Justice Department Investigating Trayvon Martin's Shooting

George Zimmerman, a self-appointed watchman in a Sanford, Florida community, shot and killed Trayvon Martin February 26th.  That's a fact. The circumstances surrounding the incident aren't quite so clear.  Zimmerman claims he shot the 17-year-old in self defense and local police did not arrest him or investigate the crime, citing Florida's Stand Your Ground Law. Ham on Wry would attempt to explain the law; however, it makes no logical sense to me, so, readers can research it online. Essentially, the law permits the use of deadly force in self-defense, and, as a result, justifiable homicide cases have risen 335%, since it was passed in 2005.

Ham on Wry will not discuss the law in-depth because that truly isn't the issue here. The issue concerns what Sanford police consider self-defense. Trayvon Martin was unarmed and attempting to reason with his pursuer when he was shot. An attorney for Martin's family held a news conference Tuesday and offered cellphone records that he claims prove Martin was talking with his girlfriend at the time he was confronted in the gated community where he was killed. Zimmerman said that he feared for his life in confronting Martin and fired on him to protect himself.

I say, "What?" Zimmerman was taller and far heavier than Martin, and I find it difficult to fathom how he could have feared for his life from an unarmed teenager causing no problems. He could have also wounded Martin rather than killing him. Finally, after a three-week delay, the Justice Department has stepped in to investigate the case. The FBI has also been summoned to probe the facts surrounding Martin's death, and state attorney Norm Wolfinger of Seminole County, where Sanford is located, announced Tuesday that he will take the case before a grand jury next month.

It's about time! Despite the Stand Your Ground Law, Sanford police should have investigated immediately after receiving notification that a teen had been killed when no crime had occurred prior to his death. I understand that the neighborhood had experienced crimes which might have caused Zimmerman to be suspicious, but he killed a person without determining whether the kid had any kind of weapon. That begs the questions about why Florida passed Stand Your Ground, but I'll leave that for a possible future post.