Child killed by Neighborhood Watch captain while walking home

[Anonymous]

A 17-year-old boy was gunned down by the Neighborhood Watch captain while returning to his father and stepmother's home in a gated community. He was returning home from a nearby convenience store, where he bought candy for his little brother.

The killer, George Zimmerman, first called the police to report a "suspicious" person. Without waiting for the police to arrive, Zimmerman got out of his car and approached the boy, who was on the sidewalk. By the time the police got there, the boy was dead of a single gunshot to the chest. Zimmerman has not been arrested.

Read the full article at the link:
http://news.yahoo.com/family-florida-boy-killed-neighborhood-watch-seeks-arrest-044537742.html

[Anonymous]

Oh, my heart breaks to hear of this. Are you watching this story closely, OP? Will you post an update if there is news? Why can't the family get a copy of the 911 call? I want answers.

[Anonymous]

Involved in a heavy debate about this on another forum. Don't even get me started!!!

Absolutely heartbreaking and it's terrible to know that the gunman was not even arrested.

This is a despicable act and it's really hard to say that this was not a result of racism. There's always the complaint that black men don't take care of their kids...and now you see this: A black man involved in his child life and still it comes to no good.

I hope that sweet boy RIPs.

[Anonymous]

that's nuts!

[Anonymous]

We have someone like that in our neighborhood. I hope this SOB gets nailed to the cross.

[Anonymous]

More information:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/08/family-of-trayvon-martin-_n_1332756.html?ref=topbar

Chief Bill Lee of the Sanford Police Department on Thursday evening said the account given by Martin’s family and attorney is correct, that Zimmerman saw the young man walking home from the store. He said that Zimmerman did indeed call 911 and report a suspicious person, and that he was told not to follow him.

“For some reason he felt that Trayvon, the way that he was walking or appeared seemed suspicious to him,” Lee said. “He called this in and at one part of this initial call [the dispatcher] recommends him not to follow Trayvon. A police officer is on the way at that point.”

Lee said that Zimmerman instead followed Martin.

“I believe that Mr. Zimmerman was trying to, by his account, find an address to give the officers and also trying to keep Trayvon in eyesight.”

Zimmerman told the police that Martin noticed that he was being followed and asked, “what’s your problem?”

That's when a physical confrontation ensued, Lee said. And moments later, Martin was shot.

Lee said that Zimmerman has a legal permit to carry the weapon used in the shooting, and that he told police that he shot Martin in self-defense.

“He felt the need to defend himself,” Lee said. “ I don’t think it was his intent to go and shoot somebody” that night.

Absolutely disgusting. If anyone would have felt a need to act out of self-defense, it would have been the teen who was being followed by a truly suspicious person, a sick man who decided to disregard the advice of the police and confront and kill someone.

[Anonymous]

screwed up....

[Anonymous]

BS. I don't care who he thinks he is. He is not stable enough to own a (probably more) weapon, and certainly not to carry one. Don't they do psych backgrounds? I guess not. I will gladly fund his familys law suit. I hope they take everything that guy owns, so he is no longer in that neighborhood, at the very least.

[Anonymous]

So the victim was black? This is just so, so horrible. I'm going to be sick.

[Anonymous]

How can a confrontation ensue if you are trailing someone in your car? It's obvious that this murderer was trying to act like some sort of Charles Bronson vigilante. He escalated this by getting out of his car and I can't imagine any circumstance where you are allowed to use deadly force when the other party is unarmed.

It's absolutely shameful that this piece of shit bastard isn't in jail. And he's a coward to boot, because it's reported that he's moved out of the town-home that he was living in. If he is not arrested, he'd better pray his picture is never made public.

[Anonymous]

There is an attitude like this in Spring Valley/AU Park/Tenleytown where I live. I have three bi-racial teen sons--one of them is more "black' appearing than the other two. This scenario is my worst nightmare. On the neighborhood listerv, there is this person, let's call him Jelson Nacobsen, who posts ranting messages about "black youths from Wilson" roaming the neighborhood, breaking into cars. He gets all the old codger racists around here (there are quite a few) all worked up. I am so fearful my boys will be set upon while walking home from school by one of these people. Especially now that guns are legal in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So the victim was black? This is just so, so horrible. I'm going to be sick.

Yes, which probably explains why he was perceived as suspicious simply because he was walking.

It's heartbreaking.

[Anonymous]

How is this murderer able to claim self-defense? Wouldn't the dead teen be the one using self-defense? If you initiate a confrontation, how are you ever able to claim self-defense. Can any lawyers help me figure this out?

Also, if the scumbag was in his car, he could have easily left his gun there. This guy was looking for a reason to play cop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is an attitude like this in Spring Valley/AU Park/Tenleytown where I live. I have three bi-racial teen sons--one of them is more "black' appearing than the other two. This scenario is my worst nightmare. On the neighborhood listerv, there is this person, let's call him Jelson Nacobsen, who posts ranting messages about "black youths from Wilson" roaming the neighborhood, breaking into cars. He gets all the old codger racists around here (there are quite a few) all worked up. I am so fearful my boys will be set upon while walking home from school by one of these people. Especially now that guns are legal in DC.

I really feel for you. I hope someone in your neighborhood can stand up to him and others like him. It's really disgusting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is this murderer able to claim self-defense? Wouldn't the dead teen be the one using self-defense? If you initiate a confrontation, how are you ever able to claim self-defense. Can any lawyers help me figure this out?

Also, if the scumbag was in his car, he could have easily left his gun there. This guy was looking for a reason to play cop.

The killer is studying criminal justice at school, so he probably delusionally thinks of himself as the misunderstood savior.