Zimmerman verdict: Not Guilty.

[Esquilax]

It could have been avoided in virtually endless ways; at least half of those limitless ways have to do with Trayvon's actions/existence... You can't pick a point and blame it for everything that follows. I could just as easily pick the point where Trayvon chose to attack and say that was the cause for the following actions, ultimately ending in Trayvon's death.

You can, however, pick origin points for the trouble that occurred. One of those, in this series of bad decisions, was the point at which a grown man opted to stalk a teenager at night. Say what you like; there is no way that was a good idea.

Also, Zimmerman had no duty to the other end of that 911 call. He didn't go against an order. Saying what followed suit is his fault on the basis that he chose not to head their words is the same saying it's his fault because he didn't head the words of any random person, really.

But 911 operators aren't random people. If they were, nobody would bother calling them. What they are, are people with a working knowledge of police procedure and operations, who are put behind those phone lines specifically to help the people who call in. What they have to say in situations like these matter, because they've been trained to give instructions to maximize safety and to help the authorities that have been dispatched to do their jobs. If Zimmerman didn't want the help that 911 offers, why would he call them in the first place?

This would be like me being told to apply pressure to a wound to stop the bleeding while an ambulance rushes to my aid, tearing that wound open instead, and then being surprised when that makes things worse. After all, those people on the other end of the line are just random people, right?