Unarmed teen shooting: Is Florida law to blame?

[FBM]

"legitimate presence in the neighbor"?

[Coito ergo sum]

The issue is not whether Martin was violating the law at the time that Zimmerman approached him. That is irrelevant. The issue is whether or not once whatever confrontation ensued, Mr. Zimmerman reasonably believed that he was being confronted with imminent bodily harm or death warranting him to "stand his ground" and inflict equal force to repel the danger.

Mr. Martin's legitimate presence in the neighbor is not even a factor in the determinative issues in a possible grand jury investigation. It might have sentimental impact but it would be highly prejudicial to Mr. Zimmerman to factor it in to the process.

Quoting some arbitrary person's blurb on an blog discussion? Who is writing that statement and what are you suggesting by it?

By the way, the grand jury investigation was terminated and the arrest was done by capias warrant and information.

Zimmerman voluntarily surrendered himself to the police upon being informed of the Capias.

[mistermack]

To all, I would just like to say,

We told you so !

How come there was no "probable cause" a month ago, and now there is?
The answer of course is that there was PLENTY of cause a month ago. But a dirty deal was done, they thought they could get away with not charging him, because of his ex-magistrate daddy and they were very nearly right.

If Martin had been older, Zimmerman would have got away with murder.
And most of you swallowed his crap.
Don't it make you feel proud?

[Coito ergo sum]

Violent rhetoric....tone down the rhetoric? Have a civil discussion?

Mike Tyson on George Zimmerman: ‘It’s a disgrace he hasn’t been shot yet’

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/mik ... 15400.html

Black Panthers Call For Lynching Of George Zimmerman

http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/211621.php

[Coito ergo sum]

To all, I would just like to say,

We told you so !

How come there was no "probable cause" a month ago, and now there is?

Didn't you listen to the prosecutor's presentation yesterday? That would help you out a bit. She answered that question thoroughly.

The answer of course is that there was PLENTY of cause a month ago. But a dirty deal was done, they thought they could get away with not charging him, because of his ex-magistrate daddy and they were very nearly right.

You mean the racist Sanford cops protected the Latino guy?

If Martin had been older, Zimmerman would have got away with murder.
And most of you swallowed his crap.
Don't it make you feel proud?

Who are you suggested said he should never be arrested? I and others here have only said that the prosecution/police should arrest when they have determined there to be probable cause to arrest and when they are convinced that justice requires the same. The prosecutor very adeptly discussed this yesterday.

I am certainly willing to accept their decision to prosecute and to believe the prosecutor when she said that they did not opt to prosecute base don petitions or public pressure, but on the facts and the evidence that they assembled during their investigation. Now Zimmerman has a right to a defense, a presumption of innocence and a fair trial.

[kiki5711]

Coito,

there's trash talk coming from everywhere..............not just the black community. it doesn't add credibility to the case, so I don't pay attention to that. I'm looking only for facts or other information that can give me a bigger perspective of the situation.

[Gallstones]

Breaking news.... Zimmerman to be charged with 2nd degree murder.

It had to be. Now it will be up to our court system. It's going to be THE trial of this new century for us Americans.

I'm hoping it ends up toppling all the handgun laws that arm these vigilantes and gets us headed back toward a civil society.

Ah yes, it's all so simple--just remove guns and humans will be civil. It is the fault of those evil, evil guns.

The vast majority of people who own guns are not vigilantes, they are as law abiding and as oriented towards civility as the vast majority of people who don't own guns.

[kiki5711]

my friend was stopped by police (I think speeding), turns out she had a warrant out for her arrest.

the innitial charge was "driving without seatbelt". She forgot about it and didn't go to court and it turned into a warrant.

she got cuffed, taken to jail, proccessed and stayed in jail and had to make bail.

----------------

zimmerman gets cuffed at the scene of the crime, admits he shot the victim, taken to police Precinct , tells the officer it was self defense and gets released.

no sign of any investigation until public pressure.

There's something wrong with this picture.

[mistermack]

Yeh yeh yeh.

People now said all along he should have been arrested. They're always right, even after being proved wrong.

Bollocks.

I thought any fool could see he should have been charged. I admit I was wrong.

[Coito ergo sum]

my friend was stopped by police (I think speeding), turns out she had a warrant out for her arrest.

the innitial charge was "driving without seatbelt". She forgot about it and didn't go to court and it turned into a warrant.

she got cuffed, taken to jail, proccessed and stayed in jail and had to make bail.

Anyone with a warrant out for their arrest will be cuffed and taken to jail.

She forgot about the driving without a seatbelt ticket? And, the followup correspondence from the court didn't remind her? I've gotten lots of speeding and other tickets in my day, and you miss the date on it and they send you scary notices.

----------------

zimmerman gets cuffed at the scene of the crime, admits he shot the victim, taken to police Precinct , tells the officer it was self defense and gets released.

Remember, at first, the line was that he wasn't even taken into custody. That's another part of the story that had to be modified. Fuck, Rachel Maddow still maintained yesterday on her show that he had not been taken into custody.

no sign of any investigation until public pressure.

That isn't true. The special prosecutor in her presentation yesterday stated unequivocally that the local Sanford police were investigating the crime, and that it is not at all unusual for it to take weeks to make an arrest.

There's something wrong with this picture.

Your knowledge of the law, the case, of how police investigations go, and how common it is that suspects will remain free pending police investigations.

[Coito ergo sum]

Yeh yeh yeh.

People now said all along he should have been arrested. They're always right, even after being proved wrong.

Bollocks.

I thought any fool could see he should have been charged. I admit I was wrong.

What people are you referring to?

Who says "all along he should have been arrested?"

Who has been proven wrong?

[kiki5711]

That isn't true. The special prosecutor in her presentation yesterday stated unequivocally that the local Sanford police were investigating the crime, and that it is not at all unusual for it to take weeks to make an arrest.

well that would make sense if there was a question of who needs to be arrested. zimmerman admitted he killed martin. that in itself should have been the cause for arrest and jailed possibly bonded until trial to see if he's guilty of anything or not.

[Coito ergo sum]

That isn't true. The special prosecutor in her presentation yesterday stated unequivocally that the local Sanford police were investigating the crime, and that it is not at all unusual for it to take weeks to make an arrest.

well that would make sense if there was a question of who needs to be arrested. zimmerman admitted he killed martin. that in itself should have been the cause for arrest and jailed possibly bonded until trial to see if he's guilty of anything or not.

That isn't correct, and the prosecutor in her presentation explained that too. That is your misconception.

Zimmerman is not the only person who hasn't been arrested immediately in a self-defense situation. Not by a long shot. That is one of the areas where you're just dead wrong. You think that "that in itself should have been cause for an arrest" and you are wrong about that, and prosecutor yesterday explained in great detail why that is.

[mistermack]

There's one thing that still bothers me, and that's the possibility that the prosecution won't try very hard.

I said this many pages ago, but it needs repeating.
It's the oldest trick in the book, for the police and prosecutors to charge an officer, and just not try with the case.
The result is that the officer gets declared innocent, and "cleared". It's a better result for them than no charge at all.

I've seen that happen in the UK, to such an extent that the prosecution delayed and delayed, and then said that they had overrun the time limit. And the officers couldn't be tried !!
Completely blatant, and yet they get away with it.

In this case, an acquittal would make the original investigation and reluctance to charge Zimmerman look justified. It wouldn't reflect so badly as a conviction.

Maybe the media focus on the case will put them off trying that. But if the interest dies off, I wouldn't be at all surprised if they just soft-pedalled and he got acquitted.

[Gallstones]

Did you mean to post a link with this post Warren?

Oops, yes, thanks. Here:

http://dailycaller.com/2012/03/29/polic ... ad-injury/

Top picture at the link is from the unaltered video at the original resolution, and shows the injury. Bottom one is the enhanced version, which also shows it.

I would think that an injury sustained by having the back of one's head bashed repeatedly would be more roundish or ovoid than linear. And I have seen the back of many a bald man's head and those with crew cuts--they all have skin folds.