General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: This message was self-deleted by its author [View all]Vattel
(9,289 posts)"I'm betting he already had his hand on his gun, if not already drawn, and figured he'd hold him at gunpoint. That things didn't work out that way and that an unarmed, unsuspecting teenager found himself fighting a losing battle for his life against a stupid, hateful, bigoted, drug-addled, violent, gun-armed wanna-be cop."
Zimmerman expressed relief when told by Serino that the whole thing was video-taped. That would been an unlikely reaction if he had his gun drawn early on or had initiated the fight. Zimmerman's injuries are consistent with his claim that Martin hit him in the nose and slammed his head on the concrete (though not 20-30 times). Martin was into fighting. Martin had plenty of time to get to his house while Zimmerman talked to the police dispatcher, but he didn't end up very far from Zimmerman. Martin approached Zimmerman's car and so didn't seem particularly scared. If Zimmerman had been so determined to not let Martin get away, he wouldn't have wasted his time talking to the police as Martin ran. Jaentel's interview with the state attorney reveals her to be willing to lie on behalf of Martin.
Do I need to go on? My point is not that Zimmerman is innocent of a crime. My point is that there is loads of reasonable doubt as to his guilt and so he should be acquitted.