A Loaded Question

A lot of new information has come up since my last post about Trayvon Martin. Some true, some false; with some of it somewhere in between. I will only delve into a few things that are clear to me.

To begin with, I will state with complete confidence that George Zimmerman did not work in the capacity of Neighborhood Watch anything during the early evening hours of February 26, the date Trayvon was shot to death by him — by his own admission. Remember that, because there should be no chance to back away from his pronouncement later on by claiming it was an accidental shooting. Nope, he did it and then invoked the “Stand Your Ground” law minutes later, soon after the Sanford Police Department arrived.

During his 9-1-1 call to report a possible drug induced, up to no good, stranger in the hood, Zimmerman made it clear that he was sizing the guy up. He complained that “these assholes always get away.” The cop wannabe tailed Trayvon, even after he was advised not to. This impulsive action rattled the young Trayvon. Wouldn’t you think that, in his capacity as head of the watch, Zimmerman would know the rules? If anyone was supposed to, it was clearly him — the self-appointed captain of the entire Retreat at Twin Lakes. He was the head dude; master of his enclave. It was his to command, and he most certainly put in the most courageous performance of his life that night. Bravo, George! Only he killed an innocent person, a young Black teenager. As a White/Latino man, depending on which one suits him best, does that make him a racist? I don’t know. Did he profile Trayvon? Yes, absolutely, but did he do it strictly based on color? That’s tough to say. I’m inclined to think he did it for his own selfish reasons more than anything else. He was out to rid his narrow-minded world of demons on the prowl. Demons that didn’t play by his rules.

Let’s look at what his rules should have been — the Neighborhood Watch ones he failed to follow — the ones that would have kept his blood from boiling through his veins that night:

Patrol members should be trained by law enforcement. It should be emphasized to members that they do not possess police powers and they shall not carry weapons or pursue vehicles. They should also be cautioned to alert police or deputies when encountering strange activity. Members should never confront suspicious persons who could be armed and dangerous. Patrol members can be equipped for their duties. For example, flashlights or searchlights are necessary for night patrols. Many mobile patrols use cell phones or two-way radios to contact a citizen-manned base station, which in turn contacts law enforcement officials when necessary. Remember your partnerships and ask for donations from local businesses. [Neighborhood Watch Manual: USAonWatch - National Neighborhood Watch Program 20/37]

Clearly, he ignored the rules of the manual he was obligated to follow. He emboldened himself by surreptitiously promoting himself from private to sergeant to lieutenant to captain, most likely in one fell swoop. Now an officer, he became confident enough to mete out his own form of justice because, in addition to that, he had the power of his gun. It was the gun that enabled him to become the zealous superhero he never was, but always wanted to be. He kind of reminds me of the movie Death Wish, only he’s no Paul Kersey, the character played by the late Charles Bronson. Kersey was a tough guy through-and-through. Zimmerman was only tough when he was packing.

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By now, most of us have seen the video of a handcuffed (but not arrested) Zimmerman entering the Sanford Police Department, sans blood, bandages, nor any discernible injuries to his head. No blood could be seen on his clothing, including his chest, back and arms. Granted, the video is not Hollywood quality, but what’s most important is what it will fail to do in court. If he is charged, the video will do nothing to help prove that he had been pummeled by the teen.

We also have the word of Richard Burke, the Fort Lauderdale funeral home operator who took Trayvon’s remains after it was released by the medical examiner. He said that when he inspected the body, it was in “pristine” shape, minus the gunshot wound to the chest. There were no scratches or cuts on his body, and that won’t bide well for Zimmerman, either. With no wounds, there’s no evidence of any kind of physical altercation.

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The Orlando Sentinel is now reporting that:

Tom Owen, forensic consultant for Owen Forensic Services LLC and chair emeritus for the American Board of Recorded Evidence, used voice identification software to rule out Zimmerman. Another expert contacted by the Sentinel, utilizing different techniques, came to the same conclusion.

By now, we’ve heard some of the neighbors’ 9-1-1 calls. On one of them, we could hear someone crying for help until the fatal crack of the bullet. Then, an eerie silence fell.

Owen listened to that 9-1-1 tape of the screams and compared it to the voice from Zimmerman’s own 9-1-1 call. By using software called Easy Voice Biometrics, he determined that the two voices were not the same person. Owen told the Sentinel that, “As a result of that, you can say with reasonable scientific certainty that it’s not Zimmerman.”

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In my opinion, all of the above information does not paint a rosy picture for George Zimmerman. While that information is what I would consider evidence, I have something that’s been giving me a very itchy finger for a couple of days now. Oh, I know it was legal for Zimmerman to carry a concealed weapon. I know he had every right to be inside that gated community. I also understand his concern for safety in the neighborhood. While I question why he didn’t just roll down his window, identify himself and state his case, there was something more sinister lurking in his mind. He was out to gun himself a bad guy whether he knew it at the time or not. Why do I say that? The answer is simple and it’s been staring right at us.

For everyone who’s ever watched the TV show COPS, law enforcement personnel are tickled pink when they take a bad ass out of circulation. When they confiscate a gun like Zimmerman’s, they look for one thing first. Yup, you got it…

The chamber. Zimmerman’s gun must have had a bullet in the chamber because, when it came out of his waistband, it was fired. For crying out loud, the safety wasn’t even on. Doesn’t that mean he came ready for a kill? Did Trayvon?