Former Lakeland commissioner Michael Dunn's murder trial is set for March

A former Lakeland city commissioner who fatally shot a shoplifter in 2018 is scheduled for a trial date in March, a judge said on Monday.

Circuit Judge Donald Jacobsen said that Michael Dunn, 50, will have a three-week long trial tentatively starting March 14. He also scheduled a pretrial conference in January to ensure each party is ready for the March trial date.

Earlier this year, Jacobsen ruled that Florida's "stand your ground" law could not be applied in the fatal shooting of Christobal Lopez, 50, at Vets Army Navy Surplus, a Lakeland store where Dunn worked as general manager.

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Video captured on the store’s surveillance cameras showed that Lopez grabbed a hatchet that was for sale and concealed it inside his clothes. Dunn confronted Lopez with a Glock pistol and, as Lopez tried to run, Dunn grabbed him and shot him twice in his torso.

Lopez died at the scene. Dunn was indicted on a charge of second-degree murder with a firearm. The judge rejected Dunn's bid to have a second-degree murder charge dismissed, which set the stage for a trial.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Murder trial for former Lakeland commissioner Dunn set for March 2022