Re: Family of Florida teen killed by neighborhood watch volunteer feel 'betrayed' by
there is reasonable suspicion to believe that the guy refused to follow the police's direct instruction NOT to confront the kid.
there is evidence that he tried to stop the kid, in violation of the kid's civil rights.
there is evidence that the guy shot the kid as the kid was running away.
how do you NOT arrest the guy, with such evidence?
Well, for one, your changing facts to other than what they are really wouldn't hold up in court, would it?
It is known (as reported anyway) that at the time of the shooting, Martin was NOT running away. A scuffle was recorded and two witnesses said there was a fight going on outside (before gun fire). Zimmerman had a bloody nose, blood on the back of his head, grass on his back which also was wet.
So your claim that Zimmerman shot Martin while Martin was running away is just 100% opposite the facts by both physical evidence and 2 uninvolved witnesses. There also is what appears the fact that the fight broke out and was well along before the shot was fired. It also known the fight going on long enough for TWO people to also call 911 - apparently before the shot fired. There is the 911 call of Zimmerman prior to this saying Martin was glaring at him and one point turned to approach Zimmerman while he was talking to the police. There was fear, not hate, in Zimmerman's voice in that 911 call. He made no racist slurs or indicated any intention to confront or harm Martin in that call.
Nor is it known that it was Zimmerman who approached Martin later. Instead, Zimmerman agreed to meet police at the gate. There isn't actually evidence that Zimmerman disregarded the dispatcher - that is just asserted. The phone 911 call by Zimmerman was before what happened, as was the claimed call to the 16 year old girl according to her. The only witnesses to the incident independently told police on 911 there was a struggle or conflict going on outside. I didn't read they also claimed they heard a gunshot - but those tapes not made public yet.
So YOUR simple claim that Zimmerman stalked down Martin and shot Martin while Martin was trying to run away from him contradicts all known apparent facts. For all we know, Zimmerman told the police that Martin again turned and charged him, slugging Zimmerman knocking him to the ground and then was kicking or stomping Zimmerman in the head when Zimmerman fired. If so, disprove it.
We do not know the forensics - such as range of the shot and angle of the hit. If it was from down and upward very close, it would support such a claim. It the shot fired within inches, it was a struggle over the gun after a fight already going. If it was a long distance shot and in the back, then and only then would it support your asserted fact that Martin was running away.
Unlike you, I'm a person who believes the evidence is gathered BEFORE making decisions - not making the decisions and then trying to find the evidence to back-the-presumption up
(a typical problem with some police and prosecutions - deciding before the evidence is all known - then leading to temptations to pick and choice what evidence they make known to support their assumption of guilt - or making a deal with a jailhouse snitch claiming the accused "confessed" in jail when lacking evidence otherwise.) It seems in law enforcement that would be your practice. You decide yourself whether or not someone is guilty and would act on that gut instinct - and THEN only later would you learn about the evidence. Imprison all suspects, even just to make the public happy.
Finally, the media screws up when reporting details, and limits what they tell and how they tell it once they go into the political editorializing mode - which essentially all networks do now. They don't just tell you what happened as they want you to know, they tell you what to think about it too - and pick their words to back that up.
