Even more on the FL shooting
A few interesting bits on the Trayvon Martin shooting. A grand jury has been convened, which I would expect given the info we have about the case. And it’s not the case to take against no duty to retreat laws.
Meanwhile, reports now that one round was fired:
Police found a single shell casing at the scene, and when they seized George Zimmerman’s handgun, a Kel Tel* 9 mm, its magazine was full, according to a source close to the investigation. The only bullet missing was the one in the chamber, the source said.
This conflicts with the family lawyer’s account that it was two shots.
* Layers of editorial oversight. Or a typo, I’m one to talk.
March 20th, 2012 at 3:37 pm
“its magazine was full, according to a source close to the investigation. The only bullet missing was the one in the chamber, the source said.”
Except that can’t be true unless the gun didn’t cycle properly. If the one in the chamber fired and the gun functioned correctly it would eject the empty case in the chamber and then loaded the top round from the magazine.
Assuming that before firing the gun was initially fully loaded – one in the chamber and a fully-loaded magazine – then after firing one shot and cycling correctly it would have one round in the chamber and be one round short of a fully loaded magazine.
March 20th, 2012 at 3:38 pm
I’m going with bad reporting but we’ll see.
March 20th, 2012 at 3:48 pm
I lean towards bad reporting as well, but if the muzzle or slide was in physical contact with something it may have not cycled properly and failed to feed.
March 20th, 2012 at 3:56 pm
Sounds like my keltec. Bang. Oh crap, it didn’t feed right again.
March 20th, 2012 at 5:07 pm
I read last night that inirial analysis of recordings show that there were two sounds but only one is consistent with a firearm.
March 20th, 2012 at 5:43 pm
I think JD has it. Especially if it was the P11
March 20th, 2012 at 5:54 pm
The whole “blame ‘Stand Your Ground'” thing is nonsense. Thus far there are no witnesses, even if the old duty to retreat had still been in effect, there’s no evidence available to support a prosecutorial claim Zimmerman didn’t try to retreat once he, stupidly but probably lawfully under the concept of “citizen’s arrest”, actually accosted Martin. Net change in prosecutability? Zero.
Been trying to explain that in the Letters to the Editor comments page of the rag up here (we have a stand your ground bill in committee), SYG doesn’t change -anything- about self-defense law except take a burden off the defendent, the victim, to prove a negative should a prosecutor want to push an issue.
If their case is so weak all they have to offer as “evidence of criminal intent” is a post facto claim the person in the middle of the situation should have come up with the remotely-possible alternative they dreamt up snug and warm in their well-lit office, they shouldn’t be going to trial in the first place.
March 20th, 2012 at 6:06 pm
…a Kel Tel* 9 mm, …
* Layers of editorial oversight. Or a typo, I’m one to talk.
—
Awhile back there was a young reporter writing on some kind of gun related issue, where the reporter went to a range for part of the report. The article was quite positive, but I got a giggle because she repeatedly wrote of one of the guns as a “Cal Tech.”
March 20th, 2012 at 6:51 pm
It should go without saying that the antis have been waiting for a “poster boy” to use against the CCW tide. Zimmerman may be their best candidate so far.
March 20th, 2012 at 7:54 pm
I love that they are pushing the whole race angle round peg into a square whole.
I think this is going to end in a race riot.
March 20th, 2012 at 9:23 pm
Sure there is a no duty to retreat law.. But is their a duty to pursue a non criminal in a stalking manner then killing them when they resist you???
March 20th, 2012 at 10:17 pm
Citizen’s arrest requires the arrestee be commiting a crime. Of which “being in a neighborhood with mall ninja approval” is not. Zimmerman was, at best, attempting to unlawfully detain Martin; an act which Martin had the right to physically resist. “Stand your ground” does not mean starting a fight and then wanting to pull a gun when you begin losing. Anymore than if you try to mug me and I respond by punching you, you can’t then shoot me and claim it was self defense.
March 20th, 2012 at 10:36 pm
“I lean towards bad reporting as well, but if the muzzle or slide was in physical contact with something it may have not cycled properly and failed to feed.”
Like if Zimmerman was on the ground being beaten to death?
March 21st, 2012 at 12:27 am
Its too bad martin was not of legal age to possess a handgun. He would have been well within his rights to shoot zimmerman for threatening him with a deadly weapon.
March 21st, 2012 at 12:36 am
Mathew: What crime had Martin committed?
If the answer is none, then not only did this person pursue and get into a fight with him for no good reason, if the Martin had been older, and armed, and had shot Zimmerman, he would have been exonerated under Florida law.
Unless evidence of a crime that can be responded against with deadly force is found here, this wannabe mall ninja is getting charged, and rightfully so.
March 21st, 2012 at 12:38 am
TCK:
Evidence needs to found that Zimmerman was assaulted, and that he did not initiate the fight.
Then he needs to convince a jury that his life was in jeopardy.
March 21st, 2012 at 9:49 am
No crime needs to be committed for one to use deadly force, only a reasonable person’s perception of impending serious injury or death.
March 21st, 2012 at 2:57 pm
It was the existence of a gated community that led to this. I say we outlaw those.