That was my conclusion also, after reading the article, and viewing the video, such as it is.
The key question from a legal point of view is, who initiated the violence? The title seems to promise an answer to that question, but the article fails to deliver. All it says is that Zimmerman was getting pounded, there was a bang, and Martin was dead. But we already knew that.
If a jury finds that Zimmerman initiated the violence, he's toast. On the other hand, if they exchanged insults, and Zimmerman was retreating back to his truck, and Martin pursued him and attacked him, then it's a good shoot. The article does not provide enough information to choose between those two accounts.
If Zimmerman had followed police advice, this never would have happened. So, at the macro level, Zimmerman is still the responsible party. You have an absolute right to go buy Skittles and bring them back to watch the game without being stalked by the neighborhood nazi.
The bottom line is this has nothing to with race.
You have no justification whatsoever for calling him that. It is irresponsible.
The way I see it is that Trayvon is dead, Zimmerman will get manslaughter and I get blamed.
Hardly seems win win.
“If Zimmerman had followed police advice, this never would have happened. So, at the macro level, Zimmerman is still the responsible party.”
You’re exactly right. People who are committed to bettering their neighborhood in a Watch Program are the perps.
“You have an absolute right to go buy Skittles and bring them back to watch the game without being stalked by the neighborhood nazi.”
Awww, what is the Nazi rule? Do you have a right to case a neighborhood and beat the hell out of the Watch. You assume skittles, I assume cracked out thief.
If there'd been a half dozen witnesses we'd probably have a better picture of the whole thing but we didn't and we don't.
That confirms Zimmerman's version of the story and is, likely, why police didn't arrest him.
If a jury finds that Zimmerman initiated the violence
Zimmerman is presumed innocent, though, and it doesn't appear it can be proven that he did.
Self-defense on the part of Martin doesn't give him the right to beat Zimmerman into a coma. At some point, Zimmerman had the right to save his own life even if he initiated the conflict.
If the witness's testimony holds, it will be very difficult to get a conviction. That, unfortunately, probably won't stop any riots that occur afterward thanks the the racial tension Obama and Democrats are stirring up.