A retired corrections officer is invoking stand your ground in the attempted murder case against him.
Irish Andrews, formerly with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, claims a coat hanger held by his wife led to him shooting her multiple times.
Andrews was charged with attempted second-degree murder and domestic aggravated battery after allegedly shooting his wife multiple times in northwest Jacksonville on Sept. 10. Andrews pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Andrews' attorney has filed a "stand your ground" motion in the case asking the court for immunity from prosecution.
The motion says the retired officer regularly carried a firearm "as a matter of habit" and when he arrived home on Sept. 10 his wife became "hostile and violent."
"[Andrews' wife] had a coat hanger in her hand and had her hand raised over her head as if she was going to stab the [Andrews] with it," the motion reads.
After yelling for her to stop multiple times, the motion says Andrews fired four indiscriminate shots toward her in self-defense.
The motion adds, Andrews feared he would be harmed because of his wife's history of stabbing an individual in the lungs in the past. He alleges in the court filing she has apologized and asked for charges against him to be dropped.
In Florida, a separate stand your ground hearing is held before the judge and if immunity is granted the case would not go before a jury.
The court reduced Andrews' bond on Sept. 19 and released him to a home detention with electronic monitoring.
The next pre-trial in the case is scheduled for Oct. 17.