Okay. I’ll defend Zimmerman.
1. He was walking in a public place. Nothing illegal about walking behind someone.
2. He had a legal right to his gun.
3. There were robberies in his neighborhood. Someone who didn’t live there (trespass?) was walking through.
4. He called 911 but without telling the cops where to go when they arrived there’s no suspect if it turns out a robbery took place.
5. He lost sight of TM and headed back to his SUV.
6. TM confronted him and started hitting him.
7. TM broke his nose.
8. Zimmerman asked a witness for help and to call 911.
9. Zimmerman fired his gun in self defense due to threat of immediate bodily harm.
Okay?
What’s your case to prosecute him or even arrest Zimmerman?
Zimmerman can sue you personally for malicious prosecution so your career and wealth are 100% on the line making this decision.
I don't have one, I'm in full support of Zimmerman at this point and always have been. You sure you're directing your comment to the right person?
5. He lost sight of TM and headed back to his SUV.
6. TM confronted him and started hitting him.
7. TM broke his nose.
8. Zimmerman asked a witness for help and to call 911.
9. Zimmerman fired his gun in self defense due to threat of immediate bodily harm.
Okay?
Incredible.
And where did you acquire these “facts”?
I agree that there is a rush to judgment against Zimmerman, most of it quite irresponsible, but I still think it is important to correct a few facts:
1. He was walking in a public place. Nothing illegal about walking behind someone.
There is no evidence that Zimmerman was following, and certainly no evidence that he was "pursuing" Martin. I think it is almost certain that after hanging up the phone he walked behind the houses to try to spot him. That's an assumption, but one I make based on the fact that the shooting occurred behind the houses. But your point stands: Zimmerman's actions were legal, and not unreasonable, although one could certainly argue it was poor judgment to go looking for Martin.
2. He had a legal right to his gun.
3. There were robberies in his neighborhood. Someone who didn’t live there (trespass?) was walking through.
There definitely was no trespass. Martin was also well within his rights and acting legally. He was a guest of a resident. He died less than 100 feet from the house where he was staying.
4. He called 911 but without telling the cops where to go when they arrived there’s no suspect if it turns out a robbery took place.
He did not call 911. He called the Sanford Police non-emergency number because there was no crime and no emergency, just a suspicious person.
5. He lost sight of TM and headed back to his SUV.
We don't know for sure that he was headed back to his car. We have one characterization of his statement, not Zimmerman's own words on this. We definitely do know that he lost sight of Martin, though, because he stated this on his recorded call to the police. What people overlook is that after agreeing to stop following Martin, Zimmerman remained on the phone for almost two more minutes, during which he said he no longer could see "this kid" and did not know where he was.
6. TM confronted him and started hitting him.
We do not know who started the hitting. We do, however, have the account of Martin's girlfriend that it was Martin who started the conversation:
TM: Why are you following me?
GZ: What are you doing here?
What happened next, we do not know, but I think we can safely assume that neither one of them went on to explain to the other who he was or what he was doing there. Instead, two young men faced each other, both wondering what that weirdo wanted, each one knowing he was right, and neither one wanting to turn away. And that is a damn shame.
7. TM broke his nose.
This has been confirmed by Zimmerman's attorney, but it is not relevant if Zimmerman started the fistfight, which is something we do not know.
8. Zimmerman asked a witness for help and to call 911.
He called for help. I have heard no account where he specifically asked for somebody to call 911 - until after the shooting. One 911 caller said it was Zimmerman, crouched over Martin's body, who told her to call.
9. Zimmerman fired his gun in self defense due to threat of immediate bodily harm.
Well, that's the question, isn't it? What we know at this point is that the police say this was Zimmerman's claim, and that there is no evidence yet to contradict his story.
What’s your case to prosecute him or even arrest Zimmerman?
And that's what it comes down to. I do not understand why so many are joining the rush to judgment - or even the rush to prosecution when we know an awful lot of facts, none of which add up to a case against Zimmerman. It is perfectly rational to believe that Zimmerman is innocent of a crime. It is also reasonable to think that maybe he isn't, but there is not enough evidence to charge him.