TMF

And that is what I disagree with. When you are carrying a weapon you are in a different category than someone who isn't. Painting yourself into a corner to the point that you have to use your pistol is not the intent of self defense, SYG or responsible carry. It is my opinion that this is what happened. I base this on his 911 transcript and the subsequent dead teenager. There are plenty of LEOs around this site that regularly deal with mall ninjas like Zimmerman. Just looking for an excuse to be the hero. I wonder what it feels like for him now.

Nope, never said that. I think it's reasonable to assume that Zimmerman WAS in fear of his life IF in fact he was getting beat up. He fits the profile of a weak coward and a 6 ft 2 in football player probably has the confidence to stand up to a coward bully. The point here is that if he initiated a confrontation then he is liable for the outcome. The fact he was pursuing someone who had done nothing wrong is enough to make most reasonable folk defend themselves if they have the means to do so. Once again, do you think that if I pick I fight with someone I shouldn't be held liable if I shoot them once I'm in fear of my life?

Well not me. I still believe that Zimmerman instigated the confrontation. Whether Martin was beating him up or not doesn't matter. The only alternative is to believe that, for no reason, Martin just randomly assaulted Zimmerman and it's ALL just a big 'ol coincidence that Zimmerman was following him around playing pretend cop. Save your "I told ya so's" for the playground.

I thought this was a joke the first time I saw it.

Ahhh c'mon.

Exactly. Just because the officer on scene didn't make an arrest means nothing.

George Bush hates black people.

I absolutely do think there was an investigation going on. I've said that from the beginning. Some here think that this should be let go because it's turned into a circus. If a grand jury won't indict him then fine. But to be opposed to them looking at this case shows a bias just as bad as MSNBC or Jesse Jackson.

Hmmm... that goes both ways. Some here think that when a permit holder shoots an unarmed person there should be the benefit of the doubt instead of a thorough investigation.

All this talk about "you don't know because you weren't there" and somehow you know all the evidence in the case to make the determination that there isn't enough evidence?

Well the bounty was for Zimmerman's capture, not death. Still is illegal; no excuse why nothing has been done. If someone kills Zimmerman now then his family will be able to hold the city liable for not arresting the guy.

Yes, I still can't understand why the DA would not seek charges considering the clear evidence.... putting out a bounty on national television, then saying that they will serve justice if the courts don't. I don't, nor have I ever respected the position of a DA that won't prosecute something for fear of losing. If someone breaks the law, especially if death is a result, then there should be a jury that decides if it's "worth" it or not. We had a case here in Clarksville not too long ago where there was a plea deal worked down to agg assault for a guy who shot three people; two in the head and one in the torso. I was outraged that the DA would allow that since its clear that he'll serve a short sentence and is emboldened. If Zimmerman is at fault here then this should be prosecuted even if it's not a slam dunk. It is a cowardly thing to say to his parents "well, we would prosecute him but we might lose, so we're just gonna let it slide."

Yes, all this was going on. I had always assumed that an indictment was imminent.

I'm also not going to assume that an adult that shot an unarmed minor did nothing wrong. I am making reasonable assumptions based on the 911 tape. To assume that Treyon just spontaneously assaulted someone is harder to swallow than assuming that Zimmerman did nothing to provoke him after being on tape stalking him. It just doesn't pass a common sense test. If not for that tape I would probably make an assumption that Treyvon was up to no good since people don't usually get shot for no reason at all. So at that point an investigator should be trying to both prove and disprove those reasonable assumptions. I have no reason to believe they weren't doing that already other than media accounts that may or may not be true. This should have been destined for a grand jury from the start.

Well good luck and try to have fun with it. I promise that you'll look back on some of it and have some good laughs. Not kidding about the diet. I gained back the weight and then some in a couple weeks, and it wasn't in a good way.

If they do then they'll likely find themselves in front of a jury. That's why I find this case so interesting in regards to where self defense ends and reckless behavior begins. No matter how this ends up it should be a thought provoking case for the carry community, especially because there ARE those amongst us that consider themselves commissioned super heroes upon receipt of their carry permit.

Just countering speculation with speculation. There are witnesses that conflict with other witness statements.

You may have missed my intent of the post. It was meant to illustrate that even if you're not doing anything illegal, you can still be charged if you instigated the incident, EVEN if you were in fear of your life.

Well first I would say not to G2 the training. Most of the course will be instruction, which is open and available information. The last part you need to go in with a clear head and not attempt to G2 any of the scenarios in the camp. I was tasked as a prison guard at the RTL a year before going through the course, so I had advanced knowledge on so much of it, and it ruined the experience for me. I was already prepared for how to handle certain scenarios and it affected the training value for me. Just remember, everything you learn in class you'll have to reference later so pay close attention. Other than that my advice would be this: DO NOT binge eat for the week following the course. Your body will be trying to store away every calorie you take in after that event. Losing 20 pounds in 6 days will make your body do things a little differently for a while.

Pick them up. I was at a playground a few weeks ago and some POS lets his 90lb pitbull off lead to relieve itself on the equipment. I scooped my son up and called the PD to come talk to the guy. The dog didn't make any moves toward my son before I snatched him up, but if he had I would have aggressively went after the dog. Dogs will blow off curiosity to react to a threat, which will normally be to flee. Dogs are unpredictable creatures, and as much as I hear people say "oh he's great with kids" I get so annoyed. The dog might be great with YOUR kids, but he might bite mine in the face. I would never just let my dogs run loose around small children they don't know. In your situation I would pick him up and yelled aggressively at the dog. That would have covered all the bases.

Or Zimmerman blew off the dispatcher and continued to stalk this kid that had done nothing wrong. Either that or this young man just spontaneously decided to commit a random felony assault against an upstanding citizen. Based on the fact that he still had a can of ice tea in his possession would tell me there wasn't a premeditated intent to do so, unless he thought the tea gave him some kind of upper hand or he thought he might be thirsty after beating up an upstanding citizen in an unprovoked attack. I guess that IS easier to believe than Zimmerman saying "okay" then continuing to do what he was doing.

Okay, I'll play that game... Let's say someone cuts me off in traffic and I curse and honk my horn. I follow the guy to a gas station where I get out and start cursing the guy some more.... maybe make some inflammatory insults about his momma. The guy starts beating the crap outta me, and since he's a foot taller and has 100 pounds on me I am now in fear of my life so I shoot him in self defense. It wasn't illegal to follow him. It wasn't illegal to say something about his momma. And any reasonable person would agree that I would be in fear of my life whilst getting beat down. You think I wouldn't be charged with some sort of manslaughter??? Really? I welcome you to give that theory a shot and see how far you get.

I'm sure something along those lines; certainly nothing in the realm of first degree murder. Its not as if something like this is unprecedented. Didn't we recently have a one in Ashland City where two guys went road rage on each other and one ended up dead? I know the circumstances were different, but the fact that his actions led to the fatal altercation was a big deal.

Yeah, this is getting out of hand. The "lynch mob" comments are no longer figurative.

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