- Banned
- #901
So far the preponderance of the evidence tells us that Martin DID strike Zimmerman at least once, and likely more than once (there was blood on his face possibly indicating a second blow, perhaps more).
Yes, now what would a reasonable person conclude about who initiated the fisticuffs? The one with a gun, who knew police were moments away? Or, the one who thought the other was "getting into his business" and may not have known about the gun?
The next question is the voice yelling for help on the 911 tape;
Given that we can't recognize the voice yelling for help (for an extended length of time), what would a reasonable person conclude? The screaming sounds like it's coming from someone under extreme physical duress. That's not someone who simply has a gun pointed at him. It's from someone in a physical altercation. So, it could be either one. But, if Zimmerman was winning the fight, why would he have shot? Also, there's nothing in the yelling that suggests someone's facing a gun, e.g. no "don't shoot."
And, why didn't the person yelling for help not run away? Zimmerman couldn't have outran the black kid, so he wouldn't be able to escape the fight. The black kid could have ran away to escape the fight, and not needed to yell for help. (As yet to be revealed, what bodily injuries did the black kid have, other than the gun shot.)
We can't conclude much, but given the law, we must conclude that Zimmerman acted in self-defense. Zimmerman's zealousness may have got the ball rolling, but the preponderance of the evidence is that it was self-defense. There's no motive for the shooting except self-defense.