Am I missing something? Shooting of 17 yr. old in Florida

[Dattebayo]

This was in the paper today:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/ ... FE20120325

Sorry, I don't usually use Reuters for a source, but this has me wondering wtf really happened...
My guess is because the kid looks like such a wimp that everyone has their filters on about it. Anyone know more?

[Bubba1]

This was in the paper today:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/ ... FE20120325

Sorry, I don't usually use Reuters for a source, but this has me wondering wtf really happened...
My guess is because the kid looks like such a wimp that everyone has their filters on about it. Anyone know more?

The main problem is no one really knows what happened yet. The victim, Trayvon Martin was a 17 yr old kid. The shooter, George Zimmerman, a self appointed neighborhood watch "captain", claims it was self defense, yet the victim appeared to be unarmed. The two might or might not have had a scuffle prior to the shooting as Zimmerman had a bloody nose and wound to the back of his head. Police are trying to sort out what happened, but has not yet arrested or detained Zimmerman. The lack of an arrest has outraged many, and there is a racial component to this case as the victim was black and the shooter was not. Zimmerman is white/hispanic. It also appears that the local police might have bungled parts of the investigation excluding some racial remarks that might have been made during the incident, plus the fact that Florida neighborhood watch people have no police powers and are not supposed to be armed. The Black Panthers have not helped the situation by offering a $10K bounty on Zimmerman who is in contact with police, but not in custody. And the national media has run wild with it.

[snwbrdr435]

I'm not choosing sides, but the spin the media has thrown on it.......

[PapaSmurf2k3]

The Black Panthers have not helped the situation by offering a $10K bounty on Zimmerman

ORLY?! I was unaware they did that.

And Dave, I was wondering the same thing. All I'm reading is "this guy shot this kid". No other details whatsoever.

You would think if details were sketchy, they'd detain the shooter until you know... details weren't sketchy anymore. Isn't that standard practice for a shooting?

[krash]

yea, its pretty screwed that they didn't even arrest the dude. Thats what the main hallaballu is about

[Bubba1]

yea, its pretty screwed that they didn't even arrest the dude. Thats what the main hallaballu is about

I understand the reason the local police did not arrest Zimmerman was because they felt "there was no evidence to contradict his claim of self defense." Evidently, shortly after news hit that he was not arrested, Zimmerman ( and some officers involved in the investigation) began getting death threats, so he was subsequently advised to go into hiding.

The state has since taken over the investigation from the local police. So we'll see how things develop.

[audtatious]

They did arrest the guy and took him to jail. Dude had grass stains on the back of his coat and was bleeding from multiple places on the head and face when the cops got there. There is a witness who saw the "little" 6'3" kid on top of this guy beating him and the 911 tapes have Zimmerman screaming for help in the background.

So, it's a white on black crime....even though Zimmerman is not white. Obama has stepped in and the Philadelphia mayor recently said the kid was assassinated. People are being stirred up intentionally. Riots and protests.

Chicago has 10+ people and children gunned down in one day and it barely hits the news.

[Jesda]

The president should keep his nose out of this, at least so early on.

[nissangirl74]

Here's the latest update

http://news.yahoo.com/trayvon-martin-sh ... -news.html

It contains this interesting tidbit....

"....Zimmerman was reportedly charged with assault on a police officer in 2005, when he was 21, after a scuffle with police over the arrest of one of his friends for underage drinking in a local bar. He accepted a pre-trial diversion that kept him from being convicted of a felony – an outcome that might have prevented him from receiving a permit to carry a gun...."


and

"...He (Zimmerman) began to follow Martin, and continued speaking with police, who warned him repeatedly not to approach Martin...."

Another case of a loose cannon getting off on a technicality (lesser charge, whatever the hell you want to call it), and getting a permit to own / carry a gun. trust me, I am all for gun owner rights but obviously this guy didn't have the temperament to be a RESPONSIBLE gun owner.

Also, THE POLICE TOLD HIM NOT TO APPROACH THE KID!!!!! Who the hell does he think he is disobeying a direct order from law officials? If the cops had been there when he was pursuing Martin, the cops could have ended up shooting him to protect the kid.

[audtatious]

The president should keep his nose out of this, at least so early on.

We know that won't happen after the Beer Party at the White House....

[audtatious]

Here's the latest update

http://news.yahoo.com/trayvon-martin-sh ... -news.html

It contains this interesting tidbit....

"....Zimmerman was reportedly charged with assault on a police officer in 2005, when he was 21, after a scuffle with police over the arrest of one of his friends for underage drinking in a local bar. He accepted a pre-trial diversion that kept him from being convicted of a felony – an outcome that might have prevented him from receiving a permit to carry a gun...."


and

"...He (Zimmerman) began to follow Martin, and continued speaking with police, who warned him repeatedly not to approach Martin...."

Another case of a loose cannon getting off on a technicality (lesser charge, whatever the hell you want to call it), and getting a permit to own / carry a gun. trust me, I am all for gun owner rights but obviously this guy didn't have the temperament to be a RESPONSIBLE gun owner.

Also, THE POLICE TOLD HIM NOT TO APPROACH THE KID!!!!! Who the hell does he think he is disobeying a direct order from law officials? If the cops had been there when he was pursuing Martin, the cops could have ended up shooting him to protect the kid.

It was 911 operator who said to not approach the kid, not the Police. Yeah, he may have done something stupid and we will probably never know what really happened. All the evidence is not out either. At this point it sounds like he may have ignored 911 (not against the law) and then gotten his butt beat by a larger person. Now, it's up to evidence and Florida law to determine if he should be charged with a crime. Of course, there are those that want him on death row regardless of what happened.

[nissangirl74]

It's a no win situation.

[hannibal]

Zimmerman murdered a 17 yr old kid who was unarmed after he followed the kid while being instructed not to. There is no doubt in my mind that he was the instigator. I'm not sure how you can claim self defense, or even worse, how someone can call that claim credible.

Unfortunately, we don't know the order of events. Did Zimmerman pull his gun, then the kid fought for his life? That would explain a bump on the head. Or did the kid turn around and slug the random stranger who was following him, then the guy pulls a gun. I don't know but the details will come out.

I still have some faith that he'll be brought to justice.

[audtatious]

Yet you don't know for a fact what happened nor are you privy to the police reports and unreleased information that the DA has. You are assuming he is guilty. He may indeed be guilty but our society is supposed to be based on innocence until proven guilty and the "facts" surrounding the case that have been released show some bad decisions were made, obviously on both sides, but have yet proven he is guilty of murder under current Florida law.

I too hope he is brought to justice but only if the real evidence shows he is culpable.

[bigbadberry3]

Hard not to judge but it sounds as if Zimmerman was the aggressor. The teen's GF stated that Martin said he was being followed too.

[Bubba1]

Hard not to judge but it sounds as if Zimmerman was the aggressor. The teen's GF stated that Martin said he was being followed too.

You only know that Zimmerman shot him. None of us know the all the facts leading up that shooting. Keep in mind, the police have not yet officially charged Zimmerman with anything, so there's clearly more to the story than what has been leaked to the press thus far.

[Dattebayo]

Zimmerman murdered a 17 yr old kid who was unarmed after he followed the kid while being instructed not to. There is no doubt in my mind that he was the instigator. I'm not sure how you can claim self defense, or even worse, how someone can call that claim credible.

Unfortunately, we don't know the order of events. Did Zimmerman pull his gun, then the kid fought for his life? That would explain a bump on the head. Or did the kid turn around and slug the random stranger who was following him, then the guy pulls a gun. I don't know but the details will come out.

I still have some faith that he'll be brought to justice.

I figured you would say something like that.

Seriously, because you don't know anything for sure, you can't and shouldn't be making leaps of judgement like that, Jordan. That's my whole problem with this case to begin with.

[300ZXttZMAN]

Did anyone hear the 911 calls they played on Fox news the other night?? Bascially its proof that Zimmerman was following the kid. Zimmerman shouldn't have been following him.

IMHO Neighborhood hood watch means that you simply watch and if you see something suspicious you call the police. It doesn't mean that if you see something suspicious you call the police then follow the suspicious person or persons. For a few reasons one of the biggest ones is now since this Zimmerman character shot this kid he looks completely guilty.

Lets say you give Zimmerman the benefit of the doubt. It is highly possible that the kid was actually walking around looking for stuff to steal no one knows since he didn't actually commit a crime although that could have been the his intent (the kid wasn't even trespassing AFAIK). So the whole thing is just kinda up in arms.

But since Zimmerman not only followed the kid while on the phone with police he pulled a gun on the kid and killed him he looks completely guilty. Which brings us back to the whole thing about Neighborhood watch.

If someone is on your property you have the right to what ever you wish to do to protect your family and property.

Its called the: "stand your ground law"
I know Florida, Louisiana, and Texas have it I imagine many other states also have the law.

I think justice will be served for the kid and his family but unfortunately it will take time as our government takes so long to get anything done..

I think the biggest fact that the prosecutors are going to use will be the 911 call because he says he is following the kid so it paints the picture of him being the aggressor.

[Dattebayo]

Fox news

But since Zimmerman not only followed the kid while on the phone with police he pulled a gun on the kid and killed him he looks completely guilty.

Again, we don't know that's how it went. You weren't there.

[bigbadberry3]

Hard not to judge but it sounds as if Zimmerman was the aggressor. The teen's GF stated that Martin said he was being followed too.

You only know that Zimmerman shot him. None of us know the all the facts leading up that shooting. Keep in mind, the police have not yet officially charged Zimmerman with anything, so there's clearly more to the story than what has been leaked to the press thus far.

Like this unbelievable stand your ground law....

Shoot first ask questions later.

[snwbrdr435]

Seriously, because you don't know anything for sure, you can't and shouldn't be making leaps of judgement like that, Jordan. That's my whole problem with this case to begin with.

Thank you!

So far most people are calling for this guy to be hung. The way this has been portrayed in the media is disgusting. I won't judge either parties because I wasn't there and I will wait till the investigation is over to do so. Although the media has pretty much destroyed the man so even if he isn't guilty his life will be forever ruined. The black panthers have also put a bounty on his head as well as the local cops. If it was a "black on black" crime you wouldn't even have heard anything about it. Did anyone hear about the 46 people shot on St Pattys day in Chicago???

This popped up on my facebook feed a few days ago



All I can say is I am glad I won't be on the jury.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Fox news

If the broadcast station is simply playing the 911 recording, it doesn't matter where its coming from. Its not like Fox News overdubbed it with what they want to tell.

[Dattebayo]

Fox news has edited calls like that to support their take on the issue before.

[audtatious]

There is so much sensational reporting going on with the media it's pathetic. I'm tired of seeing the image about Kardashian getting floured while a horrible child killer goes free. The guy was taken to the police station and received medical attention. Cops felt they didn't have enough to charge him with at the time and released him. DA is looking to build a case. News brings this up as a white on black crime where whitey is let go because he killed a black person.....guy's not even white! Black groups get all up in arms and want the guy dead. Politicians are all stepping in to support the black community stance.

How is justice served if Zimmerman is indeed innocent and convected because of pressure only?

Let the cops, DA and court system handle it. Everyone needs to calm the F down.

[snwbrdr435]

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/201 ... k-teenager

Then there is this interesting article
http://www.wnd.com/2012/03/hispanic-kil ... -to-blame/

[hannibal]

Zimmerman murdered a 17 yr old kid who was unarmed after he followed the kid while being instructed not to.

This sentence has no conjecture or inferences. It is solely based on facts. You may argue with the term 'murdered' (I didn't mean it as a legal term), but if you're so inclined, replace it with 'killed'. I do know for a fact that Zimmerman shot and killed an unarmed minor. He has admitted this. And he is therefore guilty.

He is attempting to justify his actions by pointing to a law which allows a person to defend themselves with deadly force if his or her life is in danger. That's fair. Arrest him, indict him, and have a trial. Let him mount an affirmative defense. He will have a chance to convince a jury that his life was in danger. None of us have all the facts, but I can't see how he'll convince 12 people that he was the victim of a kid talking to his girlfriend on the phone. He didn't call the cops to say he was in danger or felt unsafe. He called to report a suspicious person. Against advice, he choose to engage this person.

You can't walk into a busy roadway, then claim you shot a driver in self defense because they were about to run you over.

I'm in no rush to see this sorted out. The kid is already dead...

[Dattebayo]

I do know for a fact that Zimmerman shot and killed an unarmed minor. He has admitted this. And he is therefore guilty.

The circumstances are that he had injuries, you can't just flout one part of the law to bring justice, that's called bad justice.

He is attempting to justify his actions by pointing to a law which allows a person to defend themselves with deadly force if his or her life is in danger. That's fair. Arrest him, indict him, and have a trial. Let him mount an affirmative defense. He will have a chance to convince a jury that his life was in danger. None of us have all the facts, but I can't see how he'll convince 12 people that he was the victim of a kid talking to his girlfriend on the phone. He didn't call the cops to say he was in danger or felt unsafe. He called to report a suspicious person. Against advice, he choose to engage this person.

SO you don't have all the facts either and you seem to have it all figured out, don't you? Come on, man.

You can't walk into a busy roadway, then claim you shot a driver in self defense because they were about to run you over.

Are you drunk? That's the stupidest attempt at a comparison I've ever heard.

[numbnuts240]

did you guys know that the darkie was, at the time, suspended from school because he was found to be in possession of a plastic baggie that had leftover bits of pot in it? quick, someone call norml and their opponents. let's get everyone involved.

[hannibal]

Damn Dave, that time of the month?

[stebo0728]

Stay classy Florida!! I lol'd at a hispanic man being a cracker. Hispanic minority finally getting piece of the PIEEEHAYAYA? (weak Jeffersons reference)

Wonder if Trayvon's mom will win her trademark for his name?
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/ ... rks-769123

Still Zimmerman was cleary more than "standing his ground" and I hope justice can be done, and I feel sorry for the family.

As for him having pot - BFD!! Though he's a bit young, it does not equate to thugary. The hoodie lends much more street cred than the pot.