More on the Martin Case

The more I look into the shooting of Trayvon Martin, the more messed up the entire situation appears to be. I theorized in my post yesterday that George Zimmerman, the shooter, suffered from a hero complex. After doing a little more research my suspicion is even strong:

SANFORD -- The people at the Retreat at Twin Lakes had been missing bikes, grills and a few times thought strangers were casing their town houses.

When the homeowners association wanted to start a neighborhood watch, only one man stepped up: George Zimmerman, the 28-year-old who admitted to shooting an unarmed Miami Gardens teenager and who is now the focal point of a race-related scandal of national proportions.

Interviews with neighbors reveal a pleasant young man passionate about neighborhood security who took it upon himself to do nightly patrols while he walked his dog.

Licensed to carry a firearm and a student of criminal justice, Zimmerman went door-to-door asking residents to be on the lookout, specifically referring to young black men who appeared to be outsiders, and warned that some were caught lurking, neighbors said. The self-appointed captain of the neighborhood watch program is credited with cracking some crimes, and thwarting others.

Being the only applicant for a neighborhood watch isn't evidence of a hero complex in of itself but the combination of that, being a criminal justice student, and his actions on the night of the shooting point in that direction. Many people are putting a lot of weight into his warnings to neighbors about "young black men." I'm not touching that with a cattle prod, not because I'm afraid of being labeled a racist if I don't agree with the generally accepted sentiment, but because I lack knowledge about Zimmerman's statements. That is to say the community wanted to establish a neighborhood watch after items started going missing and if there were witnesses that reported the suspects to be young black men Zimmerman's statement could have been based on those accounts. On the other hand Zimmerman may have simply been stereotyping, I haven't a clue.

Back to my original point, Zimmerman's possible hero complex. Zimmerman became the community's neighborhood watch, was a student in criminal justice, and decided to pursue a person he believe to be suspicious even though he was instructed not to by a 911 operator. The last part is where my suspicion ultimately stems from. Most people would avoid a confrontation that can ensure by pursuing a person unless there was solid reason for doing so. From the evidence I have available Zimmerman had nothing but a gut feeling, certainly not something you would potentially put your life at risk over. In addition to that the police were on their way, why risk your life for nothing more than a gut feeling if the police are en route to take care of the situation? To me it just doesn't add up.

With that said I don't have all the evidence at hand so I'm speculating on evidence that I've read in news articles. My final judgement is meaningless, that's the job of juries, but it's still an interesting case to mull of in one's mind. I'm still fearful that any chances of a fair trial, if this goes to trail, are gone. Anybody ruling in Zimmerman's favor would be risking a permanent label of racist and that makes it in everybody's best interest to rule him guilty regardless of the evidence.