Martin's girlfriend reports that she heard a conversation on the phone:
Martin: "Why are you following me?"
Zimmerman: "What are you doing here?"
*disconnected*
I suspect that Zimmerman had headed onto the back walkway to try to spot Martin, whom he'd lost sight of earlier (we know this from his recorded conversation with the police.) Searching for a suspicious person who "looked like there is something wrong with him, maybe drugs or something" in the darkness was pretty poor judgment, you'd have to say. But I admit it's something I probably would have done.
Martin probably decided to confront this weirdo following him. We now know what poor judgment this decision turned out to be - but it normally wouldn't be a fatal mistake. It's something, I have to say, I would probably do.
Zimmerman, I am guessing, was surprised to find himself suddenly face to face with the weirdo he was trying to keep an eye on. I don't think think that's what he wanted. After all, if he wanted a confrontation, why didn't he just roll down his window and confront the guy when he first saw him?
But once they were face to face, neither one of them wanted to turn away or look scared. You see, I can remember being a young man, too, and I can put myself in either one of their shoes.
I imagine the next statement in the conversation was "None of your d*** business!" and then either Martin shoved past Zimmerman, or turned away and Zimmerman grabbed him to keep him from leaving. It actually matters legally, I think, who initiated the physical altercation, but the fact is that the only living person who knows what happened is George Zimmerman.
And that's why I don't see that there is evidence to charge him with a crime.
It's just a damn shame that the conversation didn't go like this:
"Why are you following me?"
"Look, buddy, I don't want any trouble. I'm George and I'm with the neighborhood watch. I actually already called the cops. Do you live around here?"
"Man, you scared the crap out of me. I'm Taryvon. I'm visiting my dad in that house across the street."
Just as sad, sad event. That's why the story is so compelling, and why the political and racist agitation surrounding it is even more tragic.
That is a totally plausible scenario.
And the clear lesson to CCW holders is that if you follow a “suspect,” the “suspect” might at some point pull a J-turn and confront you, the follower.
And then, what could have been an easy SD claim will go to the Grand Jury, because the act of following precipitated the entire sequence of events leading up to the shooting.
The Grand Jury will NOT (much as we wish) look only at the last ten seconds, but the entire sequence of events.
“Problem #2,” etc.
"Why are you following me?"
"Look, buddy, I don't want any trouble. I'm George and I'm with the neighborhood watch. I actually already called the cops. Do you live around here?"
"Man, you scared the crap out of me. I'm Taryvon. I'm visiting my dad in that house across the street."
Just a sad, sad event. That's why the story is so compelling, and why the political and racist agitation surrounding it is even more tragic.
That's the same conclusion I've come to about this event, pending any profoundly significant evidence to the contrary being revealed.
When did the 16yo girlfriend report hearing this conversation?
Did she report it to Sanford PD at the time Martin was killed or several weeks later after Sanford PD concluded their investigation and the Martin family lawyers went looking for some 'new' evidence?
“Martin: “Why are you following me?”
Zimmerman: “What are you doing here?”
*disconnected* “
She’s changing her story which probably means she’s lying. Originally she said Martin told her he was going to run and then the line went dead. No contact between them at all while she was on the phone. I’m sure she’s being coached by the POS lawyer they’ve hired.