Since we're "thinking" aloud here, I'll join in. The self appointed neighborhood watch captain/mall ninja is a 26 year old college student, he must have got tired of flipping burgers and enrolled in a couple classes at the local community college. His battery on a police officer charges were probably dropped because his dad plays cards with the Chief of Police. He was white and the kid was black so he must have a white sheet and hood in his closet at home. He knew he screwed up so he proceeded to beat himself up and made up the cover story to prove self defense. Since he won't respond to the media, he's definitely covering something.
These posts are definitely exposing our personal biases and they seem to be affecting how we judge this particular scenario. None of us know for sure what really happened here. The kid could have instigated it, the guy could have. What we do know is that the kid is dead.
I'll readily admit I'm biased against self appointed busy bodies who have nothing better to do with their time than worry about what I'm doing. Chalk this guy up to reason # 9,834,612 why I don't live in a HOA/gated community.
Since we're making all these assumptions, how about if I assume the kid was a gangbanger out to mug someone? So, he sees this white guy sitting in his car just putting down his cell phone, and decides it's as good a target as any so he saunters over and tries to bash in his skull. The NWC captain is dazed and barely grabs his firearm and fires off a shot as the second and most likely deadly blow is about to fall. See, assumptions, anyone can make them however they want. That's what testimony and evidence is for, to sort out the facts from the assumptions and bull.
Or perhaps during the altercation the kid went for the watch captain's gun? Without the facts its all just speculation
The bad thing about many of these assumptions is they become facts in the eyes of some.
Aww, a baby elephant.
Replace "neighborhood watch captain" with "police officer," and many of these responses would be quite different.
...and you know that's no lie
I'm white. I'd say the closest (still a million miles apart from the institutional racism that blacks have suffered in this country) I've ever come to feeling discriminated against is simply being a teenager or younger than everyone else around me. I remember the disrespect from adults that I've never met. I remember the looks, the attitudes I got. For no other reason than being young.
Replace "neighborhood watch captain" with "police officer," and many of these responses would be quite different.
...and you know that's no lie
Seems like there are other 911 calls on this situation reporting the fight (reportedly on one you can hear the gunshot). There may be more witnesses.
Trayvon Martin shooting: Police could wrap up investigation into Trayvon Martin shooting - OrlandoSentinel.com
I just don't get the concept that just because the shooter's story can't be disputed, that there cannot be some sort of action taken against this killer.
So we still don't know what happened exactly, but you are still willing to brand him a "killer"?
He is definitely a killer. The question is, is he a murderer?
Yeah, this kid looks really scarey to me....
"What do the police find in his pocket? Skittles," Crump said. "A can of Arizona ice tea in his jacket pocket and Skittles in his front pocket for his brother Chad."
So we still don't know what happened exactly, but you are still willing to brand him a "killer"?
yup. I'd be willing to retract that if I hear something otherwise. I am not a court of law so I'm not held to the innocent until proven guilty. Why should I give the benefit of the doubt to the killer, instead of the dead kid?