The ABC report also recounted a new detail about Zimmerman's account of that night, concerning Zimmerman's gun: "Martin knocked him down with a punch to his nose, jumped on him, repeatedly banged his head on the ground, then tried to grab Zimmerman's gun," the report states. "In a struggle for Zimmerman's gun, the watchman shot the teenager, Zimmerman told police."

This account raises the question: How did Trayvon Martin know Zimmerman was armed with a handgun? Under Florida law, Zimmerman was licensed only to carry it concealed; the state's permit guidelines also instruct licensees not to brandish their weapons as a deterrent. But in claiming that there was a struggle for his gun, Zimmerman's account suggests he had the weapon out, or visible on his person.

776.041 Use of force by aggressor.—The justification [of the use of deadly force] described in the preceding sections of this chapter is not available to a person who:...

(2) Initially provokes the use of force against himself or herself, unless:

(a) Such force is so great that the person reasonably believes that he or she is in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm and that he or she has exhausted every reasonable means to escape such danger other than the use of force which is likely to cause death or great bodily harm to the assailant; or

(b) In good faith, the person withdraws from physical contact with the assailant and indicates clearly to the assailant that he or she desires to withdraw and terminate the use of force, but the assailant continues or resumes the use of force.

At approximately 10:30 p.m. on November 6, 2005, Carroll, who was thirty-six years old, drove to the home where sixty-one-year-old Heckman lived with Carroll's former girlfriend and Carroll's two children. Carroll dropped off one of the children's bicycles and asked to see his son. Heckman told Carroll it was too late to see his son, and Carroll got upset and threatened to break Heckman's jaw. Carroll began walking back to his truck, which he had parked on the street in front of Heckman's house and in which Carroll's fiancee, her mother, and their young baby waited.

Heckman told Carroll he was going to call 9-1-1 and followed Carroll to his truck so he could get Carroll's license plate number. Carroll then threatened to "do more than just break" Heckman's jaw. Heckman's call to the 9-1-1 operator did not go through, and he reentered the front door of his home and locked the door behind him. Heckman did not call 9-1-1 from his home but instead went into the home's attached garage and opened the garage door facing the driveway.

Carroll had entered his truck and driven it in front of Heckman's driveway. Heckman believed that Carroll was "baiting" [*3] him. Heckman took the bait, retrieved a brass door handle, and skipped it down the driveway toward Carroll's truck. When the door handle hit Carroll's truck, Carroll jumped out of the truck and ran toward Heckman.

Heckman ran back into his house through the door attached to the garage and locked the door behind him. Carroll then picked up a stick or pole in the garage and began vandalizing Heckman's vehicle, which was parked therein. Heckman heard the noise inside his garage and retrieved his loaded .38 caliber revolver from his bedroom. As Heckman approached the inside door to the garage, he noticed that the noise coming from the garage had stopped. Heckman opened the door and walked slowly toward the front of the garage with the pistol pointed down by his side.

Carroll had left the garage and was retreating to his truck for the second time. When Carroll heard Heckman, Carroll turned around, put his hands on his hips and said, "What is your problem?" Carroll was fifteen feet away from Heckman. Heckman responded by asking Carroll to leave. According to one of Heckman's statements, Carroll made a "furtive movement" towards Heckman by leaning in Heckman's direction. Heckman then fired [*4] his revolver twice, hitting Carroll once in the thigh.