Trayvon Martin case: use of Stand Your Ground law or pursuit of a black teen?

[KRonn]

Both sides of this seem to have good points here.   

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/16/justice/florida-teen-shooting/index.html?hpt=us_c2

(CNN) -- A medical report by George Zimmerman's family doctor shows the neighborhood watch volunteer was diagnosed with a fractured nose, two black eyes and two lacerations on the back of the head after his fatal confrontation with Trayvon Martin.

The medical exam, which was taken a day after Zimmerman's February 26 altercation with the unarmed 17-year-old, says Zimmerman suffered a "closed fracture" of his nose, according to two sources who have detailed knowledge of the investigation.

Zimmerman, 28, is accused of killing Martin on February 26 as the African-American teenager walked back to the Sanford, Florida, house where he was staying, after visiting a convenience store. Prosecutors have said Zimmerman, who is a white Hispanic, killed Martin unjustly after profiling him.

Zimmerman, who acknowledges shooting Martin but claims self-defense, has entered a not guilty plea in the case, which has not yet been scheduled for trial.

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Zimmerman faces a second-degree murder charge in the case, which has gripped the country, caused nationwide protests and has shined a light on race relations and gun laws in Florida.

After the shooting, Zimmerman told police that Martin rushed him after they exchanged words, knocked him to the ground and repeatedly hit his head against a concrete sidewalk.

The medical report appears to lend support to Zimmerman's claims. It also mirrors earlier statements made by Zimmerman's father, brother and lawyer.

Zimmerman's brother spoke of the medical reports in a March interview with CNN's Piers Morgan.

"We're confident the medical records are going to explain all of George's medical history," Robert Zimmerman Jr. said at the time. "You return force with force when somebody assaults you. George was out of breath, he was barely conscious. George (would have been) dead if he had not acted decisively and instantaneously in that moment."

The Martin family has questions about the medical report, said Benjamin Crump, the family attorney.

"The family has very strong positions about this family physician's report that was done the next day," Crump said. "What we do know is on February 26, the ER personnel did not believe his injuries were significant enough for him to go to the hospital. They didn't even put a Band-Aid on his head. That's important."

Also Tuesday, CNN affiliate WFTV reported that Martin's autopsy showed the teen had injuries to his knuckles when he died.

That evidence could also support the theory that Martin and Zimmerman fought.

Crump also responded to that report Tuesday night.

"He was fighting for his life," he told Anderson Cooper. "Let's not forget that Trayvon Martin was fighting a man with a 9-millimeter gun. We also have to remember that he didn't start this fight. George Zimmerman got out his car and pursued Trayvon Martin."

On the night of the shooting, Zimmerman had called 911 to complain about a suspicious person in the neighborhood, according to authorities.

In the call, Zimmerman said he was following Martin after the teen started to run, prompting the dispatcher to tell him, "We don't need you to do that."

Zimmerman apparently disregarded that advice.

A timeline of the case against George Zimmerman

Sanford police initially declined to arrest Zimmerman, saying there was no evidence to contradict his claim of self-defense under Florida's "stand your ground" law, which allows people to use deadly force anywhere they feel a reasonable threat of serious injury or death.

After weeks of protests demanding his arrest, a special prosecutor appointed by Florida Gov. Rick Scott filed the second-degree murder charge against Zimmerman.

He was arrested on April 11 and briefly jailed. He has returned to hiding after his release on $150,000 bond.

[garbon]

The wounds aren't a good point if they weren't present until the next day.

[KRonn]

The wounds aren't a good point if they weren't present until the next day.

I think some videos of Zim in the police station that night showed wounds on his head, and maybe elsewhere. But not trying to rehash things, with all the back and forth in news reports. I just thought this was kind of new info.

[jimmy olsen]

The bolded bit would not seem to bode well for Mr. Zimmerman. What do they mean by intermediate range?

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/16/11736208-trayvon-martin-killed-by-single-gunshot-fired-from-intermediate-range-autopsy-shows?lite

By NBC News and msnbc.com

Florida teenager Trayvon Martin died from a single gunshot wound to the chest fired from "intermediate range," according to an autopsy report reviewed Wednesday by NBC News.

The official report, prepared by the medical examiner in Volusia County, Fla., also found that the 17-year-old Martin had one other fresh injury – a small abrasion, no more than a quarter-inch  in size –  on his left ring finger below the knuckle.

Separately, a medical report on Martin's alleged killer, 28-year-old George Zimmerman, prepared by his personal physician the day after Martin's shooting in Sanford, Fla., on Feb. 26, found that the Neighborhood Watch volunteer suffered a likely broken nose, swelling, two black eyes and cuts to the scalp. That report, first reported Tuesday by ABC News, also was reviewed by NBC News.

Both documents are part of a mountain of evidence – up to 300 pages and 67 CDs of witness statements, surveillance videos and other material-- expected to be made public soon in connection with the second-degree murder case against Zimmerman.

Zimmerman allegedly shot Martin during a confrontation inside the gated community in Sanford where Zimmerman was a neighborhood volunteer and where Martin was visiting his father's fiancée.

After first reporting a suspicious person in the neighborhood in a phone call to Sanford police, Zimmerman followed the teenager before a fatal confrontation that remains shrouded in mystery.

When police arrived at the scene to find Martin dead on the sidewalk, Zimmerman claimed he shot the teen in self-defense. Zimmerman was treated at the scene for cuts and a bloody nose, then questioned by police for hours before being released without being arrested. Authorities said at the time that they had no evidence challenging Zimmerman's account and that his conduct appeared to be justified under Florida's so-called Stand Your Ground law.

But after questions about possible racial motivation for the slaying – Martin was black; Zimmerman is a white man of Hispanic heritage – a special prosecutor took over the case and, on April 11, Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder. He was released on April 23 on a $150,000 bond and has been out of the public eye since then.

[derspiess]

The bolded bit would not seem to bode well for Mr. Zimmerman. What do they mean by intermediate range?

An intermediate range gunshot wound is one in which the muzzle of the weapon is held away from the body at the time of discharge yet is sufficiently close so that powder grains expelled from the muzzle along with the bullet produce "powder tattooing" of the skin.  Or something.

[jimmy olsen]

The bolded bit would not seem to bode well for Mr. Zimmerman. What do they mean by intermediate range?

An intermediate range gunshot wound is one in which the muzzle of the weapon is held away from the body at the time of discharge yet is sufficiently close so that powder grains expelled from the muzzle along with the bullet produce "powder tattooing" of the skin.  Or something.

Oh, that doesn't sound bad for him then. That's a lot closer than I imagined "intermediate range" to be.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Well it was a pistol wasn't it Tim? Not like he was shooting from 20 feet away.

[CountDeMoney]

I woke up from a dream this morning, I and people I didn't know were trapped in this huge old house pursued by zombies, and we had to fall back room by room, barricading doors in a tactical withdrawal.  Only had a pump action shotgun and some handguns.  Fucking 870s have such atrocious rates of fire and reload times when you're dealing with multiple waves of zombies.   

[Octavian]

I woke up from a dream this morning, I and people I didn't know were trapped in this huge old house pursued by zombies, and we had to fall back room by room, barricading doors in a tactical withdrawal.  Only had a pump action shotgun and some handguns.  Fucking 870s have such atrocious rates of fire and reload times when you're dealing with multiple waves of zombies.   

Whats with the zombie mania in america these days?

[CountDeMoney]

I woke up from a dream this morning, I and people I didn't know were trapped in this huge old house pursued by zombies, and we had to fall back room by room, barricading doors in a tactical withdrawal.  Only had a pump action shotgun and some handguns.  Fucking 870s have such atrocious rates of fire and reload times when you're dealing with multiple waves of zombies.   

Whats with the zombie mania in america these days?

I don't even know why I had that dream, it's not like I was watching any films or shows about them lately, not since The Walking Dead season ended.  Must've been last night's tilapia.

[The Brain]

I woke up from a dream this morning, I and people I didn't know were trapped in this huge old house pursued by zombies, and we had to fall back room by room, barricading doors in a tactical withdrawal.  Only had a pump action shotgun and some handguns.  Fucking 870s have such atrocious rates of fire and reload times when you're dealing with multiple waves of zombies.   

Whats with the zombie mania in america these days?

I don't even know why I had that dream, it's not like I was watching any films or shows about them lately, not since The Walking Dead season ended.  Must've been last night's tilapia.

Did uncles come into your room when you were little?

[Eddie Teach]

CD's dreams are cooler than mine.

[derspiess]

CD's dreams are cooler than mine.

I used to have a recurring dream of being some sort of secret agent on the run (from whom, I'm not 100% sure-- I guess Cuban gov't. agents) in Havana.

[Siege]

I want ice cream.

[CountDeMoney]

MY GOD HE DESERVED IT AFTER ALL

Autopsy: Evidence of marijuana found in Trayvon Martin's urine and blood
By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, May 17, 8:00 PM

ORLANDO, Fla. — Trayvon Martin's autopsy shows he had marijuana in his system the night he was killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, and a gunshot to his chest came from close range, according to nearly 200 pages of previously undisclosed documents released Thursday.

At least one investigator wanted to charge Zimmerman with manslaughter but was overruled, according to the documents, which are shedding new light on a case that has raised questions about racial profiling and "stand your ground" laws. The investigator, who was on the scene after the shooting, wrote on March 13 that the confrontation should have been avoided. That report came nearly a month before Zimmerman was arrested.

The documents, photos and video were turned over by prosecutors to defense attorneys earlier this week before they were released to the media. Included in the many witness interviews were accounts by an acquaintance of Zimmerman's who said he's racist and a co-worker who said Zimmerman bullied him and mocked him with an exaggerated Middle Eastern accent.

The autopsy says medical examiners found THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, when they tested Martin's blood and urine. A police report shows the 17-year-old had been shot once in the chest and had been pronounced dead at the scene. The autopsy says the fatal shot was fired from no more than 18 inches away.

Also in the package is a photo showing Zimmerman with a bloody nose on the night of the fight. A paramedic report says Zimmerman had a 1-inch laceration on his head and forehead abrasion.

"Bleeding tenderness to his nose, and a small laceration to the back of his head. All injuries have minor bleeding," paramedic Michael Brandy wrote about Zimmerman's injuries in the report.

Whether Zimmerman was injured in the Feb. 26 altercation with Martin has been a key question. The 28-year-old Zimmerman has claimed self-defense and said he only fired because the unarmed teenager attacked him.

Zimmerman was not arrested for weeks because he invoked the Florida's law that does not require a person to retreat in the face of a serious threat. He was released on bail and is in hiding while he awaits trial on a second-degree murder charge. He has pleaded not guilty.

The investigator who called for Zimmerman's arrest, Christopher Serino, told prosecutors in March that the fight could have been avoided if Zimmerman had remained in his vehicle and awaited the arrival of law enforcement. He said Zimmerman, after leaving his vehicle, could have identified himself to Martin as a concerned citizen and talked to him instead of confronting him.

He said there is no evidence Martin was involved in any criminal activity.

The lawyer for Martin's parents seized on the investigator's recommendation.

"The police concluded that none of this would have happened if George Zimmerman hadn't gotten out of his car," said attorney Ben Crump. "If George Zimmerman hadn't gotten out of his car, they say it was completely avoidable. That is the headline."

A separate report written by Serino at the crime scene says Martin had $40.15, Skittles candy, a red lighter, headphones and a photo pin in his pocket. A single 9mm shell casing was found near Martin's body.

New witness accounts also emerged Thursday. A witness, whose name is redacted, told investigators he saw "a black male, wearing a dark colored hoodie," on top of a white or Hispanic male who was yelling for help.

The witness, who was looking out the sliding glass door at his home about 30 feet away, said he saw the black male throwing punches "MMA (mixed martial arts) style."

He said he told the fighters he was calling the police. He said that as he was making the call, he heard a shot. He looked outside and saw the person who had been on top laid out on the grass as if he had been shot. He said the other fighter was standing on the sidewalk, talking to another person with a flashlight.

The case has become a national racial flashpoint because the Martin family and supporters contend Zimmerman singled Martin out because he was black.

Two acquaintances paint an unflattering picture of Zimmerman in police interviews.

A distraught woman tells an investigator that she stays away from Zimmerman because he's racist and because of things he's done to her in the past, but she didn't elaborate on what happened between them.

"I don't at all know who this kid was or anything else. But I know George, and I know that he does not like black people. He would start something. He's very confrontational. It's in his blood. We'll just say that," the unidentified woman says in an audio recording.

A man whose name was deleted from the audio told investigators that he worked with Zimmerman in 2008 for a few months. It wasn't clear which company it was.

The man, who described his heritage as "Middle Eastern," said that when he first started many employees didn't like him. Zimmerman seized on this, the employee said, and bullied him.

Zimmerman wanted to "get in" with the clique at work so he exaggerated a Middle Eastern accent when talking about the employee, the man said. The employee told investigators that Zimmerman made reference to terrorists and bombings when talking about him.

"It was so immature," said the employee, who ended up writing a letter to management about Zimmerman.