I listened to the 911 call from Zimmerman and clearly got the following:
1. in the 911 tape Zimmerman says he thinks Martin is on drugs and Martin has his hand in his waste band...that something is wrong with Martin... and Martin has something in his hands...
2. Zimmerman says Martin is coming towards him and then he says Martin is running the other direction ...and the 911 guys says "are you following him?" and Zimmerman says yes and the 911 guy says not to follow him
So, from that I gather Zimmerman saw Martin, thought he looked suspicious and called 911, gave a description of Martin along with implying he was on drugs and he might have a weapon and that something was "wrong" with him. From this alone, the police would have probably approached him aggressively because Zimmerman made it sound worse than what he originally said when he first called 911 that "this guy looks suspicious".
Eye Witness account: Mary Cutcher
She is one of 6 witnesses and the cops never questioned her fully until she kept calling them. She said this happened in her back yard, that she heard a boy crying and the gun went off and the crying stopped. She said they came out and asked what was going on and was everything okay and Zimmerman said to call the cops. She said Martin looked to be half of Zimmerman's size. She also said she saw Zimmerman straddling Martin's body with his hands pressed on his back, making no effort to aid him.
According to Zimmerman:
"Martin decked him with a single punch, then repeatedly slammed his head into the sidewalk."
He claims he shot Martin in self-defense.
Other witnesses say:
"At least one witness told police he saw Martin pounding Zimmerman"
"Reports had surfaced earlier of people hearing cries for help but it was not clear if they came from Zimmerman or Martin"
"A woman who said she and her roommate witnessed the last moments of Martin's life said they heard the voice of what sounded like a young person in distress just before hearing a gunshot"
Now, this is my opinion and it is simply gathered from what I have read and listened to.
I don't know and I'm not going to assume it is some kind of hate crime because Martin is black. We don't KNOW if it has anything to do with race. However, in this video, at 2:20, right before the 911 dispatcher asks is Zimmerman following him, it sounds to me like Zimmerman whispers to himself "fucking coons". - VIDEO HERE - 911 CALL
My opinion is that Zimmerman was simply an overzealous neighborhood watch guy who was determined not to let this "asshole" get away. ((I say that b/c in the call to 911 Zimmerman says "these assholes are always getting away" - in no way am I saying Martin was an asshole))
Some questions of mine... People in the neighborhood watch program are to watch and call police with suspicious activity, correct? Yes..as Zimmerman did. HOWEVER, is part of neighborhood watch following "suspects"? If you are told NOT TO FOLLOW, why do you continue to follow? AND do those a part of neighborhood watch normally walk around armed? Why was Zimmerman carrying a gun to begin with while on neighborhood watch duty?
I personally think that Zimmerman was tired of crime in this neighborhood and was determined to get someone, anyone... I think the same would have happened had it been a White boy, a Hispanic boy or even a little Russian girl...he was out for vigilante justice in my opinion.
And, why shoot him in the chest? The boy was unarmed. Why not shoot him in the leg or arm?
The facts that I know to be true:
Zimmerman called the police on suspicious behavior.
Zimmerman chased Martin and was told to stop following him.
At some point in time there was a scuffle between the two.
A boy is dead.
Zimmerman should have NEVER went after him after being told not to follow. He is completely at fault here b/c he should have let the cops do their job.
Zimmerman clearly broke neighborhood watch rules:
Chris Tutko, director of Neighborhood Watch for the National Sheriffs’ Association, said Zimmerman broke some cardinal rules.
First, he approached a stranger he suspected of wrongdoing.
“If you see something suspicious, you report it, you step aside and you let law enforcement do their job,” Tutko said. “This guy went way beyond the call of duty. At the least, he’s overzealous.”
Second, Zimmerman carried a handgun. Police departments and sheriff’s offices that train volunteers advise them never to carry weapons — though Zimmerman broke no laws by doing so because he has a concealed-weapons permit.
“There’s no reason to carry a gun,” Tutko said. - source
Here is a Timeline of the events - Trayvon Martin Case: Timeline of Events
You decide for yourself...
