It sounded to me as though Zimmerman could have avoided the altercation. At this point he probably wishes he had.
Of course the facts will come out - but do we know the guy was a thug? He had candy and pop and apparently was unarmed. Although with the hoodie he probably looked like a thug. Also sounds as though maybe the “kid” didn’t react well either.
Time will tell.
I have read local Orlando reports that indicate witnesses saw him assaulting Zimmerman prior to being shot.
There are quite a few people in my neighborhood that walk around with hoodies up (and drive cars that way too). Many of them wear their pants below their gluteus maximus. In addition to looking laughably ridiculous, they are intentionally tying themselves to a specific subculture that is associated with lots of drugs and crime. I generally assess them as thugs or wannabe gangbangers.
My survival instinct tells me to be wary of them. That instinct has served me in good stead.