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Originally Posted by Joe Shoe
The reality is that it is a cop's JOB to make judgment calls all the time regarding "guilt or innocence" in terms of whether or not someone has broken the law.
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A teen-ager was killed.
There is no question as to whether the man committed the act.
This isn't like we're questioning whether the man MIGHT have been guilty of ending the teen-ager's life.
THAT is the sort of question a cop would have a "judgment call" on.
The cop's job is NOT to try and define this sort of issue.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe Shoe
I think the news article needs to give more details here. Were the cops AWARE Zimmerman had been pursuing this guy and were they AWARE of the specifics of the 911 conversation?
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The shooting happened on February 26th.
If the cops weren't aware of the 911 conversation, then they are thoroughly negligent.
The fact that the news has the 911 conversation details...
It leads me to question how you could raise such a question...
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Joe Shoe
Also, cops are limited by the the way laws apply to a situation. There is nothing illegal with Zimmerman driving around looking for this guy. There is nothing illegal with Zimmerman getting out and confronting the suspect about it. So if the law truly does allow deadly force over being "in fear of great bodily harm or injury" then there's not a lot the cops can do. We really shouldn't blame them for this.
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Whether or not such "fear of great bodily harm or injury" actually existed is a question for the courts.
The fact that Zimmerman PURSUED the now dead teen-ager should be factored into any question of whether or not Zimmerman had such a fear.
Most rational people do not pursue a person they fear will inflict great bodily harm or injury.
Whether or not Zimmerman INSTIGATED the situation (whereby casual evidence leads this way) needs to be examined by the courts.