FL Shooting

Resa77

Have we talked about this here?  The whole story just breaks my heart.  If you haven't heard, google it.  Trayvon Martin was the victim. 

Obviously there are a lot of details that I'm not privvy to, and therefore I'm not trying to jump to any conclusions.  What I do know is that it is a real shame that an innocent 17 yr old boy got shot on his way back from 7-11.  My heart really goes out to his family. 

Perhaps the shooter did feel threatened, but if he did, it was probably somewhat motivated by race and racial profiling.  I am not black, but I do have black family members.  It terrifies me that they could end up dead because someone perceived them as a threat, when in fact they were doing nothing wrong and intended no harm.

Riss91

It's really scary and how devastating for that family!?

professorscience

It is really sad.  This kind of thing happens in Texas a lot, because we have a similar law to the one in Florida, except it doesn't go so far as to protect a person who kills another person outside of his home.  Several years ago, though, there was a case where a man shot and killed a burgular who was breaking into his neighbor's house.  They played 911 calls that had the guy very clearly saying, "I have a gun.  I'm going over there," and the dispatcher saying, "No.  Don't do that."  I'm pretty sure he was still acquitted, which I find kind of crazy.  Yes, those men were doing wrong, but we're reaching a point where people are taking the law into their own hands, and then tragic things like this poor child's death happen.

From what I've heard, this was not an issue of self defense, but thanks to the Stand Your Ground law, they are going to have a very hard time prosecuting this guy.

Resa77

The weird thing is, I know the shooter.  He used to live in VA.  His Dad was a magistrate.  His Mom was from Peru, so it's funny how the media has been painting it as "this white guy shot and killed a minority kid" when he himself is a minority.  I didn't know the guy well enough to say he was racist, he was a good guy, or anything like that.  But I did know him.  I went to his family's house a few times.  They're Catholic and belonged to my parish.

professorscience

I don't have TV, so I haven't been able to watch anything about it, but everything I read reported that he was Hispanic.

It's just crazy that someone could make what seems to be such a bad judgment call.  Even if the kid did somehow threaten him, he had a gun and the kid had a bag of Skittles.  I feel like shooting him (in the back) was a little extreme.

chelseamb11

There have been other 911 calls that have come to light where the neighbors say the KID was screaming and running away. I don't see how anyone can believe this guy perceived him as a threat.  I personally, based on what I've read, think it's cold-blooded murder and this guy should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.