Just heard it on the news. Will get link ASAP.
I've got this one.
ABC News Reports Medical Records Support George ZimmermanÂ’s Account Of Broken Nose And Scalp Injuries | Mediaite
When the tragic story of the shooting death of Trayvon Martin consumed the nation over the past few months, a number of questions were raised about racism, vigilantism, and self defense laws. However, the most important question was always the first one; what exactly happened that fateful night? The shooter, George Zimmerman, has always claimed that he fired his gun in self defense, something many found hard to believe considering the young boy he killed was unarmed. However, tonight, ABC World News broke information about the injuries Zimmerman received that may shed more light on just how that night went down.
The document describes Zimmerman as having suffered two black eyes, wounds to the back of the head, as well as a broken nose but that he declined both hospitalization after the encounter as well as a follow up with an ENT doctor.
The doctor who wrote the document also writes that Zimmerman suffers from stress and “nausea” when thinking about the night and was strongly advised to see a psychologist.
It also states that, prior to the shooting, Zimmerman had been prescribed the drugs Adderall and Temazepam, medication that ABC points out “can cause side effects such as agitation and mood swings, but in fewer than 10 percent of patients.”
ABC News Reports Medical Records Support George ZimmermanÂ’s Account Of Broken Nose And Scalp Injuries | Mediaite
More evidence will undoubtably come forth over the course of the trial. The broken nose and blackened eyes indicate that he was clearly attacked. Still, there's the issue that he approached the subject, Treyvon Martin, against the dispatcher's directives, so the claim of self-defense when Zimmerman made the approach seems questionable.
BEEEP!!
Sorry, Sparkles, but wrong answer. Thanks for playing.
There is no "issue" that Zimmerman approached Martin, against "directives" or not, because there is no evidence that he did so. Or, for that matter, that there were any "directives".
If you want to state definitively that Zimmerman approached Martin, then prove that he did so.
I'm still trying to figure out who took the first swing, what Treyvon did immediately upon spotting Zimmerman, and how exactly did the shooting occur. Again, I think the trial will attempt to answer that, and until then, all we know is that the prosecutors decided a second-degree murder charge was appropriate, even though, curiously, they skipped the grand jury indictment in this case.
Well, let me just help you out there, EmoBoy, since you clearly aren't up on all the currently available evidence.
Who took the first swing? Let's think about that. Martin's autopsy showed two pieces of damage: the fatal gunshot wound, and broken skin on his knuckles. Zimmerman showed two bloody cuts to the back of his head, a contusion on the back of his head, a fractured nose, and a cut and swollen upper lip.
Based on that, who do you think is likely to have done the hitting, and who to have been hit?
As to what Trayvon did immediately upon seeing Zimmerman, we know this from Zimmerman's conversation with the police dispatcher: he stared at Zimmerman, walked toward his truck, and then ran away. Had he done anything else "immediately upon spotting Zimmerman", it would have been heard on that recording.
How did the shooting occur? Well, the official reports tell us that Martin was shot in the chest. If he had been on the ground, the autopsy would have been able to tell that, as well as if he'd been shot at a distance, rather than at close range. No such indications have currently been made public, leaving us to believe - at least for the moment - that Zimmerman shot him while they were close together, and while Martin was standing. Since all the witnesses - except the two crazy-lady roommates - tell us that there was a fight of some sort, it is unlikely that Zimmerman was simply standing next to Martin and shot him, lending credence to the idea that Martin was on top of Zimmerman.
As to charging him with second-degree murder, as well as skipping over the grand jury, I suspect both were because the prosecution is more about the public furor than about any real evidence indicating such a charge. I certainly have not seen the prosecution reveal anything that even remotely makes me think such a charge is justified - or even that the prosecution itself is justified - and I wonder why that is.