Justified killing

Is there such a thing as justified killing? Many would argue that the killing of another individual is by far one of the worse crimes that can be committed. Though under certain circumstances such as capital punishment, or to kill in self-defense, justified killing is okay. These options are only acceptable if there is no viable alternative to doing so. Everyone has the right to live, and once someone decides to kill another individual then they should lose that right. They don’t deserve to have the right of life if they want to take the life of an innocent person. Many believe that it is not right to kill someone, but if you are protecting yourself or someone else in need of protection then it is okay, thus making the killers actions acceptable. However, I personally believe that there are better alternatives than death to resolving conflicts. Self-defense from another person is generally accepted as legal justification for killing in situations that would otherwise have been murder. One prime example would be the Trayvon Martin court case that occurred in Florida, June of 2013. Trayvon Martin, a seven-teen year old African American male, was shot dead by neighborhood watchman, George Zimmerman. Police did not arrest Zimmerman after he claimed he acted in self-defense. Florida has a law called “Stand Your Ground” which allows people to kill if they believe their own life is at risk. When Zimmerman was questioned regarding his actions in the situation, he simply stated that he felt threatened by the teen. With the “Stand Your Ground” law in place, George Zimmerman reasoning for the killing withstood in court, allowing him to walk away a free man. Though this may seem like a case of self-defense, both Legal documents and police records show that Zimmerman made a call from inside his car informing authorities of his suspicions regarding the teenager. He was instructed to remain in his car, but he did not obey these instructions. Zimmerman proceeded