10 years after Trayvon Martin's killing: Have 'stand your ground' laws led to vigilantism? - Orlando Sentinel

When George Zimmerman pursued and shot to death 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on a rainy night 10 years ago this week, he was the captain of a neighborhood watch group in a gated Sanford neighborhood that had grown increasingly worried about a rash of burglaries and drug activity.

Trayvon was returning to his father’s townhome from a nearby convenience store. But Zimmerman, who had a state permit to carry a concealed firearm, said he acted in self-defense and police photos showed him with a broken nose and a bloody face. He was later acquitted of second-degree murder by a jury for the Black teenager’s death.

Two years ago, in a South Georgia neighborhood, residents also became alarmed about a rise in burglaries and break-ins. According to police, two men grabbed a handgun and a shotgun, got into a pickup truck, and — along with a third man — chased Ahmaud Arbery, who was jogging through the neighborhood. They shot and killed the 25-year-old Black man.

The men were found guilty of murder by a jury last month after they argued the shooting was in self-defense and claimed Arbery fought back as they tried to make a “citizen’s arrest.”

source: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/seminole-county/os-prem-trayvon-martin-10-years-vigilantism-20220224-t5cv3dunufh6pfo7sdr4eq5eye-htmlstory.html

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