For George Zimmerman's Lawyer, the Tables Have Turned

Mark O'Mara is now repping slain black teen Adrein Green
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted May 12, 2020 9:50 AM CDT
George Zimmerman's Attorney Repping Slain Black Teen
Mark O'Mara is seen in a courtroom at Hamilton County Courthouse in Cincinnati on July 30, 2015.   (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

The attorney who represented George Zimmerman in the fatal 2012 shooting of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla., now has the opposite case. Mark O'Mara is representing the family of a black teen who was fatally shot before 2am on May 5 as he allegedly attempted to burglarize a vehicle, per the Orlando Sentinel. Sanford Police and the Seminole County State's Attorney Office say there's no plan to bring criminal charges against the unidentified Sanford homeowner who was on a 911 call when he fired two shots from his front door, striking 17-year-old Adrein Green in the back, as state law permits the use of deadly force to prevent "the imminent commission of a forcible felony" and to protect one's home. Officials say the gated yard in which Green was killed is an extension of the home.

O'Mara, however, argues deadly force is only warranted in a burglary against a person. "Breaking into a car should not lead to a death sentence," he tells the Sentinel. "The statute is quite clear, when you're looking at a life versus property—and a car is property—life always should win out." He adds the self-defense argument doesn't apply since "this guy had already called 911, he was in his house, armed with a gun." While the homeowner said he was scared for his wife and newborn, per CNN, he also said he had "busted the shots to scare him off," per WKMG. "You can't shoot at someone to scare them away," O'Mara tells the Sentinel. "You can only shoot at someone when you're in immediate or imminent threat of great bodily injury." He's requesting that the case be presented to a grand jury. (More fatal shooting stories.)

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