A Cortez man was cleared of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after a judge ruled that he acted in lawful self-defense under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law.
The case involving Kevin Armstrong, 42, stemmed from a 2024 shooting in the Sunny Shores community of Cortez.
Twelfth Circuit Judge Frederick Mercurio issued an Oct. 13 ruling dismissing the charge against Armstrong, who was accused of firing a shotgun during an armed confrontation outside his home on 116th Street West.
Armstrong was arrested following a June 6, 2024, altercation with his girlfriend, Caitlin Lipke, and two men.
According to court filings, Armstrong told Lipke to leave his residence after an argument. She later met with Cole Banyas and Dylan Taylor at the Cortez Kitchen, who were armed when they later drove Lipke by golf cart to Armstrong’s home to get her belongings.
When they arrived, Lipke allegedly shoved Armstrong as Banyas and Taylor displayed firearms “in a threatening manner,” according to a Stand Your Ground motion filed on Armstrong’s behalf.
Armstrong fired a shotgun blast into the air “as a warning,” and Taylor fired toward the house, according to Armstrong’s motion. In the exchange, Lipke was struck in the chest and Armstrong was wounded in the foot.
After reviewing testimony and evidence, Mercurio found Armstrong’s belief that he faced imminent danger to be “reasonable under the circumstances,” granting him immunity from prosecution under the state’s self-defense statute.
Florida’s Stand Your Ground law allows individuals to use deadly force without a duty to retreat if they reasonably believe their life is in danger.