The more pieces of information that come out about Trayvon Martin’s death, the more it seems George Zimmerman targeted Martin, deliberately provoked a confrontation with him and then killed him while Martin was both fighting for his life and trying to flee. That’s a strong statement for me to make. I’m trying hard to look a the pieces and weigh them objectively.
Last night, NBC Dateline Host Lester Holt interviewed two witnesses, Mary Cutcher and Selma Lamilla, who live in the same subdivision. They described what they heard as a “young boy’s” voice crying out for help and told Holt they went outside when they heard the shot to investigate:
“We both saw him [Zimmerman] straddling the body, basically, a foot on both sides of Trayvon’s body and his hands pressed on his back,” Cutcher said.
Cutcher says Zimmerman told her and her roommate to call the police. (In another interview, Cutcher stated that they asked Zimmerman three times what was going on before he told them to call the police.) “Zimmerman never turned him over or tried to help him or CPR or anything,” Cutcher said. [....]
This leaves me with more questions.
Did Zimmerman shoot Martin while he was on the ground looking up at Martin? Or, did he shoot Martin from behind? One report states Zimmerman said he was looking up at Martin when he shot him. That suggests Martin was either standing over or close to Zimmerman and Zimmerman was on the ground. In that scenario, Martin should have ended up on top of Zimmerman and not the other way around as witnessed by Cutcher and Lamilla.
Zimmerman shot Martin at fairly close range (with a black Kel-Tec semiautomatic handgun — a line of handguns that are known to have the same power of a larger gun but in a compact size). Being shot close range by a powerful gun shot, Martin would either have to already be on the ground in possibly in a kneeling position to fall forward — after possibly jerking backwards from the impact of the shot — if Zimmerman shot him facing him.
In addition, Lamilla and Cutcher claim they rushed outside to see what happened when they heard the shot. I wonder how long it took them to get to Zimmerman compared to how long it took Zimmerman to straddle Martin, holding Martin’s face and back to the ground?
(Another report says that Martin’s face was to one side and that he did not die right away.)
Did Zimmerman lie to police about not knowing Martin? Martin was no stranger to this gated community. As captain of the neighborhood watch group, Zimmerman would be familiar with the comings and goings of the people who live there and their guests; including visits by Martin to his father’s home. Zimmerman’s 46 calls to 911, “many of those times [to] report ‘suspicious’ African-Americans within the subdivision,” [....] says he was keenly aware of people coming and going.
Since Zimmerman calmly and easily lied to police about stop following Martin, one has to wonder whether he also lied about not recognizing Martin. I wonder what would be revealed if someone compared the times when Martin visited and to when Zimmerman was patrolling the subdivision. Likewise, I wonder what residents would respond if they were asked whether they heard Zimmerman either describe or make mention of Martin before February 26.
Did Zimmerman deliberately steer police away from the area where he was pursuing Martin? Initially, during the 911 call, police suggested meeting up with Zimmerman at his home to take a statement from him. He declined that offer. Near the end of the 911 call, Zimmerman confirms to meet with police at the mail boxes in the subdivision. Of note, he is quite specific which way police are to go and not go when they enter the subdivision.
Was Zimmerman giving police the best route to meet him, or was he steering them away from where he was about to confront or attack Martin? I wonder what time frame would be revealed if one compared the time Zimmerman’s 911 call ended to the time the next call came in to 911 wherein you hear what appears to be Martin crying out for help followed by a gun shot.
The need to arrest Zimmerman now. Since Zimmerman has not been charged with a crime, any evidence in Zimmerman’s in or around his home, where he works and frequents is subject to being destroyed or tampered with. What if there is evidence that verifies he knew of Martin or was watching Martin from a distance before February 26? What if Zimmerman has photos of Martin and others whom he deemed to be suspicious hidden somewhere?
It’s been a month since Martin was killed. If law enforcement involved are seriously concerned about finding what happened in this case, a thorough gathering of evidence should include all of Zimmerman’s belongings, his home, any out buildings of the subdivision that Zimmerman may have access too, etc. Between what witnesses have said in interviews and on 911 tapes, and what Zimmerman has said on 911 tapes, there is enough evidence to show probable cause to do so.
