The Zimmerman and Dunn cases have been lumped together by many commentators, but the cases had almost nothing in common.
Based on the evidence presented in court, the Zimmerman jury got it right. Based on the evidence presented in court, the Dunn jury got the murder count wrong in deadlocking — although until they speak, we can’t know why.
Zimmerman’s explanation for the use of deadly force was consistent with eyewitnesses, medical evidence, ballistics, and the forensic evidence.
Dunn’s explanation for the use of deadly force lacked credibility, had no independent supporting evidence, and was inconsistent with his conduct after the shooting.
The only thing in common was the race of the person shot. It’s unfortunate that some people, like Ta-Nehisi Coates in The Atlantic, view the case entirely through a racial lens, not the evidence:
Jordan Davis had a mother and a father. It did not save him. Trayvon Martin had a mother and a father. They could not save him. My son has a father and mother. We cannot protect him from our country, which is our aegis and our assailant. We cannot protect our children because racism in America is not merely a belief system but a heritage, and the inability of black parents to protect their children is an ancient tradition.
That’s their problem, not ours.
When the choice is racial politics and grievances, or the actual evidence in a case, I’ll take the evidence every time, and so should juries.
In the wake of the Dunn verdict, Zimmerman was interviewed by CNN, an interview that reflected how the media too cannot accept the facts of the Zimmerman case:
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