Lord, help me understand

Why is this young man dead?

Trayvon Martin traveled to Sanford on a trip with his father. The teen returned to his Miami home in a body bag.

Martin, 17, was shot and killed Feb. 26 by a neighborhood crime watch captain.

The circumstances of the shooting are still unknown, but the 26-year-old man who shot Martin, George Zimmerman, gave a statement to police that he shot in self-defense.

Martin’s grieving family said the teen went out around 7:30 on that Sunday during the NBA All-Star Game halftime to get snacks from a nearby 7-Eleven convenience store. He purchased Skittles candies and an Arizona iced tea for his stepbrother.

Somehow, on the way back to the Central Florida townhouse where Martin was staying, he ran into Zimmerman, who was armed with a 9mm handgun, reports said.

Martin was shot once in the chest.

“He had a gun, and Trayvon had Skittles,” said Benjamin Crump, the family’s attorney. “We want justice.”

I really don’t understand this. A neighborhood watch guy shot this young man? What?

No Comments

Jeff March 9, 2012 at 5:32 pm

Heartbreaking. I’ve met some neighborhood watch types. While I support their efforts, some I’ve seen take power to their heads. I hope this young man didn’t run into that. I hope they find out the truth.
Linda March 10, 2012 at 12:09 pm

This is why any person who is on “patrol” for a neighborhood watch and carrying a gun should have mandatory training and licensing. They are taking on a policing function and therefore must be held to the same standards.
Where's the Outrage? » What Some of Us Simply Don’t Understand about Race in America March 10, 2012 at 1:38 pm

[…] I posted a tragic story about Traymon Martin. He is a 17-year-old male who was watching the NBA All-Star game with his […]
slacktivist » Where the streets have no name March 10, 2012 at 6:07 pm

[…] we call them racist, misogynist bigots now?”“He had a gun, and Trayvon had Skittles.”“The politics of fear and anger have made us think that these problems are not our […]
EC Thompson, MD March 10, 2012 at 9:14 pm

I like that idea. I like it very much.
EC Thompson, MD March 10, 2012 at 9:15 pm

right now, the information that is available to just that Mister Zimmerman admits to shooting Mister Martin. Sounds to me that somebody needs to be arrested and a trial needs to be held to figure out what actually happened.

Thanks for your thoughts.
Risingsun3 March 11, 2012 at 4:34 pm

I think he -is- being held to the same standards as cops: you can tell because he murdered someone but hasn’t been arrested for murder.