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New details in the Trayvon Martin shooting

March 27, 2012 @ 8:15 am (Updated: 8:18 am - 3/27/12 )

cedargrove
The story of Trayvon Martin has been slowly changing. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

The story of Trayvon Martin - the unarmed Florida teenager shot and killed a month ago supposedly in self-defense - has been slowly changing.

We first heard that George Zimmerman shot Martin after pursuing him - against the advice of a 911 operator.

But police gave Orlando Sentinel reporter Renee Stutzman a different version - that Zimmerman actually DID give up the chase:

"Zimmerman told police that he was returning to his SUV when Trayvon approached him. The two exchanged words and Zimmerman told police that Trayvon then threw a punch, hit him in the nose and that punch knocked George Zimmerman to the ground," said one report.

Remember the 911 tape where you can hear screaming in the background right before the shot?

The police now say there is a witness who says it wasn't the teenager screaming - that was the gunman - who was getting his head pounded into the sidewalk. It almost sounds as if the police would like to have charged Trayvon Martin with assault. His father finds this odious:

"Even in death they are still disrespecting my son," said his father.

But as I understand it, even if this new version of events is true - under Florida's Stand Your Ground law, Trayvon Martin would have had no duty to retreat when he saw this guy following him, and if he felt threatened, had every right to attack him. Even with a gun - if he'd been old enough to have one. All of which makes me wonder - is this law making anyone feel safer?

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Comments (122)


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  • Rick W7PSK wrote...
    Did you read what you posted Dave
    March 27, 2012 7:30 am
    Zimmerman GAVE UP THE CHASE. That means with your Scenario, Travon would have no reason to stand his ground cause the guy wasnt following him anymore. He had no reason to go back and pound his head in the ground.

    Sheesh.

    In your commie mind everyone goes to nanny gov, nobody has weapons to defend themselves and All would be Roses and candy if we just gave our money up to the gov and let them take care of us.

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  • messiah101 wrote...
    Rick
    March 27, 2012 7:56 am
    Evidently YOU failed to read the story,as it states that police gave TWO different stories to the press as to what occured and that is Exactly why the press feels that a cover up is taking place.I feel that its to early and I don't have the facts I need to determine what happened.
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  • ron prevost wrote...
    gave up ?
    March 27, 2012 8:00 am
    Strange as to how this 'new' information has taken so long to come out. The shooting was FEBRUARY 26th. If this was in the police report - and a witness was available then, disclosing this information could have saved the whole country a lot of grief. ..... But we still don't know if THIS is true, or who stocked who. And who felt THREATENED by who. .... Could easily be that both were wrong but each thought he was right. Who knows for sure, as we have only one version first hand. ........................ But, perhaps, the debate is worse than the crime. Just WHY did, or does, it seems 90% of the country have to take sides based on race ????? ........ And thereon assume guilt or innocence or reasonable action. .. It should NOT have made a difference if Zimmerman were purple and Martin were green - but to our collective shame, it does.
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  • Paul Kersey wrote...
    It's not "our collective shame" ron...
    March 27, 2012 8:04 am
    only a minority of racial agitators did this. I will not be shamed by them.
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  • ron prevost wrote...
    Paul - collective is inclusive - what is your point ?
    March 27, 2012 8:27 am
    If you are not shamed, it might be denial. Bringing up unrelated black on white crime, as you did a few days ago, is as race bating as the people who still automatically see this as a white on black crime. .. It is a HUMAN conflict.
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  • Paul Kersey wrote...
    ron...I did not bring up an "unrelated black on white crime"
    March 27, 2012 8:48 am
    I brought up a home invasion that occurred locally on the day before Dave posted his inflammatory version of George Zimmerman. I copied it as it was written by KOMO.com. The victim was not white (since that seems to be the important factor to you). I inserted the story into the discussion because Zimmerman's neighborhood had also been plagued by home invasions and he was on a neighborhood watch doing his duty when he was attacked. I brought it up because 1) It was local and therefore more important than a story from Florida and 2) It related to the apprehension Zimmerman might have justifiably felt in his neighborhood.

    There, that is my point, now I hope that satisfies your curiosity.

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  • ron prevost wrote...
    ok - peace
    March 27, 2012 9:01 am
    it was home BURGLARIES in Florida, not invasions, but whatever........
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  • Darndy wrote...
    drama queen
    March 27, 2012 9:50 am
    just a bit dramatic, don't you think? what a baby. and you sound brain washed.
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  • Darndy wrote...
    ...Rick, that is.
    March 27, 2012 9:53 am
    ...
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  • Paul Kersey wrote...
    Facts are an inconvenient nuisance, aren't they Dave?
    March 27, 2012 7:48 am
    it's so much more fun to go off with ignorant, emotional reactions and stir up a lynch mob. Rick is right...your understanding of "Florida's Stand Your Ground Law" is incorrect. Why don't you try reading it, before you make ignorant comments?

    Here's a piece of the law:

    (3) A person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who is attacked in any other place where he or she has a right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony.

    If Zimmerman was physically attacked, as witnesses and injuries indicate, then he had the right to defend himself.

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  • messiah101 wrote...
    Paul K
    March 27, 2012 8:43 am
    If you are following someone and after contacting the PD are warned not to follow the individual are you truly defending your ground when the person you are following confronts you and defends his own ground?What I'm asking is didn't Martin have the same protection under the "Florida stand your ground law" as the shooter?
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  • Rick (4) wrote...
    All the liberal media wants to do is hang an innocent man.
    March 27, 2012 7:54 am
    Now that all the facts are coming out, and it shows that Zimmerman acted within the law, they still want him to hang. Typical for the liberal media including Dave Ross.
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  • hnuh wrote...
    03-27-2012 New details in the...
    March 27, 2012 7:59 am
    And let's not forget all the pictures of innocent little Trayvon, back when he was 8 or so, to further sensationalize the story... because it feeds the leftist narrative and plays into their earnest desire to disarm all American citizens.
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  • Paul Kersey wrote...
    Florida has another law
    March 27, 2012 8:01 am
    Florida Code 843.20 is a criminal provision titled “Harassment of participant of neighborhood crime watch program.” It makes it a misdemeanor to threaten or intimidate a member of a neighborhood crime watch program “while such member is engaged in. . . an organized neighborhood crime watch program activity.” The law says that a neighborhood patrol includes a “crime watch program activity.”

    Zimmerman was on his neighborhood crime watch patrol, and doing his duty when he was attacked.

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  • ron prevost wrote...
    legal eagle Karsey
    March 27, 2012 8:42 am
    sounds like one of those 'don't call me an idiot' laws, like not sassing a TSA agent. And, at that, is that an official program, or whatever neighbor chooses to go out looking ? ... Certainly calling oneself a 'crime watch' person does not indemnify you from anything. ..... And you have already accepted this latest 'truth' as the gospel, regardless of other witnesses and truths. ..........
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  • messiah101 wrote...
    Paul K
    March 27, 2012 12:07 pm
    How does a Crime watch patrol person ID himself to someone? Does he get a city issued ID?
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  • Forrest wrote...
    I don't think any of you know what went on. Further more, I don't think you know what you're talking about.
    March 27, 2012 8:01 am
    And we all know, police never lie.
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  • Paul Kersey wrote...
    Liberals learned nothing from the Duke Lacrosse lynching....
    March 27, 2012 8:18 am
    or the Freddie's Fashion Mart massacre.

    They know that when thug race hustlers Al, Jesse and the New Black Panthers get involved some innocent victims will have to pay the price. They think they will never be the ones in the noose.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Ron_Spins wrote...
    Whatta witch hunt
    March 27, 2012 8:19 am
    Fomented by race hustlers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tawana_Brawley_rape_allegations
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  • NoiseMan wrote...
    Now that more facts are coming to light....
    March 27, 2012 8:21 am
    A Florida Congresswoman called Zimmerman a murderer on the floor of congress....That will need to be addressed. The President modeled his son (if he were to have one) after Trayvon (the aggressor)....That surely will be brought up during the upcoming campaign. I'm sorry for the people that made this into a race issue before knowing any of the actual facts. Not surprised.
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  • ron prevost wrote...
    and more, and more, and more
    March 27, 2012 8:54 am
    The congress woman and the President jumped to conclusions before all the facts were in. Just like a lot of people did this morning when some new 'facts' came in. .. like you just did. .. No, it's NOT surprising as we are all prone to a rush to judgement.
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  • NoiseMan wrote...
    Ron, I missed the part
    March 27, 2012 9:54 am
    about me jumping to conclusions in my original post. I'm not buying into anything yet. I'm just pointing out that as fact become more available, some pretty confident people are finding themselves in a rather uncomfortable position. Or am I jumping to conclusions?
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  • ron prevost wrote...
    we agree
    March 27, 2012 12:30 pm
    point conceded
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  • BigBlackGuy wrote...
    I don't get it.
    March 27, 2012 8:30 am
    Florida law says stand your ground, great. If it's okay to hunt down blacks, than there shouldn't be a problem period. This is not new in America, so it's time to start shooting back. Plain and simple, whenever a person of color feels threaten by white and Jewish supremacy, racial profiling, or dangerous stereotypes protect yourself. That's the message I'm getting.
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  • Rick (4) wrote...
    @BigBlackGuy
    March 27, 2012 3:30 pm
    The shooter was Hispanic, so why all the hatred towards whites and Jews?
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  • Howard goldman wrote...
    easy
    April 1, 2012 8:44 am
    Many blacks are easy to misinform and stir hate with. This is the product of having a > 50% high school dropout rate.
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