Posted on 03/31/2012 12:58:40 PM PDT by PhatHead
(This previously pulled thread re-posted with JimRob's permission.)
I assembled this timeline and map of relevant locations based on publicly available information. My estimates of walking time are based on Google Maps measurements of the distance, and I tried to estimate on the long side. Please feel free to check all of my sources.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
I think my methodology should be pretty obvious, so I will not bore you with those details. I did not include my source for the house where he was staying, even though it is publicly available information.
For events where there was a window of time where it could have occurred, my timeline only reflects one end of that window, but includes a note of explanation at the end. I take the girl's account at face value, and I tried not to insert any opinion at all into the timeline and map below. I will express a few deductions, conclusions and opinions in the comments below. My intent is only to focus people away from all the emotional issues and just look at these bare facts. The police, of course, have much more exact information at their disposal in the investigation.
| 19:09:34 | Zimmerman calls Sanford Police non-emergency number |
| * Near clubhouse, Martin is a 3 or 4 minute walk from home | |
| 19:11:41 | Zimmerman: "He's running" |
| 19:12:00 | Martin calls GF: "This dude is following me"a |
| 19:12:02 | Operator: "We don't need you to do that" |
| Martin: "Don't want to run. I'll walk fast." | |
| Martin decides to run. | |
| Martin: "I lost the guy" | |
| 19:13:09 | Zimmerman: "I don't know where this kid is." |
| 19:13:27 | Officer Timothy Smith dispatched |
| 19:13:41 | Zimmerman's call with police ends |
| Martin: "I see him again." | |
| Martin: "What are you following me for?" | |
| Zimmerman:"What are you doing here?" | |
| 19:16:00 | Martin's call with girlfriend endsb |
| 19:16:25 | Zimmerman is already yelling for helpc |
| 19:17:10 | Shot firedd |
| 19:17:11 | Officer Smith arrives at complex; is told about shot reports |
| 19:18:10 | Smith is outside back of building |
| Smith takes Zimmerman into custody | |
| Officers perform CPR, then are joined by paramedics | |
| 19:30:00 | Paramedic Brady pronounces Martin dead |
| * He is 200-250 feet from where Zimmerman parked truck during the call to police | |
| * He is in nearly the same spot where Zimmerman lost sight of him on the call | |
| * He is 300-350 feet from home |
a) The article states that the call began at 19:12, but this is almost certainly rounded off, and it could have begun in a 30-40 second window around this time. Maybe even a wider window.
b) As above. ABC News confirms call lasted 4 minutes, but this is likely rounded, as is the start time.
c) This is figured by subtracting the 45 seconds of screaming heard on Police Call #3 before the gunshot is heard. Zimmerman is already screaming before the call begins, so this does not represent the start of the fight or the start of his screaming - only the latest possible time that his screaming was heard.
d) Officer Smith was informed on arrival of reports that a shot had been fired. Assuming almost instantaneous relay of this information from the time the shot was heard, this is the absolute latest time it could have been fired, but it was likely earlier.
I did not include the location of Zimmerman's house for what I think should be obvious reasons, but I have seen speculation elsewhere that it is adjacent to the yard where the shooting took place. It is not.
Pinging you per my earlier note...
Exemplary job!
probably there’s no access to this, but it would seem if the coroner or ME did an autopsy on trayvon martin’s body and found no bruises it would be pretty strong evidence supporting zimmerman’s account of what happened.
Thanks PhatHead. Nice work.
I haven’t looked at your timeline or Wikipedia’s yet.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Trayvon_Martin
Be interesting to see how they (don’t) match up.
I imagine if you check with 5 different “experts”, you’ll come up with 7 different versions.
*story evolving as we FReep. What new facts today reverse and contradict old facts from yesterday?*
Yes, it is a fact that he was not charged, and it is a fact that police found no evidence to contradict Zimmerman's account. The speculation to which I am referring is the many stories about exactly how they came to be face to face, and who initiated the fight.
For example, a lot of commentary and news articles repeat that Zimmerman "chased" Martin, which I do not believe fits the known facts as I have summarized them above.
Excellent work. You may also be interested that Cynwoody linked another thoughtful reconstruction from this website:
http://www.wagist.com/2012/dan-linehan/evidence-that-trayvon-martin-doubled-back
on this thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2866388/posts?page=59#59
Outstanding work.
To the contrary, though, I think one could just as easily conclude from the map and facts you have provided that Zimmerman not only followed Martin but also “chased” him (”Martin decides to run”) until losing sight of him.
Martin, on the sidewalk, rounded the apartments and started heading south towards his home. Zimmerman spots him again. It appears to me that Martin then stopped and confronted Zimmerman. And that’s when the SHTF.
But whether Martin walked up to Zimmerman, or the other way around—or if it was a `mutual combat’—I suppose there’s the nub of the matter. The fact remains, however, that Zimmerman had the gun.
Good work. I’d love to know the location of the store T. M. had purchased his drink and sweets. Is it close?
Those facts don’t support, or contradict, Zimmerman’s account that Martin attacked him. The fact that Zimmerman had injuries tells us fhat there was a physical altercation; it tells us nothing about who started the fight.
I don't want to belabor this point, but there is nothing except Zimmerman's word about how the fight started. The police have found nothing that contradicts his account, but that is not the same thing as supporting it.
I do think that much of the speculation on how the confrontation started is difficult to square with the known facts.
More relevant facts.
NBA All-Star tipoff was 7:30 Eastern. Martin was already pronuonced as dead before the game tipped off.
It is .9 miles from the apartment that Trayvon was staying at to the 7-Eleven on Rinehart Rd.
Yes, I was trying to focus more narrowly here on the known timeline. I’ve never been able to track down the actual source of the story that he was going to 7-11. His dad was not at home when Trayvon left the house, and the story was out there before the girlfriend came forward. There was one report that the dad’s girlfriend had a 13-year-old who was home, but I am skeptical of that account for several reasons - not least of which being that I suspect the dad would have been a little more concerned that Trayvon was not home if the younger boy had been waiting all night for him to come back while emergency vehicles swarmed the neighborhood.
Obviously, the “All-Star Game halftime” embellishment that popped up early on was fiction.
0.9 miles to the west on Rinehart
0.9 miles to the west on Rinehart
I read a REALLY good synopsis on a website that caters to African-Americans. Actually a very good account. They said that Trayvon and Ms Green’s son were home while the Mr MArtin and Ms Green went to supper. That article also alluded to a nephew of hers that was 21 years old who had hit it off good with Trayvon. In that article, that was the reason why the dad was not worried that Trayvon was not home that evening when they got back.
The 7-Eleven story had to come from somewhere. If there was a 13 year old at the condo, his testiminy will be crucial. I wonder if the police have gone to the 7-Eleven and looked for video footage to nail-down a timeline?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.