The story between the shooter 28-year-old George Zimmerman and the deceased 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was first broken to me by 'The Young Turks'. The above link will lead you to 911 calls made by the shooter and various residents in an apartment complex in Sanford, FL. According to various sources, Mr. Zimmerman who is a neighborhood watch leader initially observed a 'suspicious' person walking through the gated community. While on the phone with 911 Zimmerman continued to follow Trayvon Martin even after the 911 operator told him the police are on the way and to stop following the 'suspect'.
What happened immediately before the shooting is unclear but from what I gather, Zimmerman caught up to Martin and confronted him in some fashion. There was a total of two shots fired and during and after the first shot, some have said a warning shot, Martin can be heard yelling for help and for his life.
It is said that the second shot was the one to end Martins life. There have been no eye witnesses so far but several reports have stated that Zimmerman had been on the ground at one point in time since his coat was wet and had grass on it. It must be stated that Martin had gone to a convenience store and had iced tea and skittles candy on him at the time. Although Martin did not live in the complex he was staying with family there.
From all the reports this does not seem to be a case of self defense. Here's why. Zimmerman while on the phone with 911, was chasing or tailing Martin even though police were minutes away. Zimmerman called from either his home, clubhouse, or vehicle. Once cannot claim self defense if you have identified a potential threat (Martin) and then proceed to chase the threat. If Zimmerman then engaged the potential threat with deadly force, even if they began to fight when Zimmerman caught the threat, the very act of chasing down the threat while you have safe haven elsewhere prohibits self defense. Florida has a law called the 'castle doctrine' which most plainly states that you are awarded legal protection in bona-fide self defense cases where you have a legal right to be, say in your home, business, or even a store. This law will not protect Zimmerman.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/17/2700249/shooter-of-trayvon-martin-a-habitual.html
