[Maritime Q-Scout]

I only recently started to look at this case, mostly due to the outrage. I wanted to see what it was all about. Here's what I gather:

The community has had problems with break & enters, and crime.

The community setup a neighbourhood watch captained by George Zimmerman.

Zimmerman has called the police on numerous occasions regarding suspicious people, people of various races including his own.

The neighbourhood watch witnesses suspicious people in the area, called the police non-emergency number. The police took a while to get there to investigate. In the meantime the suspicious people broke into a house(s) and stole belongings and got away.

Several days later one of the suspects was apprehended, Zimmerman identified him as one of the two people who broke into the houses earlier.

Martin was staying in the neighbourhood as a guest, so he wasn't known to the community.

Late one night he went to the store and was strolling back to where he was staying looking at the neighbourhood wearing a black hoodie.

Zimmerman noticed Martin and thought he looked suspicious. Given the state of affairs in the community called it in and followed Martin.

The police told Zimmerman to stop following Martin. He did and started going back to his truck.

Some point between Zimmerman getting back to his truck but after talking to the police an altercation ensued between Martin and Zimmerman.

There was a scuffle, witness accounts vary as to whether Martin or Zimmerman was on top throwing punches. However given the lacerations on the back of Zimmerman's head and his broken nose combined with only laceration on Marton's fists, Martin was the one on top throwing punches.

Witnesses can't agree on who called for help, however it would be logical to infer given the injuries that it was Zimmerman.

Zimmerman shot Martin once in the chest.

Martin suffered a fatal wound due to the shot.


I *COULD* have those facts mistaken. But if those facts are true, and were presented to the jury that way, then from what I understand of Florida law (which is minimal) Zimmerman should be found not-guilty.


The big issue here as I see it given the above facts would be the use of lethal force to defend oneself against not lethal force and the ability for a mere civilian to carry a gun.


While it does not appear that Martin did anything illegal up until the scuffle and we don't know how that started. Zimmerman didn't appear to do anything illegal at all.

If I understand things correctly, yes you should be outraged but at the laws of the state of Florida which lead to this scenario.