Based on a statement Wednesday, the White House does not see the need to make a distinction between someone who says he killed an individual in self-defense because the individual was beating his head into a sidewalk, and someone who, according to police, allegedly killed another individual out of boredom by shooting him in the back. The first victim was Trayvon Martin, and the second was Australian baseball player Christopher Lane, about whom White House Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Obama’s comments after the Trayvon Martin case should apply.
“This sounds like a pretty tragic case. [T]he president I think himself has spoken pretty eloquently about violence, He expressed his concern about the impact of violence in communities across the country.” White House Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest, said according to the Washington Examiner, adding that Obama’s comments after the Trayvon Martin case apply to Lane.
Police say that the three teenagers who allegedly shot Lane in the back while he was jogging said they did so out of boredom, according to the Examiner article. George Zimmerman was acquitted after claiming that he was protecting himself because Martin was slamming Zimmerman’s head into the sidewalk.