But that's the point: just because you claim it's self defense doesn't make it so.

If Zimmerman was taken into custody, put before a standing grand jury (most counties always has 1) within 24-48 hours and they decided not to press charges most people wouldn't have a legitimate reason to be pissed.

I personally do not know what happened. Until evidence is presented IN COURT, I withhold my personal judgement. So I'll have no judgement for months likely. And as a gun owner, I'll accept the extra hardship of having any shooting I'm involved in cleared by 12 as a justified shoot. It comes with the extra responsibility of having the priviledge to carry in public

 

That's why I've made it a point to mention him going to the police station, being interrogated/questioned, the witness accounts, and him showing signs of an attack. The cops didn't just drive up, ask what him happened, listen to his story, and say, "oh have a nice day." I feel like that's how you guys see this and I wish there was a cop or investigator here that could explain how that would never happen. When there is a shooting especially a fatal shooting they investigate thoroughly before allowing the shooter to go.

 

Personal Recognizance Bail(P.R.) and by bail or P.R. I mean in direct contact with LE or made to show back up at a certain date or time for any judicial proceeding on his word or promise. Last updates are "Zimmerman is in hiding." I say he is with Casey Anthony.

ask yourself this: If your significant other was shot by "self defense"(under a "Castle Doctrine" or "Stand Your Ground Law" or even "Duty To Retreat"-which is what "stand your ground" was until 2005 or so) and within 5 hours the "shooter" was walking away and you weren't being told anything, how would you feel. Your views are very one sided towards the Zimmerman side, jump in the other shoes for a few seconds.

and also about "Stand Your Ground"- it was previously called "Duty to Retreat" and was changed around 2005 in FL, it states that "a person cannot invoke this provision if he is 'engaged in unlawful activity' or 'initially provokes the use of force against himself.'" This law is going to play a HUGE factor in this case and, like is said before, will be a Benchmark for how this law is either changed or handled in court. This law's ultimate goal is as much to deter as to be used in court. It is very complicated and not very well drafted. It states that "any force permitted by the law is immune from criminal prosecution or civil action and cannot be arrested unless a law enforcement agency determines there is probable cause that the force used was unlawful" but was Zimmerman's actions permitted by laws IAW this?? I believe if we get the truth, if we can handle the truth , then we could have a better stance on this issue. (and by WE i mean the public).

IF... if.... you can only assume my brother, you can only assume..

The media is not releasing if he is out on P.R. bail or not or is he has been adjudicated(which he hasn't). He has just been "let go" by the police for all we know. But like I said above, "if his actions are permitted by law, he is immune from criminal prosecution or civil action." Therefore we must ASSUME his actions were permitted by law since he is walking free. That is what I am getting at. We are getting half-a$$ information from "24 hour news updates" which is just pushing information for "clicks" or "views".

some 43... I am a LE officer and the second part I bolded, you mean to tell me in 5 hours they "Investigated throughly".... Bullchit. We had an old lady just pass away, in a car, with a gun in it and her husband driving and stopped for gas and it took us and our investigators almost 2 days to figure everything out. That "investigate throughly" is a swiss cheese defense. Zimmerman would be released on P.R.(maybe.. and it's a far maybe) and made to return at a later date and time.. but we don't have any of that information.

 

Well this isn't really about my feelings or those of Martin's or Zimmerman's families. I can tell you that it's very very unlikely anyone I care about would be shot in a way that applied to castle doctrine and/or self defense. My views are one sided b/c pretty much all the info points to it happening as Zimmerman described.

I actually think this case and the way the media is portraying it is being used as a way to neuter the castle doctrine law or get rid of it completely. I agree w/ you 100% that the info we're getting is bull just trying to get more hits or viewers.

I can't accurately give you the time frame, but from what I read he was at the headquarters 5 hours being questioned. I assume that time doesn't include investigation that occurred at the scene along w/ questioning witnesses, collecting evidence, and what not. If someone was interviewing me for 5 hours about something that happened in the span of 10-20 mins. I'd run out of stuff to tell them in the 1st hour.

 

Truth is we will never know what happened?

1. Of course Zimmerman hold on self defense. Martin is dead....he won't admit if accidental or intentional.

2. Martin is 17yo by himself. So there is no gang motive. The main questionable factor is why would a 17yo attack an older guy? It's not like Martin is trying to rob Zimmerman for money? Zimmerman has a conceal weapon, and was aware of a suspicious male walking in the area, then reported to dispatcher. Then eyeing Martin.....how would Martin attack him, when his back is turn walking back to his vehicle. If one has their guards up like Zimmerman, turning his back away carelessly, for an attack by Martin does not add up.

3. After Zimmerman reported to dispatcher, ignoring the fact that he should not follow Martin was the first mistake. In Martin's mind being 17yo, is like "who the hell this punk following me". So he walk faster.....

Lol... Just as I was typing, TV news showed a video of Zimmerman in the police station, getinh off police car and his face not injured, no bloody nose, no head injury.

Continue: so Martin start walking faster, what would Zimmerman do with a gun conceal? Either yell out " hey you okay? Are you lost? " or walk back to car, then be attack by Martin....

Just seem odd & questionable. Especially the video just leak of Zimmerman in police station with no injury. If there is injury photos, it shouldmhave been release long time ago.

 

Link to the video George Zimmerman on Police Surveillance | Video - ABC News, msnbc said Zimmerman received first aid on the scene, that and the fact that the video isn't good quality may be why you can't see evidence of injury. A link to a recent story about Zimmerman's character In Trayvon Martin case, a complex portrait of shooter emerges - latimes.com, quite different from how most of the media portrayed him.

In the U.S. it is still innocent until proven guilty and for someone to be proven guilty it's beyond a reasonable doubt. If they have the evidence then they should definitely charge him. Then the problem is if there was a jury trial everyone would have been biased by the media coverage, we'd have to go out and get some amish people that haven't heard about it.

 

Does video cast doubt on Zimmerman

 

If Martin is on top of Zimmerman, beating him.....gun fires base of self defense at close range, why no blood stain on Zimmerman clothing?

 

I haven't heard specific details of whether Zimmerman was mounted at the time of the shot or had Martin standing off kicking him or what. As for the blood stain, could be there, I've never shot someone close range or at all so I don't know how the blood spatters, have you? We have to wait for the crime scene investigator details to know if it's there. I think I'm just gonna stop following this until they actually have something definitive b/c you can't convict someone w/ some maybe BS like they keep showing.

 

EXACLTY!

People shouldn't jump to Zimmerman's defense as there are holes in his story. Nor should they jump to Martin's defense because his story is hearsay, conjecture and assumption. But if Zimmerman had been taken into custody and put before a grand jury, there would have been preliminary evidence enter into the record. Like whether Zimmerman's clothing was blood splattered or Martin's clothing had GSR (both indicating he was shot at extremely close range). Defensive wounds on Zimmerman, injuries on Martin, cell records of Martin's & his girlfriend's phones to validate if she was even talking with him and how long before the incident.

That's what is missing here. And it's being left to the media, people's imaginations and bias to fill in the blanks. And if the police do have this information, they cannot release it now because it'd become tainted and tossed out of any future proceedings