Forty Percent Now Say Trayvon Martin Shot in Self-Defense

Forty Percent Now Say Trayvon Martin Shot in Self-Defense

The tables are turning in George Zimmerman’s favor, according to new survey results released yesterday from Rasmussen Reports.

As evidence continues to emerge from the shooting death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, Americans are becoming more convinced that his killer acted in self-defense and that the legal system will come to that conclusion.

Forty percent (40%) now think George Zimmerman, who has been charged with second degree murder in the Martin shooting, acted in self-defense. Twenty-four percent surveyed say Zimmerman committed murder, a 6% drop from the previous poll in March (30%) and 9% drop from April (33%) survey results. One-thousand adults were surveyed nationwide with a +/- 3 sampling error. Blogger Ann Althouse offers a deeper look at the trending.

Unsurprisingly, the opinion among black people is different, but it’s not that different: 47% say murder, but the number is going down. 55% said murder in March. And 40% of black adults now say self-defense — exactly the same as percentage for adults Americans generally. Note that this means that black people are much less likely to be undecided or uncertain.

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