Where was Martin when he was killed? I haven’t seen it mentioned anywhere?
From what I can piece together from the various news stories, the killing was not on Zimmerman’s property. One 911 caller makes a reference to “two guys in the backyard” and before the shooting Zimmerman told a dispatcher “Actually, could you have him call me and I’ll tell him where I’m at.” with respect to a police officer.
The entire sequence began with Zimmerman patrolling in his SUV.
I am hoping for a news article explicitly stating where he was because I have gotten the same idea that Jas09 has
Here is an early story that indicates the shooting happened “on Twin Trees Lanes”. Although this story also got Zimmerman’s age incorrect.
And this story indicates that the shooting itself was in the backyard of one Mary Cutcher.
http://www.wftv.com/news/news/witness-sanford-police-blew-us-teen-slaying/nLSqk/
Although I believe that under Florida law, where Martin was at the time is not relevant to determining whether the shooting was a crime.
He wasn’t patrolling. Zimmerman was on a personal errand and just stopped when he saw a black guy. I mean, a “suspicious individual”.
Correct. Thanks for the clarification.
Believe it or not…one person could actually be both.
I do not think it happened on Zimmerman’s property, based on his lawyer when interviewed on CNN stated the “stand your ground” law was not applicable as the law’s purpose is to defend your home.
And your point is what exactly? That a nigger with skittles could be both? Oh, I mean a fucking “coon”. That’s what he was, right? My bad.
[Moderator Note]
Bear_Nenno and What the … !!!, this is GQ, not GD (or the Pit). Drop this now. Bear_Nenno, your second post was particularly out of line.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
I thought the incident happened in a gated community.
http://www.wagist.com/2012/dan-linehan/was-trayvon-martin-a-drug-dealer
i just want to know if those are more accurate in showing what the kid looked like now.
It seems the media keeps using pictures of him from many years ago. A large tatooed guy with a grill …is kind of suspicious in a gated community…
So, it was a sleeveless hoodie he was wearing?
CMC fnord!
A question I had was what happened to Martin’s cell phone? Didn’t I see a report that he had been speaking with or talking to his girlfriend? Did he have a phone on his person? Was he using it? If he were texting, there may be some evidence there.
I would trust nothing gained from the social media account of a teenager, what you see there is total posturing and fiction. From stealing large amounts of relatives cash and any “contraband” as props to doing up toy guns and taking pics in dim light I’m sure every 17 year old boy on facebook is a drug dealing gangmember. I laugh my ass off at the bullshit my nephew and his friends spew on there, don’t tell anyone they go to private school.
LOL@the article writers vapors that a 17 year old boy would use a SLUR in his twitter handle, does he not look at many teen handles and black teens in particular?
LOL!
Gated community. That is a phrase that evokes a certain image in my head. But I have heard that this “gated community” is really just an apartment/condo complex that has a fence but also has multiple entrances all open to the public. Not that it matters as to the guilt of anyone, but I was wondering as to what the truth of that one point is.
I was confused by the “gated community” description as well, because I saw a picture of said community, and it just looked like a townhome courtyard building, a typical U-shaped building. That is definitely not what a “gated community” is like in my book. If that’s the case, my courtyard apartment building is also a gated community. Suddenly I’m so fancy!
A real gated community has a controlled entrance. I dated a guy who lived in a real gated community for a couple of years. I couldn’t visit unannounced. I had to call to tell him when I was coming so he could let the guardhouse know to allow me in. If I showed up without calling, I had to wait at the gate while the guard called the house to make sure I was a welcome visitor. There was no Neighborhood Watch - they had gates and guards!
Here’s a Google Street View of the “gate” in question:
To me, it looks like a gated apartment complex, and not the estates of the super-rich that the phrase “gated community” often gives the impression of.
Can someone who knows more about legal matters elaborate on how the whole “stand your ground” law works if you’re the original aggressor in the situation? As I understand it, the law means that no matter where you are, you have no duty to retreat if someone attacks you and can instead stand your ground and respond with (perhaps deadly) force. But if you attack someone else, and they stand their ground and respond with enough force that now you feel threatened, does the same law give you legal rights to respond with deadly force to protect yourself against your intended victim?
Because that’s what it’s looking like this case is going to boil down to: Near as I can piece together, Zimmerman approached Martin in a manner Martin deemed threatening, Martin responded with force, and Zimmerman claims he felt threatened enough that he was justified in responding with deadly force. Claiming self-defense under such circumstances just…sounds wrong, but I don’t know if the statutes are written loosely enough to cover such, or indeed, if there’s legal precedent of this kind of use of a stand your ground law. Can someone enlighten me?