chris_gerrib | Zimmerman Vs. Martin – What I Think Happened

For some reason, I’ve found myself focusing entirely too much on the Zimmerman – Martin shooting. In an attempt to get it out of my head, I will outline what I think happened and why I think so. This is long, and the bulk of this post will be behind a cut, but just to be upfront, I do not think Zimmerman is a racist or otherwise evil. I do think he was over-aggressive and made poor decisions. Since those decisions and actions ended up in somebody getting killed, it’s only just that Zimmerman answer to his actions in a court of law. A final disclaimer - this is based on public evidence, so other facts not released my change my assessment.

Zimmerman made two bad decisions right at the start of the encounter. He decided that Martin was a crook, and more importantly for what followed, that Martin would run when confronted. These decisions, especially the later, colored everything that happened.

So, we know Zimmerman got out of his truck and followed Martin – that’s on the 911 tape and Zimmerman’s statement. There is then a two minute gap between calls, where all we have to go on is Zimmerman’s statement. Based on watching the video reenactment of the shooting, Zimmerman was not “walking back to his truck.” If he had been, he’d have gotten in the truck in about 30 seconds, and there would have been no fight. Zimmerman spent most if not all of the two minute gap looking for Martin.

At some point in this gap, the two men came into contact. By Zimmerman’s own statement, he never identified himself as Neighborhood Watch. Zimmerman claims that Martin launched an unprovoked attack. I strongly question that. Why would Martin stop Zimmerman, face him and then punch him, while leaving his only weapon (the can of iced tea) in his pocket? If Martin were to have launched an attack from concealment, wouldn’t a more logical attack involve whacking Zimmerman in the back of the head with the can? Since when do teens, even gangbangers, attack people one-on-one?

No, the more logical explanation is that Zimmerman found Martin and attempted to stop him. Zimmerman had no right to make a stop, and Martin had no duty to stop or retreat. But at some point and for some reason, Martin threw a punch, maybe two. That punch broke Zimmerman’s nose, and surprised him. He was expecting flight, not fight. Surprise and a strong jab led to Zimmerman hitting the deck, cutting his head when he hit the sidewalk.

But the subsequent statement by Zimmerman of “he was bouncing my head on the concrete” doesn’t fly. Martin had one small cut on his knuckle, Zimmerman had no injuries to his ears, defensive wounds, or skull fractures. How exactly did Martin “bounce Zimmerman’s head?” No, Zimmerman went down, and the fight might have ended there.

But I believe that Zimmerman, now on the ground, went for his gun. I would have, if somebody I thought was a sneak thief had put me down. Martin saw that, and a struggle for the gun ensued. This explains why, on the 911 tape where we hear the fight, the man with the gun isn’t yelling, “I have a gun!” Martin already knew about the gun.

We know how that struggle ended. By the time the cops arrived, Zimmerman had decided on his first lie. He couldn’t tell the cops that he’d ignored the dispatcher, so Martin had to have attacked him. The second lie, about being repeatedly pounded, probably came about as Zimmerman was sitting in the squad car. The paramedic who treated him probably gave him a brief once-over, said, “You’ll be fine” and dashed over to the dead or dying Martin. Saying that he shot a guy over one punch wouldn’t fly, so it had to be multiple punches.

The third lie came during the ride to the station. If, as I have, you hang around with gun owners, sooner or later the talk will turn to defensive shooting. You will then, as sure as night follows day, hear people say “tell the cops the SOB said he was going to kill you” or words to that effect. Zimmerman, a fairly new gun owner, had probably heard that line before. So, he added it to his statement.

The hell of it is, had Martin been a local crackhead instead of a high school kid from a good home, Zimmerman would have walked. I’m not sure that this adds up to murder – more like manslaughter to this non-legal mind. At any rate, now Zimmerman has to tell it to the judge.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

...it was a can of Arizona Watermelon Fruit Juice Cocktail. This tells me that for all of your "focusing" on the case, you haven't really been paying attention to the details. Your conclusions are based on faulty assumptions.

It is ridiculous to think that Zimmerman would have confronted Martin to detain him, since, in his call, Zimmerman said that the person appeared to be on drugs. This was very possibly true, as Martin was a known abuser of codeine, and had marijuana in his system (there's is sufficient circumstantial evidence to show that he recruited individuals at the 7-11 he visited to purchase "blunts" for him, a cigar-like tobacco product that is typically hollowed out and stuffed with marijuana.) Having a smoke would explain why Martin required 45 minutes to complete what should have been a 10 minute return trip from the 7-11. But regardless, we are all familiar with stories of the behavior of people on drugs...you wouldn't want to try to detain someone on drugs. Also, in his previous calls of suspicious person, Zimmerman never attempted to detain an individual. Doing so now would be out of character. Finally, announcing that you're a neighborhood-watch volunteer to a person on drugs would be considered a stupid move by just about everyone.

According to the map of the area and to recreations of the positions of Zimmerman and Martin during Zimmerman's 911 call, Martin should have been back at the house well before Zimmerman's call with the police ended. This is supported by the testimony of his girlfriend, Dee Dee, where, in an interview with the prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda, she stated that Martin said he was "right by his father house." Because of the map and the timing, it is now a commonly accepted conclusion that Martin went back to Zimmerman's position.

On the two-minute gap...did Zimmerman spend that time trying to spot Martin? I would say that he likely did...and that does NOT make him guilty of manslaughter. Zimmerman was at a place where he had the right to be. Walking down a path, looking for burglars is not illegal, nor does it make him responsible for the confrontation...especially since it's clear that Martin doubled back. The only thing that matters is who initiated the physical confrontation. THAT is the person who should be held criminally responsible for all events that occurred afterward. So far, all the evidence points to Martin being that person.

Zimmerman will be found not-guilty...IF it even goes to trail. Most likely, the case will be dismissed at the Stand-Your-Ground hearing, since the evidence is consistent with Zimmerman's testimony.

The brand name of the product is "Arizona Ice Tea," although what particular relevance that has to anything is beyond me, my friend from Brooklyn.

In point of fact, Martin was not on any drugs at the time of the incident, so whatever he did at the 7-11 isn't relevant either.

It's actually not clear that Martin doubled back - Martin could have ducked behind a fence or building and hid.

You are correct in stating that who initiated the physical confrontation matters. I ask again - why do we think a 17-year-old would attack somebody without provocation?

That's not the brand...it's not even a trademark. When a person is drawing conclusion about an event based on the small details surrounding said event, the attention paid to those details is relevant and factors into the validity of the opinion.

Why would a 17-year-old attack somebody without provocation? Because he was a thug. Nice kids don't get suspended from school three times. He was a suspected burglar, used drugs, and was into fighting (according to details from his facebook pages and twitter account.) He was also into "lean"... a mixture of codeine-based cough syrup, a soft drink, and candy.

It is clear that Martin doubled back because he told his girlfriend that he was "by his father house". The fact remains that Martin should have been safe in the townhouse long before Zimmerman's call to the police ended. When someone you fear is behind you, and a safe location is in front of you, you don't duck and hide...you bolt for the safe location. For some reason, Martin decided to get tough and confront the stranger.

From Zimmerman's call to the police...
"This guy looks like he's up to no good, or he's on drugs or something"
"He's got his hand in his waistband"
"He's got something in his hands"

Why would Zimmerman attack someone who he thought was on drugs and had a weapon? And if he was expecting or even looking for a confrontation with such a person, wouldn't he have his gun ready? As such, how would Martin get close enough to strike Zimmerman?

Your scenario simply doesn't hold water. Zimmerman's description of events seems far more plausible.

The brand of drink in his pocket, which was described by police (I've read the report) as "Arizona Iced Tea" is irrelevant. What is relevant is that it was the closest thing to a weapon and it never left his pocket.

Martin was not actually a suspected burglar, and none of his suspensions were for violent activities. One of them was for marijuana seeds in a baggie. Seems like he was a victim of zero-tolerance laws.

You are alleging, with zero evidence, that Martin used drugs other than marijuana. That's doubly irrelevant, in that he wasn't being followed for drugs nor was he chemically impaired at the time. YOu are also incorrect about Martin's Facebook page - many of the pro-Zimmerman folks have latched onto the wrong "Treyvon Martin" on Facebook.

Martin's decision to not run to his house was bad tactics. However, he was under no legal obligation to run anywhere.

We know exactly what Martin had in his hands - his cell phone.

Zimmerman, as I stated above, was not expecting a fight - he was expecting Martin to run. Thus Zimmerman was not prepared for a fight. Nor did I say Zimmerman attacked Martin. "Trying to stop" and "attack" are different things.

Zimmerman Vs. Martin – What I Think Happened

It wasn't a can of iced tea...

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