He said he tried to reach for his mace but could not reach it since he was warding Brown off with his left hand and his mace was on the left side of his utility belt. He doesn't mention a tazer, I just assumed he had one.

I'll have to reread his testimony. He definitely mentioned both and I remember it being reasonable why he didn't use either.

That's incorrect. Go to 1:50. He claims he pulled the trigger 3 times, the first two wouldn't fire (which Chula pointed our earlier isn't a reasonable claim).

I remember listened to Joe Rogan's podcast when he was discussing Zimmerman. He basically said that while he doesn't support Zimmerman, he knows what it is like getting the sh*t kicked out of you. He said that if Zimmerman was getting beat to the point where he may be knocked out, he would probably do just about anything to stop getting beat, as any human being would. Anything could happen if he's knocked out. His throat could be slashed. The end result of that is obviously debatable but the fact remains, if you feel your life is in danger, your instinct is to stay alive, no matter the means.

The more and more I read about this makes me think that Darren Wilson made a split decision and that his fear kept him shooting after the initial shot. I almost sympathize with the guy.

I still feel the whole way this was handled is absolutely insane, but I also think the looting and destruction of property is even more insane. I said this a while ago...we all lose.

All those riots did was give white people another reason to be racist. Every time something like this happens it's like taking 10 steps backwards.

This is taken from the released interviews and evidence Frownland posted earlier:

"I was just trying to keep him off me and get him back. Um, I tried to go for my mace, I couldn't reach around my body to grab it and I know how mace affects me so if I used that in that close proximity I was gonna be disabled per se. And, I didn't know if that was even gonna work on him if I would be able to get a clear shot or anything else. Um, then like I was thinking like picturing my belt going around it. I don't carry a taser so that option was gone and even if I had one with a cartridge on ther, it probably wouldn't have hit him anywhere. Next, I go to my asp. I couldn't get on it...it sits behind me I couldn't reach it, and I was in a car so I couldn't expand it. I have a flashlight I carry in my bag. My duty bag was on the passenger seat. I wasn't willing to give up more of my vehicle and my body to him to lean over and grab it and turn away from him. Um. I thought I was already compromised enough. I drew my firearm, I pointed at him...'stop I'm going to shoot you what I ordered him to get on the ground.' He said, 'you're too much of a ****in' pussy to shoot me' and grabbed my gun. When he grabbed my gun, he twisted it, pointed it at me and into my hip, pelvic area.

...

(referring to Michael having control over the gun and eventually getting it point away from his hip and toward the door handle)

"When it got there I saw that it was somewhat lined up with his silhouette and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. Pulled it again, nothing happened. Um, I believe his fingers were over in between from the hammer and the slide preventing it from firing."


Uh, what? Are you justifying racism? That's a pretty ****ty perspective to have, bro.

F*ck no I'm not justifying racism, but that is the reality of how people respond to that nonsense. Maybe not so much with the more open minded people of our generation but certainly with older folks.

They are just giving all the ignorant white people something to use in their argument for black people "acting like savages".

My apologies. I misread.

Yeh I could see how that comes off sounding bad. I'm not the most articulate poster :D

It's not just white people, old people, racist people, or ignorant people. I personally know several intelligent young people of various races and backgrounds who feel like the rioters were in the wrong because they didn't care to know why the verdict was made before they rioted. These people think that most of the rioters were on the edges of their seats waiting to hear the grand jury's verdict, angry and ready to riot. Maybe true?