Man charged in deadly parking lot shooting claims 'Stand Your Ground'

CLEARWATER, Fla. (FOX 13) - A man charged with first degree murder for allegedly shooting and killing his neighbor during a parking dispute claims he was defending himself. 

Deshon Powers was arrested and charged to the fullest extent of the law following the incident that occurred at a duplex in Clearwater. According to arrest documents, Powers and his neighbor, Derek Omasta, were fighting over a parking spot. 

"This case is a case, we believe in which Florida's 'Stand Your Ground' statute will meet a formidable test," said Norman Harris, a Tampa-based attorney who is representing Powers. 

According to Harris, Powers was on his porch with his friends, when the fight broke out between the two neighbors. It's unclear exactly how the argument unfolded, but Harris said it quickly escalated and, at one point, his client and his friends were threatened by Omasta. 

"To be exact, they were aggressively threatened by a knife," said Harris. 

On the other hand, Omasta's wife argues her husband didn't have a knife. Instead, she describes a scene where he was ruthlessly shot by Powers in what she describes as an outburst of unwarranted rage. 

The Clearwater Police Department has not released information on what was recovered at the scene. 

The agency issued the following statement in response to Thursday's press conference: "the quantity of evidence supported a probable cause arrest for what the suspect was charged with."

The case is being investigated by the State Attorney's Office.