George Zimmerman: Did he shoot Trayvon Martin in self defense? (Video walkthrough of scene)

WJLA-TV ^ | Thursday, May 10, 2012 | Scott Thuman

[kristinn]

George Zimmerman admits he shot and killed Trayvon Martin. But was it self defense?

ABC7's Scott Thuman went inside the Sanford, Florida neighborhood where the shooting happened.

He talks with Frank Taaffe, a friend of Zimmerman's, and a former neighborhood watch volunteer himself, who says it was self defense.

Taafe shows us what he says eye witnesses told him happened that night in the Twin Lakes neighborhood.

In this now infamous neighborhood, there's almost as much foot traffic as vehicle traffic. There's a cut-through frequented by kids, some following the very same footsteps as Trayvon Martin.

But in an area hit by thieves, up to 11 times in 14 months, and where property value has plummeted, there was also plenty of suspicion.

"He's parked here, the vehicles in this direction and he watches Trayvon come down here, stares at him out his window and according to George he circles around the car here and he heads back off in this direction here," Taaffe says.

[TigersEye]

Here is the same article still available at the Seattle Times.

Gun that killed Florida teen was fired once, not twice

[TigersEye]

Actually the empty case wasn’t in the chamber. The chamber was empty.

[rawcatslyentist]

IF it was from a distance after Trayvee was on top of George pounding his brains out, they why wasn't T shot in the BACK?

He was on top and if he got off and left/fled, he would have been shot in the back.

Even your speculation is faulty.

[Theoria]

I brought up what Police report indicated the impaired gun. You proved me with speculation that has no public domain document. I'm aware of Ayoob and respect him greatly. He does not provide a source, what we are talking about was the FReeper said was in the police report.

Now if you want to keep repeating the 'meme' that there was a malfunction. Continue, but it wasn't in the police report. It could have happened and that was relayed to reporters, but it wasn't in the report!

See the problem? You keep repeating speculation, call it that, I speculate, but don't link the jam to any police report without a source.

[ArmstedFragg]

Been doing a little searching on the “round in chamber” question. I found one blog making that claim, but also found another one quoting a Boston Herald story saying an expended round was found at scene. That was my recollection, but haven’t found the document again. The original police report says nothing either way. The scene tech’s report should be released as part of the discovery in coming days, though there’s still a delay possible because the iss ue of redaction of witness names hasn’t been resolved completely.

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2012/03/robert-farago/george-zimmerman-shot-trayvon-martin-once/

Also found some statements about the magazine being full, but that’s subject to dual interpretations.

[TigersEye]

Apparently you can’t read. You really has a smell, n00b.

[TigersEye]

Gun that killed Florida teen was fired once, not twice

Put that in a search engine and you will find numerous national publications that carried the story. Like the Seattle Times version I linked above.

[Theoria]

Look, I’m not denying that could have happened. But, no report has indicated that it was impaired.

[TigersEye]

My guess is that you’re a retread.

[ArmstedFragg]

If a round was loaded, then a full magazine was inserted, firing one round would result in in the casing being ejected, then a round loaded from the magazine into the chamber leaving one missing from the magazine. I think that’s likely to be the interpretation of the statement you cited. Note they’re talking “bullet” in the chamber, not casing.

[Theoria]

Don’t take it personal. I think GZ is innocent, I’m just coming from a different pov.

[TigersEye]

How do you get that from this?...

Police found a single shell casing at the scene, and when they seized George Zimmerman’s handgun, a Kel Tel 9 mm, its magazine was full, according to a source close to the investigation. The only bullet missing was the one in the chamber, the source said.

They found a casing at the scene. (a round was fired) They found a full magazine in the gun. (no live round was stripped from it and loaded in the chamber)

[ArmstedFragg]

FWIW: I’d also expect to find GSR on his hands, wrist, or sleeve if he had ahold of the slide.

[ArmstedFragg]

I get it the way I described it. I know people who routinely “top up” the magazine (usually by just putting a full one in) after they’ve chambered a round.

[TigersEye]

Of course. The slide may have also been impeded by clothing though. A hand on the slide is not the only possible obstruction to proper cycling.

[TigersEye]

Yes, I always top up my magazine. And if I fire the chambered round one round will be stripped from the magazine leaving it one round short of full. No?

[ArmstedFragg]

Yes it will, and if you re-read the article, that’s what it appears to be he’s saying, the magazine had one round missing, the chamber contained one unfired round, thus the only round missing from the magazine was the unfired round in the chamber.

Anyway, we’re arguing about something some reporter claims he heard from someone who claims to know something. When we get the lab work back, we’ll know exactly what was found. My memory is that some other report mentioned recovering a casing, but so far I haven’t dug it up.

[ArmstedFragg]

Found it... it’s in the Prosecutor’s charge:

“Zimmerman shot Martin in the chest. When police arrived Zimmerman admitted shooting Martin. Officers recovered a gun from a holster inside Zimmerman’s waistband. A fired casing that was recovered at the scene was determined to have been fired from the firearm.”

[patriot08]

While the Zimmerman/Martin ‘white’ on black killing is covered 24/7 on the MSM with an outpouring of rage and charges of a racial hate crime, where is the concern- where is the rage about the home invasion, torture, beating, rape and murder of the elderly white couple by a gang of feral blacks in Oklahoma just a few weeks ago?

The 90 year decorated old war veteran husband was beaten and his jaw broken. He was shot in the face numerous times with a BB gun and sent to the hospital in critical condition. MR. STRAIT DIED LAST WEEK FROM HIS INJURIES.

The 85 year old partially blind wife was RAPED and then BEATEN TO DEATH.

Can you just imagine the pain, the humiliation, the horror that dear old lady experienced being gang raped by that pack of feral animals?

(the autopsy states she was raped. Don’t think all of these animals didn’t all participate)

And can you imagine the pain, the horror of that dear old husband having to witness this?

There’s a lot more involved here than a home invasion and robbery.

WHERE ARE THE CHARGES OF A RACIAL HATE CRIME??

90 year old husband’s jaw broken and shot in face with a BB gun numerous times?

85 wife year old semi blind wife RAPED and BEATEN to death??

Why does it take a foreign press to enlighten America as to this henious crime?

WHERE IS THE NATIONAL OUTRAGE?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2117695/Brutal-home-invasion-Oklahoma-couple-ends-65-year-romance-meeting-blind-date.html

__________________________ Like the Christian/Newsome torture murders and the Knoxville massacre, the authorities refuse to call this a hate crime and have covered up the crime because it is black on white. (none of the monsters responsible for the Christian/Newsome murders nor the Knoxville massacre have been executed, by the way)

Have they caught the rest of the gang of feral blacks who raped, tortured and murdered this elderly woman? Are they even looking? Not a word about it in the media.

[ArmstedFragg]

I’m outraged by that too, but I wouldn’t put a lot of weight on the length of time with no execution on the other cases, time from conviction to execution can be pretty lengthy.