NO! Zimmerman initiated the entire scenerio,,, The SYG law does not apply in this case.. He had the opertunity to walk away when told not to follow Martin...
All of the Self defense laws apply in this case, we cannot throw them out and use just the One to justify the taking of a life.......
I believe Stand your ground applied to the both of them
Zimmerman put the young man in a position to feel threatend so Martin had the right to stand his ground under florida law.
Martin kicked the crap out of Zimmerman and he had a reason to fear serious bodily harm so Zimmerman had a right to shoot and kill under florida law
now the real question is: does Zimmerman's actions, which were very threatening to Martin giving him a valid reason for fighting as he is allowed to by law, negate Zimmermans right to defend himself?
Stand your ground laws are not person-specific. They basically say that anyone who feels (and should be able to demonstrate) that his/her life is in danger can defend him/herself with lethal force if necessary. The question was which one could defend themselves (or to which one does the law apply) *by law.* The only answer is both. Both were in FL at the time of the tragedy.
I *think* what happened in this case--and we'll probably never know for sure--is a case of two people doing stupid things which escalated to the point of no return. A tragedy of compounded errors. Zimmerman shouldn't have been playing Barney Fife, and Trayvon shouldn't have got up in Zimmerman's grille. Both of them had the chance to walk away, and both of them chose wrong.
you are absolutely right but the error I see is mostly to Zimmerman for a. he is an adult who should have known better b. should have understood that his actions were threatening (as an adult) c, Martin is a minor with out a fully developed brain and sense of reasoning.
All of the Self defense laws apply in this case, we cannot throw them out and use just the One to justify the taking of a life.......
Zimmerman put the young man in a position to feel threatend so Martin had the right to stand his ground under florida law.
Martin kicked the crap out of Zimmerman and he had a reason to fear serious bodily harm so Zimmerman had a right to shoot and kill under florida law
now the real question is: does Zimmerman's actions, which were very threatening to Martin giving him a valid reason for fighting as he is allowed to by law, negate Zimmermans right to defend himself?
I *think* what happened in this case--and we'll probably never know for sure--is a case of two people doing stupid things which escalated to the point of no return. A tragedy of compounded errors. Zimmerman shouldn't have been playing Barney Fife, and Trayvon shouldn't have got up in Zimmerman's grille. Both of them had the chance to walk away, and both of them chose wrong.
a. he is an adult who should have known better
b. should have understood that his actions were threatening (as an adult)
c, Martin is a minor with out a fully developed brain and sense of reasoning.
I dunno if it'd be enough to sway me as a juror, but it's a damned good point nevertheless. Bravo!