Quote:
Originally Posted by Jake7
Did you guys hear the 911 call, though? I mean, it's very clear that Zimmerman followed the kid and confronted him, even after the 911 operator told him specifically not to. I'm all for self defense and, believe you me, I'm the first one in line to use lethal force when necessary, but, just based on what little I know about the situation, including the 911 call, I'd say Zimmerman was out looking for some trouble.
Hah, I'm sure this will start a big discussion about it...
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Listen to the dispatcher call while looking at a map of the scene.
Once he passed Zimmerman's truck, Martin had 200 yards to get home. Zimmerman got out and followed, but quickly lost sight of Martin. The scene of the altercation was approximately 50 yards from Zimmerman's truck.
Zimmerman stated that he had lost sight of Martin, and the timing of that statement indicates he was between the rows of townhouses, looking down the sidewalk where a few minutes later, the altercation would occur. Zimmerman continued on his path, perpendicular to the sidewalk, and past the other row of houses to the road.
Martin was apparently absent on Zimmerman's outbound leg, but present several minutes later as Zimmerman was returning to his vehicle. The timing between Zimmerman saying "He's running" and Zimmerman saying "I've lost him" (or words to those effects) was long enough that Martin could have made it home, and Martin had several additional minutes to travel the approximately 150 yards from where Zimmerman lost him to his home.
In the several minutes he had, Martin made the same "mistake" Zimmerman made. Zimmerman has been widely criticized for "going to the fight", but what's been generally ignored is that Martin did the exact same thing. Neither Zimmerman nor Martin did anything illegal simply in approaching eachother, but every criticism of Zimmerman must also be a criticism of Martin, as both chose to approach the other when they could have withdrawn to safety.
Ultimately, we can't know who threw the first punch with any certainty. Zimmerman's claim that it was Martin is credible, especially given Martin's apparent choice to press the confrontation.
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