By: Shawn Vincent

Here’s a case where the initial fight was over, but the defender re-engaged the aggressor, provoking the fatal encounter that followed.

Fletcher Case Brief

Akira Fletcher and Nyema Norton had an ongoing feud marked by prior incidents, including Norton allegedly pulling a gun on Fletcher and threatening to kill her. This led to legal proceedings, with the two women scheduled to appear in court.

The night of the incident, Norton and an associate encountered Fletcher in a parking lot. Fletcher was sitting in her car when they began harassing her by banging on her windows. After damaging Fletcher’s car and causing the initial chaos, Norton and her associate began walking away. Instead of staying in her vehicle or leaving the scene, Fletcher decided to exit her car and verbally provoked Norton and her associate, saying, “You should be happy you don’t get clapped.”​

Fletcher retreated to her car while Norton returned and began shattering the windows with a rock. Fletcher recorded this incident on her cell phone, during which she calmly stated, “I have a gun.” When Norton continued the assault, Fletcher pulled out her firearm and shot four times, hitting both women. Norton was critically injured and hospitalized for six weeks before succumbing to her injuries, while the other woman survived.

Eventually, Fletcher posted a video of the encounter on Facebook, tagging a local news agency. She was arrested the next morning.

 

Self-Defense Lessons from the Fletcher Case

The goal of self-defense is to break contact with an aggressor and end the attack. By re-engaging, Fletcher opened the door to the tragic events that followed. Here are a few specific lessons for armed defenders:

Understand the legal consequences (Lesson 6): By recording the incident and later sharing the videos on social media and tagging the local news, Fletcher invited public scrutiny and strengthened the prosecution’s case against her. Criminal defense attorney Don West notes this decision was foolish as it provided direct evidence for law enforcement, which led to her immediate arrest.

Don’t get emotionally hijacked (Lesson 9): Fletcher’s ongoing feud with Norton, combined with her decision to yell and instigate instead of de-escalating, suggests she allowed emotions to dictate her actions. Don West says the history between the parties enflamed the situation and calls into question Fletcher’s motives for shooting Norton.

Don’t provoke an aggressor (Lesson 18): Don West notes that Fletcher’s statements and actions could be interpreted as provoking a secondary confrontation, even though she had been the initial victim. Prosecutors could argue that her words and actions were intentional acts of instigation, which undermine a self-defense claim.

Don’t follow an aggressor (Lesson 20): Norton and her associate were retreating after damaging Fletcher’s car, but instead of letting them leave, Fletcher followed them and re-engaged, instigating a second event after the initial confrontation and ended. It’s hard for Fletcher to argue she feared for her life when she intentionally re-engaged with her attacker.

 

The contents of this article are for general educational purposes and do not constitute legal advice. The goal of these articles is to share lessons from high-profile self-defense cases to help armed defenders make better self-defense decisions.