Quote:
Originally Posted by Monkei
.. I am sure TM would not have attacked if GZ had not followed him around the complex causing Martin some concern for his safety as witness number 8 mentioned. Martin had no gun or knife he could only attack GZ with his cell phone, his tea can or his skittles. Obviously the only way he could defend HIS RIGHT was to attack Zimmerman, especially if he saw the gun beforehand ... But we will never know.
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I agree - the self defense laws apply to both persons in this case! TM must have felt threatened by this guy following him, making Zimm an aggressor in a sense. And the fact that Zimm had a loaded gun on his person when he followed Zimm adds to the sense he was an aggressor. From all accounts, TM did not give Zimm cause to be followed. He was dressed in a sweatshirt, chinos, and sneakers, hardly "Gang" attire. He was walking in the rain, talking on his cell phone. When he realized he was being followed, TM ran to escape, but Zimm kept on following. After that, the facts are murky, and witnesses disagree about what happened. Add to that a sloppy police investigation as far as how the evidence was handled, photos taken, blood samples not taken, and I too think it will be difficult to come up with a murder conviction. Manslaughter, perhaps. Had the police done a better job of investigating, it might have been easier to corroborate (or not) Zimm's story. Now, we have little except his word, and he's lied about at least one thing, so there is plenty of room for skepticism as far as his testimony.
Had he just taken the time to identify himself and ask Martin what he was doing in the neighborhood, or asked him if he needed assistance, things could have been so much different. Instead he had to play "super cop", and look where that got him.