Zimmerman/Martin Thread

[SnoopAlooop]

http://gma.yahoo.com/orlando-watch-s...-abc-news.html

A 17 year old kid was walking to the store from his dad's house to buy a can of iced tea and a bag of skittles. The Neighborhood Watch captain felt the kid looked suspicious - he was walking "slowly" and was wearing a hoodie. So the Neighborhood watch captain called police. Police told him to stay in the car, an officer was on the way. Instead, this guy got out of the car and started chasing the kid. He eventually caught the kid, who he outweighed by 100 pounds, a fight ensued, and the guy shot the kid.

Anyone wanna guess what color the kid was?

So far, this guy is claiming "self-defense." I say, Cold Blooded Murder. It looks like the police are completely bungling the investigation.

If this were my kid? Mr. Zimmerman would be erased. I doubt I'd be able to wait for the law to decide.

What are your thoughts?

[griffcj]

For me, its kind of hard to claim self-defense when he was the one chasing the other guy down. If anything, follow the "suspect" to the destination and direct the cops there. But nope, this wanna-be cop took it into his hands and now an innocent kid is dead.

[Excast]

It is hard to really judge what happened without all of the information, but if it really went down this way then the shooter should be jailed for murder.

[SnoopAlooop]

What I don't understand is how is this guy not in jail? Can anyone chase down someone, fight them, then shoot them and claim self-defense? How the **** is this guy not in jail?

[CanadianJudo]

Not sure how you can spin self-defense...

[mozysafe]

Holy **** it sounds like the police ****ed up royally.

[Gopher Fan]

Interesting Snoop and I look forward to the follow up on this. What a wasted opportunity of this young mans life. It appears from the story that he was killed because he beat the guys ass.

I don't know if this guy will end up in a criminal case, I hope so if the story is accurate, but it would seem that a civil case has promise. The cops told him to stay in his vehicle and yet he pursued the kid. Gonna have to explain that.

[Antrel]

By the man's own admittance, he was chasing the kid for simply walking around at night? I won't play the race card. I'm sure it could have been any kid in a hoodie, but given that the man outweighed the kid by 100 pounds, ultimately he was the one who shot the kid, and a witness account claims it was the boy yelling for help, I don't see how anyone could just assume this dude had just done right.

Look, I'm a vet, I'm well in shape, I've done my fair share of ass kicking, but if I were on a late night walk from the convenience store and some 250 pound dude came charging after me out of nowhere, I'd be running like hell too.

[mozysafe]

Not sure how you can spin self-defense...

Well it probably was self defense at that moment. It sounds like he chased down the kid, who was probably scared ****less by the man who just hopped out of a car and started running after him. The boy probably assumed he was gonna get mugged so he just kicked the **** out of him, which prompted the shot.

That's what I'd guess happened. I don't even know how the father could be in a mindset to even address the issue. I'd be too distraught. What a horrific thing to happen.

[Long Island Guy]

http://gma.yahoo.com/orlando-watch-s...-abc-news.html

A 17 year old kid was walking to the store from his dad's house to buy a can of iced tea and a bag of skittles. The Neighborhood Watch captain felt the kid looked suspicious - he was walking "slowly" and was wearing a hoodie. So the Neighborhood watch captain called police. Police told him to stay in the car, an officer was on the way. Instead, this guy got out of the car and started chasing the kid. He eventually caught the kid, who he outweighed by 100 pounds, a fight ensued, and the guy shot the kid.

Anyone wanna guess what color the kid was?

So far, this guy is claiming "self-defense." I say, Cold Blooded Murder. It looks like the police are completely bungling the investigation.

If this were my kid? Mr. Zimmerman would be erased. I doubt I'd be able to wait for the law to decide.

What are your thoughts?

I read most of the story. It's very hard to judge this incident. But I am hopeful that it will be fully investigated. BTW, you may not want to decry vigilante activities and in the same sentance talk about erasing someone.

[mozysafe]

By the man's own admittance, he was chasing the kid for simply walking around at night? I won't play the race card. I'm sure it could have been any kid in a hoodie, but given that the man outweighed the kid by 100 pounds, ultimately he was the one who shot the kid, and a witness account claims it was the boy yelling for help, I don't see how anyone could just assume this dude had just done right.

Look, I'm a vet, I'm well in shape, I've done my fair share of ass kicking, but if I were on a late night walk to the convenience store and some 250 pound dude came charging after me out of nowhere, I'd be running like hell too.

From the OP article:

According to law enforcement sources who heard Zimmerman's call to a non-emergency police number, he told a dispatcher "these *******s always get away."

I edited the quote so as not to filter bypass.

You can just feel the underlying racism right there.

[ChicoLibertarian]

As with any crime that it still under investigation and in which all the facts may not be known, I have to say the man is innocent until proven guilty by a jury of his peers.

However, this sounds like a completely ****** up situation and if it turns out that Mr. Zimmerman chased the kid down, precipitating an altercation and then shot the kid, then I'd say he's guilty of murder.

[Gopher Fan]

By the man's own admittance, he was chasing the kid for simply walking around at night? I won't play the race card. I'm sure it could have been any kid in a hoodie, but given that the man outweighed the kid by 100 pounds, ultimately he was the one who shot the kid, and a witness account claims it was the boy yelling for help, I don't see how anyone could just assume this dude had just done right.

Look, I'm a vet, I'm well in shape, I've done my fair share of ass kicking, but if I were on a late night walk to the convenience store and some 250 pound dude came charging after me out of nowhere, I'd be running like hell too.

And if he caught up to you, you'd be defending yourself I would assume?

[Vaard]

I read most of the story. It's very hard to judge this incident. But I am hopeful that it will be fully investigated. BTW, you may not want to decry vigilante activities and in the same sentance talk about erasing someone.

well, there is a difference between vigilantism and saying you would kill someone who killed your child........

[CanadianJudo]

Well it probably was self defense at that moment. It sounds like he chased down the kid, who was probably scared ****less by the man who just hopped out of a car and started running after him. The boy probably assumed he was gonna get mugged so he just kicked the **** out of him, which prompted the shot.

That's what I'd guess happened. I don't even know how the father could be in a mindset to even address the issue. I'd be too distraught. What a horrific thing to happen.

The fact he chased him rules out self-defense,

The Kid did not come to him and impose a threat on him, the man chased the kid and imposed the threat on himself.