Originally Posted By fkurucz >>What I want to know is did this kid start the fight or did George ?<< Even if the kid started the fight, which I doubt, he was unarmed (unless you consider a bag of Skittles to be a weapon). Why would a 250 lb man need to shoot a 140 lb kid? He should be able to slap the kid silly.
Originally Posted By Donny I am not speaking for this guy but I can tell you in Florida you do not have to retreat first but instead you can stand your ground meaning if you rush me and I feel you are a threat I can use deadly force if I reasonly beleive you are going to try to hurt me.
Originally Posted By fkurucz >>will someone tell these people they are white<< Donny, you are obtuse.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 I wasn't there. None of us were there. But from the witness accounts and the 911 call, we do know that the kid didn't approach Zimmerman. Zimmerman pursued the kid. So Zimmerman wouldn't be "standing his ground," and if anything, would have rushed the kid. Perhaps the kid then offered what Zimmerman saw as threatening action (though, as previously stated, how threatening could an unarmed 140 lb kid be to a guy Zimmerman's size?) This is just A GUESS - but my guess is that the Sanford PD went out of its way to give Zimmerman every possible benefit of the doubt that HE felt he was in danger, and was thus justified, despite the fact that he pursued the kid (after being told not to), AND was a lot bigger than the kid, AND was armed when the kid was not. Because the Sanford PD shares certain, shall we say, assumptions, with Zimmerman. Yes, that's just a guess. But based on everything I've read, not a wild one.
Originally Posted By fkurucz >> I feel you are a threat I can use deadly force if I reasonly beleive you are going to try to hurt me.>> Is it reasonable to believe that an unarmed kid that you outweigh by 100 lbs can hurt you? All you have to do is sit on him. No one is denying that we have a right to defend ourselves. But that doesn't include imaginary threats. And as has been documented, he chased the kid down, against the police dispatcher's request, then shot and killed him. "Who will watch the Watchmen?"
Originally Posted By TomSawyer Does this mean that any resident of Florida can shoot Zimmerman on sight if they feel like he is a danger to them?
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<This is just A GUESS - but my guess is that the Sanford PD went out of its way to give Zimmerman every possible benefit of the doubt that HE felt he was in danger, and was thus justified, despite the fact that he pursued the kid (after being told not to), AND was a lot bigger than the kid, AND was armed when the kid was not. Because the Sanford PD shares certain, shall we say, assumptions, with Zimmerman.>> But if that's true, then why did the officer at the scene "correct" one of the residents who heard the teen screaming for help, telling her that she didn't hear the kid screaming, but that she heard Zimmerman screaming for help? If the Sanford PD were interested in the whole truth of the matter, then the officer wouldn't have been trying to convince the witness who heard Martin screaming (which you can clearly hear in the background during one of the many 911 calls made during the confrontation) that she was mistaken. The officer was clearly attempting to defend Zimmerman by getting the witness to change her account of the event.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 You're misreading my post. I'm saying Sanford PD did everything they could to back Zimmerman, including "correcting" the witness.
Originally Posted By velo ok, legal question here - how much time has to elapse to be considered "premeditation"? In other words, if 10 minutes before the shooting, Zimmerman decides he's going to go after/chase the victim (and assuming his intent was to harm) - is that considered "premeditated"?
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<ok, legal question here - how much time has to elapse to be considered "premeditation"? >> Good question. A strong argument could be made that Zimmerman was trolling for 'suspicious' characters, given that he has called Sanford PD 46 times since Jan 2011. Just how much time does this guy spend patrolling the grounds of his gated community? And why is this gated community such a hotbed of 'suspicious activity' by pedestrians unknown to him? I believe this guy actually wanted an excuse to go after anyone not like him. Feel free to read between the lines... yes, I'm calling him a racist, given his "these *bleep* always get away" statement to police dispatch. And I guess you could make the case that his attack on this teen was premeditated.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder "ok, legal question here - how much time has to elapse to be considered "premeditation"? In other words, if 10 minutes before the shooting, Zimmerman decides he's going to go after/chase the victim (and assuming his intent was to harm) - is that considered "premeditated"?" Every state has different laws. I can't say what makes up Florida's homicide statutes without researching it.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder "Any idea when this guy is finally going to be arrested?" I would imagine there's no rush. Moreover, if another agency takes over, they'd start the investigation all over again. I would imagine they have plenty of time under any statute of limitation. There's none at al if they go murder.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder If one buys the story Zimmerman thought Martin was going to commit a crime, then he could be guilty of manslaughter under Florida law: <a href="http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0700-0799/0782/Sections/0782.11.html" target="_blank">http://www.leg.state.fl.us/sta....11.html</a> 782.11 Unnecessary killing to prevent unlawful act.—Whoever shall unnecessarily kill another, either while resisting an attempt by such other person to commit any felony, or to do any other unlawful act, or after such attempt shall have failed, shall be deemed guilty of manslaughter, a felony of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084. or: <a href="http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0700-0799/0782/Sections/0782.07.html" target="_blank">http://www.leg.state.fl.us/sta....07.html</a> 1) The killing of a human being by the act, procurement, or culpable negligence of another, without lawful justification according to the provisions of chapter 776 and in cases in which such killing shall not be excusable homicide or murder, according to the provisions of this chapter, is manslaughter, a felony of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084. But muder? After looking at the Florida law, I would say no. Doesn't mean they won't try, but here's a link to that law. <a href="http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0700-0799/0782/Sections/0782.04.html" target="_blank">http://www.leg.state.fl.us/sta....04.html</a> Based on what we know so far, I don't think they can prove premeditation. The standard legal definition of murder in the first degree "consists of an intentional, deliberate and premeditated killing, which means that the killing is done after a period of time for prior consideration. The duration of that period cannot be arbitrarily fixed. The time in which to form a deliberate and premeditated design varies as the minds and temperaments of people differ, and according to the circumstances in which they may occur."
Originally Posted By tiggertoo Let's see: -Man sees black boy; -Man has weapon; -Man pursues black boy; -Man kills black boy; And there is a question as to who the predator is in this case? Unbelievable.
Originally Posted By Donny Statement of Robert Zimmerman, father of Neighborhood Watch volunteer: “The tragic events of February 26 are very sad for all concerned. The Martin family, our family, and the entire community have been forever changed. The portrayal of George Zimmerman in the media, as well as the series of events that led to the tragic shooting are false and extremely misleading. Unfortunately, some individuals and organizations have used this tragedy to further their own causes and agendas. George is a Spanish speaking minority with many black family members and friends. He would be the last to discriminate for any reason whatsoever. One black neighbor recently interviewed said she knew everything in the media was untrue and that she would trust George with her life. Another black neighbor said that George was the only one, black or white, who came and welcomed her to the community, offering any assistance he could provide. Recently, I met two black children George invited to a social event. I asked where they met George. They responded that he was their mentor. They said George visited them routinely, took them places, helped them, and taught them things and that they really loved George. The media portrayal of George as a racist could not be further from the truth. The events of February 26 reported in the media are also totally inaccurate. Out of respect for the on-going investigation, I will not discuss specifics. However, the media reports of the events are imaginary at best. At no time did George follow or confront Mr. Martin. When the true details of the event become public, and I hope that will be soon, everyone should be outraged by the treatment of George Zimmerman in the media. Our entire family is deeply sorry for the loss of Trayvon. We pray for the Martin family daily. We also pray that the community will grieve together and not be divided by more unwarranted hate. The Zimmerman family will have no further contact with the media prior to the resolution of the investigation. It would be greatly appreciated if the media would respect our privacy.”
Originally Posted By jasmine7 And we're supposed to believe this statement? The very 911 call Zimmerman made shows he was following Trayvon, yet the statement said he never did. Bull!
Originally Posted By Dabob2 But he lied about it. "At no time did George follow or confront Mr. Martin. " That's a lie right there. So we're supposed to believe the rest of the statement?
