ABC is reporting that the official medical report on George Zimmerman taken from an examination the day after his fatal confrontation with unarmed 17 year-old youth, Trayvon Martin, states that Zimmerman had a broken nose, two black eyes and head lacerations.
Separately, the autopsy report on Trayvon Martin indicates that he had bruised knuckles consistent with what would be sustained from punching someone.
Are these reports damaging to prosecution? Possibly, but not necessarily.
Although the reports do support Zimmerman’s claim that he was injured by Martin, one should not take this as evidence of Zimmerman’s innocence, it is simply evidence that Zimmerman was getting the worse of a physical confrontation that he initiated with overzealous, illegal actions that went counter to explicit instructions from a 911 operator.
In fact, who was actually standing their ground on that fateful evening in Sanford? Wasn’t it more likely that it is was the unarmed Trayvon who felt threatened by a gun-wielding, strange person trailing him? Isn’t it a reasonable and tactically correct response to utilize a strong and assertive offense in this situation if, in fact, you suspect that your life is in danger? Isn’t that really the true spirit and essence of the Stand Your Ground law that Florida and other states have enacted?
We cannot jump to any conclusions from this newly released evidence, but one thing is certain, a court trial is the appropriate forum in which all evidence should be unbiasedly evaluated and considered. That would not have been the case had not Trayvon’s parents and so many others concerned with justice not voiced loud and persistent demands for an arrest and trial. The evidence might not yet be obvious, but the need for the simple step of an arrest most certainly was.
