“A pit bull named Big Boi began menacing George and Shellie Zimmerman in the fall of 2009,” Reuters reports in an excellent post about the background to the Trayvon Martin homicide. “The first time the dog ran free and cornered his wife Shellie in their gated community in Sanford, Florida, George called the owner to complain. The second time, Big Boi frightened his mother-in-law’s dog. Zimmerman called Seminole County Animal Services and bought pepper spray. The third time he saw the dog on the loose, he called again. An officer came to the house, county records show. ‘Don’t use pepper spray,’ he told the Zimmermans, according to a friend. ‘It’ll take two or three seconds to take effect, but a quarter second for the dog to jump you,’ he said. ‘Get a gun.'”

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56 COMMENTS

    • The main stream media is still suppressing facts that do not fit their scenario. In some cases, when a piece of evidence that supports Mr Zimmerman’s story of the incident, It is presented with something like, “Many feel …(Insert supposition or lie attacking Mr. Zimmerman)” following the kernal of truth . The audience is still left with a negative view of Mr Zimmerman and/or SYG law and/or guns. In many other cases, the main stream media just lies and ignores any facts.

        • Good article. The last bit took something away though. The media still finds a need to insist that Zimmerman ignored police advice to not follow Martin. Though it’s on the tape, it’s seldom reported that Zimmerman responded with “Okay.” And that Z maintains he stopped following at that point. Still, the Reuters article was a breath of fresh air after all the other noxious gas being blown about.

    • Its a good article, and solidly demonstrates how circumstances can lead a good guy to make a few big mistakes. Its unfathomable, and completely outside of logic for Zimmerman to have been charged with murder. Manslaughter is definitely a possible charge. The actions of a bunch of other guys who looked like Trayvon had the whole community on edge, especially since they usually evaded police. But that’s the issue… when Zimmerman allowed his frustration to lead him to “do to f*&#ing much” and act in a way that an armed citizen should not, he triggered a confrontation probably fueled by Trayvon’s fear and immaturity that led to the death of a kid who wasn’t involved in burglaries in the neighborhood.
      Regardless of Trayvon’s actions… it WAS irresponsible of Zimmerman to follow the kid. Irresponsible is not against the law, but we can admit it was a bad decision. If Trayvon threw the first punch, out of fear, anger, or just because he could, he made a stupid decision as well… but if it was fear that motivated him.. its understandable. We’ll never know. Since Zimmerman is innocent until proven guilty, he should be found innocent.. And he should never have been charged with anything greater than manslaughter.

      • If there was fear, why didn’t Trayvon call 911? Why, if he was afraid, did he first walk right up to the car Zimmerman was sitting in?

        No, what we’re dealing with here is a bad kid from the ghetto who ran because he was up to no good(casing houses, I’m sure) and was afraid George Zimmerman was on the phone calling the cops. He outran Zimmerman(as evidenced by Zimmerman saying ‘I don’t know where this guy is’ and the timeline showing 2+ missing minutes) and came back to start a confrontation just like Zimmerman said.

        Zimmerman should never have been arrested, according to Florida self-defense law. The State’s Attorney made the right choice, but the media, Revs Al and Jesse, and DOJ leaned on Gov. Scott, which resulted in Corey filing her laughable affadavit.

        Trayvon Martin was not a “kid”. He was a thug. A thug with a history of theft, bragging about burglary and violence online, and an obvious problem with discipline and rules. He got exactly what he deserved.

        • so what exactly were you reading that stated Martin approached Zimmermans vehicle first? And what proof do you have aside from that of the only person still alive that was there, says?, that Martin approached him? What history of theft do you have access too? I must have missed that…and so what if he used social media to talk and act tough? A lot of kids do. He was doing neither one when he was being followed by Zimmerman. Conclusions like the ones you draw and support with made up “facts” are just why most media do not show current pics of Martin, because the image he tried to portray somehow justifies his killing in the minds of pea brains such as yourself, who unfortunately might end up in a jury box.

          • so what exactly were you reading that stated Martin approached Zimmermans vehicle first? And what proof do you have aside from that of the only person still alive that was there, says?

            What proof do you have to the contrary? That’s what I thought. Every single “point” that you have is pure fiction because there isn’t any PROOF to support any of your claims.

        • Martin had no prior convictions. The worst things he ever did couldn’t be considered to be anywhere outside the norms of teenage behavior. Certainly not indicative of the sort of person who goes about casing houses.

          He did not approach Zimmerman at any point, and it can be concluded that Zimmerman pursued him even when he was not asked to. He’d already decided what sort of person Martin was and he decided to pursue him with no legal leg to stand on in doing so.

          Zimmerman *deserves* to be convicted of something ranging between manslaughter and second degree murder. Zimmerman was an *idiot* and an arguably good teenager with an entire life in front of him – possibly kids and grandkids bouncing on his knee one day is cut short.

          Martin punched a stranger who was stalking him (by any definition of the term) – you or I would probably do the same if someone ran after you after following you in a vehicle for a period of time.

          Discretion is the name of the game when carrying a gun. You have to exercise far more of it than someone who is not. And Zimmerman didn’t exercise any.

  2. That’s a fascinating article. While I realize it takes time to research and put together an article that detailed, I do wonder how many of those neighbors and friends were talking all the way back to the beginning, but were never heard because what they had to say didn’t fit the narrative.

  3. Getting a gun for a dog issue doesn’t apply to the case honestly. How the media is handling it is another matter but my hope now is no one will act badly and Mr. Z can actually make it to trial.

    • It does. It speaks to the issue of whether he bought the gun because he was looking for a fight.

        • If loose dogs required deadly force, don’t you think mailmen would be packing heat? and yet…they aren’t. There is NO proof that buying a gun was “suggested” and it wasn’t a suggestion he had to “accept” regardless. This was a man who had a criminal history with some clear impulsivity issues. NOT a good candidate for a firearm, much less a concealed carry permit.

    • By my count, George Zimmerman is f^cked. Because it is never over for the racial arsonists, regardless of their color. Never.

  7. A 9 for anti-pit bull work seems like a poor choice to me. You really need something starting with “4” or more for that purpose. Something starting with “shot” would be better.

    Yes, I really hate pit bulls. Too many run ins with half-trained (if that) pits at the local dog run in our old town.

    • If any dog is in a public area, poorly trained, and not on lead, it’s not the dog that deserves your anger.
      Particularly so if the dog is a member of a breed that is particularly physically robust, like an APBT.

        • That’s a joke. Bear spray is created to stop freakin’ GRIZZLY BEARS. You think it won’t stop a dog…especially when you can spray it from 20ft away? Bigger worry would be all the drifting spray blinding any humans that might be in the immediate area. And god forbid there was any kind of wind.

  8. Despite what he was told, pepper spray works pretty damn good on dogs.

    When I delivered pizza, I had my GLOCK in my holster, under my shirt. That was against company policy, but I didn’t really care.

    But I carried 10% OC law enforcement grade pepper spray, too. Just a slight mist of it makes most animals lose focus.

  9. Pepper spray does work on dogs. At my work we carry a brand called Back Off Dog Repellent. It’s only 0.35% OC. I have used it on dogs during my rounds. And every dog backed off after being sprayed. YMMV.

    • I agree….a while back I found a bottle our mailman dropped, and I just scrapped a little of the dried residue off of the nozzle, and made the mistake of picking my nose shortly thereafter….I just started drooling, and wheezing…it was awful Funny in retrospect though…..

  10. After Zimmerman is acquitted and the riots begin, the media will bring in experts to explain and tell us how we got there. Fingers will be pointed in every possible direction, except at themselves. And the irony will be lost on many.

  11. He bought a small easily-concealed 9mm to use against a pit bull? I don’t believe that story, either.

    Why, exactly, are you willing to believe everything he says, in spite of the obvious lack of logic?

    • Perhaps the pit bull was at the time his motivation to become more interested in self-defense and self-preservation.

      I know recently, a few loose pit bulls at a park where my family was visiting made me thankful for my PM9 in case something had happened.

    • Having had to apply for unemployment, George Zimmerman was struggling to pay the bills. The PF-9 and 9mm hardball would have been barely within reach of someone having such limited means. I imagine he bought the best gun/ammo combination he could afford.

      A man’s credibility should not be impugned just because he unable to purchase a $2,500 Wilson Combat 1911.

    • He bought an inexpensive firearm that didn’t have too large a capacity because (1) he did not think he would need more than one or two shots to deal with a dog, (2) he did not have a lot of money, and (3) it is likely to be one of maybe two options the clerk pulled out to meet the customer’s price point. Last time I checked the local stores, PF9s sold for about $250. Find me another new firearm that’s even close to that price point that isn’t small…

      • I can get you a real nice Maverick 88 12 GA shotgun for that same money (made by Mossberg), brand new. We won’t even talk about the cost of a police turn in Remington 870, or a new Hi Point carbine, all good for home defense against man and beast….

    • Low Budget….even if the article is accurate, it too displays an evolution of GZ into someone wanting the power and authority of a LEO, like giving all of his contact information to anyone who experienced a break-in…what exactly for? and “contact our Captain”….all of this just fed into that complex. It was a problem waiting to happen regardless of how good his intentions.

  13. Wow. The “reason” he bought the gun is the most irrelevant piece of information we’ve had to hear about yet. Why is this important? What if the “reason” was something more simplified like, “I just like guns”, or maybe “for personal protection” or “…the right to RKBA shall not be infringed”. WHO CARES??? How does this change anything? He claims to have fired in self defense. It’s the prosecution’s burden to find otherwise. Good luck with that.

    More garbage media fodder crap.

    • The reason someone bought a gun can tell you more about their motivations. There is more to the law than just the letters at the end of the day. It’s a set of laws written by humans, interpreted and enforced by humans. There’s often leeway in the law for good reason.

      A person who bought a gun because ‘he heard the race riots were coming’ and a person who bought a gun because he was menaced by a dog that was a reasonably threat are two different people that will receive two very different sets of treatment for the same crime, and rightfully so.

  14. I actually found the article insightful. I’ve always wondered what prompted GZ to get a CCW in the first place. I would agree with what a lot of posters have already said: A pistol is a poor choice of weapon given a choice, against a charging dog. There was recently an incident in Detroit, where cops were called on a run involving an attacking pit bull, and when they arrived, the dog attacked them, and one of the cops shot her partner and a civilian, while trying to shoot the dog. She hit everyone and everything except the dog. A shotgun or a rifle (can use as a club if you miss and he keeps coming) are much better choices. I think GZ made some real dumb choices (pistol vs. long gun, “we don’t need you to do that), and the only racists are the FL criminal justice system (and Mike) if anyone, not GZ.

    • Um, sure a shotgun’s better. Only you can’t stick it in your pocket for a walk in the neighborhood, can you? I’m not worried about pit bulls attacking me inside my house, either.

  15. Zimmerman is a jackass and most likely a murderer. This is pretty obvious and people should not let their fear and ignorance and gun worship make them be stupid about it.

    • You get no argument from me. It’s unfortunate that race is complicating and distorting the whole fact that GZ shot an unarmed kid, and this should have gone through the courts without anyone having to protest. IMHO Manslaughter would be a fair and proper verdict. He’s a doofus that made a bad call.

    • Zimmerman was a manslaughtering idiot at best. At best.

      There is very little to nothing to defend him over. Yet because he had a gun, we leap to do so?

      Or is it because we don’t identify with the teenager he shot?

  17. Oddly enough I’ve heard of lots of instances over the last few years of PF-9’s being used on pitbulls. I think there was even on in combat handguns that went national a few years ago. Turned out it was a gang bangers pitbull so it was good he got arrested as the local hood was about to attack him. Was later cleared.

    • It is sad indeed. Nothing now will bring that teen back from the dead. All that can be done is to treat Zimmerman to the best possible justice for his actions.

      Even if the mainstream media rages on about this stuff, I’m not sure why we should care that much. Call Zimmerman a manslaughtering or possibly murdering idiot and move on.

  19. I don’t believe one word of this story.

    There are better ways of dealing with menacing dogs.. and the Retreat at Twin Lakes is full of kids.

    An animal control officer would NOT tell someone to shoot a dog in a subdivision.

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