That, since the police station video of his arrival doesnot show him with spatter from blowback, Zimmerman probably did not shot Trayvon while he was in very close physical contact with him.
Eyewitness testimony has Marten sitting on Zimmerman's upper body while slamming his head into the pavement, That continued until the shot was fired, there was no separation. The police station video did not show a close up frontal view. In any event, entry wounds bleed very little if at all. The gory stuff shows up at the exit wound, in this case there was none (the bullet hit the bone!).
That the lack of blowback spatter means Trayvon drew off a slight distance in the instant between the last cry/scream and the single shot shot fired by Zimmerman.
Assumes facts not in evidence, entry wounds do not bleed profusely. He could not have "drawn off a slight distance" with Martin sitting on his chest.
That the single shot fired was probably not particularly well aimed.
It was aimed well enough to get the job done! Aim is not a big factor when you are close enough to smell your opponent's sweat.
That Zimmerman had not set out to shoot Trayvon or anyone and his only intention in shooting was stopping the attack.
I am in 100% agreement with you on this point.
Now, having said that, the defensive handgun shooting advice you provided is pretty standard in the community. But, as you no doubt know, it is based on an idealized engagement.
If you wait until you have an "idealized engagement" your friends are going to attending your funeral before too long.
Remember that mortal combat is intense, nasty, bloody, brutal, and more often then not, unanticipated. You are not about to pace off 25 steps, turn and fire. If you give the slightest quarter, expect your opponent to seize the initiative and you had best start paying attention lest you have your ass handed to you.
From what you have written I can see that you have a detached, analytical mind set, that would be a wonderful asset if you were a research chemist or such. However, if you are a concealed weapons carrier you cannot afford the luxury of step by step analysis.
You must practice drawing your weapon, practice dry firing, practice firing on a range. You need to keep at it until your gun, your hand, and your eye are wed into an extension of your mind. You need to practice from contact distance out to perhaps 15 yards.
Proficiency begins at the point where muscle memory has developed to the point where drawing and presenting your weapon does not require conscious thought at each step of the process. If you are going out in public with a lethal weapon on your person you owe it to the rest of us to keep your mind focused on your surroundings, evaluating potential threats (condition RED). You can no longer afford to mooch along day dreaming about the sweet young thing in accounting or your up coming golf outing (condition WHITE), not and carry a gun you can't! You're either in it all the way or you're out.
One last piece of advice:
He who resorts to dirty fighting first generally wins and gets to go home. There is no award for second place.
G
Look Gandalf, I was a Marine enlisted man and officer for over 20 years including in combat. So, during my time in the ranks, I’ve spent my days on the range doing the drills and and carrying a weapon in a combat zone ready for immediate deployment.
As any police officer will tell you, the rules for handling a weapon in a combat zone (including threat evaluation) are different than those for civilian police work and are different again for civilan concealed carry. In fact, one of the more difficult transitions for ex-military (non-MPs)is learning (in the muscle memory sense of the word) that a number of different rules apply when you put on a LEO uniform. Go around handling a pistol, shotgun, or rifle like a soldier as a plain old Mark One Mod Zero civilian and you are likely (at least in Virginia) to be arrested for brandishing even if no shots are fired. Afoot outside your dwelling, you’ve got to really feel threatend before the pistol even leaves its holster.
Think about your typical day running scenario drills at the shooting range and then think about the circumstances of the Zimmerman-Martin shooting incident. Have you simulated being attacked from behind after you think the incident is over? (Zimmerman brother interview account) Have you simulated wrestling for a loaded pistol with a younger, equally big, and probably stronger opponent? (Zimmerman brother interview account) Have you simulated shooting at a target after being punched pretty hard in the face? (Fact in evidence) Have you simulated all that when it is dark and you are somewhat cold? (Facts in evidence)
I’ll write more addressing the specifics in your post later, but right now I’ve got to get ready to go to work - not as a research chemist, I can assure you.