Photo : Selma Police Department

We all know who “stand your ground” laws protect, so perhaps it is not surprising that a 38-year-old black Selma, Ala., woman is behind bars and facing murder charges despite the fact that she insists she shot and killed her estranged husband in self-defense.


Jacqueline Dixon fired the fatal shot at her husband, 44-year-old Carl Omar Dixon, on Tuesday morning. Carl Omar Dixon was found unresponsive in the front yard of the home and was pronounced dead at the scene, AL.co m reports.

Jacqueline Dixon was taken into custody at the scene. She told officers that her husband had charged at her in an aggressive manner when she fired what Police Chief Spencer Collier described as a small-caliber handgun.


Interestingly enough, Coller and the Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson acknowledge that Jacqueline Dixon did have an order of protection from abuse against her husband, however, according to authorities, she did not seek to enforce the order at times.

Jacqueline Dixon requested the order in 2016, claiming that her husband punched her and cursed at her, something she says he had done several times, though he always came back.

A judge issued the order and gave Jacqueline Dixon temporary custody of their two young children.

“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 to news site . “However, the order is simply a piece of paper if the complainant does not seek its enforcement. Regardless, it is a sad case and Selma PD joins the community in praying for both families.”


Jackson acknowledged that the couple has had issues in the past, saying that the deadly altercation on Tuesday possibly started after Carl Omar Dixon found a condom at his wife’s house and accused her of cheating.

Nonetheless, despite this history and despite Jacqueline Dixon’s claims, a warrant for murder-domestic violence was issued and she was booked into the Dallas County Jail with bond set at $100,000.


“Domestic violence is a crime that knows no racial, geographic or socioeconomic boundary,’’ the police chief said. “It affects all segments of our society and every situation is needless and preventable.”

Alabama is a “stand your ground” state, which legally allows citizens to use deadly force to protect themselves, however no mention of this has currently been made in Dixon’s case. One would hope that given her history with her husband, and the fact that she had a protective order out, enforced or no, would bear some weight.


However, only time will tell if once again these United States will prove who exactly these laws protect.