His Word VS. The Other Guy... Who Is Conveniently Dead

George Zimmerman was the subject of complaints to police, regarding his overzealous methods as neighborhood watch captain.  Those details aren't available, but they do portray a man who takes himself very seriously, and has at the very least annoyed neighbors.

And then there's the day he shot a young black man after police told him to stand down.  He called 911 to report Trayvon Martin walking home from the convenience store.  He blatantly disregarded the advice to stand down.  He instead followed Martin, making a comment about how "they always get away" and escalated the situation.  He then shot and killed the boy, and when witnesses appeared he told them it was self-defense and put the gun down.

An officer on the scene was narcotics, not homicide.  He corrected a witness when she told him she heard the teenager screaming for help.  By correcting her, I can't see an alternative besides implying it was actually Zimmerman shouting for help.  But that seems mighty strange from a man who expressed frustration and determination to force events to a head.  After all, it was he who chased Martin, not the other way around.  Martin was just walking home, with some iced tea and candy.

There seems to be a decided reluctance to prosecute Zimmerman.

“In this case, Mr. Zimmerman has made the statement of self-defense," Lee said during Monday’s press conference. "Until we can establish probable cause to dispute that, we don’t have the grounds to arrest him.”

I hate to be the one to bring this up, but the other guy is conveniently dead.  The evidence is there in the fact that this man clearly pushed for confrontation against advice and common sense.  A young man who had nothing to do with this craziness was shot dead.  He left to buy iced tea and candy, and he died on the way home.  Now this man gets to call self-defense and the best they've got is turning it into one man's word against a dead body?  Where is the culpability for pursuing this violence?

I understand innocent until proven guilty.  I'm saying there is enough probably cause here to warrant those charges, and enough evidence to warrant trying.  The events could not have transpired if he had not disobeyed orders to wait.  He was armed and determined to use his weapon.  There was no justice for the victim in this, not even a hint.