According to the Miami Herald article linked above,
George Zimmerman, 28, a neighborhood watch volunteer with a long history of calling in everything from open garage doors to “suspicious characters,” called police to say he had spotted someone who looked drugged, was walking too slowly in the rain, and appeared to be looking at people’s houses. Zimmerman sounded alarmed because the stranger had his hand in his waistband and held something in his other hand.
Dispatchers told Zimmerman not to follow and confront Trayvon. He didn't listen. Contrary to earlier reports, only one bullet was fired.
Zimmerman had called police to report a suspicious person — Trayvon. Zimmerman then stepped out of his SUV, while still on the phone with police, and followed the teenager on foot. The two somehow came face to face on a sidewalk; there was a fight, and Trayvon wound up dead, a single gunshot to the chest.
When police arrived, they found Zimmerman standing nearby, blood coming from his nose and the back of his head, a police report states. The back of his shirt also was wet and had grass on it. A neighbor called 911 before the shooting and described the fight as two people wrestling. A 13-year-old boy said he saw Zimmerman on the ground and heard someone calling for help.
I doubt federal civil rights charges will be brought. Public emotional outrage has resulted in the investigation, but as the Justice Department says,
"Negligence, recklessness, mistakes and accidents are not prosecutable under the federal criminal civil rights laws."
I don't think "Stand My Ground" laws are the problem as much as armed members of citizen watch groups who patrol neighborhoods looking for offenders. They are the ones who shouldn't be carrying guns.
I see where this is going -- the tragedy of this youth's death by a vigilante will be overshadowed by those with agendas -- including civil rights groups who insist this was a racially motivated, intentional killing, and gun control groups.
The focus should be on the role of neighborhood watch groups. Unless the media coverage changes course and addresses this issue and vigilante justice, I probably won't be writing much more about the case.
Feel free to state your opinion in comments, but keep in mind, unsupported factual accusations without source links will be deleted.
