ground law, three white men accused of fatally shooting&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-ahmaud-arberys-killing-spurred-a-national-reckoning-on-race">Ahmaud Arbery</a>&nbsp;in 2020 claimed self-defense. Travis McMichael, his father Greg McMichael and neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan claimed they chased Arbery, who was Black, because they thought he was a burglar. All three were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/watch-live-three-men-convicted-of-the-murder-of-ahmaud-arbery-will-be-sentenced-for-the-killing">convicted of murder</a>.In 2022, Wichita, Kansas, area district attorney Marc Bennett was critical of the state’s stand your ground law when he announced that he wouldn’t file charges over the death of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wichita-kansas-a51f619b8b196987e74b046ac399680c">Cedric Lofton</a>, a Black 17-year-old who was restrained facedown for more than 30 minutes at a juvenile detention center. Bennett said the law prevented him from bringing charges because staff members were protecting themselves.With the Chiefs parade case unfolding, it is time to look anew at these laws, said Melba Pearson, a former homicide prosecutor who is now the director of prosecution projects at the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy at Florida International University.“What are truly the limits in terms of stand your ground and what really falls into the category of self-defense?" she asked. "Do we need to revisit what stand your ground looks like?”

Chiefs rally shooting could test expanded 'stand your ground' protections

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