FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A South Florida man acquitted of shooting his ex-fiancée, has been found not guilty for a second time, in a separate case.
Bridgette Knighton says she plans to file another restraining order after the man who shot her eight times in May of 2021 is scheduled to walk out of jail at any point.
“I say I’m not afraid, but I’m human,” she said. “That’s not an innocent man. He’s going to do it again.”
Gayle Blount said in court that he was acting in self-defense when he shot Knighton at a Miami Gardens apartment complex.
A jury found him not guilty on Valentine’s Day.
Blount was then transferred to Broward County to face charges for a domestic violence incident at a Denny’s on Pines Boulevard. It occurred in February of 2021 and police say Blount was standing over her yelling when he grabbed her onto one of the tables.
He faced misdemeanor battery charges and was found not guilty on Wednesday.
“I’m sad that the system failed me,” said Knighton. “There’s so many people that love and support me, but the system failed me.”
She still has the scars from the multiple bullet wounds and struggles to stand.
“I’ve already said that a restraining order is just a piece of paper,” she said. “If he’s dumb enough to come after me, then it really be self-defense, and not something I made up to save my life.”