James Waters was 31 when he shot a man during an altercation in an apartment complex parking lot in Jacksonville, Florida, on January 19, 2009. Waters pulled a firearm, exchanged words, and shot the man, who died two days later.

Waters was initially charged with second-degree murder. At trial his defense argued self-defense; the judge ruled the jury could not consider a second-degree murder charge and the jury convicted Waters of manslaughter instead. That conviction meant exposure to a maximum sentence of 15 years as a second-degree felony rather than the life sentence possible for second-degree murder. The case raised contested questions about self-defense and the proper limits of lethal force.