George Zimmerman, the killer of young Trayvon Martin, was found 'not guilty'.

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Florida, guys. Florida.

Dunn faces 60 years for shooting at teens

JACKSONVILLE — Michael David Dunn faces at least 60 years inside a prison cell for firing 10 bullets toward a group of teenagers in a sport-utility vehicle during an escalating argument over booming rap music in a gasoline station parking lot.

But they deadlocked on whether Dunn murdered Jordan Davis, 17, when he shot at the SUV. Three of the nine bullets that hit the car struck Davis, who was in the rear passenger seat. The gunfire missed the other teens.

After almost 32 hours of deliberations over four days -- on the eve of what would have been Davis's 19th birthday -- a Duval County jury convicted Dunn on three counts of second-degree attempted murder Saturday night. Assistant State Attorney Erin Wolfson said each count carries a 20-year minimum mandatory sentence. These sentences must run consecutively, said Jackelyn Barnard, spokeswoman for the State Attorney's Office.

Jurors also convicted Dunn, 47, of shooting or throwing a deadly missile. This felony is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, Wolfson said.

The trial was the latest Florida case to raise questions about self-defense and race; Dunn is white and the teens were black. It came six months after George Zimmerman was acquitted of any crime for fatally shooting 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, about 125 miles south of Jacksonville. The Dunn trial was prosecuted by the same State Attorney's Office as was the Zimmerman case.

The case is not likely over.

Circuit Judge Russell Healey declared a mistrial on the first-degree murder count. State Attorney Angela Corey said after the verdict that her office would retry Dunn for first-degree murder.

Davis' parents each left the courtroom in tears.

Dunn showed no emotion as the verdicts were read. But afterwards, he turned to his lawyer, Cory Strolla, and asked, "How is this happening?"

"Obviously, my client is devastated at the outcome. Never saw it coming one bit," Strolla said. "So it's hard. It's hard for the family. I know his family's devastated."

Circuit Judge Russell Healey ordered a pre-sentence investigation report, which takes about a month to prepare. Afterward, the attorneys will meet at 9 a.m. March 24 to schedule a sentencing date.

Dunn, 47, is a South Patrick Shores computer programmer and software developer. The shooting occurred after Dunn and his fiancee, Rhonda Rouer, left the Nov. 23, 2012, wedding reception of Dunn's son, Christopher, in Orange Park. Dunn stopped at a Gate gasoline station so Rouer could buy wine and chips, and he parked next to the SUV Davis and his three friends were sitting in.

Dunn and Davis got into an escalating argument over loud rap music booming from the SUV, and Dunn fired three volleys of bullets at the vehicle. Why? The prosecution and defense offered greatly different motivations for Dunn's actions.

During the trial, Strolla called his client's actions a clear-cut case of self-defense. Dunn testified on the witness stand that he saw Davis reach down in the rear-passenger seat, pick up an object resembling a 12- or 20-gauge shotgun, open his door and say, "This (expletive)'s going down now!" Dunn repeatedly said he feared he would be attacked and his life was in danger, so he grabbed his handgun and fired in self-defense.

However, prosecutors portrayed Dunn as a gunman whose "blood started to boil" because an unarmed teenager had disrespected him.
After the shooting, they said Dunn drove Rouer back to their hotel, ate pizza, walked his dog and poured a stiff rum and Coke -- without calling 911 or telling Rouer that he thought Davis was armed.

Minutes after the verdicts, Assistant State Attorney Angela Corey announced plans to retry Dunn for first-degree murder.

"When you're seeking justice for four different victims, and you get a verdict that speaks to justice for three of those victims, it makes you more determined to seek justice again for that fourth victim," Corey said.

Strolla vowed to appeal the guilty verdicts, and he will likely seek a change of venue if the murder charge returns to court. He said his defense strategy was hampered by a lack of cash.

"We filed a motion for indigency. We basically were working on a shoestring budget for Mr. Dunn -- and it hurt him. I hate to say that, but it's true," Strolla said.

Dunn's jury was composed of four white men, four white women, two black women, one Asian female and one Hispanic man.

Including meal breaks, the jury deliberated for roughly 3 hours Wednesday, 9 hours Thursday, 10 hours Friday and 10 hours Saturday.

Dozens of demonstrators marched outside the Duval County Courthouse Saturday, shouting "Murder is a crime! Michael Dunn should do the time!" and other chants. They carried colorful signs bearing slogans such as "Our Black Youth Are Beautiful," "Justice For Jordan," and "The Only One With A Gun Was Dunn."

Dunn and Rouer started dating in May 2008, and they had just renewed their annual lease at Ocean Residence North before his arrest. This oceanfront townhouse complex is roughly a half-mile south of the Pineda Causeway.

Dunn told jurors he enjoyed living there, and his community boasted "an eclectic group" of young people, surfers, retirees and Patrick Air Force Base personnel.

He showed little emotion during his murder trial. But on the witness stand, he up, fought back tears and wiped nose and mouth with white cloth when he talked about Rouer and Charlie, their puppy.

Jury deliberations resumed about 9 a.m. Saturday. At 10:03 a.m., Healey called jurors into the courtroom to answer a trio of their technical questions. To the first, he told them that a "self-defense" defense is separate for each person in each count. To the second, he said the jury must determinine if deadly force is justified against each person in each count.

Jurors also asked: If we determine deadly force is justified against one person, then is it justified against the others?

"No, self-defense and justifiable use of deadly force applies separately to each count," Healey replied.

Nearly seven hours passed, and deliberations approached the 30-hour mark. Then at 4:37 p.m., a buzz swept through spectators and journalists on the fourth floor that "something is happening," and they hurried into the courtroom.

Three minutes later, Healey said that the jury had passed along a note announcing it had reached a verdict on four of the five counts. However, jurors said they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict on Count 1 -- first-degree murder -- or any of its lesser potential offenses.

Healey then brought the jurors into the courtroom and recited them an Allen charge, which is an instruction to continue deliberations and make a decision.

"I have only one request of you. By law, I cannot demand this of you, but I want you to go back into the jury room. Then, taking turns, tell each of the other jurors about any weaknesses of your own position. You should not interrupt each other or comment on each other's views until each of you has had a chance to talk," Healey said.

"After you've done that, if you simply cannot reach a verdict, then return to the courtroom and I will declare this case mistried as to that count, and will discharge you with my sincere appreciation for your services," he said.

Davis's father, Ron, said his son was a good kid.

"Michael Dunn has got minimums of 20 years on one count. Another 20 years on another count. Another minimum 20 years on another count," Ron Davis said.

"So he's going to learn that he must be remorseful for the killing of my son."


guns are awesome, guys. they keep us safe from unarmed black kids with the rap music and the baggy jeans and such.
 
Another moron who gives responsible gun owners (like me) a bad name.

Yep. And as long as (responsible) gun owners (represented by the NRA) are not doing anything about it it will continue that way. Until the measures are such that even responsible gun owners will become ex gun owners.
 
Ok, I hereby mentally vaporize all guns and ammo belonging to people with an IQ of less than 120 (unless of course they are a liberal democrat, because they clearly know everything and don't need any restrictions.) Problem solved! :happy::happy::happy::happy::happy:

Wait, it didn't work?!?!?! Well I guess my super powers aren't as strong as I thought.........
 
Quite a lot of those out there.

This is why I think the problem are the guns themselves.


It takes a finger to pull a trigger.

That said, there are quite a few irresponsible gun owners and a LOT of morons in this country. I'd actually be in favor of making it harder for these ignoramuses to get their hands on guns, if at all.
 
It takes a trigger to be pulled.

There isn't a gun, no one gets shot.

I'm much less concerned about the rights of responsible gun owners -- really, how inconvenienced are you if you can't own a gun, or if a gun has to be kept at a gun club, or is much harder to get -- than I am about the right of unarmed teenagers not to get shot for playing loud music.

That's why it's a gun issue.
 
I've served on a hung jury... and when I left the court room on that fine day I gave serious thought to waiving my right to a jury if I ever found myself in the situation where I was falsely accused of a crime... becsude as it turns out, many of my "peers" are batshit fucking stupid.

Sent from my android cause iphones are for old people
 
fair play:

When May I Shoot a Student?


BOISE, Idaho — TO the chief counsel of the Idaho State Legislature:

In light of the bill permitting guns on our state’s college and university campuses, which is likely to be approved by the state House of Representatives in the coming days, I have a matter of practical concern that I hope you can help with: When may I shoot a student?

I am a biology professor, not a lawyer, and I had never considered bringing a gun to work until now. But since many of my students are likely to be armed, I thought it would be a good idea to even the playing field.

I find it ironic that this half-baked idea emanates from Idaho. They should legalize potato guns on campuses instead.

I have had encounters with disgruntled students over the years, some of whom seemed quite upset, but I always assumed that when they reached into their backpacks they were going for a pencil. Since I carry a pen to lecture, I did not feel outgunned; and because there are no working sharpeners in the lecture hall, the most they could get off is a single point. But now that we’ll all be packing heat, I would like legal instruction in the rules of classroom engagement.

At present, the harshest penalty available here at Boise State is expulsion, used only for the most heinous crimes, like cheating on Scantron exams. But now that lethal force is an option, I need to know which infractions may be treated as de facto capital crimes.

I assume that if a student shoots first, I am allowed to empty my clip; but given the velocity of firearms, and my aging reflexes, I’d like to be proactive. For example, if I am working out a long equation on the board and several students try to correct me using their laser sights, am I allowed to fire a warning shot?

If two armed students are arguing over who should be served next at the coffee bar and I sense escalating hostility, should I aim for the legs and remind them of the campus Shared-Values Statement (which reads, in part, “Boise State strives to provide a culture of civility and success where all feel safe and free from discrimination, harassment, threats or intimidation”)?

While our city police chief has expressed grave concerns about allowing guns on campus, I would point out that he already has one. I’m glad that you were not intimidated by him, and did not allow him to speak at the public hearing on the bill (though I really enjoyed the 40 minutes you gave to the National Rifle Association spokesman).

Knee-jerk reactions from law enforcement officials and university presidents are best set aside. Ignore, for example, the lame argument that some drunken frat boys will fire their weapons in violation of best practices. This view is based on stereotypical depictions of drunken frat boys, a group whose dignity no one seems willing to defend.

The problem, of course, is not that drunken frat boys will be armed; it is that they are drunken frat boys. Arming them is clearly not the issue. They would cause damage with or without guns. I would point out that urinating against a building or firing a few rounds into a sorority house are both violations of the same honor code.

In terms of the campus murder rate — zero at present — I think that we can all agree that guns don’t kill people, people with guns do. Which is why encouraging guns on campus makes so much sense. Bad guys go where there are no guns, so by adding guns to campus more bad guys will spend their year abroad in London. Britain has incredibly restrictive laws — their cops don’t even have guns! — and gun deaths there are a tiny fraction of what they are in America. It’s a perfect place for bad guys.

Some of my colleagues are concerned that you are encouraging firearms within a densely packed concentration of young people who are away from home for the first time, and are coincidentally the age associated with alcohol and drug experimentation, and the commission of felonies.

Once again, this reflects outdated thinking about students. My current students have grown up learning responsible weapon use through virtual training available on the Xbox and PlayStation. Far from being enamored of violence, many studies have shown, they are numb to it. These creative young minds will certainly be stimulated by access to more technology at the university, items like autoloaders, silencers and hollow points. I am sure that it has not escaped your attention that the library would make an excellent shooting range, and the bookstore could do with fewer books and more ammo choices.

I want to applaud the Legislature’s courage. On a final note: I hope its members will consider my amendment for bulletproof office windows and faculty body armor in Boise State blue and orange.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/28/opinion/when-may-i-shoot-a-student.html?hp&rref=opinion&_r=0
 
I'll take it for you. Fuck this fucking asshole.

Alternately:

vbs95cpuo1m7lfafc5di_zpstumis8jr.jpg
 
Fuck this guy so much and to quote Forrest Gump: "That's all I have to say about that."


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference
 
Self defense, guys. Self defense.

Stand your ground by stalking and confronting unarmed teenagers in the pouring rain with your surrogate penis/9mm after the 911 operator tells you to do exactly not that.
 
Sooo first he got away with his racist murder, and now he thought it would be a good idea to get back into the public eye by auctioning the murder weapon????

:crack: What is this I don't even.
 
I haven't actually kept up with the story (on purpose).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think anyone should waste their breath giving him shit for auctioning the murder weapon. Mostly because this smells of media over-coverage. Why is this news? It's not. It's not outrageous what he's doing. He's auctioning a personal possession.

I'm not defending him. He's a lowlife scumbag piece of trash. But who fucking cares what he's doing? Nobody should be keeping up with his every move. Let it go. He should be irrelevant. Don't make a celebrity out of him.
 
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