Black man sentenced to 8 years for protecting daughter

Arizona father Melvin Harris III found himself in a situation no father wants to be in. He was sitting in a gas station parking lot waiting for his daughter to emerge from a restroom. When she did, she told her father that a panhandler tried to follow her into the bathroom. Harris, 41, was incensed and told a station security guard to handle the situation or he would, reports Fox 5. Harris said the man, Leon Armstrong, 27, swung at him and he hit back, kicking and punching him. Armstrong died less than a week later of a brain injury. Harris, according to AzCentral.com, pled guilty of manslaughter last month. A petition on Change.org is requesting that Harris’ sentence be reviewed and charges dropped, as supporters believe it is too lengthy.