Anonymous Witness Claims Trayvon Attacked Zimmerman...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

Out today, a detailed piece on the Trayvon Martin murder. Read for yourself, add to other available information and then decide for yourself.

Mail Online - Trayvon Martin may have attacked a Neighborhood Watch captain before the man shot dead the unarmed teen in a gated community in Florida, an anonymous witness who spoke to police claimed yesterday.

The witness, known only as John, told Sanford police that he saw Martin on top of George Zimmerman shortly before the fatal shot that has led to a national outcry, including a huge 'hoodie' march in Philadelphia last night.

He recounted the details to Fox 35 News in Florida.

The witness told FOX 35 in Orlando that he saw evidence of a fight between Martin and Zimmerman, which could lend credence to the gunman's claim that he was acting in self-defence.

'The guy on the bottom who had a red sweater on was yelling to me: "Help, help… and I told him to stop and I was calling 911,' he said.

Zimmerman was wearing a red sweater; Martin was in a grey hoodie.

He added: 'When I got upstairs and looked down, the guy who was on top beating up the other guy, was the one laying in the grass, and I believe he was dead at that point.'

This account is drastically different from the portrait painted of Martin by his friends and acquaintances.

Friends of the slain 17-year-old say they cannot imagine him getting involved in a fight, and insist that he was not violent.

'There's no way I can believe that, because he's not a confrontational kid,' said Jerome Horton, who was one of Martin's former football coaches and knew him since he was a small child.

'It just wouldn't happen. That's just not that kid.'

Meanwhile, the attorney hired to represent Zimmerman is echoing claims of the Neighborhood Watchman’s father – that he’s not racist.

Speaking on CBS This Morning: Saturday, attorney Craig Sonner said: ‘I don’t believe there’s any racial motivation on the behalf of George Zimmerman… That’s the issue that we wanted to address today, is that this was not a racial issue in what happened that day.

Basically, Mr Zimmerman claims he was attacked by Trayvon Martin and he was defending himself. That’s the gist of the investigation.’

He also noted that he is at the moment only advising Zimmerman, as he has not been criminally charged.

Martin was slain in the town of Sanford on February 26 in a shooting that has set off a nationwide furor over race and justice.

Neighborhood crime-watch captain Zimmerman, whose father is white and mother is Hispanic, claimed self-defense and has not been arrested, though state and federal authorities are still investigating. {Continue Reading}

Be sure to continue to the link. Video with Zimmerman's attorney at end of article.

Via: Memeorandum

Updated - This just in from CNN. -

A lawyer for the man at the center of the Trayvon Martin death investigation said Florida's "stand your ground" law doesn't apply to the shooting that killed the unarmed teen.

"In my legal opinion, that's not really applicable to this case. The statute on 'stand your ground' is primarily when you're in your house," said Craig Sonner, attorney for George Zimmerman.

"This is self-defense, and that's been around for forever -- that you have a right to defend yourself. So the next issue (that) is going to come up is, was he justified in using the amount of force he did?"

Trayvon Martin, 17, was killed February 26 as he walked to his father's fiancee's house in Sanford, Florida, after a trip to the convenience store. Police say he was shot by Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who says he was acting in self-defense.

Martin was unarmed, carrying a bag of Skittles candy and an iced tea, according to police.

The 2005 law allows people to use deadly force anywhere they have a right to be if they have reasonable fear an assailant could seriously harm them or someone else.

It also eliminated a long-standing "duty to retreat" in the face of imminent harm, asserting that would-be crime victims have the right to "stand their ground" and "meet force with force" when attacked.

The case has sparked a national debate over the Florida law and concerns about racial profiling. Martin was black and Zimmerman is white Hispanic.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott appointed a special prosecutor, Angela Corey, to look into the case. She said her office will decide whether to charge Zimmerman, clear him, or send the case to a grand jury.

The case has also prompted a U.S. Justice Department investigation, which is in the fact-finding stage.

Rallies and demonstrations have taken place in cities across the country, with some questioning why Zimmerman has not been arrested.

"There are inconsistencies in our U.S. laws that allow people to claim self-defense as a way to get away with murder," said CNN iReporter Jarvis Matthews. A student at Georgetown University, he sent video from a march in Washington, D.C.

Another demonstration was staged alongside a busy road in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where many of the protesters wore hooded sweatshirts like the one Martin had on when he was shot.

"In a nutshell I think this case is not being handled properly -- that is why we have so many protests. It was a senseless situation," said CNN iReporter Ron Campbell. {Read More}

I for one am not buying Zimmerman's claim of self defense. Put the man (and I use the term loosely here) behind bars pending trial. The truth will ultimately prevail and Zimmerman will receive the judgement that he richly deserves.

Via: Memeorandum