No national outrage over this story yet?

[DaBownca]

Ms. Jackson:

Our sympathies go out to the Martin family. This is a tragedy for the Martin’s and our community. I appreciate your concern. I also understand how assumptions and conclusions can be made based on the limited and some misrepresented information in news stories. There is much information that at this time is not public record to ensure the integrity of the investigation.

The investigation conducted into the death of Trayvon Martin was delivered to the Office of the State Attorney on March 13th. There will be State and Federal review and oversight of this case as we move forward, which we welcome.

Best regards,


Bill R. Lee Jr.
Chief of Police
City of Sanford
Office (407) 688-5075
bill.lee@sanfordfl.gov

ok that's what I got except the name was different

[JMJ]

You can't PURSUE someone that hasn't committed a crime with a 9mm and claim self defense. It's predatory, and it's murder......JMJ

[bomb cola]

DOJ stepping up to do what the Sanford PD seem unwilling to...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politi...y.html?hpid=z1

[DaBownca]

You can't PURSUE someone that hasn't committed a crime with a 9mm and claim self defense. It's predatory, and it's murder......JMJ

And on one of the tapes the dispatcher asked him not to

[bomb cola]

You can't PURSUE someone that hasn't committed a crime with a 9mm and claim self defense. It's predatory, and it's murder......JMJ

And on one of the tapes the dispatcher asked him not to

You also have to prove self-defense. Otherwise, why wouldn't every person suspected of murder claim it?

[CarlCollins]

You also have to prove self-defense. Otherwise, why wouldn't every person suspected of murder claim it?

That seems to be the question for the ages?!?! Where is the self-defense? Zimmerman went after Trayvon (after disobeying a police order not to) and shot him while he was unarmed and screaming for help!

[The Good Reverend Rollo Goodlove]

I just heard the 911 tape. I can't express how sad and angry I am. This child was murdered. Tragic doesn't begin to describe this.

[Ish]

Finally caught up on this today... Glad to hear the boy's family has good representation. I hope 1% of the KONY sheep make noise about this, it should be enough to get things moving ahead.

[Chuck P]

The key here IMO is intent, what was dude's intention relative to the young man, intent may be the difference between murder and manslaughter, but no matter how you slice it, the fact that he has not been charged is definitely alarming and justice has to be served........

The Police is still yelling that self defense shit, there would have been no need to "defend" yourself if you didn't follow Mr. Martin.........I just don't know what to say

The family has comported themselves very well given the circumstances and I pray for their continued strength...........

[DeesKo]

Email I just sent to the Chief of Police in Sanford. Doubt it will get a response but I intend to keep sending it.

Just because.


Chief Lee,

I am considering moving back to Florida, and have been considering Sanford for it's central location and good ole southern ethics. Before I pull the trigger though, I'd just like to verify something:

It's OK to go out at night with a loaded handgun, chase random people down, physically attack them & when they try to fight me off, I can yell help once & shoot them, right?

I mean, it seems to make sense to me. I'm just double checking.

Thanks for any input you can provide me.

[KBig]

THEY are hunting and killing OUR children. Zimmerman HUNTED that child, and murdered him... and his racism was/is supported by the fallacy of a fucked up law. IF THIS DOESNT fuel your anger to VOTE nothing will . Im outraged and fearful. they are hunting our children......

[Dolemite73]

Zimmerman's family claims that their son isn't racist. Go to 2:21 in this video, and you decide:



He called this child a fucking coon and hunted him down like an animal.

As a father of a 17 year old and 16 year old young black men, this murder really hits me hard. This could have easily been one of my children. Good kids, just going about thier business trying to walk home after running to the store. And to be attacked and then shot?

Best believe if this were my child, this fucker would not be able to live in peace. He would die violently. My word on that.

[Dolemite73]

Flip the script, Chuck. What would those cops have done if Trayvon had shot Zimmerman and claimed self-defense. Everyone on this board knows what would have happened.

[Chuck P]

Flip the script, Chuck. What would those cops have done if Trayvon had shot Zimmerman and claimed self-defense. Everyone on this board knows what would have happened.

No Question.......

[KBig]

he hunted that child. can not get past this.

[Chuck P]

he hunted that child. can not get past this.

Even after he was told to stop by 911 dispatch.....

There is another story like this from Texas I think where a white guy was on the phone with 911 and told the dispatcher he was watching his neighbors house being robbed, he grabbed his shotgun and killed both of those boys (who were black, but were not a threat to him) and did not receive a day in jail, Imma try to find the 911 call on youtube and I'll post it, you can hear him shooting them on the tape.........

[Chuck P]

Listen to this shit........

[Mike Johnson]

This is a truly tragic story. My prayers are out to the Martin family. There should only be one sensible ending to this -- Zimmerman's murder conviction. Anything less would be horrific.

[Chris Chase]

I'm angered by the story. This was first-degree murder.

[MusicalEmpress]

Unbelievable that there is still question regarding this and that the shooter is still running free. Absolutely ridiculous. Someone should throw him a snickers bar, chase him down, shoot him and claim self defense.


'Stand your ground'
Police declined to arrest Zimmerman, and turned the case over to prosecutors where it remains under review. Police cited Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law, enacted in 2005 and now in effect in at least 16 other states.

"Shoot first (ask questions later)" by opponents, the Florida law allows a potential crime victim who is "in fear of great bodily injury" to use deadly force in public places.

The landmark law expanded on legislation, known as the Castle Doctrine, that allowed use of deadly force in defense of "hearth and home." Passed under former Florida Governor Jeb Bush in 2005, it overturned a centuries-old doctrine that required the potential victim to retreat and avoid confrontation if possible, according to Ladd Everitt, spokesman for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, a Washington-based advocacy group.

"No one could argue that Zimmerman could not have safely retreated and avoided this conflict, and I think that is the critical element here and why these laws are so dangerous," Everitt said. "He (Zimmerman) does not have a duty to retreat in Florida."

Crump said Zimmerman should not be protected under the Stand Your Ground law. "It's illogical, you can claim self defense after you chase and pursue somebody," he said. "That's a courtroom defense. That's not something the police accept on the side of the street."

Five years after Florida's Stand Your Ground law was enacted, a 2010 review by the St. Petersburg Times found that reports of justifiable homicides had tripled, and a majority of cases were excused by prosecutors or the courts. Meanwhile, the petition drive, started by a friend of Trayvon's mother, has been signed by people across the globe from Canada to Thailand, Lubin said.

[Chuck P]

..

Trayvon Martin Exclusive: Friend on Phone with Teen Before Death Recalls Final Moments
By MATT GUTMAN and SENI TIENABESO | Good Morning America – 7 hours ago...
.
@GMA on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook ..
.
.




In the final moments of his life, Trayvon Martin was being hounded by a strange man on a cellphone who ran after him, cornered him and confronted him, according to the teenage girl whose call logs show she was on the phone with the 17-year-old boy in the moments before neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman shot him dead.
Martin's death Feb. 26 has stirred national outrage and protests, partly prompting the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and the FBI to open an investigation into the case.

ABC News was there exclusively as the 16-year-old girl told Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump about the last moments of the teenager's life.

"He said this man was watching him, so he put his hoodie on. He said he lost the man," Martin's friend said. "I asked Trayvon to run, and he said he was going to walk fast. I told him to run but he said he was not going to run."

Eventually he would run, said the girl, thinking that he'd managed to escape. But suddenly the strange man was back, cornering Martin.

"Trayvon said, 'What, are you following me for,' and the man said, 'What are you doing here.' Next thing I hear is somebody pushing, and somebody pushed Trayvon because the head set just fell. I called him again and he didn't answer the phone."

The line went dead. Besides screams heard on 911 calls that night as Martin and Zimmerman scuffled, those were the last words he said.

Trayvon's phone logs, also obtained exclusively by ABC News, show the conversation occurred five minutes before police first arrived on scene. The young woman's parents asked that her name not be used, and that only an attorney could ask her questions.

Martin's father, Tracey Martin, and mother, Sybrina Fulton, listened to the call along with ABC News, ashen-faced.

"He knew he was being followed and tried to get away from the guy, and the guy still caught up with him," Tracey Martin said. "And that's the most disturbing part. He thought he had got away from the guy and the guy back-tracked for him."

The teen was killed by Zimmerman while walking back to his father's fiancés home after stepping out to buy Skittles and some iced tea during the NBA All-Star Game. After weeks of relentless pressure, the Sanford Police have decided to release emergency and non-emergency calls placed during the incident.

"These a**holes always get away," Zimmerman says in a call to a non-emergency number.

Dispatcher: "Are you following him?"

Zimmerman: "Yeah."

Dispatcher: "We don't need you to do that."

An altercation soon ensued. A few moments later a torrent of 911 calls flooded in and Martin was killed by a single bullet. Zimmerman claimed self-defense and has yet to be arrested, stoking outrage and claims of prejudice against the police department.

"When George Zimmerman is arrested, tried and convicted I will get a little rest," Tracey Martin said.

According to a statement by the Justice Department, "The department will conduct a thorough and independent review of all of the evidence and take appropriate action and the conclusion of the investigation. … The government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a person acted intentionally and with the specific intent to do something which the law forbids. Negligence, recklessness, mistakes and accidents are not prosecutable under the federal criminal civil rights laws."

Nearly half a million people have signed an online petition on change.org urging law enforcement officials to step in and arrest Zimmerman. Protests have played out in the Florida town all week with a large gathering expected Thursday.

Zimmerman violated major principles of the Neighborhood Watch manual, ABC News has learned. The manual from the Neighborhood Watch program states: "It should be emphasized to members that they do not possess police powers. And they shall not carry weapons or pursue vehicles."

According to Chris Tutko, the director of the National Neighborhood Watch program, there are about 22,000 registered watch groups nationwide, and Zimmerman was not part of a registered group, which police were not aware of at the time of the incident.

[DeesKo]

http://www.sanfordfl.gov/media/pdf/c...n_shooting.pdf


http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.html

[Chuck P]

http://www.sanfordfl.gov/media/pdf/c...n_shooting.pdf


http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.html

Fuck dude and his bullshit soft ass line of questioning.........

[Dolemite73]

Fuck dude and his bullshit soft ass line of questioning.........

Cops went into the incident with a presumption and all of the questioning was based on this presumption. Now I am not an investigator, but this is totally wrong, IMO.

[Chuck P]

Cops went into the incident with a presumption and all of the questioning was based on this presumption. Now I am not an investigator, but this is totally wrong, IMO.

Cops are throwing state law in the face of legislators is what they are doing, playing politics with the lives of innocent children, this child did not deserve to die, and the MF'er who shot him did so without provocation, this is murder........