FBI Documents: Zimmerman Had a Bit of a "Hero Complex," but no Racism

This will complicate any ideas Eric Holder has about a race-based prosecution.

The Justice Department has responded to appeals to probe whether George Zimmerman committed any civil rights violations in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin -- but previously filed FBI documents are already challenging the narrative that the shooting was racially motivated.

Sanford police detective Chris Serino told FBI agents last year that after examining the case, it appeared Zimmerman was suspicious of Martin because of his "attire, the total circumstances of the encounter and the previous burglary suspects in the community."

According to the document, Serino considered Zimmerman as having "a little hero complex, but not as a racist."

Here's a little context the media never reported:

Serino told the FBI that there had been several burglaries in the area, and that gang members in the community "typically dressed in black and wore hoodies."

Captain Ed points out another problem with the idea of federal charges:

The only basis for federal charges would have to rely on a hate-crime charge. Unlike the Rodney King case, where the DoJ pressed charges after a state court acquitted defendants, Zimmerman didn’t act under color of authority. He acted as a private citizen. Whether one believes he “profiled” Martin or not is irrelevant, because “profiling” is actionable by the DoJ only when police forces do it. And in this case, the DoJ’s own investigators concluded that racism didn’t play a significant role in the incident.

Oh -- and this is real retarded, sir.

And one more delicious bit -- Zimmerman's suit against NBC is now going forward "ASAP."

posted by Ace at 10:25 AM

| Access Comments