Scarborough Brands Shooter Of Trayvon Martin A 'Murderer'

NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

It's not easy to make Al Sharpton appear relatively restrained in a racially-charged case such as the one involving the death of Trayvon Martin. But Joe Scarborough has managed to pull off the dubious feat. On today's Morning Joe, Scarborough flatly branded the reported shooter, George Zimmerman, a "murderer." It was no slip of the tongue. A couple minutes later, Scarborough declared that Zimmerman had "murdered" Martin.

Sharpton himself never used such language, generally describing Zimmerman as the "shooter," and even imagining, without endorsing, a scenario in which Zimmerman might have been acting in self defense.

View the video here.

[rarestia]

Just remember that he was officially part of a neighborhood watch. It’s not like he was some vigilante patrolling the streets. There’s nothing legally barring him from confronting a suspicious person on the street, but he’s asking for trouble if it turns out that person is up to no good and willing to use a weapon to get away from the police or someone who could call them.

If you were coming home late from work and saw a man or group of men on or near your property, wouldn’t you be curious as to their intent and possibly go out on your property to confront them? I’ve done the very same thing, shotgun under arm while on the phone with the police. The cops showed up and the kids scrambled away. Made me think twice about any presumption of safety in my neighborhood.

[quesera]

In the old west a gun fight was ‘legal’ if it was a ‘fair fight’, i.e. both parties had to be armed. If the kid was breaking into Zimmerman’s house - burn him down! But to accost and shoot an unarmed 17 year old on a public street? I need to hear a better reason to take a life.

Although I would not call Zimmerman a murderer yet, that is up to a jury and Judge and I hope they get their chance to weigh in on this. An unarmed kid, good or bad, gets shot on a public street and the shooter is not even arrested is beyond my understanding of how the law works in Florida. Assuming the facts are correct as to what happened, this is really bad if Zimmerman is not arrested and charged.

[Sherman Logan]

Well, at least he didn’t open fire.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

I just think conservatives rallying around Zimmerman makes us look like the “Free Mumia” libtards.

---

We should run in the opposite direction from Zimmerman - there is nothing there that has anything whatsoever to do with conservatism. This is NOT what the 2nd amendment is about. In fact this reminds me of “Fast and Furious” i.e. a cause that can be used to diminish our 2nd amendment rights by the left.

[kabar]

It is not a matter of rallying around Zimmerman, but rather, not rushing to judgment. Zimmerman was part of a neighborhood watch group. It was formed in response to crimes being committed there. Zimmerman called the police to report the suspicious person in the neighborhood, which Zimmerman was trying to protect. He apparently failed to follow police instructions not to follow Martin. What prompted the confrontation needs to be ascertained.

Until we have all the facts, we shouldn't be joining Sharpton and Scarborough claiming that it was a murder. Nor should we fuel the flames to incite groups that threaten to come to Florida for retribution to mete out their own justice.

[wtc911]

Just remember that he was officially part of a neighborhood watch.

_________________________________________

A) Really? Did the official group say that? Please provide link.

B) If what you say is true (which is doubtful) it does not give him any authority to confront anybody at all.

There are neighborhood watch groups...noy neighborhood confront, fight and shoot groups.

[ZX12R]

An unarmed kid, good or bad, gets shot on a public street and the shooter is not even arrested is beyond my understanding of how the law works in Florida.

It works like this. In Florida, if you are attacked and being beaten badly enough that you think you are in danger of severe injury or death, you can kill the attacker, whether they are armed with a deadly weapon or not. It doesn't matter if the incident began with the man approaching the kid, as long as he was not the physical aggressor. If the man was the physical aggressor, then the kid would be defending himself, and the man would be guilty of murder. It depends on exactly what happened. From what I've read so far, it could go either way, but with what is known so far, it seems there is not enough evidence for an arrest. But that could very well be forthcoming.

[apocalypto]

Yet just yesterday on some show (HLN?), while they showed his picture, they called him white. Is Zimmerman an alias? I recall a Hispanic work-place shooter who had changed his name to an Irish one.

[kabar]

There’s really nothing more here than some mall ninja without the will or physical acumen to run down a black kid who he deems suspicious.

You must have some information the rest of the public doesn't. Zimmerman was part of a neighborhood watch group. He reported the suspicious person to the police who told him not to confront the suspect. He wasn't supposed to "run down a black kid he deems suspicious."

There was no weapon on his person according to all accounts,

How was Zimmerman supposed to divine that? He reported to the police that the suspect had his hands in his waistband and appeared to be hiding something. We don't know what prompted the altercation that resulted in both men wrestling on the ground.

Zimmerman used racial epithets to describe the kid/situation on the phone with the police, regardless of whether or not he wanted those epithets to be recorded.

That is not a crime. And the police asked Zimmerman to describe the suspect and if was black or not, which Zimmerman confirmed. I have no idea as to what crimes were committed in the neighborhood that caused the formation of the watch group or who were the people that committed those crimes. If, in fact, the suspects who had committed crimes previously in the neighborhood were black, then Zimmerman may have been guilty of racial profiling.

This is a tragic incident, but I have seen nothing except the race baiting rhetoric of Al Sharpton to conclude that the killing was racially motivated or premeditated. Even Martin's family has cautioned that the police should be allowed to investigate the matter fully and no vigilante action should be taken in retribution.

[Sans-Culotte]

The dude ain’t white.

[Sherman Logan]

The media has nothing to gain by turning this into a black vs. hispanic issue.

He will continue to be portrayed as white. That fits their script.

[PapaBear3625]

From reports that I have seen, Zimmerman is clearly the bigger man weighing 250 pounds to Martin's 140 pounds. It is clear from the tapes that someone is calling for help.

Looking at his picture in #14, a lot of the 240 pounds may be fat. Size does not equate to strength.

[kabar]

Who is Florida neighborhood crime watch volunteer George Zimmerman? Another neighbor, 55-year-old Frank Taaffe, defended Zimmerman as "not a racist."

Taaffe, a marketing specialist who had been a watch captain with Zimmerman until December, said he may have been "overzealous, maybe," but "his main concern is the safety and welfare of the community."

He said Zimmerman had been doing watch patrols for about a year and was a stand-up guy who was diligent but did not have a fanatical demeanor. Records show Zimmerman is not the owner of the town home where he lives in the gated Sanford community.

Zimmerman expressed an interest in law enforcement when he applied to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office citizens’ law-enforcement academy in 2008, and has demonstrated that, although he’s not a cop, he is willing to take action that resembles policing.

In 2003, records show, he pursued a 24-year-old Lake Mary man he had seen shoplift a 24-inch TV from an Albertsons supermarket, following the suspect’s car until a deputy arrived. The next year, he followed a man who he claimed had spit at him while driving.

Robert Zimmerman, when speaking with the Sentinel last week, was emotional and clearly devastated. He said his family has received death threats. And on the claims that son George tracked and killed an innocent 17-year-old black teen, the elder Zimmerman was blunt: "They’re lies.

[PapaBear3625]

Here’s what I don’t quite get. Apparently the shooter has not been charged with anything. Is this because the DA completed their inquiry and concluded that no crime had been committed, or is it because the inquiry is still ongoing?

Or maybe Martin had an extensive juvenile record which they are not allowed to talk about because he's a juvenile? Just tossing out the possibility.

[kabar]

Agreed. And if the suspect had a gun, size doesn’t matter.

[NCLaw441]

I have to say, Zimmerman looks like Chas Bono to me. Where was he/she at the time of the shooting?

[RabidBartender]

Hey - your level-headed thinking and logic are starting to get in the way of a darn tootin’ good lynch mob we got brewin’ here. Stop it.

[Road Warrior ‘04]

I think a grand jury better be empaneled on this matter but I still wouldn't call Zimmerman a "murderer" yet.

I agree! Judge Napolitano, on Foxnews, has already convicted him, also.

That said, the audio of the phone call clearly shows the dispatcher told Zimmerman to back off.

[kabar]

LOL. It is surprising that here on FR, which has a healthy skepticism of the MSM, many are ready to accept the MSM/Al Sharpton version of what really happened. Hell, we all remember how William Jewel, the Duke lacrosse team, ad infinitum, were tried in the press.

[ngat]

From a previous post, according to the witness who called 911, underneath Martin getting beaten severely about the head and shoulders.