Indeed, we do not know. But, there's only one person who didn't survive this altercation. So far, according to all accounts, he'd just bought candy and iced tea at a convenience store - he hadn't robbed the store - he was just walking back from the store.
Then, this guy calls 911 claiming the teen looks suspicious. He doesn't say the teen committed a crime. He says it appears the teen is looking at houses, and he pursues him, even though he's told not to.
Their histories suggest the possibility of aggression from each.
I didn't see a report about the teen having a criminal record. Did you? Maybe more information will come out later. So far, only the "watchman" has been reported as getting into an incident with the police a few years ago.
I think we have to go with the physical evidence.
If the teen did fight with this man, how do we know the teen himself wasn't acting in self-defense? A trial might sort it all out.
No, I did not. I only saw a report about him being suspended from school. At 17, it is very hard to have a criminal record. If he got in trouble with police, those records are not public because he would be a juvenile.
His father refuses to say why he was suspended from school. Maybe he was suspended for drawing a picture of a gun. We do not know, and we are not being told.