Can the Davis family get a fair trial in Florida?
By Roger Caldwell
There is a fundamental problem in Florida where people shoot first and ask questions later. For African American young males there are two cases within four months of each other, where one white man, Michael Dunn, and one Hispanic man, George Zimmerman killed two teenagers in cold blood. In both cases the defense is claiming self-defense and George Zimmerman has won his trial, and he is a free man.
There is no question about killing the two teenagers, because each defense attorney has acknowledged that their client shot the young African American male because they felt threatened for their life. The circumstances are different because there were no eye witnesses in the Zimmerman trial, but the Dunn shooting occurred at a Gate gas station during the day, and he also left the scene before the police arrived.
Lt. Schoonover said, “Dunn parked next to an SUV carrying Jordan and three of his friends. The teenager had their music turned up loud. When Dunn asked them to turn it down, police say Jordon began to argue. For whatever reason, Dunn produced a weapon and started firing into the vehicle. Dunn fired eight or nine shots into the SUV, and Jordon was the only teenager who was hit.”
It is ludicrous for Dunn to say that he felt threatened, but he is also alleging that he also saw a shotgun. There were no weapons found in the vehicle, but there is also a claim that the SUV left the shooting scene and got rid of the gun.
There is no question that the defense’s story will continue to change, and the self-defense argument will be enhanced with the Stand Your Ground law. In the Zimmerman defense, Stand Your Ground law was not used by his attorneys, but it was inferred. The Judge when she gave directions to the jurors to deliberate the case, the verbiage came directly from the Stand Your Ground law.
As long as the Stand Your Ground law is on the books in Florida, people who own guns will continue to be aggressive, shoot first and ask questions later. This trial is set to start on September 23, 2013, and it will be another controversial high profile case, where race will factor in the proceedings.
It is obvious that Michael Dunn is a white man who shot a young African American teenage male, Jordan Davis in a southern state. Many people in the country and around the world believe that white men in Florida operate from a position of power and privilege, and they do not value African American life.
Justice in Florida will be on trial in this case, and Michael Dunn is being charged with first degree murder. First degree murder includes three basic elements: willfulness, deliberation, and premeditation and receives the harshest of punishments. This case looks like a slam dunk for the state and the Davis family should receive justice and a fair trial in Florida, but don’t count your chickens until the eggs hatch.
