Key Takeaways
- Miami rapper Kevhani Hicks is seeking stand your ground immunity after fatally shooting fellow artist Demitrie Harris near the Wynwood Walls in October 2023.
- Hicks testified she fired because she believed Harris was about to kill her, after being struck, thrown against a car, and chased.
- Video of the incident shows Harris moving away from Hicks as she fired multiple shots at him on the street.
- Hicks was also struck by a car driven by her manager as he left the area after the shooting.
- A judge will decide whether to grant Hicks immunity from prosecution, which would end the case without a trial.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
MIAMI, FL — A Miami rapper charged with fatally shooting fellow artist Demitrie Harris near the Wynwood Walls in October 2023 took the witness stand and told a judge she fired because she believed she was about to be killed. Kevhani Hicks is seeking immunity from prosecution under Florida’s stand your ground law. If a judge grants it, the case ends there, with no trial.
Her testimony and the footage of that night were detailed as reported by NBC 6 South Florida on Nov. 5. The video below shows what led up to the shooting and the shooting itself. It is hard to watch.
Hicks testified that she had been visiting music venues in Wynwood that night with her manager and Harris. The three were hoping to advance their careers in the music industry.
Then, by her account, things turned. Tensions escalated. She told her manager to calm down. She said he became angry. He struck her in the chest. He grabbed her shirt and threw her against a car. Hicks testified that the confrontation became a physical attack involving both men.
According to Hicks, her manager eventually backed away. Harris did not. She said he kept confronting her and made threats she interpreted as death threats. She said she got away. Then she heard Harris running behind her.
“I felt like I was out of time, so I grabbed my gun as a last resort, turned around and fired,” she testified.
The video appears to show Harris in a physical confrontation with Hicks before any shots were fired. It then shows Hicks firing multiple shots at Harris as he moved away from her. NBC 6 reports he was crawling away on the street as she fired. The scene did not end there. Hicks was struck by a car driven by her manager as he left the area.
Hicks was asked in court why she shot Harris at close range instead of continuing to walk away. “I didn’t want to kill him. I just wanted to protect myself and make sure I wouldn’t die,” she told the court.
Deadly force is justified only against an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm. Hicks describes being struck, thrown against a car, attacked by two men, threatened and then chased. The video appears to show at least part of that confrontation with Harris. It also shows Harris moving away when she fired. That is what the judge has to square with her account. The standard does not attach once to a fight and carry through every round. It applies to every trigger pull.
That is the mindset lesson for anyone who carries. Carrying in Florida means knowing the state’s rules, and my Florida concealed carry laws page covers them. No permit class can make the decision in the moment for you, though. Training has to include assessing the threat after every shot, not just drawing and firing. When the threat stops, the shooting stops.
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Hicks is charged, not convicted, and a judge will decide whether her immunity claim holds. No ruling on the motion has been reported.
I will continue tracking the Hicks case as the judge weighs her stand your ground immunity claim.
