[Old Teufel Hunden]

"I doubt very seriously that Zim ever wanted to shoot anyone and very much regrets putting himself in a situation where he needed to. Again, assuming things happened that way."

I'm sure of it.

"BTW, the reason you want to follow him is to be able to point him out once the cops get there."

However, the 911 or police dispatcher (whoever it was) clearly told him after he reported it and the police were dispatched that he didn't need to follow him and he told the dispatcher he was going back to his car. He could have met the police later from his car or some other place. It was not needed and turned out to be tragic.

[Reese Hamm]

However, the 911 or police dispatcher (whoever it was) clearly told him after he reported it and the police were dispatched that he didn't need to follow him and he told the dispatcher he was going back to his car.

Slight correction - while he acknowledged the dispatcher's "we don't need you to do that" comment with an "okay", he never tells the dispatcher that he was going back to his car. From what I've read, the comment about heading back to his truck was in the statement he gave the police after the shooting.

[cuban leaf]

Actually, someone else has pointed out that although the dispatcher told him he didn’t need to follow, it may have been more along the lines of this:

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I will add, that you could make a case that the 911 operator was actually suggesting Zimmerman follow Trayvon but was just covering his backside by saying “we don’t NEED you to follow him” at the same time implying it’s ok if you do follow him as that will help is locate the suspect.

A perfect example of this was a recent case where a single mother shot and killed a man who was breaking into the mothers home with an accomplice. The mother was armed and asked the 911 operator if she could shoot the intruder. The 911 operator stated “I can’t tell you to do that but you do what you have to do to protect your baby” (not and exact quote but close). In other words we can’t tell you to shoot this guy but if he gets in shoot him.

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