On Wednesday at the George Zimmerman trial, the prosecution called yet another witness who ended up testifying for the defense: Florida Department of Law Enforcement firearm analyst Amy Siewert. The prosecution had contended that George Zimmerman was on top of Trayvon Martin and pressed his gun into Martin’s chest before firing and killing him. Siewert testified, however, that there was no forensic evidence that Zimmerman had pressed the gun to Martin’s chest. In fact, the gunpowder residue and other material evidence showed that the gun was touched to Martin’s shirt, and that Martin’s shirt was not pressed to his chest, implying that Martin was on top of Zimmerman and that his shirt was hanging down when Zimmerman shot him.
The state also attempted to maximize the fact that Zimmerman’s gun was loaded, including a round in the chamber, before the fight. But Siewert admitted that guns are not of much use unless they are loaded and there is a round in the chamber.
Ben Shapiro is Editor-At-Large of Breitbart News and author of the New York Times bestseller “Bullies: How the Left’s Culture of Fear and Intimidation Silences America” (Threshold Editions, January 8, 2013).