A question for CP law-talking people... what would have been the outcome of a Zimmerman trial in Canada?
Let's say the facts are as follows:
- Zimmerman reported suspicious activity in a public area to the police
- Zimmerman was armed when he went to investigate (to Canadianize the story, let's say he took a shotgun)
- The police told Zimmerman to stop following Martin and let them deal with it
- A physical altercation takes place and Martin is killed
I think those points are pretty much agreed upon by all sides.
The points in contention are who instigated the fight and did Zimmerman continue to follow Martin after being told by police to stop. I think it is most likely that:
- Zimmerman kept following Martin after the Police told him to stop
- and, Martin started the fight
So in the Canadian legal system, do those 6 "facts" look like 1st degree murder, 2nd degree murder, manslaughter or nothing?