What does the Trayvon Martin case come down to?

What does the Trayvon Martin case come down to?  Is it the fact that George Zimmerman refused to stay in his car despite the police dispatcher telling him to?  Is it the fact that Zimmerman was clearly injured?  Is it who was calling for help in those last 45 seconds?  The shoddy police work?

 

No.  According to experts it all comes down to who threw the first punch. 

 

The Stand Your Grand law, Florida statute 776.013(3) is fairly clearly laid out: “(a) person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who is attacked in any other place where he or she has a right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony.”

 

The part that matters the most according to Kendall Coffey, former U.S.State Attorney is the “unlawful activity” phrase.   As Coffey explains, if Zimmerman threw the first punch he would have been engaging in illegal activity and thus the SYG statue would not apply.  However, if Martin threw the first punch because Zimmerman verbally harassed him, then Zimmerman would be protected under SYG. 

 

It’s a tad frightening that someone could potentially antagonize someone into attacking them, only to then shoot them and get off scot free.  But that’s exactly how the law is worded.  Being a jerk, or a “crazy and creepy man” as Martin described Zimmerman to his girlfriend, doesn’t count as engaging in unlawful activity.