An Alabama woman was arrested for shooting her abusive husband despite claiming self-defense in a stand your ground state, AL.com reports.
Selma police responded to a call on Tuesday morning and found an unresponsive Carl Dixon, 44, in the front yard. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
The man’s wife, 38-year-old Jacqueline Dixon, was taken into custody. Selma police chief Spencer Collier said Jacqueline shot her husband with a small-caliber handgun, Heavy reports.
Jacqueline had an order of protection against her husband, but it was not consistently enforced, according to Collier. According to court papers, Jacqueline sought the order in 2016, after she accused Carl of punching her in the face and cursing at her. She says he’s hit her multiple times and kept coming to the home despite the order.
The judge ruled in her favor and granted Jacqueline temporary custody of the couple’s two children.
Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson says Tuesday’s altercation started after Carl discovered a condom in the home and accused his wife of cheating.
Collier seemed sympathetic to Dixon’s plight.
"Domestic violence is a crime that knows no racial, geographic or socioeconomic boundary,'' Collier said. "It affects all segments of our society and every situation is needless and preventable."
Still, he believes not enforcing the protection order worked against her.
"It is pretty clear that the judicial system worked in this situation because the protection from abuse order was in place. I am not sure which judge handled the matter, but I applaud him for doing his job,'' Collier said. "However, the order is simply a piece of paper if the complaintant does not seek its enforcement. Regardless, it is a sad case and Selma PD joins the community in praying for both families."
According to Law & Crime, Jacqueline posted her $100,000 bail and was released.
Jacqueline’s plight is already receiving social media attention and reviving the “stand your ground” debate. People have pointed out the parallels between this incident and other famous cases.
Jacqueline Dixon's case in Selma recalls that of Marissa Alexander's case in Florida and many others. Women have the right to defend themselves and cannot count on “stand your ground” law, the police, or the system to protect them. These things regularly extend the harm.
— William C. (@williamcson) August 1, 2018
From Marissa Alexander to Jacqueline Dixon, Black women are denied the right to self-defense. Instead of supporting survivors, the state chooses to criminalize them.
— Women's March (@womensmarch) August 3, 2018
Jacqueline Dixon shot, killed ABUSIVE husband in the driveway of HER home which he was COURT ORDERED to stay away from and she is in custody yet there are white men all over this country walking free after killing harmless POC on no grounds. Garbage. https://t.co/A6jorDn0s0
— Rey Aragon (@ShitReySays) August 2, 2018
#JacquelineDixon used self defense against her abusive husband by shooting him, but somehow faces murder charges in Selma, Alabama….We have “Stand Your Ground” laws, but somehow it doesn’t apply to Black Women in need. #ThisisAmerica
— Stephanie Hardy (@QueenStephHardy) August 3, 2018
According to FindLaw, 23 states, including Alabama, have stand your ground laws.
The case will be sent to a grand jury for review.
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