17 year old kid shot dead by Neighborhood Watch "Captain"

[CarmelHP]

That was mature.

You don't know any more of what happened than I do. You constantly complain about media bias towards Martin but you seem to be lapping up any media reports that paint Zimmerman in a good light.

So, what do you think was the natural implication of your statement? What were you implying? It had nothing to do with media, I was referring to your statement.

If you were being followed by a stranger in a non LEO vehicle, do you think they guy wanted to stop you and offer you a cookie?

I was asking what happened as you didn't say. You're pretty touchy, you may be one of those people that the rest of the lynch mobbers say shouldn't be allowed to carry guns.

 

[KLB]

So now Martin is potentially an ambush ninja? Waiting for a guy in a car that has been chasing him through the neighborhood for 4+ minutes? Where are you guys deriving this scenario from... what intent can you show me in detriment to Martin?.

NONE, yet there is a WHOLE LOT of evidence that shows intent on Zimmermans side



One amazing thing to me is that.... Martin wasn't a bad guy and wasn't "up to no good". He was walking home from a gas station...

IF Martin was in the Taliban and Zimmerman foiled a plot to destroy the US with magical layzers... then I would want to walk to Florida and give him my paycheck and thank him for his service.... but that just isn't the case?

Wow, you really read what you want to read. I never said that is what happened. I said it was a possibility. At this point just as probable as any other.

Whether Martin was good or bad is not at issue when it comes to the final conclusion of self-defense, I believe it is only who initiated the fight.

 

[blamecharles]

But he wasn't a cracker...

I know that and you know that, the media doesn't care about that. They are doing their best to make it about that.

 

[griffin]

Police: Trayvon decked him with one blow then began hammering his head
Orlando Sentinal

With a single punch, Trayvon Martin decked the Neighborhood Watch volunteer who eventually shot and killed the unarmed 17-year-old, then Trayvon climbed on top of George Zimmerman and slammed his head into the sidewalk several times, leaving him bloody and battered, authorities have revealed to the Orlando Sentinel.

Zimmerman told them he lost sight of Trayvon and was walking back to his SUV when Trayvon approached him from the left rear, and they exchanged words.

Trayvon asked Zimmerman if he had a problem. Zimmerman said no and reached for his cell phone, he told police.

Trayvon then said, "Well, you do now" or something similar and punched Zimmerman in the nose.

Zimmerman fell to the ground and Trayvon got on top of him and began slamming his head into the sidewalk, he told police.

Zimmerman began yelling for help.

Several witnesses heard those cries. Police say their evidence indicates it was Zimmerman.

Zimmerman then shot Trayvon once in the chest from very close range, according to authorities.

When police arrived less than two minutes later, Zimmerman was bleeding from the nose, had a swollen lip and had bloody lacerations to the back of his head.

The Department of Justice last week opened a civil rights investigation into what happened.

Trayvon Martin case: Martin was the aggressor, police sources say
LA Times

As Florida braced itself for what could be the biggest day of protest yet in the Trayvon Martin case, police revealed new details that depict the slain 17-year-old as the aggressor and appear to support George Zimmerman's claim that he was acting in self-defense when he shot the teenager.

 

[billmyn]

just my. i think they will charge zimmerman with something , but as long as he keeps his mouth shut and sticks to his self defense statement there is no evidence to prove other . but i also fill that there is no way that he can get a fair trial with all of the media attention , you have the president of this country siding with martin , that in its self is going to be huge , not to mention all of the media prejudice that has been going on . i posted once on how i thought it all went down and still stick to it , but guilty or innocent he should be judged on facts , not what anyone thinks may or may not have happened , he would not be the first person to get away with murder nor the first innocent person found guilty . as far as the presidents comments , i think he should have kept his opinions to him self because as president he does not have a personal opinion , he is the commander and chief of this once great country and should understand the consequences of his opinion .

 

[nawainwright]

This is how I read this whole argument:

Straw man #1 (insert teenager who everyone seems determined to paint as an innocent victim, despite not having ever met the kid, in a situation that no one saw) did something to Straw man #2 (insert adult who everyone seems determined to paint as a racist, despite never having met the man, in a situation that no one saw). #2 then did something to #1 (repeat steps unknown number of times). So everyone KNOWS what happened based upon these figures as the media/cops/family/friends have created them to be. As someone who has been wrongly accused of a crime in the past and had the whole world turn against me, I reserve my judgement until EVERYONE has a chance to speak their piece and then the investigation plays itself out.

This is more like the South Park Underwear Gnomes:
1: Collect Underwear
2: ?
3: Profit

Except this version looks more like this:
1: Two men have an altercation
2: ?
3: Racism

The whole thing is absurd. And any time Jesse, Big Al, or any of the other race/poverty pimps get involved, I know something fishy is going on. They don't give a rats HINEY when blacks kill blacks. They could care less when Blacks kill whites, asians, hispanics, indians, cherokee, canadians, etc. But some "maybe, kinda, white" guy shoots a black guy, then it doesn't matter if it was self-defense or not. The black guy could have been stabbing the other dude's children to death in front of him and "reverend" jackson would still be calling the man a racist.

I'm done with this one kids.

 

[Jake46184]

In case you have wondered how poorly Martin may have been raised by parents who have demonstrated some pretty questionable conduct since the event last month, add to your pondering that his mother has filed to trademark her son's name. Her reason? Too many people are making money and she isn't getting any of it........

I guess we all grieve in different ways......

 

[IndyDave1776]

The other conclusion is that the loss of a 17 year old with reportedly so much promise is a tragedy.

I have a nephew who is turning 14, I cannot image his loss. The parents are no doubt beyond tears but I fear that the grand jury report (especially if a no bill) will not result in closure.

Kirk, if I am putting bits of information together correctly, I would consider it an article of faith that your nephew has a whole lot more sense than either party involved in this incident.

 

[IndyDave1776]

just my. i think they will charge zimmerman with something , but as long as he keeps his mouth shut and sticks to his self defense statement there is no evidence to prove other . but i also fill that there is no way that he can get a fair trial with all of the media attention , you have the president of this country siding with martin , that in its self is going to be huge , not to mention all of the media prejudice that has been going on . i posted once on how i thought it all went down and still stick to it , but guilty or innocent he should be judged on facts , not what anyone thinks may or may not have happened , he would not be the first person to get away with murder nor the first innocent person found guilty . as far as the presidents comments , i think he should have kept his opinions to him self because as president he does not have a personal opinion , he is the commander and chief of this once great country and should understand the consequences of his opinion .

He may not have to worry about a trial, fair or otherwise, if the Black Panthers get to him first!

 

[griffin]

Lead Prosecutor Says George Zimmerman Could Walk
Trayvon Martin Killing Lead Prosecutor Says George Zimmerman Could Walk - Yahoo!

The nationwide clamor for an arrest notwithstanding, the lead prosecutor in the Trayvon Martin case tells ABC News that convicting his killer, the neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, could prove difficult.

"The stand-your-ground law is one portion of justifiable use of deadly force," veteran State Attorney Angela Corey said. "And what that means is that the state must go forward and be able to prove it's case beyond a reasonable doubt… So it makes the case in general more difficult than a normal criminal case."

Zimmerman claimed self defense all along, and this weekend the lawyer counseling him, Craig Sonner, told ABC News that he was likely to invoke Florida's controversial stand-your-ground law in his defense.

The law affords people enormous leeway to use deadly force if they feel their life is seriously endangered. Sonner said Zimmerman felt "one of them was going to die that night," when he pulled the trigger.

 

[Jake46184]

Police: Trayvon decked him with one blow then began hammering his head
Orlando Sentinal


Trayvon Martin case: Martin was the aggressor, police sources say
LA Times

WGN Chicago just reported these stories as well. The tide is turning.

 

[griffin]

Who knew a Kel-Tec PF9 was an assault weapon?

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZchggr0a14[/ame]

 

[TiminMishawaka]

Word is coming out that Zimmerman stopped following Martin and went back to his car and that's when Martin went after him and started a fistfight then Martin went for Zimmerman's gun..... Don't know if this is while it was in his hand or holstered or what but suffice to say there's a lot more here to be found out. A couple days ago I KNEW where I stood on this. Now I'm not so sure.

 

[griffin]

Word is coming out that Zimmerman stopped following Martin and went back to his car and that's when Martin went after him and started a fistfight then Martin went for Zimmerman's gun.

Yeah, about three days ago.

I've posted the Sanford Police Chief's statement several times: "Zimmerman lost sight of Trayvon and was returning to his truck to meet the police officer when he says he was attacked by Trayvon."

Also, to save having to repost this again:

Trayvon Martin case: Martin was the aggressor, police sources say
Police: Trayvon decked him with one blow then began hammering his head
https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/2749863-post684.html

 

[MilitaryArms]

http://www.sanfordfl.gov/investigation/docs/Zimmerman_Martin_shooting.pdf

That explains many of the issues being discussed in this thread. It addresses why the police didn't arrest Zimmerman and why the DA hasn't filed charges. They have no reason to believe he acted in an unlawful manner.

 

[Glock19]

The problem is, according to the vid, that no one actually saw anything. So that means that only one side of the story will ever be told.

What we do know, is that no criminal activity was reported by the shooter, other than the 17 year old kid being "suspicious." A 17 year old kid that was unarmed and had a legal right to be where he was.

What exactly made the shooter confront the kid, knowing that police were on their way? We'll never know anything other than the shooters perspective, which I'm pretty sure is sympathetic to his position.

I personally think manslaughter is probably apt.

How do you know the shooter confronted the kid, theres reports that the kid confronted the shooter? This is just another thing we dont know.

 

[lovemachine]

It's fail on both sides.

The shooter should have just called 911, and reported the suspicious character, and drove off, never leaving his vehicle.

The kid should have just kept walking home. It's stupid to confront a stranger following you.

Full of stupidity on both sides.

 

[Bunnykid68]

It's fail on both sides.

The shooter should have just called 911, and reported the suspicious character, and drove off, never leaving his vehicle.

The kid should have just kept walking home. It's stupid to confront a stranger following you.

Full of stupidity on both sides.

This ^^^^ FTW

 

[J_Wales]

Who knew a Kel-Tec PF9 was an assault weapon?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZchggr0a14

This guy slurs a bit more each time I see him as if he has been swimming too long in the scotch.

 

[MangoTango]

Since the president has weighed in on this subject, I think he should weigh in again, and tell the fringe groups like the BLA and the NBP, that he will lay the "pimp hand" down if they so much as look cross eyed at Zimmerman. I'm am most certainly NOT a fan of Zimmerman, but I in no way condone bodily harm against him. There should be some stern warnings issued to these typr of fringe groups that want the stir up the racial pot.

I'm amazed that people are talking about this being a hate crime. I believe race played a role in Zimmerman's initial assessment, but I do not believe that was the overriding factor when looking at all the facts. I think he would have shot anybody.

Totally agree. He would have shot anyone. And quite frankly probably any teen he didn't recognize in the neighborhood with the recent crime spree. Black, white or hispanic.