The Trayvon Martin Case

[roni]

Nearly three in four Americans think police should arrest George Zimmerman after the shooting death of Trayvon Martin one month ago in Florida, according to a CNN/ORC poll released today.

In the same survey, only about one in four felt that neighborhood watch members should carry guns, but a little more than half approved of "stand your ground" laws.

Martin was walking to his father's fiancee's home in a gated Sanford, Florida, community, when neighborhood watch volunteer Zimmerman shot the unarmed teen, according to police. Zimmerman told police he shot Martin in self-defense, and he has not been charged. The U.S. Department of Justice and Florida officials have launched investigations into the shooting.

[Mnbruce]

Originally Posted by D33RHUNT3R

Are you sure that Mr Zimmerman even knew what race or how old Martin was considering He had a hoodie on ??

Zimmerman on the 911 call said the person he was following looked black.

This incident did not have to happen and would not have happened if the shooter had just listened when the 911 dispatcher told him not to continue following the boy. Taking the law into his own hands resulted in the death of this boy.

[Seakony]

I am waiting for the investigation report...the media has spun this case to death.
As for him telling 911 that the suspect was black..that's just part of the description you have to tell them when they ask. I have had to call 911 several times when I was in charge of our crime watch. The first thing they need to know is a "description" of the person you want them to look for.

It may have been racially motivated or maybe not. The media is staging it as a racial thing. So..knowing how the media blows things out of porportion to get ratings or what ever their agenda is..I plan to wait till all the FACTS are in..not just speculation.

[D33RHUNT3R]

Originally Posted by Mnbruce

Zimmerman on the 911 call said the person he was following looked black.

This incident did not have to happen and would not have happened if the shooter had just listened when the 911 dispatcher told him not to continue following the boy. Taking the law into his own hands resulted in the death of this boy.

Would that be before or after T.Martin attacked Mr Zimmerman and broke his nose and pounded his head into the concrete ?

at what point did Mr Zimmerman actually break the law ? Was it Illegal to follow or confront T. Martin or just unwise ?? Was the dispatcher giving adive or a legal order ??

[Mnbruce]

Originally Posted by D33RHUNT3R

Would that be before or after T.Martin attacked Mr Zimmerman and broke his nose and pounded his head into the concrete ?

at what point did Mr Zimmerman actually break the law ? Was it Illegal to follow or confront T. Martin or just unwise ?? Was the dispatcher giving adive or a legal order ??

Where did I say that Zimmerman broke the law? Was it unwise? WTF do you think? Ask Zimmerman if it was unwise to continue following the boy after he was told not to. He listens and nothing happens and nobody is dead

[Uno]

Unfortunately based on the law, it is likely he won't be convicted of a crime. The "stand your ground" law should be applied to the boy as well. HE was being pursued. HE likely went into self defense mode.

How is it possible that the boy was backed into a corner by someone, and NOT defend himself, being killed for doing so, yet self defense can be claimed by the other party????

We are not talking about a law enforcement officer. (In that case you sit down and shut up.) This was just a guy, with a gun, pursuing the kid in a threatening manor.

I don't understand how this is not a crime committed by the pursuer. What if Zimmerman ended up dead? Could Trevan has used the stand your ground law?

[CalifGuy]

Originally Posted by D33RHUNT3R

Would that be before or after T.Martin attacked Mr Zimmerman and broke his nose and pounded his head into the concrete ?

at what point did Mr Zimmerman actually break the law ? Was it Illegal to follow or confront T. Martin or just unwise ?? Was the dispatcher giving adive or a legal order ??

Let me get this right, the skinny little kid on the left roughed up the guy on the right, I don't think so.

[Dan-0]

Originally Posted by CalifGuy

Let me get this right, the skinny little kid on the left roughed up the guy on the right, I don't think so.

Hard to make assumptions like this based on head shots of the two men. Martin may have well have been taller and the more athletic of the two men and perfectly capable of assaulting Zimmerman in the way that's being described. Not saying he did or he didn't...just saying that it certainly is possible.

[Uno]

Originally Posted by Dan-0

Hard to make assumptions like this based on head shots of the two men. Martin may have well have been taller and the more athletic of the two men and perfectly capable of assaulting Zimmerman in the way that's being described. Not saying he did or he didn't...just saying that it certainly is possible.

So agian. A guy chases a guy down, and confronts him. The pursued at some point must feel the need to defend himself. How is it all possible for the pusuer to claim self defence??? He prompted the confrontation. You can't be the attacker AND defender at the same time!

[Robinhood]

Originally Posted by Uno

So agian. A guy chases a guy down, and confronts him. The pursued at some point must feel the need to defend himself. How is it all possible for the pusuer to claim self defence??? He prompted the confrontation. You can't be the attacker AND defender at the same time!

Yes you can ...It's called the US foreign policy

[Dan-0]

Originally Posted by Uno

So agian. A guy chases a guy down, and confronts him. The pursued at some point must feel the need to defend himself. How is it all possible for the pusuer to claim self defence??? He prompted the confrontation. You can't be the attacker AND defender at the same time!

Obviously, Zimmerman considered it his duty as neighborhood watchman to follow this kid and check him out, even against the 911 operator's advice. That was a mistake, IMHO. Ditto for him carrying a firearm, although it's not illegal for him to do so.

However, as new details emerge, it's becoming unclear as to who was the aggressor in the fatal confrontation that followed Zimmerman's pursuit of Martin:

The Orlando Sentinel report fills in some blanks, purportedly from Zimmerman's perspective, of what transpired in the meantime.
Zimmerman, according to the Sentinel report, later told police that he lost sight of Martin and was returning to his SUV when the teen approached him. The two exchanged words, according to Zimmerman, who said Martin then punched him in the nose.
On the ground, Zimmerman said he was repeatedly punched and had his head slammed into the sidewalk, according to the Sentinel report. He began yelling, he told police.

Full article: Report: Zimmerman told police teen punched him before fatal shooting - CNN.com

[james]

Originally Posted by Seakony

I am waiting for the investigation report...the media has spun this case to death.
As for him telling 911 that the suspect was black..that's just part of the description you have to tell them when they ask. I have had to call 911 several times when I was in charge of our crime watch. The first thing they need to know is a "description" of the person you want them to look for.

It may have been racially motivated or maybe not. The media is staging it as a racial thing. So..knowing how the media blows things out of porportion to get ratings or what ever their agenda is..I plan to wait till all the FACTS are in..not just speculation.

agreed, though I am skeptical in anticipation

[james]

Originally Posted by CalifGuy

Let me get this right, the skinny little kid on the left roughed up the guy on the right, I don't think so.

I'm much larger than the hooded person that assaulted me. It still happened.

[Ginger]

Originally Posted by D33RHUNT3R

So you think Mr Zimmerman a HISPANIC was Racist because the kid was Black, But wouldn't be if the kid was White ...

I don't know Zimmerman, so can't think anything about him. However, I don't think it's unheard of for a Hispanic person to be racist against an African-American, or vice versa. Being of a minority race does not mean you are automatically exempt of racism.

It may have been racially motivated or maybe not.

I don't know if I'd say the shooting was 'racially motivated'. I'd say he racially profiled the boy, and things escalated from there. I think that the fact that he got out of his car after being instructed not to by 911 operators should negate his defence. I think the media has made it a circus. I think it is a sad world where African-American parents have to worry that if their children are out after dark someone may deem them suspicious by virtue of their skin colour, which may put them in peril.

[STOGEY]

Originally Posted by Uno

Unfortunately based on the law, it is likely he won't be convicted of a crime. The "stand your ground" law should be applied to the boy as well. HE was being pursued. HE likely went into self defense mode.

How is it possible that the boy was backed into a corner by someone, and NOT defend himself, being killed for doing so, yet self defense can be claimed by the other party????

We are not talking about a law enforcement officer. (In that case you sit down and shut up.) This was just a guy, with a gun, pursuing the kid in a threatening manor.

I don't understand how this is not a crime committed by the pursuer. What if Zimmerman ended up dead? Could Trevan has used the stand your ground law?

Would a cop be convicted under similar circumstances?