Posted on 03/24/2012 9:55:26 AM PDT by TigerClaws
Since there's been a public rush to judgment and many key facts are being ignored by the MSM I’ll defend Zimmerman.
1. He was walking in a public place. Nothing illegal about walking behind someone.
2. He had a legal right to his gun.
3. There were robberies in his neighborhood. Someone who didn’t live there (trespass?) was walking through.
4. He called 911 but without telling the cops where to go when they arrived there’s no suspect if it turns out a robbery took place.
5. He lost sight of TM and headed back to his SUV.
6. TM confronted him and started hitting him.
7. TM broke his nose.
8. Zimmerman asked a witness for help and to call 911.
http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/state/witness-martin-attacked-zimmerman-03232012
9. Zimmerman fired his gun in self defense due to threat of immediate bodily harm.
Okay?
What’s your case to prosecute him or even arrest Zimmerman?
Zimmerman can sue you personally for malicious prosecution so your career and wealth are 100% on the line making this decision.
PDF of Police Report:
http://www.sanfordfl.gov/investigation/docs/Twin%20Lakes%20Shooting%20Initial%20Report.pdf
Letter from City Manager explaining why Zimmerman was not arrested:
http://www.sanfordfl.gov/investigation/docs/Zimmerman_Martin_shooting.pdf
You’re jumping to so many conclusions, and posing scenarios that are not supported by evidence. Let me pose a scenario to you. It’s based on cell phone records, police reports (physical evidence), witness statements and Zimmerman;s statement. Zimmerman spots an unfamiliar face in the neighborhood. He calls the police. Martin runs (I don’t know why, but that is what the call to the police indicates). Zimmerman gets out of his truck to keep Martin in sight. He loses sight. He begins to return to his truck. Martin feeling disrespected or threatened (which if he did indeed turn around negates being threatened) or whatever jumps Zimmerman. Zimmerman shoots Martin in self defense.
That scenario is supported by evidence. You have absolutely none to support yours. That is why Zimmerman was not arrested that night. Period.
Yeah, I ain't planning on quitting my day job. But, then again, that job requires coming up with a factual analysis of issues.
Does your statement have any basis in law, and does it establish probable cause to arrest Zimmerman? Do you know that the law is not comprised of "what Rooivalk thinks is okay or not okay", but rather specific, articulable elements of criminal statutes?
BZZZT! Once again you continue to claim that Zimmerman confronted the deceased. Please provide ANY evidence of such, other than your own conjecture.
The act of observation set up the confrontation that resulted in the shooting. As Sherlock Holmes would say "Its elementary"
Well, first of all, duh, we know why Zimmerman was observing the deceased, he was on neighborhood watch. One can fairly debate whether or not Zimmerman's attention on Martin was justified, but there is nothing to indicate that Zimmerman did anything more than observe or follow.
YOU are the one making that assumption that Zimmerman caused the direct altercation - with absolutely no evidence to back that up.
But you have consistently pulled stuff out of your arse on this thread, and refused to provide a single link to back up any of your assertions that other posters have challenged.
Sherlock Holmes would be doing a double facepalm at your making up your own facts here.
He does seem to have a fair amount of difficulty in grasping that concept, as well as apparently being unable to differentiate opinion from fact.
You're being very short sighted and foolish. The very act of setting up a Neighborhood Watch Program was what led to this this whole incident. Banning them would save countless lives and heartache.
As Sherlock Holmes would say "Its elementary"
He got out of his car and walked into a dangerous situation. That is either bravery or folly, depending on the situation. I would not have done it.
His mistake was getting out of the truck. If he was afraid that Martin was indeed armed, he should have backed away. Pulled back and waited for the cops. Even if you are armed, close quarters in the dark after you lose sight of the guy, that is dangerous, as Zimmerman now knows.
I wouldn`t have gotten out of the truck, but that is a judgement call. Getting out of the truck doesn`t mean his intention was to confront, that he did in fact confront, or that he initiated any kind of violence.
I hope you are one of our citizens that avoids jury duty as it's folks like you that don't hear the judge's instructions to consider only the facts as entered into evidence and nothing else.
Most of the folks here differing with you state right up front that not enough is known and more information is needed. They, unlike you, are keeping an open mind....
“Being “unfamiliar” to Zimmerman was the only offense. The deceased had every reason to be in the neighborhood because he LIVED THERE. I was not aware that people had to check in with Zimmerman every time they walked the streets.”
Martin did not live there. He was visiting.
“Whoa fella you missed a couple of points: Zimmerman started FOLLOWING the deceased because in Zimmerman’s mind the person was “suspicious”. Zimmerman made that admission to the police dispatcher. The question is on what grounds did he reach this conclusion? Has anyone asked him that? Had he witnessed a crime that caused him to be suspicious of the deceased?”
I just read the transcript. Zimmerman says “Oh sh*t he’s running”, and exits the truck. He does mention Martin behaving suspiciously. Read the transcript.
“In sight of where? Was the deceased still walking down the street and Zimmerman is moving from cover to cover to, as he puts it, “keeping him in sight”? Where was Zimmerman doing the observing from? The truck or on foot?”
Zimmerman was observing Martin from the truck. Martin runs. Zimmerman exits the truck to continue observing.
“If Zimmerman was so curious wanted information on the deceased why didn’t he just drive up to the person and ID himself as the friendly neighborhood watch and tell him “...I have not seen you around here before, do you live here?” Its that simple. I have asked people that question myself in a non-threatening manner.Zimmerman’s story does not add up here”
Perhaps Zimmerman was just observing because he did not want to confront Martin with questions and risk violence? (he does mention seeing something in Martin’s waistband - perhaps he fears it may be a gun?)
“Now you have made the leap into fantasy because there is NO EVIDENCE to support this conclusion you are posting.”
Umm the evidence would be Zimmerman’s own statement of which there is nothing to contradict. Furthermore, I specifically said that what I presented was a possible scenario unlike you that presents possible scenarios as evidence.
“In order for your conclusion to work, the deceased would have to reverse the surveillance Zimmerman was conducting on him and somehow see Zimmerman and his truck. Then he would have to decide to FOLLOW Zimmerman back to his truck and start a fight.”
I presented a scenario not a conclusion. You’re the one making conclusions (based on no evidence I might add) “Reverse surveillance”? You mean like hiding around a corner and seeing Zimmerman returning to his truck? Where do you live? In a cave? You’ve never experienced youth anger due to “not giving them respect”? Please.
“it seems that somehow there was contact created by Zimmerman BEFORE returning to the truck that caused a physical struggle to ensue.”
Again where’s the proof? Pure speculation on your part.
“So he says as he tries to save his own skin”
You wouldn’t defend yourself?
“I shot so many holes in this silly idea of yours that even you now don’t believe it. Zimmerman was not arrested because he did not tell the whole story and was a friend of the cops on the force. This is why the police chief has stepped aside and tried to wash his hands of the whole situation. But the truth will come out and Zimmerman has some explaining to do.”
You did nothing of the sort. Judging by your previous posts you’d have trouble outwitting my 10 year old niece. Zimmerman was not arrested because the evidence supported his story. The burden is not on him to prove his innocence. It is on people like you to prove his guilt. Speculation and conjecture aren’t going to cut it. Come up with some proof and get back to me.
I am using my head, moron. You are the one saying Zimmerman confronted Martin. There is no evidence at this point who confronted who. You are making it up, like much of what you have posted on this thrad.
But why THIS individual? Were there other people walking around on the streets? Why did Zimmerman focus on this person?
Immaterial. The simple act of observing someone who you don't know and calling 9-11 is not a crime.
And please tell me since you seem to have the answers who gave Zimmerman the AUTHORITY to follow anyone.
Funny, I never realized you needed a permit to keep an eye on your neighborhood.
By all accounts he was a self proclaimed neighbor watch consisting of one person. Did he have a contract with the community or authorization to stop and harass people that he determined suspicious?
Once again, show us where he would need a contract or authorization. You are making up statutory arguments out of whole cloth.
For this "suspicious" tag seems to be the probable cause Zimmerman is using to explain his contact with the deceased.
Probable cause? Zimmerman is not a cop. There is no indication he walked up to Martin and demanded him to answer questions or submit to a search. So unless you can point to Florida law where a permit is required to observe your own neighborhood, this post is as full of crap as all your others on this thread.
Otherwise, "you lie".
Well, actually there IS circumstantial evidence.
Halfway through Zimmerman's 911 call, he said Martin was running away toward the other entrance. Martin's girlfriend says he told her on the phone that he had lost lost the guy tailing him.
Within about three minutes of the end of the 911 call, Zimmerman was on his back getting his nose broke.
A pudgy Zimmerman was not the one to chase down a teenage athlete on foot if Martin wanted to keep away from him. The only way that makes sense for these two to get in arms length of each other was for Martin to come back to initiate contact.
Haha! Nice catch. I hadn’t thought of that. Martin runs. Zimmerman leaves the truck to follow. Martin tells his girlfriend he’s lost Zimmerman. Zimmerman didn’t initiate contact because he had lost Martin.
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