“Not one of you “Zimmerman was justified killing Martin” people can offer a plausible explanation for Martin attacking Zimmerman in the first place! Martin was on his way home.It was raining. How would he have EVEN become aware of Zimmerman in the first place to where he would attack this man?”
First, Martin was aware of Zimmerman. Zimmerman states in the 911 tape that the suspect sees him, stares at him, moves toward him, then moves away.
Second, The girlfriend claims that on her phone call to Martin, Martin said that he was aware of a man following him, and that he was afraid.
Third, Zimmerman says that he exchanged words with Martin just before he was attacked. It appears that the girlfreind collaberates this statement, but I do not have an exact quote from Zimmerman on it. Martin says something like “Why are you following me?” and Zimmerman says “What are you doing here?” The quotes are from memory. The girlfriend's phone call was not recorded, as far as I know.
So, Martin is afraid of Zimmerman. He and Zimmerman exchange words, they are close. Martin towers over Zimmerman by about 6 inches, and it is clear that Zimmerman is out of shape.
I find it quite plausible that Martin thinks: I can take this guy, and jumps him.
Possible motives for Martin jumping Zimmerman:
Fear of Zimmerman because Zimmerman followed him. Many on freerepublic have said that if a stranger followed them, they would feel endangered and feel justified in attacking them. That would likely not hold up in court, but many have said they would do so.
Street cred: If Martin is into the “gansta” culture, beating down someone would give him status. Twitter posts after the fact indicate that this is not far fetched. Young black males have been making news across the country as they play the “knockout game” where they attempt to knock out innocent people with a sucker punch.
Testosterone poisoning: Young males are prone to be edgy and aggressive, especially if they are under stress. Martin was under suspension. He was forced to be in a strange neighborhood, away from his peers, because of school problems.
A motive often cited by Martin partisans is that Zimmerman grabbed him/touched him/ or otherwise started the physical confrontation. It is possible, but we simply have no evidence that it is so.