Family of Florida boy killed by Neighborhood Watch seeks arrest

[FLAprogressive]

ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - The family of a 17-year-old African-American boy shot to death last month in his gated Florida community by a white Neighborhood Watch captain wants to see the captain arrested, the family's lawyer said on Wednesday.

Trayvon Martin was shot dead after he took a break from watching NBA All-Star game television coverage to walk 10 minutes to a convenience store to buy snacks including Skittles candy requested by his 13-year-old brother, Chad, the family's lawyer Ben Crump said.

*snip*

As Trayvon returned to the townhome, Sanford police received a 911 call reporting a suspicious person.

Although names are blacked out on the police report, Crump and media reports at the time of the shooting identified the caller as George Zimmerman who is listed in the community's newsletter as the Neighborhood Watch captain.

http://news.yahoo.com/family-florida-boy-killed-neighborhood-watch-seeks-arrest-044537742.html

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WTF is wrong with people? That guy to be locked up and charged with murder. Obvious racism too.

[MrSlayer]

1. Neighborhood watch groups can execute people?

It Is Florida I know but this seems extreme even for them. I suppose a black kid in the neighborhood is grounds to be "suspicious" in this guy's mind.

If they don't charge this guy with something it is nothing more than legal lynching.

[Honeycombe8]

17. I was thinking that, too. Neighborhood watches don't have the right to shoot people.

They have just ordinary rights like the rest of us...the right to defend ourselves and our property. He probably had a license to carry the gun.

We have a neighborhood watch, but I can't imagine anyone shooting anyone, unless they were shooting someone who was actively assaulting someone or something like that.

It may not be a racist thing, though. It might be, but maybe not Not enough information has been released yet.

[tosh]

2. What a tragedy!

That man should have been arrested and charged on the spot. Why wasn't he???

[Ziggystrange]

3. Sick

This guy will probably get away with it, is it not true in FLA you can use deadly force / kill if you "feel" threatened?

[metalbot]

5. That's not really true

The castle doctrine basically says that you aren't obligated to retreat, but it doesn't give you blanket license to kill for "feeling threatened". I'd put money on the shooter being convicted.

[metalbot]

4. Shooter will be locked up and charged with murder

Even on the gun boards that I frequent, there's nobody who is supporting the shooter. The charges may take a few days, but they are almost certainly coming.

[NutmegYankee]

11. Even a pro-RKBA person like myself knows this shooter is a murderer.

He didn't have to get out of his car and confront this teenager. It's a certainty that this guy provoked the fight that ended with the death of a child bearing nothing more than a can of sweet tea and skittles.

[JI7]

6. why isn't that fucker in prison ?

[Mojorabbit]

10. This is a small town with one main street. nt

[tosh]

7. Much more detail at Orlando Sentinel:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/crime/os-teen-shooting-killed-sanford-police-20120308,0,1380794.story

<snip>

He saw the teen and called police. Two minutes later, 17-year-old Trayvon was on the ground, dying from a single gunshot wound. Police found Zimmerman standing nearby, a gun in his waistband and blood seeping from injuries to his nose and the back of his head.

That was Sunday, Feb. 26. Sanford police cuffed 28-year-old Zimmerman, took him to police headquarters, interrogated him then let him go.

He told them he had acted in self-defense.

<snip>

more at link

[Liberal_in_LA]

8. another article I read makes it clear the chief of police is inclined to call it self defense.

WTF!

[Hoyt]

9. That is awful. So sorry for family. You give some folks a little "authority" and a gun . . . . . .

This is what you get.

I hope they lock the shooter up too. But he'll claim self-defense even though the victim probably just reacted to some yahoo questioning his being in the neighborhood (even though he lived there).

Damn.

[L0oniX]

12.

[frylock]

13. since when is neighborhood watch armed?!

observe and report ffs.

[chrisa]

15. Basically what happened was, this yahoo tried to detain Trayvon at gun point

Totally senseless and stupid. He's the typical Captain America hard ass that runs around getting people killed. He's also a racist bastard if he just called because he saw Trayvon walking. I wonder what he said to start the fight? Probably had the tone of, "We don't like your kind around here."

[Zalatix]

19. From a comic book nerd's perspective...

Marvel Comics' Captain America had a rule and it was not to kill. He has rarely (well, never, in my knowledge) killed anyone. He was known for that.

[flamingdem]

16. vigilante freak!

throw away the key

[Honeycombe8]

18. How awful and sad. I imagine the captain will be arrested....

the police have already gotten a statement from him, I guess?

As for racism, I'd rather not jump the gun. Just because two people are of different races, it doesn't mean that race was a reason. If the young man was belligerant to the captain or something, it wasn't necessarily because the captain was white. And if the captain shot the young man for some reason, it wasn't necessarily because he was black. It might be. But there's not enough info out yet.

[Hoyt]

20. I don't know - if victim had been white, yahoo likely would not have stopped him.

Anyway, the authorities need to sort it out FAIRLY/OBJECTIVELY. Until then, as my deceased retired policeman FIL used to say: "it just don't look good."

[Honeycombe8]

22. You're right about that. It don't look good. nt

[JI7]

21. a 17 year old kid is dead because he is black

if he was white and did exactly the same thing he would still be alive. this is just so fucked up. this should be national news.

[co-creation]

23. Question to you:

did the gunman kill him because he hates Black males or because he is paranoid about them? This is a gated community so I would imagine that paranoia is very high in those sorts of places. I really don't understand why they exist, at least for everyday people. Is it a safety thing? If so, don't visitors need permission to come into the community?

[JI7]

27. i don't know but i always thought neighborhood watch meant call the fucking cops if you see

something that is suspicious . not go out there yourself and after pepole you think are suspicious.

[Comrade Grumpy]

24. Why wasn't the shooter arrested immediately?

Imagine if a black teen had shot and killed an unarmed white man...

The stench is bad with this one.

[Comrade Grumpy]

25. "Report: Crime watch leader who fatally shot teen previously arrested for battery"

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/seminole/os-trayvon-martin-zimmerman-arrest-2005-20120310,0,6990127.story

A crime watch volunteer who fatally shot an unarmed teen in his Sanford neighborhood on Feb. 26 and claimed self-defense was arrested in 2005 on charges of battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence, WFTV.com is reporting.

The Sanford Police investigation into the death of Trayvon Martin, 17, a Miami high school junior, is ongoing, and George Zimmerman has been interviewed by investigators several times. Police are trying to determine whether Zimmerman is guilty of manslaughter, according to department records.

The 2005 case against Zimmerman was dismissed, WFTV.com reports.

Read the full story at WFTV.com.

There is more there.

Oh, and Zimmerman is working on a criminal justice degree. Getting some early practice in?

[Comrade Grumpy]

26. This needs to get back to the top of the page.

[kiranon]

28. If state won't act,, feds need to act.

Sounds more like 1st or 2nd degree murder rather than manslaughter if the teenager was just walking through, unarmed, no threat. The sheriff needs to arrest the shooter and let a jury decide. Makes one wonder who the shooter is related to if more is not done immediately.